Illiterarty.com Book reviews and blogs by Bridget

With the gentle, undulating flow of many Italian or Spanish stories, The Olive Sisters also walks the well-worn path of bittersweet romance and wistful hark-back to the past that seem to be the hallmark of Mediterranean fiction.

With almost text-book precision, Jonathan Tel captures the essence of the perfect short story in this loosely woven collection of heartbreaks, secrets, humanities and mundanities, backdropped by the mysterious Beijing.

A light-hearted romp through the big boys of serious topics - Whom God Would Destroy examines the subjects of religion, psychiatry, the mentally ill, and alien conspiracies in a sniggeringly hilarious meander through some cunning plot twists and a whole new understanding of the universe as it is.

If this was lunch, it would be a Wendy's hot dog with everything.

What if Joss Whedon wrote like an 8 yr old, Buffy was a petulant, crying moron and Angel was her self flagellating bitch? Stephanie Meyer would be $70 million poorer, that’s what.

Mildly disappointing, but only compared to the insanely high standards I have come to expect from Mr de Berniéres and his extreme awesomeness as an author.

If this was fused with a grim, dystopian sci-fi blockbuster in some of Godawful teleporter accident it would be the film 'Brazil'.

McLaughlin and Kraus are back - and in my opinion, even better than before. Dedication is the quintessential girl's fantasy, with an unexpected happily ever after - where the girl makes the rules.

Feeling like you just haven't had enough spy/CIA conspiracy in your life lately? Lacking in running, gun fights, car chases, and general confusion and accusations about the CIA? Might be time to read Panic...

If this was written before anyone had heard of the author, it would get a pretty patchy reception.

If this was food, it would be a giant tub of fresh popcorn, covered in hot, molten butter, with an old-school choc top for dessert.

In the starkness and wild of the Victorian coastal countryside, a seemingly straightforward murder is committed. Detective Joe Cashin, who is in recovery from a mentally and physically scarring encounter on the job, pushes through the veneer of simplicity, and is plunged into a dark, complex crime...

If this was about a pubescent boy instead of a pubescent girl, it would confirm everything a certain sort of person likes to pretend lurks primarily within the purview of the homosexual mindset. But it isn't, so deal with it, heteros.

How do you know it's going to turn out exactly as you think it will down to the last painful ellipses? Probably the proud "international bestseller" label, partially covered by the "$2 Kmart" pricetag. Redeeming feature? It was purchased by someone else.

A slow man, a dead man, and a baby - Blaze is a soft-pseudo noir novel with a little crime and a big personality, discarded then resurrected by Stephen King.

Neverwhere is a whimsical tale about a man called Richard, doors, rats, myths, and what really happens underneath London.

If this was funnier, contained no sex whatsoever, five times less interesting to look at, but only slightly more suitable for children, it would be a The Charles Schulz Story, published 1971. (Have you READ early Peanuts? Good grief.)

An incredibly candid exploration of a few of the religious and cultural elements of that great and varied nation, India. Love it or hate it, there's just something about it...