Review: World of the Unknown Ghosts

World of the Unknown Ghosts by Various
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So much fun to read this again.

Full knowing that most people reading this will be fans of the original, Usborne have not bothered to make any serious revisions (presumably, they took out anything racist/sexist by today's standards). Therefore, the stories and pictures are brilliantly quaint. They suggest using a notebook and pen to record any ghostly goings on because, in this World of the Unknown, mobiles aren't a thing.

Being a tad more sceptical than when I first read the book (13; I'm now 39), I realised that many of the ghost stories were very likely to be the result of bad lighting/drafty houses/someone being drunk. However, the story of the cursed WW1 Uboat seemed quite sinister - not because of the supernatural but because of the horrors of submarine life in warfare.

The book sweetly provides a list of further reading but, obvs, I have Google. And - of course - I will be Googling the history of pictures that the book claims aren't fakes immediately after finishing writing this review.



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Review: The Diary of a Bookseller

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was, at times, very funny and insightful. I've always tried to avoid Amazon but this book makes you realise just how damaging the rise of Amazon has been to the independent bookshop industry.

However, I think Bythell's acerbic observations of his customers can sometimes border on the downright mean. Plus, not sure he needed include every diary entry for the whole year as entries were repetitive etc.

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Review: To Be Taught, If Fortunate

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another lovely book from Chambers. The basic premise of all of her books seems to be what people could achieve if they just worked together and weren't so obsessed with being right.

Her skill is that her books never feel preachy or sentimental. Plus, she makes Sci Fi accessible for those (like me) who don't particularly like Sci Fi.

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