Well, I've watched the first two episodes of Amazon Prime's new The Wheel of Time series. And, given my love of the series and my thoughts on the importance of change in book-to-film adaptations, I thought I should give my opinion. 

Which comes in with a resounding... meh. 

I found Polysecure to be one of those books that had some really intelligent and insightful things to say. You just need the stamina to be able to process everything it hands you.

I was suspicious of this book, as I am of any book “written” by a celebrity. But I found myself pleasantly surprised. Osman offers something perfectly crafted to appeal to anyone who has enjoyed a cosy Sunday afternoon detective show.

I enjoyed The Terror, but at times I felt this was almost despite the writing rather than because of it. The best description I can think of is this novel is “very Stephen King”. Whether this is a blessing or a curse is up to you. 

A fun dark read that’s just long enough to be satisfying without overstaying its welcome.

I didn't get through many books in July, mainly because of how long it took me to get through The Terror.

I went into this City of Thieves blind, not knowing what to expect. What I found was a well researched and entertaining story of a side of the Second World War that we don’t hear a lot about in the West. However, there was something about it stopping clicking with me as well as I thought it should have.  

If you are a reader who prefers beautifully detailed setting and description rather than consistent character and satisfying payoffs, this is the book for you. Where the Crawdads Sing wasn't a bad read, but Owen's experience as a non-fiction nature writer shines through. 

War Lord wraps up the story of Uhtred of Bebbanburg. But as much as I enjoyed it just as much as the previous books in the series, I would have liked something a little more climatic. 

Having hit all the right notes in the first two books of this trilogy, I was eager to see whether Follett had again managed to capture the same magic in the finale. And while I had more issues with Edge of Eternity than with the previous books, that in no way prevents it from being a worthy climax to the series. 

Every so often, I decide to throw a wildcard into my reading pile. And having recently rewatched the entire run of the 1990s adaptations of Jeeves and Wooster, I decided I would finally give reading P.G. Wodehouse a go. 

I picked this book up after reading another of Blessed’s biographies, A Panther In My Kitchen. While that book was a collection of anecdotes about the animals he’s had throughout his life, I was hoping this would be a more linear telling of his life. And while that’s not what I got, it was still a great read.

I'm always going to be nervous about a sequel to a novel I loved as much as I loved Fall of Giants. But this is an instance where you don't need to worry. What we have with Winter of the World isn't so much a sequel but rather a continuation of the same story with no drop in quality. 

Carthago takes a little while to grab you, but once it does you find yourself in a rich and complex world. It’s just a shame that the ending doesn’t quite live up to expectations

A pleasant afternoon read, perfect for curling up with on a cold winter day. But your enjoyment will depend on how much you can bear each author.

I picked this up on a whim, worried it wouldn't be as good as I remembered. But I was happy to discover it’s just as powerful now as it was when I read it twenty years ago.

An English Ghost Story is a novel of interesting ideas, poorly handled. There is a lot in here that could have made a fascinating story. Unfortunately, Newman doesn’t deliver on any of these. 

What else can I say about this book, other than it’s exactly what you would expect from something written by Brian Blessed? Just sit back and let yourself enjoy page after page of anecdotes that don’t seem like they could happen to any other person.