Samsung Galaxy Tab Tips, Tricks and Traps by Edward Jones.

Edward shows just how useful a Samsung Galaxy Tablet can be in his guide. He delves deep into the potential of this device and gives loads of additional knowledge in the form of tips, tricks and traps. His writing style is clear and focused, giving you expert knowledge in an easy reading but structured way. He does not just tell you what this tablet can do but also what it's limitations are with the things it can't do.

I enjoyed reading this book, it is bright and tells you all you will need to know. For a technical book it is not dull and I found it a good read that I will vote 4 stars.

This guide is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2013.

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 - A Complete Step By Step Guide for Beginners by Michael K Edwards.

Oh dear, this brief guide is NOT complete and is nothing more than a sales brochure. You can gather just as much information on the Samsung Galaxy Tablets from the many advertisements and catalogues floating about. Yet Michael has written this guide clearly from the sales literature and has made many typos. His style appears as broken English and makes you think he is reading off a screen at a call centre in India.

Michael does not discuss the potential and spirit behind the Samsung Galaxy Tablets. He does little more than list the many technical specifications. A new user will gain very little from reading this guide, the content and writing is so POOR. Do not waste your time downloading this eBook as you can get a better take on the Samsung Galaxy Tablets from the Argos catalogue online or in print. Such a poor eBook like this can only deserve the minimum vote of 1 star.

This guide is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2013.

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.

This novel starts off in 1949 depicting life in a fictional rural village called Shadbagh in Afghanistan. Through the pages you move through many people's lives as they are touched by the poverty and troubles within Afghanistan. This book moves through the years to current times and includes other countries where the characters have moved away to.

And the Mountains Echoed is a tale of love, people moving on, pride, sadness and struggle. All the characters are fully developed and tell wonderful stories, some their own and others passed along. There is so much warmth coming from this book that gives you a mature look at life. Khaled grabs those core fundamental values that drive people forward and holds society together. He tells the tale in such a fatherly, loving way, that the best story-tellers do. This makes for a great holiday read and as you glance up from this book, you can imagine tales echoing from the landscape around you, similar to the title of this novel.

This is a powerful story with people making hard decisions...

Parwana shuts her eyes. The wind makes the scarf flap against her face.

No one has to know. No one would. It would be her secret, one she would share with the mountains only. The question is whether it is a secret she can live with, and Parwana thinks she knows the answer. She has lived with secrets all her life.

She hears wailing again in the distance.

...Also how people are resigned to their situation...

But the fact is. I looked at my life and realized I already had what people sought in marriage. I had comfort, and companionship, and a home where I was always welcomed, loved, and needed. The physical urges I had as a man - and I still had them, of course, though less frequent and less pressing now that I was older - could still be managed, as I explained earlier. As for children, though I had always liked them I had never felt a tug of paternal impulse in myself.

...There is some lovely teasing dialogue sprinkled throughout the text...

Why didn't you call for the bedpan, Suleiman?

I did, a hundred times I did!

Which are you calling me, deaf or lazy?

No need to pick, I'm calling you both!

You have some gall calling me lazy for someone who lies in bed all day.

...Plus some lovely social observations of living in Afghanistan...

Eventually, the fighting ended with the arrival of the Taliban, those sharp-faced young men with dark beards, kohl-rimmed eyes, and whips. Their cruelty and excesses have also been well documented, and once again I see little reason to enumerate them for you, Mr. Markos. I should say that their years in Kabul were, ironically enpugh, a time of personal reprieve for me. They saved the bulk of their contempt and zealotry for the young, especially the poor women. Me, I was an old man. My main concession to their regime was to grow a beard, which, frankly, spared me the meticulous task of a daily shave.

...I enjoyed reading And the Mountains Echoed. It was very sad in places and brought a tear to my eyes. Khaled tells a lovely story with such passion and warmth. He sets up a lovely atmosphere of legends rolling off the mountains, tales of hope, poverty and struggle. His characters are easy to relate to as they all share a very human warmth, especially when they feel that they have failed. I have read his other two novels, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns. This latest novel follows similar themes and if you enjoyed either of the other two, you will be delighted with this one. I finished this book and certain scenes still haunt me as I daydream whilst walking my dog. And the Mountains Echoed is a powerful, memorable story that makes for a wonderful read that deserves the top score of 5 stars.

And the Mountains Echoed has 463 pages and was written in 2013.

Don’t mess with Meadowside! by Michelle McGrath

This is a 2,500 word short story about the residents of Meadowside Residential Home as they launch Operation Retribution. They have been a target of anti-social behaviour from some teenage school boys and plan their revenge.

As short stories go, this is rubbish. It is a very tame story told for people with a very low reading age. It has as much style and content as an advertisement for replacement double glazed windows. Short stories should be quick, sharp and excite but this is very dull and obvious. The dialogue is what you can expect from a children's comic.

Nothing attracted me to this short story as it left me so cold and bored. Michele has used this story to promote her other books but as adverts and teasers go, this is a put off. Don't Mess With Meadowside! is a simple tale for simple people that I will vote the lowest score of 1 star.

Don’t mess with Meadowside! is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was published in 2014.

The Cutting Club by April Thompson.

The Cutting Club has four simple rules, no cutting deep, no Killer cuts, tell no one and keep your distance. But sadly things can go wrong.

The Cutting Club is a YA novel about high school teenagers in America and how they cope with life. The characters self-harm for various reasons and this adds a certain darkness to the story. Slowly each character's back story unfolds and you wonder how the story will develop. I quickly developed an empathy for the lead characeter Liz and her personality was fully explored. Before the end you discover Liz's dark secret that makes her self harm.

This book is a thriller all the way to the end. It is sympathetic to readers who may self harm and does not put a negative judgement on the characters. For readers who do not self harm, it explores a lot of the reasons why and the feelings involved. The descriptions of the cuttings are very powerful indeed and the thrill rushes off the page at you. I am NOT qualified to offer an opinion if this book COULD be a trigger to a self harmer.

I think The Cutting Club is a good read. It covers emotional issues and tackles the hidden activity of self-harm. Although the book may be aimed at the YA audience, because of the darkness, suspense and tension it will appeal to older readers. The plot lines are good and this makes for a thrilling read which I will vote 4 stars.

The Cutting Club is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook and was written in 2013.

Cockroaches by Jo Nesbo.

Cockroaches is the second Harry Hole thriller by the top selling Norwegian author Jo Nesbo. Detective Harry Hole travels to Bangkok to investigate the murder of the Norwegian ambassador.

So, welcome to the Harry Hole brand. You do not need to have read the first novel The Bat, in the series to enjoy this book. Cockroaches stands on it's own and although scenes from The Bat are referred to in a back story fashion, they are not crucial to this story. Cockroaches is a stand alone read but fans of the first novel will enjoy the continuity in the same way they do with a Police television series.

The plot is very complex and the story telling has the same anecdotal quality that his fans enjoy. Cockroaches is a top quality read and puts Jo Nesbo at the top of crime thriller drama. It made my head buzz trying to understand who the murderer was and whether he/she was responsible for all the dirty tricks. There were very many vaild suspects and Jo teases the reader by pointing them in one direction only to change their mind in a later chapter. Enjoy Cockroaches for a thrilling, mind puzzling 5 star read. I could find nothing wrong with this book and will be happy to purchase further novels in this series, Jo Nesbo is SO good.

Cockroaches has 437 pages and was written in 1998 but was translated into English by Don Bartlett in 2013.

Bigfoot and Santa vs Al-Qaida by J.K. Jackson.

This book is a pantomime style Adult comedy when magical, mythical creatures plus American political leaders have a fight against Al-Qaida. It is a fun read and a great platform for airing politically incorrect rants. This is not about the war on terror but a humourous story poking fun at everyone across the political and religious divide.

In the Western corner we have the mythical characters of Bigfoot, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy with Santa Claus and his elves plus a leprechaun, helped along by previous American presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush and the current president Obama. In the Middle Eastern corner we have many terrorists lead by Sharia Claus.

This is not a serious story but the humour is very adult. Although the plot is childish, the content is not suitable for children. But this is a good laugh and I loved the political ribbing between the characters. Gone is the public relations speak and in comes frank, no holds barred, on-the-street honesty that calls a spade a spade. The political balance of this story is neutral and told in a very funny way. Although it challenges the American political scene, the rants are so well scripted that they are fully understood by other English speaking readers. It does seem odd that real life politicians are featured in the same story as mythical make-believe characters but because this story is such a mickey take, it does work rather well. You start to view all the characters as silly people with their many faults and weaknesses. This all adds to the intensity of this adult humour, these characters are not to be believed, mythical or actual party leaders. If that does not convince the reader of the fun being poked at everyone, then the magic does. Oh yes, there is plenty of magic to laugh at too! You watch all the news reports of terrorists charging around a desert in their vehicle of choice which always appears to be a Toyota Hilux pick up truck. Oh no, not in this story as these terrorists have magical flying carpets, one for each terrorist to ride on whilst clutching a trusty AK 47.

So have a good laugh at this humourous story, it is light reading but with an adult content. It will give you a good chuckle as you enjoy this tale and think how ridiculous some of our cherished characters can be. This is a good fun read that I will happily vote 4 stars.

Bigfoot and Santa vs Al-Qaida was written in 2014 and is available as an Amazon Kindle eBook.