The Gospel According to Chris Moyles

If I had to sum up The Gospel According to Chris Moyles in one word it would be short. Too Short! At 300 pages of double line spaced large font it is crazily short. Especially as Chris has so much to say on the radio each morning and makes a big fuss of how much he was writing throughout the book!

The shortness would be no problem if it was not a good read, but it is! I could have enjoyed it for a considerably longer time. It is funny, and in true Chris Moyles style, direct and to the point! He pulls no punches as to what he thinks about people or places - from his previous radio jobs to the current team at Radio 1!

What comes through most throughout the book is Chris's absolute love and dedication for what he does on the radio. He has clearly worked damn hard to get where he is, and continues to work hard behind the scenes to make each show funny and different. I have long been a fan, but now see him in a very different light. He no doubt deserves all the success he has.

So a great read, a fascinating (blunt and to the point) character, but I would have liked a bit more!

Four Blind Mice by James Patterson

In my opinion Four Blind Mice is not one of James Patterson's best books, but it is still a good read.

As one of the Alex Cross series of novels it features familiar characters, and their personal lives continue to develop and grow. This is one element of the Alex Cross series that I most enjoy. The characters have become very well know to me, and what is happening in their life away from the crimes is one of the joys of the novels.

As far as the crime in this novel goes, it is pretty different to the themes of recent novels, with no real links to previous crimes/criminals. The story was potentially broader in scope, but disappointingly I felt it was treated really lightly. More could have been made of the plot and locations if Patterson had chosen to. It seemed he was almost treading water with this one - maybe it is a setup for some follow-up stories in future novels.

While I did not enjoy this much as I have previous Patterson novels, that is not to say it is not a good pay turner, as it certainly is. As a standalone novel I would not have been so forgiving, but as a part of a well-liked series I will forgive Patterson a not so good one!

A Fury for God by Malise Ruthven

A Fury for God by Malise Ruthven is an inconsistent read in my opinion.

The subtitle "The Islamist Attack on America" and associated press quotes suggest it's focus is completely on the aftermath of 9/11 and why it happened. While the book does cover this in some areas, it is much more the history of the Islamic religion, and Muslim people. It feels almost like the book was planned/mostly written pre-9/11 and when the attacks took place the author took advantage to make her book more topical.

That is not to say that he book is not interesting, as in places it certainly is. The sections on the formation of Israel, the CIA's involvement in Afghanistan and USA/UK support of Saddam Hussein in the Iran/Iraq ware are fascinating. They really highlight the hypocrisy of the current US/UK policies in each of these areas.

Also when the book does analyse the specifics behind 9/11 and subsequent attacks it is interesting, although a little light on detail - almost like an afterthought as I said earlier.

I have two main criticisms of the book, both regarding the accessibility of the book. Firstly, in places, the level of detail that adds little to the underlining point that seems to be the focus. As such it is almost impossible to make sense of it all. Secondly, the way the book is structured makes reading anything but easy. Within each (long) chapter there are no clear breaks as the subject matter moves on. With the two things combined it makes the book a really unsatisfying read in places.

Would I recommend it? If you are looking for an in-depth analysis of al-Qa'ida and Bin Laden then this is not the book for you. If you want to understand the wider picture of Islam, and it's foundations and factions then this could be the book or you. I certainly learned a lot from reading it... just not what I expected to learn!

The Iraq Study Group Report by James A. Baker III & Lee H. Hamilton (Co-Chairs)

The Iraq Study Group Report by James A. Baker III & Lee H. Hamilton (Co-Chairs) is an absolutely fascinating read, and is highly recommended for anyone who has an interest in the growing disaster of iraq.

James Baker and Lee Hamilton put together a comprehensive assessment of the current situation in Iraq, and follow that with a wide reaching set of proposals to try to bring the situation back under some sort of control.

A very clear message is given that the current policy of the US and UK governments is failing terribly, and things need to change significantly. Tinkering at the edges is not going to neutralise the situation - a wide reaching change of policy is required.

The proposals are exactly that - wide reaching - covering changes within Iraq, the US administration, and crucially changes in the way the whole of the Middle East is worked with by self proclaimed "Leaders of the Free World".

News reports on the report barely scratched the surface of the what the report contained, so well worth a read. It will be "interesting" to see what Bush and Blair come up with as their proposals for change... I for one am not hopeful.