Not my favourite Stephen King book, but still a good read. The author himself calls it ‘a haunted love story’ which sums it up quite well. Novelist Mike Noonan suffers from writers block after the death of his wife and muse, Jo. Consumed by grief, he retreats to their small-town holiday home, where he distracts himself by getting involved in a custody battle, which in true Stephen King style, turns out to be much more chilling than it seems. For those interested, it was also turned into a movie starring Pierce Brosnan as Noonan.
The Caves of Drach – Hugh Walters ****
During a tour of a Spanish cave network, the grandson of a very rich man wanders into a restricted area and seemingly disappears. Desperate to find the boy, the grandfather recruits four astronauts (who were holidaying in the area) to go into the cave and search for him, feeling that their skills in deep space exploration would be of use in this situation. As the astronauts progress further into the cave, they stumble across a lost utopian civilisation which has taken the boy under their care, believing him to be a refugee from ‘the surface’.
An Independent Man: The Autobiography – Eddie Jordan ***
Motor racing legend Eddie Jordan tells his story in this book. He covers many aspects of his life and career, starting with his first karting experience in Ireland, through his own driving career, then his transition into team ownership and finally chronicles the downfall and eventual sale of the Jordan Formula One team. It’s a very interesting read to a Formula One fan such as myself, but has limited appeal to a wider audience.
All or Nothing – James Dixon and Chris Gilder ***
This book will appeal to a very niche audience, hence the middling rating. For me, it was an excellent insight into the inner workings of what was my local (and arguably Britain's number one) independent wrestling promotion before it went out in a spectacular blaze of incompetence, bankruptcy and general bad management practices. Wrestlers, bookers and the main main himself, Steven Gauntley, all have a say on the matters at hand, though I feel certain that some interviewees are holding back on the finer details. The book would also benefit from follow-up interviews, allowing the interviewees to respond to allegations made against them.
