Changing Places - Tord Gustavsen

Advantages: Decent vocals
Disadvantages: All too often buried in the mix

...The Sugababes are one of those groups that I've always had a quiet enjoyment of, but never enough to really become a fan. After all, a little like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones back in the 1960s, it seems you could either be a fan of the Sugababes or Girls Aloud but not both and my colours have been firmly pinned to the Girls Aloud mast for some time. Except in the case of the recent version of "Walk This Way" they combined to do for Comic Relief, at which point I wanted to kill them all. However, when it was announced that the Sugababes were coming to town as part of their "Change" tour, I agreed to go along to accompany a friend. Before the day came around, I thought I had best get an idea of what I'd let myself in for before I went, so I gave the album that the tour had been named after a listen and was pleasantly surprised... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: fantastic absorbing read
Disadvantages: none

...From the very first page I was absorbed in Jodi Picoult's latest novel 'Change of Heart' It tells the story of Shay Bourne, who was convicted of the double murder of a police officer and his step daughter eleven years ago. He was sentenced to die by lethal injection and now that all appeals are used up and his death is imminent, he wants to be able to do one final thing in order to make some sense of his life. The wife and mother of the victims is June Nealon, and if she had not already witnessed enough tragedy in her life, her younger daughter Claire is seriously ill and will die unless a heart transplant takes place. Shay hears of her plight whilst watching a local news programme and offers his heart to Claire. This gesture provides the very clever title 'Change of Heart' which in this case has more than one meaning. The book then... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: See text
Disadvantages: See text

...David Lodge is one of those authors that are deeply popular and critically acclaimed that much no my shame I had never read. The careful readers amongst you will notice that I used the word had, as I have put this little incident behind me after reading Changing Places, one of Lodge’s earlier works, which for what it is worth won the Hawthornden Prize and the Yorkshire Post fiction prize. Written in 1975, this book tells the story of two lecturers in English Literature, one English and one American, who take part in a teacher exchange scheme. Philip Swallow, journeys to the fictional location of Euphoria on the west coast of America, whilst Morris Zapp makes the return trip to the fictional English location of Rummidge. Neither mans wife makes the trip with their husband so these are two men let loose for the first time in... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful