Luke Harkness, Author at Luke’s Blog

24Apr 2023 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Beartown by Fredrik Backman book review

Fredrik Backman, in the space of just two books quickly shot up to become one of my favourite authors. A Man Called Ove and Anxious People were two books that I rated incredibly highly as both offered such a fantastic balance of humour and seriousness in such a unique way. Backman's intelligent writing allows him to cover some very serious topics in a well-written and simple way. Beartown has received a lot of positive praise from people and so with my positive thoughts on his previous books and the praise from others, I went into Beartown incredibly optimistic. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost…

17Apr 2023 by Luke Harkness No Comments

An Idiot Abroad by Karl Pilkington book review

Book reviews, Nonfiction

I have watched the An Idiot Abroad TV series multiple times and am always happy to throw it on as a light and easy TV series to cheer me up. Therefore when scouring through my local charity shop, I found the actual diary he wrote during his ventures I knew I wanted to pick it up and read it. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products using the links below, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the products. As I said above, I absolutely love the An Idiot Abroad TV Series and so I wondered if Pilkington's humour would be able to translate through…

14Apr 2023 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah book review

Book reviews, Historical Fiction

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, like so many books I end up picking up, was chosen because I'd seen some very positive reviews of it online, the front cover looked enticing and I just so happened to have an Audible credit free to spend on the audiobook. I honestly went into this book blind with absolutely no idea what it was about and by the end, it may well turn out to be one of my favourite books of the year. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via any of the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the products.…

10Apr 2023 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Nomad by James Swallow book review

Book reviews, Crime, Thriller

I'll be honest, I decided to pick up Nomad from my bookshelf because I was watching Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime at the time and fancied picking up an action-thriller with one hero who has to save the day using military means. I'd heard some great things about Nomad and so decided to give it a try. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the products. Nomad is your typical military action thriller with a lone hero whose physical skills and intelligence end up helping him to solve a problem. In this instance,…

01Apr 2023 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The 9 Books I Read in March 2023

Features, Monthly Round Ups

Every month I write up a list of all of the books that I've read that month. And guess what? This month isn't going to be any different. I read nine books this month which is one of my best months for a long while and really makes up for the previous few months where I didn't seem to be reading much (due to physical-only copies and a lot of longer books). Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These links do not affect my final opinion of the product. These are all books that I finished in the month of March. This…

31Mar 2023 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The Two Towers by J.R.R Tolkien book review

Book reviews, Classics, Fantasy

When discussing fantasy, you can't help but talk about the The Lord of the Rings series. It has transcended its genre and its age and has become one of the most well-known names and titles in all of fiction, not just fantasy. The Two Towers is the second book in the trilogy and continues our Hobbits' and heroes' journeys as they attempt to stop the likes of Sauron and Saruman from gaining too much power and bringing darkness to the world. All the while, Sam and Frodo must bring that bring to Mordor and throw the ring in the flames to destroy it so no one else can use it. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the…

27Mar 2023 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Only The Lonely by Tamara Von Werthern book review

Book reviews, Crime, Mystery

Only The Lonely was kindly gifted to me by Tamara Von Werthern herself after she asked me via social media whether her book about an older man who accidentally spent some time being a detective (based on her real-life father) would be something I'd be interested in reading, I said yes and a few months later when my TBR cleared up a bit, I picked it up. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any product via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the products. Only The Lonely follows the short story of Detective Philipp who accidentally finds himself pulling out some…

22Mar 2023 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Chasing Graves by Ben Galley book review

Book reviews, Fantasy

A couple of months ago, I put out a tweet asking people where I should start with Ben Galley as I'd seen some good things about him. A few people came back, including Galley himself - his suggestion was to start with the Chasing Graves as it was the series he was most proud of. He then decided to DM me and said he'd be happy to send me a copy if I wanted to get started and you can't say no to that! So it was only fair that I slotted his book to the top of my TBR when it arrived. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at…

21Mar 2023 by Luke Harkness No Comments

My Five Most-Read Articles from February 2023

Features, Monthly Round Ups

Every month I post an article that highlights the five articles I wrote that month which have done the best. This started as a great exercise in defining the five best articles from that month. However, with the majority of them now being book reviews and summaries from the previous month (such as this one) it is becoming more of an exercise in which book review gets the most traction. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of any of the products. As I said, the list is chosen only from the articles that…

18Mar 2023 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The Jigsaw Man by Nadine Matheson book review

Book reviews, Crime, Mystery, Thriller

The Jigsaw Man was another book that when I asked people which book I should read from my physical TBR list received a lot of recommendations. The reviews on the blurb and the front of the book likened it to Val McDermid too which is high praise. However, I must say... I was incredibly underwhelmed. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links below, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the products. The Jigsaw Man tells the story of DI Henley and her return to the frontline of the police force after a couple of years out and her experience with…

Author: Luke Harkness