Luke Harkness, Author at Luke’s Blog

30Nov 2022 by Luke Harkness 2 Comments

River God by Wilbur Smith book review

As a kid I was a massive Ancient Egypt nerd - I even had a folder in which I'd put a load of information I'd printed off about Ancient Egypt almost as my own encyclopedia of knowledge. I even bookmarked the different sections. I'm not sure what gripped me so much about that era but I found the whole idea fascinating. Something to do with them having different Gods which don't exist today, the way they mummified their dead, the way they built the pyramids, the vast tombs and treasures they built and wielded. Ancient Egypt almost feels like a fantasy culture - that's probably why. Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links provided below, I…

27Nov 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

My Primary School Teacher Girlfriend Reviews Anna Friend’s Big Little Hearts Children’s Books

Book reviews

On Twitter, author Anna Friend kindly contacted me asking me if I reviewed children's books. When I said that they weren't my specialty and I'd rather do a good job and so suggested that my partner who is a primary school teacher reads them, she said this sounded like a great opportunity. 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 product. Friend sent me Who Will Love Me When You're Gone?, How Will It Be with Baby & Me and When Can I Go Back to School, three books she's released over the…

19Nov 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid book review

Book reviews, Historical Fiction

I thought The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was one of the best books I've read since I finished it last month. So when Daisy Jones and the Six came in the post, I popped it on Twitter and it received a lot of positive comments, I knew I had to give it a go. And wow - I'm so glad I did! 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 product. Daisy Jones and the Six is about... it won't surprise you... Daisy Jones and the band called The Six. It follows…

15Nov 2022 by Luke Harkness 1 Comment

A Fatal Crossing by Tom Hindle book review

Book reviews, Crime, Mystery

I love a good murder mystery - especially one where the killer and the victims are all stuck in the same place, so when I needed to pick up a new read, A Fatal Crossing leapt out at me from my bookshelf. When a man dies on a voyage from Britain to America, there are suspicions it may have been murdered and the murderer could still be on the ship! 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. A Fatal Crossing is a book I was partly drawn to by the cover…

12Nov 2022 by Luke Harkness 2 Comments

Case 63 by Gimlet Productions podcast review

Fiction, Podcast reviews

"What's this? A review of a podcast?" I hear you say. "I thought you only really reviewed books?" you continue. Well, Case 63 impressed me so damn much I wanted to write a review about how good it was. Plus, it is just one of many of the fiction podcast genres which has shot to popularity recently with some massive names including DC and Marvel getting involved. If you've never listened to a fictional podcast before, they're not just people reading out a story - they're full productions these days - like you're listening to a film. They have background noises including all the sounds you need to hear to know what the actors are doing. Case 63 was actually advertised to me on the Spotify app when I logged…

06Nov 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin book review

Book reviews, Fantasy

George R.R. Martin's second book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, A Clash of Kings, is a very successful follow-up to the huge hit with me that was A Game of Thrones. It continues the politics, and the stories, it introduces new characters and sets us up for future books to come. But is it completely flawless? Please note that this article contains affiliate links, this means that if you choose to purchase products via any of the links below then I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the products. A Clash of Kings picks up quite soon after A Game of Thrones so if you've not yet read my review of that,…

04Nov 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss book review

Book reviews, Nonfiction

Before you worry, this isn't a book written by our former prime minister - this is Lynne Truss, an English author, journalist, novelist, and radio broadcaster and dramatist. She's currently a book reviewer for different publications. Eats, Shoots & Leaves is a non-fiction book published back in 2003 in which Truss, who had just finished hosting BBC Radio 4's Cutting the Dash radio show, bemoans the state of punctuation and how it should be being used. 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 product. Eats, Shoots & Leaves came at a time…

02Nov 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

My 5 Most-Read Articles in October 2022

Features, Monthly Round Ups

Each month I post my most successful posts from the previous month that were posted in that month. And the end of this month is no different! Please note that this article contains affiliate links. This means that if you choose to purchase any products via the links provided below, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. These affiliate links do not affect my final opinion of the product. This not only allows me to look back and see which articles did the best that month but it also allows any budding bloggers to see what worked for me that month. This month my top five features three book reviews and my two round-up articles. It's great to see the round-up articles getting some traction…

31Oct 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

The Seven Books I Read in October 2022

Features, Monthly Round Ups

At the end of each month, I post a list and a short summary of every single book I've read that month. 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 product. Throughout October I read seven books, which isn't bad going. Based on my previous end-of-the-month round-ups, this seems about as many as I can fit into a month. In short: I've read some fantastic books this month with two of those I've reviewed so far have been five-star reads. There might also be a very controversial review depending on how…

29Oct 2022 by Luke Harkness No Comments

My Life in Books Tag

Blog Tags, Features

I found this book tag on The Book Loving Nut blog and thought I'd give it a go. It's quite a simple one. As you can imagine, as with all of these book tags, there are questions under a certain theme and I have to answer them. 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. If you keep scrolling you'll find out not only my age but my favourite colour too! If you take part in this, be sure to tag me on social media so I can see or…

Author: Luke Harkness