Ben Tylecote

Reading a Mice and Men is the only experience I have with reading Steinbeck's work. From what I remember I didn't enjoy reading that book until the final few paragraphs so with this book I prepared myself for the long haul. This book follows the Joads as they make there way from the central states out to California to find work. What makes this interesting is the large lack of work actually in California. Then why did they go? That is what you are probably thinking. Well that is where this books true point comes across. Steinbeck uses dramatic irony before many major events. Before the Joads actually experience a moment there is a chapter referring to what is about to happen, in detail, but not from the Joad's perspective. Sometimes from someone in the scene, sometimes from an anonymous narrator that only pops up in these chapters. What this does is allow you to view every situation from multiple perspectives, giving an insight into different people and there views upon soc...

Born to run is a fascinating book that dramatically altered the beliefs of a large population of one of the largest communities in the world, runners.  In summary the book suggests that, like the Mexican tribe Tarahumara, we should all run barefoot. If your anyone who hasn't read the book you might well be thinking that that sounds stupid. Why would you risk injuring and slowing yourself down? Well, despite what every doctor, physiotherapist and parent has every told you, Christopher McDougall suggests that we should run without these shoes. They lock up our feet - he goes as far as to say that wearing that nice pare of Nike running shoes actually increases your chance of injury. Don't let that confuse you, this is not a scientific myth buster - as the books slogan (the hidden tribe, the ultra runners, the greatest race the world has never seen) suggests this book is far more than that. In fact it is an adventure fuelled, slightly novelised, true story that has invigorated huge...

It is an old book now, the autobiography of Nelson Mandela, that didn't make me have any less desire to read it. Little did I know that just a few weeks after reading it the issue of racism would become so import once again, as it has with the case of George  Floyd. The book gives a fascinating insight into the continent and culture of Africa, that many people, like myself, are so unfamiliar with. Of course, there is far more to the story than just that. You get a sense of the persistence and determination of ANC and all its leaders in the fight to remove apartheid and bring democracy and equality to South Africa.  It is an emotionally real journey filled with stories that go from making you happy to incredibly angry. Alongside the blatant racism that many black people received, you also get a sense of the goodness, that is not swayed by the government's institutional propaganda, in some individuals.  Mandela's story is inspirational to the highest degree. After being bor...

This action packed book keeps you on the hook until the final pages. It is perhaps one of the only books I have come across that rivals the works of Dan Brown, in the thriller genre. You can tell from the get go the book has been well researched and that allows for it to provide a truly immersive experience. After reading the To Kill a President and To Kill the Truth, also by Bourne, I wanted to read some more of his books, this one in particular was recommended to me. So I did end up reading it over the course of a week.  Overall, I actually far preferred it to the To kill a President and To kill the truth books.  Will is plunged into a deep mystery. People are being murdered. It turns out these people are actually some of the most righteous men in the world, even if not many people know it. Will is a New York Times reporter so naturally writes about it.  It turns out somebody is not to happy about this, as quickly after his story is printed - on the frontpage of arguabl...

The popular trilogy of books, soon to be released as movies starring Tom Holland and Daisy Ridley, by author Patrick Ness are a classic YA dystopian future hit.  They include all the classic workings you would expect from a hit young adult novel - a challenge they need to overcome; a journey where the protagonists inevitably fall in love, you get the idea...  A classic but nothing to special, right? As good as they are, you wouldn't think would be breaking any boundaries of literature.  But they do - at least - in my opinion. You see these books pose another interesting element. One that is not included in the likes of The Hunger Games or Maze Runner books. On the New World, the planet where some humans have emigrated to, everyone can hear everybody else's thoughts.  This led my friends and I to an interesting debate. Like most people, I assume, they thought a world like this would be horrible. It is certainly presented as horrible for humans when they first arrive. ...

Ben eltons rip off of dan browns wildly successful book style I was reading to kill a president -the first, of a now trilogy, of books - by Ben Elton when I was struck by the fact they used a writing style becoming ever more popular these days. Interlinking multiple characters stories lines is a technique popularised by hugely successful author Dan brown in the majority of his thrillers. Principally it allows him to end virtually every chapter with a cliff a hanger, keeping you hooked.  The structure goes: one chapter- end on cliffhanger, second chapter- keep reading to reach the point of the initial cliff hanger- end this chapter on another cliff hanger. Then repeat.  By the time the cliff hanger is solved the new one has already made you forget that the reason you read on in the first place is to get an answer to the cliff hanger of the first chapter. Ok so this seems like a great technique to keep readers interested.  The good thing about this is ...

The new age of fame ǀ the power of the individuals TikTok – you’ve probably heard of it by now. If you haven’t then know your children or grandchildren almost certainly have. In the last few decades social media has evolved rapidly: from myspace to Facebook to Instagram and snapchat, Tiktok appears to be the next phase in that evolution. With 800m active users and a company valuation of over 100 billion dollars, the app by technology behemoth ByteDance is seemingly unstoppable, you wouldn’t be stupid to believe that this rocket ship is bound for the stars. Therefore, it might be surprising to hear that over the course of just a few days the application went from an average review score of 4.5/5 down to just 1 star in India. Who on earth has the power to change the course of such a huge company? That is the question many people were wondering. As it turns out this was all sparked by a feud between two popular Indian creators, a tiktoker and a youtuber. India today explained ...