Iain Banks - an excellent way to end 2012

My last book of 2012 is Stonemouth, by Iain Banks, which I read in audio format, with Peter Kenny narrating. It's the tale of Stewart Gilmour, who arrives back in his hometown of Stonemouth after a five year exile imposed on him by the Murstons - the local gangster family - after he broke the heart of their precious Ellie. Having had to literally run for his life when leaving Stonemouth all those years ago, Stu is not quite sure what kind of a reception he will get. It's tough, raw, violent, very sweary but also highly amusing in places. The back story is slowly revealed as Stu catches up with all the people he grew up with, lost his virginity to, got roaring drunk with, fell in love with and those who will always be his friends no matter how many years and miles get in the way. There are some great characters in this book - hard men, manipulative women, caring parents and ex-girlfriends. My favourite character is "Ferg", a drunken, drug-ridden bisexual who gets most of the best lines in the book. Stu has only been allowed home to attend a funeral, but the undercurrent of unfinished business pervades everything, and all roads lead to one heck of a finish. This is a very satisfying book - well worth the journey if you can handle the copious amount of swearing - but somehow, in a thick Scottish accent, it doesn't sound out of place or even over the top. I really enjoyed this book - Iain Banks on good form again. Not his very best (Transition, The Wasp Factory and Steep approach to Garbadale get my votes on that score), but certainly up there.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 448 print pages
Price I paid: £7.99
Formats available: Print, unabridged audio download and CD, ebook.

The Hunger Games ... I now know what all the fuss is about

I've been seeing The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins in bestsellers lists all year, and the film of this, the first book in a trilogy also received good reviews. So, when an offer came in on my usual audio book account I decided that I would give this book a punt. And I'm pleased to say that it is a punt that has paid off. This is the story of a 16-year-old girl called Katniss Everdean, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world, where there isn't enough food, but there are many, many rules! Every year, a boy and girl from each of the 12 districts is selected at random to take part in The Hunger Games - where the prize is 12 months worth of food for your district. There is only one way to win the games, and that is to be the last one to remain alive - and it's all shown live on TV! When her beloved younger sister is selected, Katniss volunteers to go in her place, and begins a journey into the brutality of the games where she has to find the strength of character to not only survive, but also to kill other children. I know that this sounds immensely distasteful - and indeed, the premise is just that. However, it is also an uncomfortable look into a future that is deeply unpleasant,and yet believable. Can our young heroine stay alive and keep at least some of her moral code and beliefs intact, or will the experience totally dehumanise her and all involved in the Games? This is a good read and a great central character. I think I might read the other two books in print or ebook as I found the narrator a little on the irritating side - but that's a personal thing. Don't be put off by the subject - this is a good read and I really do want to spend time with this character and see where she goes and how the narrative develops.

My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 464 print pages
Price I paid: £4.00.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Malta - small island, big place in history!

Last year, I read The Information Officer, a thriller based in Malta during the second world war. I found it to be a bit of an eye opener, as I was unaware of how Malta was under the cosh during that time. My brother-in-law, after reading my blog about this book, offered me two books of his about this Mediterranean island. I have just finished one of these, The Great Siege: Malta 1565, by Ernie Bradford, which I read in print. I was not disappointed! What could be a very dry bit of history from the time of Elizabeth I, is really brought to life by the author, who details the events of the epic defence of the island by a few thousand men, including the Maltese, led by the Order of the Knights of St John, against the hordes of a Turkish army and navy who were ordered by the Sultan to take this strategic lump of rock. The Order was determined to hold out in their new home after being routed out of their base in Rhodes some 40 years previously by the same man (Sultan Soleyman the Magnificent) who now had his sights on Malta. The Order were led by Grand Master La Valette, an exceptional leader who at the time of the siege was 70 year old, but still put on his armour and fought side-by-side with his men. It was brutal. The loss of life was particularly huge amongst the Turkish army, who were forced to try and break through the walls of the various forts through sheer force of numbers. Huge amounts of bravery was shown on both sides, especially when it became clear that the promised reinforcements from Sicily were not forthcoming. The Knights and the islanders were not to be moved, and eventually, the Turkish army - diminished by hunger, disease and, of course, the fighting, left Malta, vowing to return - but never did. Although shattered by the siege, the Order helped to rebuild the island and never longed to return to Rhodes again. I do like a bit of history! A very readable account of an event I knew nothing about - thanks Mr Bradford!

My STAR rating: THREE

Length: 256 print pages.
Price I paid: free loan from my brother-in-law.
Formats available: print, audio CD, audio download, ebook.

Lennox - the Glasgow underworld at its deadliest

Lennox, by Craig Russell which I read on audio is set in 1950's Glasgow. Our eponymous hero will work for anyone - villain or police - as long as it pays. He has a knack of finding things about people in ways that others don't seem able to do. He is commissioned to find Lilian Andrews, the missing wife of a local businessman, it seems a straightforward enough case. But then Tam McGahen - the brains of an up and coming criminal gang - is brutally murdered. The assumption is that the hit was ordered by one of the Three Kings - the triad of underworld bosses who control pretty much all the nefarious activities in the city between them. However, when they deny it, Tam's twin brother, Frank, tries to secure the services of Lennox to find out who did. He refuses, and later that night, Frank winds up dead and Lennox is well and truly in the frame. The only way to get himself out of this mess is to find out who is behind it ... but why does his other case regarding the missing wife, keep cropping up at the same time? This is gritty, violent and intelligent - and keeps you guessing all the way through. It genuinely feels like you are discovering each clue at the same time as Lennox himself. Although a hard man, a product of his experiences during the recent war that still resonates in everyone and everything, you can't help but route for the main character. His dark sense of humour - also a product of war - surfaces from time to time to lighten things. Tough, rough and gripping from the start - one of the best starts to a book I've read in a long time - there is much to admire in this tale. My only quibble is that the female characters are a bit one-dimensional. This is the first of a series of books featuring this private investigator - and I will definitely be delving into his dark and dangerous world again - particularly if the audio versions are narrated by Sean Barrett - who gave a great reading bringing all the characters to life, particularly Lennox - who was inflected with a world weariness that suited him well.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 352 pages
Price I paid: £5.33
Formats available: print, audio CD, audio download, ebook

Unseen Academicals - Terry Pratchett at the height of his powers!

I admit it - I have read A LOT of Terry Pratchett, and enjoyed pretty much all of them, but Unseen Academicals, which I have just read in print, is an absolute tour-de-force. We have some familiar characters from the Discworld in the form of the wizards from Unseen University - but the main focus is on four new faces from "below stairs". There are two cooks - down to earth Glenda who loves her romantic novels, and the beautiful Juliet who is a bit of a airhead but sweet and innocent with it. And then there are two servants - Trevor Likely, who lives in the shadow of his famous footballing father, and the mysterious Mr Nutt - ridiculously polite and brilliant at everything he tries, but with an undercurrent of something nobody can quite put their finger on, not even him! The traditional football of the masses on Discworld bears little relation to the game we know today - all shoving, pushing, violence and very little sight of the actual ball ... then again! But this tradition comes under threat from the ruling classes who want to civilise it. The wizards are forced to get a team together to ensure the future of the University, and their opposition will be made up of the best and worst players from the traditional city teams of the city of Ankh-Morpork. With no magic being allowed during the game, it would seem that the wizards are at a huge disadvantage - but with Mr Nutt, Trevor, Glenda and Juliet on their side, the odds are somewhat evened out. With trolls, dwarfs, orcs, vampires, fashionistas and general oiks featuring too, this book has a bit of everything. I loved it and literally laughed out loud around 30 times - which will always give any book the thumbs up from me. If you are a fan of football, bizarre characters and belly laughs - then this is the book for you. Highly, highly recommended.

My STAR rating: FIVE (as if you had to guess)

Length: 541 print pages.
Price I paid: £1.50 (from a charity shop).
Formats available: print,  unabridged audio, abridged audio, ebook.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

In the book - Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages by Tom Holt, this question is central to the plot. The book, which I read in audio format, starts in the mind of a pig, who is wondering where her piglets go when they leave the sty and figures out that to find out, she needs to get out of the sty herself and go into the horsebox in the farmyard - as that is the last place she sees her piglets go. She eventually gets her wish and makes it to the horsebox ... and then disappears herself. That's the opening chapter of this most unusual, but highly entertaining of books. We then go to the offices of a property developer, where one of the legal team is starting to worry that either someone is sneaking into her office and drinking her coffee, plus doing some of her work when she isn't there ... or, she is losing her mind. She seeks help from her brother when she goes to pick up her dress from the local dry cleaners only to discover that the shop has disappeared. And so begins a journey of discovery for the siblings as they try to come to terms with, and find an explanation to, these and all the other strange things that start to happen around them. Could it really be magic? Meanwhile, in the dry cleaners, Mr and Mrs Williams have got used to years of waking up in a different town - same shop, but different view! They can't quite remember how long ago "it" started, but they have adapted to things being the way they are. They just have to remember not to go into the downstairs toilet at 10.30am - when all manner of odd noises start to emanate from the smallest room in the house. As if all this stuff wasn't odd enough - we also have humans turning into chickens. This is a smart and funny book. A bit twisted, but a great read. I really don't know what it must be like in Tom Holt's head, but it must be a fun place to be. Slowly, slowly, all the disparate strands of the story come together and it's a very satisfying end. Really glad I've found this author - will definitely be delving into more.

My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 368 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99
Formats available: print, audio, ebook.

A very personal autobiography

A Jethart Laddie, by Anthony Morpeth is a self-published autobiography by someone I used to work with, but, after his retirement, played much golf with! He has penned an autobiography, which he used to talk about doing when we were playing golf ... and it has finally seen the light of day. Five years in the making, it is a very personal portrait of a man from humble beginnings in Jedburgh, Scotland, who had a happy childhood during and after the second world war when there was a remarkable amount of freedom for children - and many adventures to be had out and about in the local environs. Some of the tales would make a health and safety officer weep! Tony decided that the life for him was in the CO-OP as a baker and confectioner ... but it was not to be. After two years as an apprentice, he left because her felt he wasn't actually being taught anything. His father then gave him an ultimatum - get your job back, or join the army. Tony joined the army and so began his adult life proper. Working in communications, he was posted to Hong Kong and then Berlin and then other parts of Germany. We see Tony get married and raise three boys, as well as advance up the ranks in the army. It's not all plain sailing, but, on the whole, Tony cruised through his time in the army and 23 years flew by in an instant! The book ends just as he leaves the forces - when he says his life became decidedly less exciting. Whilst I started reading this book out of a sense of obligation to a friend, I really enjoyed it. Finding out about the people and events which form a man before you knew him is fascinating, and you start to see why someone has the opinions or attitudes to life that they have. This book is not available to the mainstream booktrade, but then I suspect the audience would be restricted to those who know the author. But that's okay by me. I feel quite honoured to have been given the opportunity to read this very personal portrait of a man, knowing that I will be one of the few to do so. Thanks Tony for letting me get to know you better. 

My STAR rating: THREE

Length: 310 print pages.
Price I paid: Free (Tony has let me borrow a copy).
Formats available: print.

Satire on war - can it work?

Talk about chalk and cheese - my latest book is so far removed from Dickens that it's almost like reading a book in an entirely different language! Toploader, by Ed O'Loughlin (which I read in print) is set in a fictional (and yet, I suspect, realistic) war zone. The action opens with a donkey, apparently minding its own business, suddenly blowing up! This act of terrorism is what some of the war correspondents have been waiting for, as well as the military men - who now have a great excuse for bombing the Embargoed Zone. In the EZ, the residents have almost nothing - not even hope. But one of them - Cobra - has found a way to survive - by being an agent for the military on the other side of the wall. On his side, all are assumed to be terrorists, and are under constant threat from faceless drone attacks and shelling from the military beyond "the wall" who are there to maintain control. But it seems to be a totally artificial state of affairs. The terrorists don't seem to exist except in the minds of the military commanders who want to keep the status quo of fear and mistrust in order to line their pockets as well as inflict pain on anyone that gets in their way. Much of the action is fuelled by the media, who are desperate for "something newsworthy" to happen, and are implicit in creating it when needs must. When Cobra suddenly finds himself in the middle of a scam to do with a Toploader washing machine liberated from the army stores - little does he realise that this could lead to his untimely demise.

This is a dark, dark satire. There are funny bits, but it's desperately depressing too, probably because I can actually believe that there are elements that could be true. We have a great heroine - Flora - who is trying to keep her family together, and alive, who comes across one of the "pilots" of the drones in the EZ where he really shouldn't be - but at least he sees what effect his computerised war has at first hand. We have Captain Smith and his henchman who are totally corrupt and who run Cobra in the EZ, but care little for his well-being. Very few of the characters come out of this with anything to recommend them - except Flora. However, this is a good read, although definitely one for the strong of stomach and an eye-opener for anyone who thinks there is honour in a war where you can kill unarmed civilians at the touch of a button from the safety of your bunker.

My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 289 print pages.
Price I paid:  free from local library.
Formats available: print, ebook.

Our Mutual Friend - well worth the effort

So, my quest to read more Charles Dickens found me embroilled in Our Mutual Friend - which I read as an ebook. It felt like a bit of an epic and has taken me a while to read, but it's not because I wasn't enjoying it - it's just a long and involved book. As usual, Charlie throws in a few too many characters for my own personal preference, but for once, I could see how they all mattered and linked and contributed to the story. The central theme of the tale is money - and how it affects people (mostly in a negative way) - but also, about the strength of the human spirit and how love can overcome. We open pretty much with the finding of a dead body - identified as John Harmon, a young man who has returned to London to claim his inheritance. According to his father's will, John was set to marry Bella Wilfer - a bit of a spoilt girl, obsessed with money and status. Instead, the money goes to a working class couple called The Boffins, who, feeling slightly guilty for their good fortune, take Bella under their wing. Bella slowly changes her opinion about money when she sees how it affects Mr Boffin, who turns from a generous open-hearted man to a distrustful, miserly one. She grows to respect Mr Boffin's new secretary, Mr John Rokesmith, whose affections she had previously spurned due to his lack of status. Will she overcome her attachment to money and the place in "society" that it will bring? Alongside this story is the one of Lizzie Hexam - daughter of the riverman who found the body. She is noticed by a young barrister, Eugene Wrayburn, who affects to be bored with everything, but his interest in life is sparked by Lizzie. Unfortunately, she has also attracted the attention of a schoolmaster who becomes obsessed and dangerous to know.

This is a complex story and is the last book to be completed by Charles Dickens. It is an epic with big themes that we can all relate to - life, death, love, friendship, loyalty and making money. I feel very happy to recommend this you - especially if you like to see the baddies get their come-uppance from time to time!

My star rating: FOUR

Length: 832 pages (told you it was long!)
Price I paid: free.
Formats available: print, audio CD, audio download, ebook.

Sweet Tooth with a sour undercurrent

There is much to admire in Sweet Tooth, by Ian McEwan, which I read in audio format with the wonderful Juliet Stephenson narrating. Serena Frome is the central character whose life gets going at university in Cambridge when she starts an affair with a much older man who also happens to be a lecturer and ex-secret service. He starts to teach her the ways of the world, but is really grooming her for a life in MI5. She is heartbroken when he breaks off with her, but decides to take the job at MI5 even though it's not exactly exciting, being primarily an admin post. It is the early 70's and the cold war is in full swing.

Early on, she is attracted to Max, who leads her on somewhat and gives her hope of a relationship when really there is none. She gets the message when he tells her he is engaged, but then is surprised when he puts her forward for a special operation known as Sweet Tooth to which she seems ideally suited. She is a compulsive reader of novels, and is sent undercover to help fund the work of Tom Haley, a promising young writer. But she steps over the line when she falls in love with her target. He seems to reciprocate, but in the world of espionage, can she trust anyone?

This is a really good read and bowls along at a good lick. There are some very intimate passages, but they are written well and won't make you squirm too much. I felt for Serena, but also wanted to give her a good talking to. She was so passive at times, and at the whim of the men around her that I wanted to shake her. It has an odd ending - I was initially disappointed, but on reflection, I am much happier. I have absolutely no problem with recommending this book to anyone looking for a taste of romance with a bit of mild espionage thrown in for good measure.

My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 336 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99
Formats available: Print, unabridged audio (CD and download); Ebook.

A bawdy spin on Sherlock Holmes

Professor Moriarty: The Hound of the D'Urbevilles, by Kim Newman - which I read in audio - is not for the faint-hearted reader. It gives us the flipside of some of those well-known Sherlock Holmes adventures, but from the viewpoint of his arch-enemy - Professor James Moriarty. The book has been written in the style of the memoir of one of the people closest to Moriarty - Colonel "Basher" Moran, who fits a similar space in the criminal world as Dr Watson does in the crime detecting world. Basher gives his views on everything, and I mean everything - and pretty much all of them are shocking to the modern mind .. well, to this modern mind anyway. His views on women and anyone who isn't English are jaw-droppingly scandalous. He is pretty much an irredeemable character ... until you put him in the company of Professor Moriarty, who has no feeling for anyone else and is totally without a moral compass. With all this going on - how could I possibly enjoy this book? Well, I have to say, I did. Kim Newman breathes new life into stories we thought we knew backwards. This is not a celebration of the criminal world, being almost totally devoid of glamour and pretty much a guaranteed short life, but it is compelling and not without its lighter side. Whilst I wouldn't recommend this book to everyone, for those who are happy to take it for what it is - an outrageous, grimy, funny, violent and fast-paced adventure into the underbelly of the Victorian era - then it's a cracking read.

My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 320 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.33.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

A little light relief from Miranda

A few months ago, my Kindle seemed to be offering me a good deal. It was a pre-order for a free book by Miranda Hart. Being a bit of "what I call" a fan (sorry if you haven't heard of this comedienne), I opted in. Having slightly forgotten about this, I was pleasantly surprised recently when a new book appeared on my device. Called, "No, it's us too!", what I actually received was a book containing anecdotes from the general public, peppered with one or two from Miranda herself. Whilst this wasn't exactly what I was expecting - this pre-publicity for her own book "Is it just me?" did provide me with some chuckles. Miranda is quite accident prone and finds herself in ridiculous situations. This short book reveals that, unsurprisingly, she is not the only one. The amount of people who owned up to falling over at the most inappropriate time, or found themselves to be walking around in public whilst trailing a length of toilet roll from their shoes/trousers/skirt, is quite reassuring, and often hilarious. I was going to say that if you feel like having a giggle and want to be given the comfort of knowing that you are not the only one who regularly embarrasses themselves in front of their boss, then you could do worse that read through this collection of personal disasters for a couple of hours. However, having just checked out Amazon, I can't find this title anymore, it takes you to Miranda's book - so, this was all just a marketing ploy ... which hasn't quite worked on me as I haven't bought her book! Sorry Miranda.

My STAR rating: THREE

Length: Unknown, not available in print.
Price I paid: FREE.
Formats available in: ebook.

Revolution, plots, love and death ... how Russian!

To Kill a Tsar, by Andrew Williams, which I read in print, is a thriller set in 19th Century St Petersburg. The action begins immediately with the attempted assassination of Tsar Alexander II by a lone gunman. The attempt fails, but he is not as solitary as he at first appears. Observing from the sidelines is a young woman, who leaves speedily to report the events to her comrades in The People's Will - an organisation who are determined to improve the fate of the millions of poverty striken Russians in the only way that makes sense to them ... by killing the Tsar. They think they are acting on behalf of the silent majority and that if their mission is successful, it will trigger an uprising by "the people". By chance, Dr Frederick Hadfield, a favourite of the Anglo-Russian gentry, is drawn into this web of intrigue by falling for one of the conspirators. Whilst he opposes her chosen path of violence, he cannot bear to betray her, and so starts to lead a double life. This is a fictionalised account of actual events and features many real life characters. A fascinating time in history is brought to life, and we see both sides by following Dr Hadfield as he spends time both with the ruling classes and the impoverished people. The secret police are a scary bunch, and the conspirators are constantly under threat of discovery. It's a tough read at times, and there aren't many laughs! Even the romance is not very romantic - it feels grubby, tense and a bit forced ... this was the least successful part of the book for me. I didn't know anything about this period in Russia, and I found it really interesting. Not a gripping page-turner, but worth a punt.

My STAR rating: THREE

Length: print pages
Price I paid: £2.50 (second hand book sale)
Formats available: print, unabridged audio CD or download, multimedia CD MP3 audio, ebook.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry ... read this book!

I'm not going  to beat around the bush here ... this is a FIVE STAR read and if you only read one book this year, this should be it! The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce, which I read in audio format is so good, I almost wish I hadn't read it yet so that I could enjoy it afresh for the first time. Despite its wordy title, this seems to be, on the face of it, a simple tale. Harold is retired, 65, and hardly ever leaves the house. His wife Maureen barely speaks to him and life is just an existence. When he receives bad news about an old work colleague, he writes a short letter and sets off to the nearest post box. Then, instead of posting it and coming home, he suddenly decides that he will go to visit the "Queenie" from the letter, and that he will walk there. When he tells Maureen this from a phone box, she is not impressed. He has no map, no walking shoes and 600 miles to go! Simple. However, as he walks, his mind revisits events of his past and with each passing mile we discover more about the man - his childhood, marriage, fatherhood and worklife. The people he meets along the road both inspire him and frighten him, as indeed he starts to inspire others. Why is he walking, will he get there and what will Maureen do to him when he gets home? Longlisted for the 2012 Man Booker Prize, it gets my vote. This is heart wrenching one minute and heartwarming the next. I loved it - and Jim Broadbent as the narrator ... inspired.

My STAR rating: FIVE

Length: 304 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99 (Audible monthly membership)
Formats available: print, unabridged audio (CD and download), ebook

An ethereal yet visceral tale of India

Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh, which I read in audio, is a hard book to pigeonhole. It starts in India, at a time just before the Opium Wars. A widowed villager escapes from the drudgery of her life as an opium farmer, and is drawn to the river and the sea. Meanwhile, an ex-slave ship, The Ibis, arrives into the scene carrying a motley crew, including an American who suddenly finds that he is the second mate. A local rajah falls on hard times and ends up in prison and is sentenced to be sent overseas. All these and more come together on the Ibis, sailing across the Indian Ocean. We're enveloped in the breakdown of society, scandal, race relations, romance and opium addiction - oh, and with a smattering of politics thrown in for good measure. The text utilises local Indian dialects, that were usually translated. But the language in the boat, which was a complete hotchpotch of languages, was sometimes hard to follow. There are some interesting characters and the setting is different to one I've encountered before, but I wasn't completely transported away by this book. When I first finished the book, I couldn't understand why the ending was so unsatisfactory, with lots left up in the air - but I now realise that this is book one of a trilogy. It does have an other worldly nature to it, but I really don't know if I liked it enough to continue onto book two!

My STAR rating: THREE

Length: 544 pages
Price I paid: £6.50
Formats available: Print, unabridged audio (CD or download), ebook.

Back into and out of the world of Robert Jordan!

I was starting to think I was never going to finish either of the two books I seem to have been reading for an absolute age! However, I have just completed Winter's heart, by Robert Jordan - the 9th book in the Wheel of Time epic. As with previous books in the series, the action moves from place to place with alarming speed, and whilst focusing on the main characters - Rand al'Thor, Egwene, Matt Cauthon, Elayne and Nynaeve - there is a vast, and I really do mean VAST, set of minor characters that are packed in. Having not read one of these for about a year, I found it really difficult to get my head around all these extra characters ... had I met them before, or were they new on the scene? Are they worth paying attention to or are they going to disappear as quickly as they appeared? I find myself torn by this book. I really do want to find out what happens to these people that I have been reading about over the last few years, but it's a massive investment of time and can be frustrating. I feel that Mr Jordan should have had a good editor to help him keep on track with the story and to rein in the continual expansion of characters and places. We keep hearing about the breaking of the world, and the last battle - with Rand being the key to it all. But it seems to take forever and a day to be getting there. This book has some good touches and there is progression at last - but there is too much navel gazing and internalising for my liking. We kind of know what the characters are about by the 9th book in the series ... do we really need to hear yet again that Rand feels ill every time he fills with "saidin" to perform his magic? No we don't ... just get on with it man. I wouldn't recommend this book if you hadn't already been reading the Wheel of Time series. The first few books were great, but the last couple that I've read have felt a bit like padding, with nowhere near enough stuff going on. I don't think I've helped myself by leaving big gaps between the books - so I think I'll crack on with the next one sooner rather than later.

My STAR rating: THREE

Length: 704 print pages.
Price I paid: £1.95 (in a second hand book shop)
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

In the doldrums

I seem to be doing everything in slow motion at the moment. Maybe it's because the Olympic Games have been on and I've been totally hooked on them,t o the exclusion of almost everything else ... or maybe it's because I've been having dental problems (finally resulting in a tooth extraction last Thursday ... still sore!). I am reading, but only a few pages at a time. I am in the middle of the ninth Robert Jordan Wheel of Time book - where your head just spins with the vast array of characters and plot lines. It's ages since I read book number eight and it's taking me a good while to get back into the rhythm of this epic tale of magic and good and evil. I've also been reading, on audio, Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh. Whilst I'm enjoying this too, it also requires a fair amount of concentration to read as it is highly spiced with Indian dialects. Plus I have been so busy over the last few weeks that my opportunities for reading audio have been few and far between. But today is the last day of the Olympics, and my mouth is getting better (oh to be able to eat something that you can crunch into!) so I should be able to steam ahead once more.

Don't sit under the apple tree .. unless you want to fall in love

When I was in my teens, I went through a phase of reading Mills and Boon books, and have happy memories of doing so. Why then, am I struggling to enjoy the "romance" books of today? I have just finished The Apple Tree, by Lynette Sofras on my ebook and found it to be lacking in the major ingredient to these books - some actual romance! Our heroine (whose name I've already forgotten - which shows you how memorable I found her!) is an irritating, moany, woman who can't decide if she really wants to be a surgeon or not (I would have thought that the business of her fainting while observing operations would have been some kind of a clue here). She has split from her husband and is trying to "find herself" back at the place where she grew up. Along comes Nicholas, who she thinks is a gardener, but who is, it turns out, an incredibly wealthy chap. She falls for him big style and he seems to feel the same way, but when he finds out she is married (she doesn't tell him), he calls it off. There ensues much weeping and wailing and then, to cap it all, the husband reappears. Will Nicholas and ... no, really can't remember her name and can't be bothered to look it up ... find their way back to happiness? Well, we all know the answer to that but I have to admit, I didn't really care - but at least the book is fairly short. Maybe I need to go for something a little bit more sophisticated in the romance department ... Jane Austen is a hard act to follow!

My STAR rating: TWO

Length: 188 pages.
Price I paid: FREE (although it no longer is)
Formats available: print; ebook.

Perfect People ... with a few flaws!

Having just finished Perfect People, by Peter James as an ebook, I have mixed feelings. It is a thriller with a chilling premise, but it just didn't quite hit the high notes that it had the potential to. The action starts with Naomi and John arriving aboard a ship in order to met Dr Leo Detorre - who is offering them the chance to tweak the genetic make up of their child to avoid a repeat of the devastating loss of their son from a rare genetic disorder. All they want is a healthy baby to help rebuild their lives as a family. They decide to go ahead with the procedure and are overjoyed when Naomi is confirmed as pregnant. However, when they discover she is expecting twins, they fear that the pushy and confident Dr Dettore may have got things a little wrong. Into the frame comes a sinister threat from a previously unheard of religious cult who are hunting down any couple who have been to see the infamous doctor. Soon the twins are born, and they are not like any children Naomi and John have come across before. The action builds up until a climax with an ending that you will not see coming. The lesson is, DON'T MESS WITH GENETICS! I may try other Peter James - he is more famous for his crime novels featuring DI Roy Grace - but I just didn't feel that this particular novel gripped me enough and that the characters were not quite 3-dimensional.

My STAR rating: THREE

Length: 460 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.20.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Oliver Twist - not nearly as jolly as the musical!

Continuing my foray into Dickens this year, I have been reading Oliver Twist on my Kindle. I thought I knew this story pretty well - after all, I've seen Oliver! the musical a few times (Consider yourself, at home!) and I even studied it in English literature for one year at school. But how wrong I was. The main events and characters are all there - the orphan (Oliver), his life at the workhouse, then the undertaker's, followed by his escape to London and falling into the company of the Artful Dodger and Fagin - petty thieves and pickpockets. However, we also have a range of other characters and events that I had absolutely no recollection of at all. I was not displeased by this turn of events as it meant that I was surprised by a book I thought I knew pretty well! You can't help but root for Oliver who is definitely not suited to a life of crime. The looming threat of one of London's most notorious criminals - Bill Sikes - who decides to find a use for Oliver - is balanced by the tenderness of his girlfriend Nancy, who knows Oliver could have a better life and wants to help him get it. I have to say that Mr Dickens has redeemed himself with this book. The characterisations are excellent and the story bowls along. Not completely bereft of the descriptive passages of the previous stories I've read, the balance between action and atmosphere is almost perfect. Particular highlights are the relationship between Bill Sikes and Nancy, which is spiky to say the least, and violence never seems far away. I was a bit shocked at how dark a character Fagin is, with apparently no redeeming features (maybe this was a sign of the attitudes of the times - hard for me to say - but there were repeated references to his ethnicity). When he gets it right, Dickens does transport you to a different time and place where the sights and smells really come alive. Highly recommended.

My START rating: FOUR

Length: 400 print pages.
Price I paid: free.
Format available: print; audio CD; audio download; ebook.

David Attenborough - a life worth listening to!

I have just spent over 20 hours in the company of one of the best broadcasters I know - Sir David Attenborough, who is probably best known for his natural history series - Life on Earth, Life of Mammals, Life in Cold Blood and the list goes on. His autobiography, A Life on Air, is packed with anecdotes about the trials and tribulations he has undergone during the five decades he has worked to bring the wonders of the natural world to our TV screens. Narrated by the great man himself (I read this on audio format), this book is a wonderful way to relive his memories and some of your own - unless, of course, you've never watched any of his programmes! You get behind the scenes of the very early days of television, when David got his first break as a trainee producer after realising that a life in a publishing house was not for him. But his great love and knowledge about the world we live in and the life which inhabits it could not be ignored, and when he pitched an idea about filming the capture of animals for London Zoo, it set him on the road to the types of stunning films we know today. Always instructive without being patronising, it's a joy to follow David through his life - who I can only imagine must be one hell of a dinner guest. I can highly recommend this book - who would have thought that the technicalities of filming in a jungle would be so interesting.

My STAR rating: FIVE

Length: 416 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99
Formats available: print; audio CD; audio download.

On a bit of a go slow!

Just in case you thought I had gone away ... I haven't! However, I seem to be stuck in the slow lane of the bookworld. Am in the middle of two books - Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (ebook), and A Life on Air, the autobiography of Sir David Attenborough (audio). I'm enjoying them both, but have been a busy, busy beaver over the last few weeks and haven't had as much time as I usually have for reading. Hopefully I'll be back on track with a review of one of these two books before too long!

A French idyll - I don't think so!

In Trespass, by Rose Tremain which I read in print, Anthony Verey, a disillusioned antiques dealer from London, goes to visit his beloved sister Veronica in southern France. After a few days, the old Anthony seems to be returning, and he realises he hasn't felt this positive about anything in a long time, so decides that he should try to capture this feeling for longer and starts looking for a house of his own. An isolated farmhouse really takes his eye - the Mas Lunel - but it is owned by the disturbingly shabby Aramon Lunel, who has a violent past. Within view is a poor looking bungalow owned by Aramon's sister, Audrun - who cannot tear herself away from this place despite being haunted by the events of the past. Little does Anthony realise that he is about to become centre stage in the familial battle between brother and sister. This is a really good book, and whilst the subject matter can be a little on the disturbing side at times, it feels anchored in reality and is believable. Love and hate - close companions in many families - is portrayed to stunning effect in this novel. It's definitely a page turner and I feel able to recommend it to you.

My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 372 print pages.
Price I paid: 50p (from a charity shop)
Formats available: print; audio CD; audio download; Ebook.

Ken Follett - why have I not found you before now?

Let me tell you about The Key to Rebecca, by Ken Follett which I read as an ebook. It was gripping from the get go. With an incredibly evocative first line of "The last camel collapsed at noon" ... I was taken straight to the heat, dust and thirst of the desert and I just knew I was in for something special. It's 1942, and this is the story of the "Sphinx" (real name Alex Wolff), a German spy who arrives in Cairo with his radio transmitter and a copy of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca. As his activities start to affect the course of the war in North Africa, one man is determined to catch him - Major William Vandam, an English intelligence officer. Egypt is a complex country, occupied by the British, but whose presence is resented by many of the local population. Rommel is out in the desert, bringing his panzers and troops nearer and nearer to Cairo, using the information provided by Wolff. Can Vandam save the country from being overrun? We have action, adventure, history, geography and a bit of romance thrown in for good measure. This is a great read - it zips along with vim and vigour and I found it hard to put down. If you like war time thrills and spills, this is definitely for you.

I had been getting a little dispirited with recent ebooks - but now I realise that this is not due to the format per se, but with the overwhelming temptation to download stacks of free books and give them a go. This is all very well, but there seems to be a fair amount of chaff before you get to any wheat! There are affordable gems in this format - and The Key to Rebecca is absolutely one of those (although I have noticed that the price has gone up since I purchased my copy). I have aleady downloaded another two Ken Follett books which were on offer this past weekend and I'm really looking forward to reading them.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 381 print pages.
Price I paid: £1.00 (was on offer the day I bought it).
Formats available: print; unabridged adio CD; unabridged audio download;

Mugby Junction - a book with a split personality

Mugby Junction, by Charles Dickens is, I discovered after reading it, a collection of short stories. I read it as an Ebook and felt that it was a bit up and down to say the least. I really enjoyed the first two sections which were based around a man who gets off the train at Mugby Junction one night and can't quite decide where to go from there. He reflects on his past, which includes a lost love and betrayal by his business partner. He befriends the signalman and his daughter. There is some good writing here and I enjoyed the exchanges particularly between the daughter and the main protagonist. However, this was followed by an exceptionally dull story of  the railway cafe at Mugby Junction. When reading it I couldn't work out why this odd tale was tagged onto the previous, but now I come to realise they were short stories which were linked (by the railway), but not dependent upon each other. I didn't really warm to this one at all. I'm really trying to get into your writing Mr Dickens, but you do make it hard at times. Other people seem to rate this title and maybe my edition didn't have all the stories of the print edition, but couldn't recommend it.

My STAR rating: TWO.

Length: 61 print pages.
Price: Free.
Formats available: print; ebook.

Is there Death after Death?

If you haven't read any Terry Pratchett, then I don't know what is holding you back. In Reaper Man, which I read in print, Pratchett is on form as we follow Death - a character we have experienced in other Discworld books - given the sack! The skeletal figure who had thought he would be there both at the beginning and end of time is suddenly faced with something that he has only been the witness to - mortality. In the time that he has left before the new DEATH is in place, he starts to work on a farm - using his scythe to harvest corn instead of people. Meanwhile, with the absence of death in the world, strange things start to happen, where inanimate objects become animate - look out for those shopping trolleys. Only those who aren't "traditionally" alive - zombies, vampires, werewolves - seem to have the tools to deal with this. On the farm, Death is a big hit with the locals, especially when he saves a little girl from a fire. He realises that he doesn't want "to end" and takes the fight to the gods who had decided his fate ... great book, lots of chuckles, and deep themes wrapped up in humour and sheer silliness. I love Terry Pratchett and know it won't be long 'til I grab another volume from his very special world!

My STAR rating: FOUR.
Price I paid: FREE (borrowed from my local library).
Formats available: print; abridged audio CD; unabridged audio download; Ebook.

Nothing left to lose ... but my time!

I have mixed feelings about Nothing left to lose, by Stuart Allison, which I read as an ebook. By no means the best of books, but it was, nevertheless, a page turner. I was irritated by the poor quality of the text of the ebook edition which had both typo's and the odd sentence which didn't quite make sense. This thriller started with middle-aged Ian West contemplating wrapping his car around a tree, but thinking better of it. His life is a mess following the breakdown of his marriage and the resulting depression causes him to be sent home from his work as a history teacher. When an old student - the beautiful Lisa Mann - contacts him to ask for help with some research for a documentary, he decides that this distraction might be just what he needs. They embark on a journey to uncover the story of William Miller, an enigmatic Englishman who helped Hitler’s rise to power. As Ian and Lisa pick away at the story, it takes them from the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War to the gates of Auschwitz and the Holocaust. But when barriers to their research, and threats to their person start to materialise, it becomes clear that someone does not want them to uncover Miller’s story. Ian is determined to discover why and whilst he feels he has nothing left to lose, he is determined to protect both Lisa and his own family. There is a lot crammed into this book - it's almost a potted history of fascism in Europe - and it is hard to credit that one man (Miller) would have had such a journey. Unbelievable situations, together with characters that are not fully rounded made for a few tuts from me along the way. Yet, for all its faults, I really wanted to keep reading to find out what happened in the end. I think this book had great potential, and maybe with a bit more editing it could have been a triumph. As it is, it's a romp that won't tax the brain too much - so I can recommend it as an easy read with some thrills and spills along the way - high literature it is not.

My STAR rating: TWO

Length:260 print pages.
Price I paid: £2.44.
Formats available: Print; Ebook.

A re-awakening of political consciousness in Portugal

Pereira Maintains, by Antonio Tabucchi is an unusual book. It's written as if it is the report of a third party who has been interrogating the central character - Doctor Pereira - about his life. This brings a certain menace from the very beginning. Set in a sweltering summer of 1930's Portugal during the Spanish Civil War and the early days of the fascist regime in Germany, we find Doctor Pereira, editor of the cultural page of The Lisboa newspaper, just getting on with life. He talks to the photograph of his dead wife, eats omelettes almost exclusively and drinks lemonade, in between translating French stories into Portugese for the paper. That's pretty much it. Morbidly obese and with a heart problem, he is drifting along in his own little world until he meets a young couple who slowly but surely turn his life upside-down. They open his eyes to what is starting to happen in his own country and wake him up to  the insidious march of fascism - and that he can no longer turn a blind eye to it! I read this in audio with Derek Jacobi narrating, which was an absolute pleasure. He brought all the poetry of the text to life (this is translated from a Italian novel) and it slowly sucks you in and is an absolute pleasure to read. I will definitely seek out more books by this author who sadly died earlier this year.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 208 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99.
Formats available: print; ebook; unabridged audio download.

Death of Kings ... a treat from the master of historical fiction

Ahhhh, Bernard Cornwell, you are an absolute hero. There are some writers that never seem to put a foot wrong. And Mr Cornwell is one of them ... at least in my eyes anyway. I have just finished Death of Kings, which I read in print. It is part of his Saxon series, which has Uhtred of Bebbanberg as it's main character. Uhtred is Saxon, but was brought up by Vikings and is still very much a Viking warrior at heart, despite him becoming embroiled in Alfred the Great's attempts to unite all the people of  England under one Saxon kingdom. In this book, we are at the end of Alfred's life - a man who Uhtred dislikes, but admires in equal measure - and the fear is that the Danes are going to exploit this event and take over Wessex and Mercia in the anticipated void that his death will leave. Uhtred is known and feared by the Danes, and hated by many of the men who Alfred had surrounded himself with - particularly the clergy. Uhtred readies himself for battle, but it doesn't come, despite the Danes not hiding the fact that they are amassing their forces around Chester. After surviving an ambush, and fighting for his place in the new King's court, the inevitable happens. Will Uhtred prevent disaster to the fledgling kingdom and be able to keep the hordes at bay? Fantastic writing brings the dirty, smelly and dangerous world of Uhtred and his contemporaries to life. I laughed and winced, and my heart rate went up in the heat of the battles. It's visceral stuff, and I simply can't get enough of it. I raced through this book and am gutted to have finished it so quickly. Come on Bernard, writing one book a year is just not enough!

My STAR rating: FIVE

Length: 335 print pages.
Price I paid: Free - borrowed from my local library.
Other formats available: Ebook; audio CD; audio download.

Bleak House shuts its doors at last

Yes, I have finally finished Bleak House, by Charles Dickens which I read as an Ebook. It has felt like a bit of an epic I have to admit. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I didn't enjoy it, but it just seemed to go on and on and on. This is the story of Esther Summerson, an orphan who finds herself the unwitting participant in the madness that is the Chancery case of Jarndyce v Jarndyce - basically, a dispute over which of several wills written by the same person is the one that should be followed. This case has been going on for years and years and years - with the lawyers being the only people gaining from it. Almost everyone who is in any way connected with this case, and therefore, might be in for a bit of the inheritance when it's finally settled, gets sucked in and tend to lose their marbles in the process. Esther becomes the companion of two young potential inheritors (Ada and Nicholas), who are taken under the wing of John Jarndyce - an entirely sensible soul who has virtually ignored the legal case. She becomes his housekeeper, and the confidant of Ada and Nicholas, who have fallen in love with each other. Her goodness shines out from the pages and she cannot but help empathise and assist anyone she comes into contact with. I like Esther because when she starts to feel a bit down she gives herself a good talking to! When the cold and formidable Lady Dedlock comes into her sphere, she feels like she has met her before, but thinks she is imagining it. She is not ... and we soon find out about their joint past. There is tragedy, silliness, murder, obstinacy, loyalty and love to be found within this book. Practically the kitchen sink has been thrown on it ... including a case of spontaneous combustion! For my taste, there is a little too much going on - often stuff that distracts you from the main feature and we could have lived without. There are passages that are just fabulous to read, but I found with this book that there was just too many of, what I felt were totally unnecessary passages that detracted from the whole. Still a good read, but one that I would recommend that you give yourself time to have good run at. Five minutes here and there just won't do, otherwise you risk getting lost and confused with the myriad of different characters and sub-plots.



My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 1088 print pages (told you it was long!)
Price I paid: FREE on Kindle.
Other formats: print, audio CD, audio cassette, audio download.

The Last Four Things... right up my street

If you thought this would be a blog about me finishing Bleak House ... think again! The end of the other book I've been reading came upon me quite suddenly yesterday, leaving lots of unanswered questions and a few cliffhangers.The Last Four Things, by Paul Hoffman, which I read on audio picks up where its predecessor - The Left Hand of God - left off. Our anti-hero, Thomas Cale, is back in the hands of the much-hated Redeemers, and in particular, one named Bosco - a heavyweight in this perverted religious order, whose interpretation of how best to serve God leaves much to be desired. Thomas is now persuaded that he is indeed "The Left Hand of God" - in other words, he doles out retribution among the enemies of The Redeemers at any given opportunity. This is all part of Bosco's plan to become Pope so that he can enforce his own partcular brand of Redeemerism on the masses. Much bloodshed and violence ensues, but Thomas breaks away and escapes to a place called Spanish Leeds, thinking he might get some sanctuary there. It is not to be. He discovers his old enemies are also there, plus he bumps into the now heavily pregnant Arbel" swan neck", who was the love of his life, but who, in the previous book, handed him over to the Redeemers. I felt we were building up for a mighty bust up, but then the book ended. I have to admit, I was not expecting such a suden ending and I am now eagerly anticipating the third book in the series whenever it comes out. An atmospheric book with some of the baddest baddies I've ever come across, plus a central character that is hard to love, but you can't quite help root for him. There are also lighter moments and the odd chuckle did break forth at times. A special mention must go to Sean Barrett for another great narration - his interpretation of Kitty the Hare (or is it Hair? - hard to tell with an audio edition) gives me the willies! A rampaging tale set in a world not wholly disimilar to our own ...maybe a "what if" kind of a world, this book will keep you guessing and wondering and keen to keep turning those pages.



My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 448 print pages
Price I paid: £7.99 (Audible monthly subscription)
Formats: print; Ebook ; audio CD; audio download.

Bleak House is taking its toll!

Is it me or does Bleak House, by Charles Dickens seem to be a very long book. I seem to have been reading it for absolutely ages! That's not to say that I'm not enjoying it - but to be honest, if I'd been Charlie's editor, I think I would have tried to persuade him to do some judicial cutting of what, to me, seem like superfluous sections. Maybe I'm just used to reading more modern prose which is a bit more to the point. Anyway, onwards I go - thank goodness I've got a bit of light relief on the reading front with The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman, which I'm reading on audio. There's a tad more action going on and at least the occasional laugh!

A book that might just change your life!

I have just read a book that really resonated with me and has already started to transform my daily routines. It's called How to save an hour every day, by Michael Heppell which I read as an audio book, narrated by the author himself. The concept is to look at the things you do during a day and how you approach doing them and assess whether a) you really NEED to be doing them (do you really need to hoover the house every day); b) you really SHOULD be doing them (can you delegate, or push back); c) you could I be doing them in a more EFFICIENT way (do a job, just that job, until it's finished). I have really, REALLY found this little book useful. I have got very stressed by "not having enough hours in the day" to do all the things I think I should or want to be doing. I know it's early days, but this book has already helped me to be more focused. My biggest weakness is to start a job, then let myself get interrupted by emails or other people or by another job that's also on my to do list ... and then try and restart that job later, or maybe next week, So, I spend time going over stuff I've already done to remind myself of where I was ... anyway, you get the picture. This book has helped me to turn a corner with this tendency and I've already completed jobs that have been loitering for ages. It's a real sense of achievement to actually feel like I'm making positive steps every day. I've also dumped my massive TO DO list, which I diligently wrote out each day, rewriting things that were on it from the previous day, and then adding more things every day - and then, just to make sure I'd ticked something off, do a couple of  the really easy things. Now I focus on the MUST DO's - up to 5 a day (and they can be work and home related ... this is NOT just about your working life, but home too), and they become the centre of your attention. I have found that on most days, I not only do those five, but other things also get done as if by accident. The aim of the book is to save you an hour a day which you can spend on something you really would rather be doing - whether that's exercise, more quality time with the family, taking up a hobby, gardening, whatever. There are some liberating ideas, and I know I'm going to be revisiting the book from time to time to pep myself back up again if I feel I'm flagging once again. I cannot recommend this book highly enough to anyone struggling to find time they didn't think was there for them.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 192 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.99 (Audible)
Other formats available: print; ebook.

Can love really triumph over all adversity?

This is the question at the centre of Harvesting the heart, by Jodi Picoult which I read as an audiobook. We open with Paige trying desperately to catch a glimpse of her son and estranged husband through the window of what used to be her home. What follows is her journey to that point and beyond. Paige was abandoned by her mother when she was five, but adores her inventor father who then brought her up single-handed. Aged 17, she runs away from home, abandoning her hopes of attending art school, but too ashamed of her recent actions and unable to face her father. She ends up working in a diner, where she meets, falls for and marries an ambitious young doctor who couldn't have had a more different upbringing. Delirously happy until the birth of her son, she becomes untethered by exhaustion and overwhelmed by memories of her mother, and starts to convince herself that she is set to repeat the mistakes of her own mother. Can she reconcile herself with her past and find her way back to her husband and child and convince them that no matter what has happened, her love for them is strong enough to bring a reconciliation and get their lives back on track? Jodi Picoult is an author who tackles difficult issues, often using unsympathetic characters, but her skill as an author is to keep you following their story and try to put yourself in their shoes and ask the question ... so what would you do? I think you either love her books or hate them. I'm in the former category. Sometimes a hard read, but always interesting, this edition was helped hugely by having a female and male narrator, flipping the viewpoint between Paige and her husband. Time with this book is time well spent.
My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 512 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.99 (Audible)
Other formats available in: print; audio CD; ebook.

Rebus ... grumpy, slovenly ... but always gets his man

Ian Rankin, you clever boy. You've given us another cracking crime novel featuring my favourite detective, Inspector Rebus. Strip Jack, which I read in print, features Gregor Jack, a popular MP who appears to be one of the clients flushed out during a raid on an Edinburgh brothel. Embarrassing, yes, but his career might still be salvageable. But when his wife goes missing and eventually turns up dead, things start to spiral downwards. Surrounded by childhood friends - known as the pack - nothing ever seems to be quite what it appears in the life of Mr Jack. Will Rebus get to the bottom of ... well, of course he does .. but the journey getting there will keep you interested and turning those pages. Everything you want from a crime novel is here, from dysfunctional partnerships, complicated love lives, grumpy detectives and a whole shoal of red herrings. We also find out about Rebus' love for fish and chips in an almost poetical moment when he partakes of this forbidden (by his girlfriend) fruit. Great stuff. 

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 304 print pages.
Price I paid: free (borrowed from my husband)
Other formats available: audio CD; audio download; ebook.

A lenten reflection from St Teresa of Avila

During the season of lent, I try to read something inspiring to help me on the 7 week journey leading up to Easter. This year I chose The Way of Perfection, by St Teresa of Avila, which I read as an ebook. St Teresa lived 400 years ago in Spain and was a Carmelite nun who experienced visions, illness and revelations about God. When she formed her own convent, she started to share her thoughts with her sisters and also in the form of writings. The Way of Perfection is a great introduction to her writings - it's easy to follow and what I really liked about it was the focus on the Lord's Prayer, taking it slowly, line by line and looking in depth deeply at what each line could really mean to us. Although she was writing for her fellow sisters living a cloistered life, there is much anyone can take from this conversational piece. This book had me thinking and I looked forward to my "chapter a day", which quite surprised me.

My STAR rating: FOUR

Length: 168 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.77.
Other formats available in: print; audio CD; audio download.

Dogs chase cars ... all a bit pointless!

I don't feel like I've been lucky with my book punts of late ... but then I haven't had to pay much for them which is some consolation. Dogs chase cars, by Mark Porter which I read on my Kindle, is the story of Harry - a private investigator whose marriage is a little shaky, and whose trips to his therapist don't seem to be helping. He has an odd assortment of friends, one of whom is Lambert - a college lecturer who he put up for a few nights, but who seems to have become a permanent fixture two years down the line. Harry is a little disgusted, yet fascinated by the immense womanising activities of Lambert - and is deeply surprised when his friend becomes involved in trying to help a student, and ends up getting shot. This trauma brings his circle of friends together to try and find the culprit. In the course of these events, Harry finds his inner parent when he takes Lambert's long lost daughter under his wing. I was attracted to this book by the great reviews it had received, but I just didn't get it! Mildly amusing at times, but only mildly and not suspenseful - I just don't know what genre to place this in. Whilst I did want to find out what happened in the end, I have to admit that if my Kindle had decided to delete this book before I'd finished it , I probably wouldn't have downloaded it again!

My STAR rating: TWO

Length: 272 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.86
Formats available in: print; ebook.

The Invention of Murder ... gird yourself for blood and gore

The details in this book could be the stuff of nightmares, but I found it endlessly interesting. The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime, by Judith Flanders contains tragic tale after tragic tale - some well known and others completely new to me - are woven together in an excellent narrative that tracks the treatment of murder and murderers through the Victorian era, by the legal profession, the press and the arts! I read this in audio which I'd downloaded from iTunes. The narration was calm and authoritative, which helped to keep the reader calm too, so thank you Janice McKenzie - you pitched it about right. Murder was rare in the 19th century, but when it did happen, it started to become sensationalised in broadsides, ballads, plays and novels.  In the early days, all it took to convict someone was gossip and a bad character reference - proof could be a bit thin on the ground - all that seemed to matter was that someone was convicted and punished for the crime. This was no joke when the penalty was death by hanging, and not all the hangmen were particularly skilled at their jobs. We follow the development of the police force, detectives and forensic medicine. But one of the most remarkable things is how these murders inspired people - Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins seemed to be following every big case. The Victorians seem to have been genuinely fascinated by the crime of murder, to the extent that the lines between fact and fiction no longer mattered. Some of the plots in some of the most famous tales of the era are inspired by real life murder cases - The Moonstone, The Sign of the Four, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and Dracula (thank you Jack the Ripper) to name but a few. This is history at it's most accessible. Shocking in places, and hideously disturbing at other times but ultimately satisfying.



My STAR rating: FOUR

The stats: 556 print pages; I paid £5.95 (audio edition on iTunes); also available in print, ebook and audio CD.

The Life of Pi ... worth the wait!

I've been a bit lax with my reading over the last few weeks, hence I've been a bit quiet on the old blog. But I'm back, and with a great book to tell you about. The Life of Pi, by Yann Martel (which I read in print) is a really odd tale of a young Indian lad (Piscine Patel ... the Pi of the title) whose father owns a zoo. When hard times hit, the zoo has to go, as well as all the animals. The family intends to move to Canada, helping to transport some of their animals to new facilities there. However, the boat they are sailing on sinks. The only survivors are Pi, a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a Bengal tiger, whose name is Richard Parker ... all of whom end up in the same lifeboat. Over time, and, as expected with this mix of creatures in a confined space, carnage ensues until the only ones left are Pi and Richard Parker! This is such a fantastical tale that is really difficult to put into one genre. Funny, tragic, philosophical, thrilling and imaginative - you are carried along on the tide with the boy and the tiger as they learn to carve out their territory and live with each other in the confines of the boat. This is a book that I can heartily recommend to anyone who may have missed it when it first came out. It's been one of those books that I have kept meaning to read and never quite got round to. If you are the same, don't wait any longer -  please make time and READ THIS BOOK! Enjoy the ride, I promise you won't regret it.



My STAR rating: FIVE.

The stats: 319 print pages; free to me (borrowed from my husband); also available in audio (CD and download) and ebook.

One for the desperate ... really desperate romantic

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear! Unless you are a massive fan of all romance novels, don't bother with My Man Pendleton, by Elizabeth Bevarly which I have just read as an ebook. This is the story of Kit  a spoilt rich girl, who is under pressure to get married within two years of her mothers' death - otherwise, the family fortune all goes to charity. 18 months later and still no husband, her father hires a new man - Rocky Pendleton ( I know, Rocky ... really!) - in the hope that this might be "the one". Kit treats Pendleton just like any other of her father's lackeys - but when he is sent to retrieve her from a flit to the Caribbean, she is amazed to find that she is drawn to him. There then follows much dancing around the topic on both sides - they get close, there's a misunderstanding, they get close again ... and so on! It's a romance by numbers! A quick read and probably one best for when you don't have the energy for much else and like to have a happy ending guaranteed!

My STAR rating: TWO

The stats: 384 print pages; I paid £0.00 (thankfully); also available in print. 

My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece

Just have to tell you about this great little book. My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece, by Annabel Pitcher which I read on audio with the glorious David Tennant narrating. This book may be aimed at the young teenage market, but don't be fooled, there's plenty in here for a readers of any age. The central character is Jamie, a 10-year-old boy who has not had the best start in life. His family has been pulled apart following the death of one of his sisters in a terrorist attack. Now his parents have split up, his Dad is more interested in blotting out the world with alcohol, and the"fresh start" in the Lake District does not start well as he makes an enemy of the most popular kid in the school. The book is written from Jamie's point of view and what could be a most depressing tale is light and funny. There are dark moments too, but there is a glimmer of hope in the discovery of real friendship in the form of the most unpopular girl in his class ... who happens to be a Muslim. It's heartfelt, without being sentimental. There is a lot going on in Jamie's new life - as he tries everything to get his family back together. The dark themes are many, but it's really interesting to see them through the eyes of this young boy ... and what is really important to him. I can highly recommend this book and will certainly look out for more from this same author.

My STAR RATING: FOUR.

The stats: 240 print pages; I paid £7.99 through my Audible subscription; also available in print, and Ebook. 

A Tale of Two Cities ... it is a far better read ...!

Have got the first Dickens book under my belt - A Tale of Two Cities, written in 1859, which I read as an ebook. Probably the most famous start and end to any book - you will be familiar with the words "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times!". This sentiment could very much reflect our own world of today - with so much unrest in so many countries and rough justice rife. The big difference is no guillotine. Set in the years before and during the French revolution in both London and Paris, this epic story follows Doctor Manette - just released from the Bastille after many years of imprisonment - and rescued and brought back to England to recover by his daughter Lucie, and Mr Lorry - the quiet hero of Tellson's Bank (I know, a banker who is a hero ... maybe this couldn't be written in this day and age). Slowly restored to health and a semblance of normality, Doctor Manette is pleased to welcome Charles Darnay into their lives as his son-in-law, as well as the troubled figure of Sydney Carton who holds a torch for Lucie but does not feel worthy to do anything about it. Then comes the French Revolution, and Charles feels compelled to go back to his native France to try and help an old family servant ... and we realise that his name is not Darnay, but Evremonde - a member of a hated aristocratic family who he had turned his back on. This does not end well, and his family and friends try to save him from the guillotine - but Madame Defarge, demon knitter and hater of all aristocracy is determined to see the end of the Evremonde dynasty. It's epic, it's sentimental, it's brutal. There are some fantastic descriptive passages of the grime, and grim lives of the downtrodden peasants. It is a book that you have to spend time with - a few times I just read a few pages, and found myself getting a little lost, but if you have a bit of a run at it, you then find yourself sucked in and want to keep going. A good start for my Dickens year - it definitely makes me want to read more.


My STAR rating: FOUR

The stats: 371 print pages; free on the Kindle; also available in print and audio books (CD, MP3 and downloads),

Skippy Dies ... not the kangaroo!

Skippy - otherwise known as Daniel Juster - dies in the first chapter of Skippy Dies by Paul Murray which I read in audio. This unusual and a little uneven book is then split into the events leading up to the sad demise of our eponymous hero (in a doughnut emporium), and then the effects that his death has on those who knew him. I realise this doesn't sound like there are many laughs to be had, but you would be wrong. Skippy is a fourteen year old border at a prestigious boys school in Ireland. This means that there are many forays into what fourteen year old boys think about, talk about and do. There are bullies, geeks, sporty types and those who think they are purely here on earth to love the ladies. All of this means that there are some fantastic exchanges between groups of boys who talk to each other as boys probably do when no adults are listening. Shockingly un-PC at times, you do, nevertheless feel sympathy for Skippy who is struggling to come to terms with his mother's illness as well as falling for a girl from the neighbouring school who the resident bully has dibs on! We also focus on several of the teachers who are just as messed up and struggling to get through life as their students. Where the book falls down for me is the badly drawn female characters and the lazy introduction of child abuse. Oh, a school in Ireland where there are priests on the staff ... then that must mean ... you know what! Come on, did you really have to go there Mr Murray, was there nothing else you could think of to put into the drama? This aspect disappointed me immensely and, I felt, does a disservice to the intelligence of the reader. There were, however, some moments of great depth and insight into the human psyche too, and I longed for more of those. Particularly good is the single-minded genius Ruprecht, who tries to explain string theory to his friends who are more interested in the more corporeal aspects of our universe. So, good in parts and possibly an eye opener for anyone whose never had to deal with teenage boys! I would be cautious as to who to recommend this book to because of the subject matter.

My STAR rating: THREE.

The stats: 672 pages (print); £7.99 (Audible subscription); also available in print, Ebook,

You can't go wrong with a bit of Sharpe! (23 Jan 2012)

I know, I know ... you may have been expecting me to be waxing lyrical about A Tale of Two Cities which I have started and am enjoying ... but I got distracted by one of my favourite authors, and one of my favourite characters. Just finished Sharpe's Company, by Bernard Cornwell which I read in print. Excellent action-packed tale about the siege at Badajoz which happened in 1812 (we're still in Napoleon vs Wellington-mode). Our hero, Captain Richard Sharpe bumps into his old flame and discovers that he is now a father ... hooray! Then he comes up against his old enemy Hakeswill, who is determined to cause as much trouble as possible for both Sharpe and his best friend, Sergeant Harper ... boo! Sharpe loses his company and is back to being a Lieutenant ... double boo!! So, he hatches a plan to get it all back by leading the apparently hopeless attack against the fortress that is Badajoz! This has everything you could possibly want in an adventure tale and in spades! I just could not put this book down and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen. It left me breathless at times, and as long as you don't mind a bit of blood and gore it's well worth the ride. Why oh why oh why can't I write like Mr Cornwell.

STAR RATING: FIVE.

THE STATS: 448 print pages; £1.75; also available as an ebook and audiobook (CD and download).

First Dickens book is on the go ... (Sunday 15 January 2012)

After some prevarication and hesitation, I have now started my first Charles Dickens novel, It's a Tale of Two Cities and after a bit of a slow start, I have now been well and truly sucked in. The language took a bit of getting used to, but I am "in the zone" with it now. The descriptions are so rich and luscious that you feel like you could almost reach out and touch the grime, and smell the foetid streets of Pairs. I'm not yet a fifth of the way through but am already at the point where I am wanting to find excuses to carry on reading ... just five more minutes before I turn the light off, just two more minutes before I get out of bed ... will keep you posted.

A colour-centric world and a bit of Bond! (8 Jan 2012)

So here I am, a new year and a new challenge. I've not given myself a particular number of books to read this year, but instead have decided to add some Charles Dickens into the mix! It is his bicentennary this year and as I haven't read any of his books since I was at school I thought I should make an effort to delve into the works of one of the worlds greatest story tellers - rather than relying on TV adaptations.

Saying this, however, I have started my new reading year with two very different books (not Dickens). Firstly, a futuristic tale of what the world could be like where power and status is based on which, and how much of each, colours a person can see - Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde which I read in print. We never do find out exactly when and what caused this state of affairs, but the result is that technology is almost non-existent. Our hero is Eddie Russett, the son of a "colourman" who is our equivalent of a doctor. Eddie finds himself trying to follow "The Rule Book" and plans to marry a fellow "red" to improve his status in the world. But as with all the best laid plans, a spanner is thrown into the works in the shape of a feisty "grey" called Jane. As being grey is about as low as you can get in this almost medieval society, and she threatens to kill him on their first meeting, this does not bode well for Eddie's future. However, as he tries to find out more about Jane, he starts to question the status quo and realises that not all rules in "The Rule Book" actually make any sense. This book takes a little getting used to, but then hooks you into it's Orwellian/Pratchett world. A great read.

STAR RATING: FOUR.

THE STATS: 448 print pages; free to me (borrowed from my sister); also available as an ebook and audiobook (CD and cassette).

The second book I completed during the last week was Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming which I also read in print. This is where we are introduced to James Bond, the most famous spy ... ever! As you would expect, this book fairly bowls along, with the only pause for breath being the descriptions of the meals and drinks Bond consumes, plus a thorough explanation of how to play Baccarat. All this adds a depth to this short thriller where 007 is tasked with bankrupting the Russian operative known as Le Chiffre at the glamorous Casino Royale. To assist him,Vesper, a beautiful female agent (well, she would be wouldn't she) is sent out from London. Bond struggles to maintain his focus on his task while both not getting killed and also trying not to fall in love! A quick read - action packed and graphic in places (you'll never be able to sit on a wicker chair again without grimacing), this is an enjoyable read that I'm happy to recommend.

STAR RATING: FOUR.

THE STATS:  224 print pages; free to me (borrowed from my brother-in-law); also available as an ebook and audiobook (CD and download - the latter abridged).