Boxing Day: Swedish thriller disappoints (book 54)

Am glad to be able to report that I have finished another book - but it was a bit of a struggle. It was She's never coming back, by Hans Koppel which I read in print. The only reason I was reading this title was that I was doing a review of it for a local paper - which I'm not getting paid for I hasten to add. If there had been money involved maybe I wouldn't have found it such a chore. The blurb says "the Swedish thriller phenomenon" ... well, not so much in my humble opinion. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo this DEFINITELY isn't! The nub of the story is good - a woman is kidnapped on her way home from work, and finds herself a prisoner in the soundproofed cellar of the house opposite where she lives. She can find no way out, but is given the "gift" of being able to watch what is happening to her husband and daughter on a monitor with a live feed to her house. As the months go by, she sees them moving on with their lives, while her days stay the same - verbal and physical abuse, little food and a whole heap of sexual violence. We eventually find out why this is happening to her, but to be honest, I was beyond caring at this point. This is an unpleasant book, poorly written. It's not thrilling, there is no real suspense and it's terribly contrived. The ending is flagged very early on.  I was expecting big things from this book because of the supposed hype around it, but was sadly disappointed. Don't bother reading this one folks, life really is too short.

My star rating: ONE.

The stats bit:
Length: 393 pages.
Price I paid: Nothing (would have been gutted if I'd bought it!)
Other formats available in: Ebook .

Still going ... book 53 ... Rivers of London

Even though I've reached my target, I'm still going. I've just finished a great book that I have to tell you about. It's called Rivers of London, by Ben Aaranovitch, which I read on audio. This is a crime novel set in London ... so far, so what you might be thinking ... but when the key witness to a brutal murder in Covent Garden is a ghost, you realise this is not your usual police procedural! Peter Grant is a young constable who discovers that not only do ghosts talk to him, but that magic is actually real. He is taken under the wing of Inspector Nightingale, the last wizard in Britain and becomes his trainee. Together, they try to get to the bottom of what, exactly, is causing seemingly random and previously trouble free people suddenly lose it and attack others with extreme violence ... often shouting "that's the way to do it" as they go! Peter enters a world no one would have believed really existed, and comes face to face with a force that seems determined to cause mayhem on his beloved streets of London. Throw in having to sort out a dispute between the god and goddess of the River Thames, and our trusty constable finds himself in trouble every which way he turns. This is a crime novel with some fantasy thrown in for good measure - for me, two of my favourite genres thrown together in skillful fashion. I'm definitely heading for the sequel (Moon over Soho). I did find the narration a little stilted at times, but a thoroughly enjoyable read nonetheless.

My star rating: FIVE.

Length: 432 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99 (from my Audible monthly account)
Other formats available in: print, unabridged audio CD, Ebook.

Woo hoo - Book 52 is done and dusted!

So, would you believe I've reached my target and finished my 52nd book, and I've still got almost two weeks left of the year! My only regret is that this milestone was not reached with an absolutely cracking read. Instead, I have completed my challenge with Life ... With No Breaks, by Nick Spalding, which I read as an ebook. This is an unusual book in that the author decided he would try to write a book in 24 hours, non-stop! This intrigued me, and so I decided to give it a go. It's basically a romp through the authors life - bits and pieces from past and present - both funny and sad - as well his thoughts and opinions on a whole range of topics. You are taken into Mr Spalding's life as if you were an old friend he's not seen for a while and you get the chance to reminisce and catch up over tea and biscuits (or something a little stronger) into the small hours and beyond. It's not high literature, but it is very readable - the author does not shy away from relating one of his most cringe-worthy moments of his youth, nor the failure of his marriage. It might be one that's more for the boys, but I still enjoyed it and can only admire the man for producing such a good piece of work in a very short space of time. Easy to get through, you won't mind being in Mr Spalding's company for a few hours ... and maybe it will inspire you to try something similar.

(I will keep on reading and see where I get to by the end of the year and will keep you posted.)

My STAR rating: THREE

The stats bit:
Length: 198 print pages.
Price I paid: £1.49
Other formats available in: print.

Week 50: The ineptitude of a new husband (Book 51)

So what happens once the happiest day of your life has finished, and the reality of living together as husband and wife kicks in? Well, hopefully, it won't follow the course of William Walker's First Year of Marriage, by Matt Rudd, which I read as an Ebook! This is written in diary form, and does exactly what it says on the tin - taking you day by day through the first year of William and Isobel's marriage. It is hugely entertaining, and will have you smirking and chuckling to yourself - although not really laughing out loud, probably because the situations that William finds himself in are often cringe-worthy. After the disastrous honeymoon, life settles down until William starts to suspect that Isobel's best friend Alex, wants more than to be "just friends". The resulting tension is exacerbated by the reappearance of an old flame of William's who starts to display "Fatal Attraction" characteristics. William's male buddies aren't really much help, and William himself has a tendency to overthink things while under the influence (never a good combination) and things tend to spiral out of control. Will they make it to the end of their first year, or will the wedded bliss they had dreamed about come crashing down on their heads? I can recommend this book - it's not a heavy read, but you quickly become involved in the characters and keep rooting for them, while, at the same time, wanting to give William a slap for consistently making things worse while trying to make them better. Men!

My star rating: FOUR

The stats bit:
Length: 304 print pages.
Price I paid: free (it isn't free now)
Other formats available in: print, large print, unabridged audio download.

Week 49: Double cross in times of war (Book 50)

Eddie Chapman, career criminal, ladies man and no friend to the British establishment, finds himself in prison on the island of Jersey. When World War II breaks out and Jersey is invaded - nothing much changes for Eddie until he decides that he really has to get out of jail. So, he offers to spy for the Germans. At first his offer seems to be spurned, but months later, things start to change and he finds himself in France at a training camp for the Abwher. In Agent ZigZag, by Ben Macintyre (which I read in print), we then follow Eddie as he learns Morse code, sabotage techniques, parachuting, and, of course, German! He becomes close to his spymaster (Von Groening) - a relationship that lasts into their old age. However, on his first mission behind "enemy" lines, where he is tasked with blowing up De Havilands factory, he immediately hands himself into the British authorities and begins his career as a double agent. Chapman seems to be able to charm most people he meets, and he eventually persuades his new British spymaster that he is on the level and that he will make a useful contribution to the war by going back and spying on his old employees. We follow Chapman on his adventures during the remainder of the war and after as he slowly drifts back into his old ways. This is an interesting, but not totally gripping tale of a most unusual hero. It's just a shame that it takes a war to bring out the best in people!

My star rating: 3 STARS.

The stats bit:
Length: 384 print pages
Price: free (given to me by a friend)
Other formats available: Audio CD (abridged); Audio download (abridged); Ebook (Kindle).

Week 48: Laugh out loud with Michael McIntyre (Book 49)

I've been a lucky girl ... following on from last weeks triumph of The Help - I settled into an autobiography as my next book to read in an audio format. And what a great choice I made - Michael McIntyre's Life and Laughing is an intimate and, of course, incredibly funny take on what has been a long and difficult road to success in his chosen career as a stand-up comedian. His childhood started well - a well-to-do family background and a wealthy, if eccentric Hungarian grandmother (hello darlinks!) with whom he would play scrabble for money to fund his schooldays. But then his parents divorced, there was a change of schools, absolutely NO luck with girls despite many efforts and his father dying at a young age. There are exceptionally touching moments in the book, made more poignant by Michael reading it all to you himself. He does not shy away from the most intimate of details during puberty - I'm sure you can imagine! Many opportunities come and go, usually because Michael has an uncanny knack of messing them up. Eventually, he finds the love of a good woman (the description of his wife Kitty going into labour with their first child and the car trip to the hospital is hilarious) and, after 7 years on the comedy circuit, finds fame and fortune - becoming the household name he is today. This is a great journey to take with the man himself, and you will laugh out loud, and start to talk a bit like him when telling a story ... or maybe that's just me! I was sorry when the book came to an end which is always a good sign. Highly, highly recommended.

My star rating: FIVE.

The stats bit:
Length: 384 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99 (with Audible subscription)
Other formats available in: print, Ebook, unabridged audio CD.

Week 47: The Help ... book 48

What a fantastic book! The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, which I read in audio format is a great slice of life in 1960's Jackson, Mississippi. This is a world where segregation between the races is very much a reality - and no well-to-do home would be complete without a black maid. We follow Aibileen, who is raising her seventeenth white child following the tragic death of her own son; her best friend, Minny, who has a tongue so sharp she is in danger of never getting another job; and Miss Skeeter, a white girl, just home from College, who needs to know why her beloved maid has disappeared. Skeeter wants to be a writer and this leads her to forming a friendship with Aibileen, a gentle spirit who loves all the children she has raised for white employees. As she finds out more about life as a maid, both good and bad, she grows increasingly alienated from her family and white friends. This story is sad, funny and uplifting in equal measures. The three main characters each have a different narrator in the audio edition, which works really well. You are drawn into each woman's story which slowly but surely cross boundaries of age, race and law. I heartily recommend this book - especially in audio. I know it's just out as a film but I can't imagine the tale being better told than it is in the edition I've just read.

My star rating: FIVE.

The stats bit:
Length: 464 print pages.
Price I paid: £7.99 (through Audible monthly subscription)
Other formats available in: print; unabridged audio CD; Ebook.