The Lies of Locke Lamora - could have been so much more!

In the dark and dangerous city of Camorr, Locke Lamora is a young orphan being trained in the art of thievery. A quick study, he soon outshines all around him and after a few years ends up as the head of the Gentleman Bastards, a supremely accomplished gang of con artists who start to build a legendary reputation. Like all the other thieves in Camorr, they must pay their dues to Capa Barsavi, the criminal mastermind who runs the city. During a particularly lucrative con, Locke's world is turned upside down by the appearance of The Grey King and his Bonds Mage sidekick, an almost mythical duo who are intent on bringing Capa Barsavi down with magic and violence. When Locke himself is out-conned, it seems that there is no escape for him or his gang of cohorts. The Lies of Locke Lamora is a book that has great characters and a great premise. The description of the life and times of Camera are truly visceral. However, it is not a book for those of a delicate constitution. Not only is there is an amazing amount of violence, which lingers in the mind, but the explicit (and far from original) language used throughout was real turn off for me. I felt that the author, Scott Lynch used the f-word so much that it actually got in the way of the story. This is a shame as there are parts of the book that I really enjoyed and, at it's core, it's a real romp that carries you along to a satisfactory end, but still leaves the door open for the next book in the series. However, I'm not sure I loved it enough to see past the language to spend more time in Locke's world.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Length: 544 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.99.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Body Surfing - an understated emotional journey

Twenty-nine year old Sydney has not been lucky in love. Her first marriage ended in divorce, and then her second was brought to an abrupt end by the death of her surgeon husband. Two years down the line, she is slowly putting the pieces back together, and assuming that she had already had her share of love. She finds herself in the employ of the Edwards, who want her to tutor their teenage daughter, Julie, during the summer at their beach house. She forms a close bond with Julie and her father, but Mrs Edwards remains cold and distant. Enter Julie's brothers. Within a very short period of time, one of them seduces Sydney and shortly afterwards, proposes marriage. This causes a rift within the family and what should have been the blossoming of a happy ever after for Sydney starts to drift into melancholic shadows. Author Anita Shreve has woven a deceptively tender tale of a woman who, despite what the world has thrown at her, still opens herself up to the possibility of love and the closeness it can bring to a fellow human being. Body Surfing is certainly not a book for anyone that wants their drama full of big action scenes and fist fights. It is more understated and subtle, and feels much more real as a result. There is so much that is not said, but which becomes more and more obvious to the reader as you follow Sydney over the course of a year. I haven't read a book like this in a while and I wasn't sure about it to start off with, as I thought there wasn't really much going on, but I'm really pleased that I stuck with it. A satisfying book that worms its way slowly, but surely, into your consciousness and hangs around after you have turned the last page.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 264 print pages.
Price I paid: 50p.
Formats available: print; audio CD; ebook.

William Walker's First Year Of Marriage - a fun read

On my beloved Kindle, I have many, MANY e-books that I have purchased over the last few years ... when I say purchased, a very high proportion of these books were, in fact, free, or ridiculously cheap. This is a very attractive propostition when you are on a budget! And so, that's how come William Walker's First Year Of Marriage fell into my lap. This book does exactly what it says on the tin in that it takes you month by month through William's first 12 months with his beloved wife Isobel. Things do not go smoothly, starting with the honeymoon itself. This cautionary tale highlights the huge importance of proper communication and trust between couples, as well as making sure that when things do go awry, you don't let things get out of hand beyond the point of no return. William gets deeper and deeper into trouble by not wanting to tell Isobel about stuff that he thinks will upset her, but of course, it all goes wrong and he inevitably ends up upsetting her even more. A wedge starts to develop between them over Isobel's best friend, Alex, who keeps turning up at the most inopportune moments. William is convinced he has a hidden agenda to oust him. Into this mix comes an old flame of William's, who is a tad bonkers in the bunny boiling meaning of the word. Can he convince his young wife that she is and always will be the only girl for him before it's too late. There is much to admire about this book by Matt Rudd, who honed his craft on The Sunday Times. It is so easy to read, set out like a diary, and is very funny in places. There may not be much that is too original, but the result is hugely entertaining and worth the trip.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 304 print pages.
Price I paid: 49p.
Formats available: print; ebook.

The Cuckoo's Calling - surprisingly good

I'm probably coming to The Cuckoo's Calling a bit late in the day as, for some reason, I was put off by the fact that it is written by JK Rowling under the name of Robert Galbraith, which kind of annoyed me, as the pseudonym didn't remain secret for very long ... which kind of felt like she wasn't sure the book would be taken seriously under her own name, but then everyone knew pretty much instantly anyway! If anyone is avoiding this book for the same reason, please don't! It's a triumph. The Cuckoo's Calling is a great crime thriller, set in London, a London which is described so lovingly that I felt it become one of the characters. So, what's it about? When famous model Lula Landry falls to her death from her apartment, everyone assumes it's suicide, except her brother, who hires struggling private detective Cormoran Strike to investigate. Cormoran isn't keen to get involved, but is persuaded by the fact that when he was a boy, he was the best friend of the brother of the same family, who died in tragic circumstances, plus ... he desperately needs the money ...  and his long term relationship has come to a messy end, so could do with the distraction. Into this whirlwind comes Robin, the new temp. She is efficient, discreet and seems to have a knack for digging out information that Strike needs before he even asks for it ... only trouble is, he can't afford to keep her on. This unlikely duo start to make headway into an investigation that leads them into the murky world of fashion and finance - where everyone seems to have something to hide. If Lula didn't kill herself, then there is a whole host of suspects in the frame, from the dodgy boyfriend or the flaky friend, to the infamous rapper who is obsessed with her. As Cormoran chips away at the evidence, small nuggets about his past reveal more and more about his character with very satisfying results. The main action keeps you guessing right to the end, which is just what you want from a thriller. Definitely a page turner that won me over as a Robert Galbraith convert. This is the first book of a series to feature this character, and I am already looking forward to making his acquaintance once again with his next case.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 449 print pages.
Price I paid: FREE, borrowed from library.
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Dracula - a book with a bit of bite!

Not being a horror fan, this isn't a book I would have usually gone for, but when it appeared free on Audible before Christmas featuring some great narrators, I couldn't resist. I am so pleased that I took the plunge. The story is set up by Jonathan Harker, who travels to see Count Dracula in Transylvania, to provide legal support for a real estate transaction. When he sees the Count for what he really is, the experience almost sends him mad. He finally escapes when Dracula heads off to Whitby. Here, the Count happens upon the holidaying Lucy Westenra and the blood-sucking begins! Her friends and fiancé are not sure what's happening to her and they call on the assistance of Dr Van Helsing, who soon engulfs everyone with garlic in an effort to save Lucy. The action then moves to London and it becomes apparent that the Count is set on creating a new world order, led by vampires. Can he be stopped? All the protagonists come together to hunt and destroy the Count once and for all. This culminates with an epic chase across Europe, back to where it all began! But not everyone will make it out alive. This is such a famous story that you think you know it inside out, but the original Bram Stoker text is, in my humble opinion, far better than any screen adaptation. It takes the form of letters, diaries, telegrams and ships logs, written by the different characters. I also love the fact that there is a really strong female character in the form of Mina Murray, who is pivotal to the success of the book. Totally absorbing and thrilling, without being overtly gory or scary, I can highly recommend this book, particularly the narrated Audible Edition version featuring Alan Cumming, Tim Curry, Simon Vance, Katherine Kellgren, Susan Duerden, JohnLee, Graeme Malcolm and Steven Crossley. Excellent!

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 352 print pages.
Price I paid: FREE (special offer from Audible before Christmas).
Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.

Goldfinger - Bond in fine form!

Bond is back on my reading list and is in fine form! In Goldfinger, the seventh outing for the spy with incredible longevity, the action starts with James Bond being a little disgruntled. He is finding it increasingly difficult to live up to his 007 billing and is wondering about his future - does he really want to continue killing people? While on an enforced stopover in the USA, he is asked to help someone who is convinced that the man he has been playing cards with is cheating. Bond takes on the challenge and proves this to be the case, running off with the beautiful girl who had been an unwilling accomplice to the fraud. Back in London, Bond is called in to investigate the smuggling of gold out of the country by none other than Auric Goldfinger - the card cheat himself! This sets Bond on a collision course with one of the richest men in the world, with death and destruction coming along for the ride. The actions sweeps us across Europe and then to the USA, where Bond is forced to help plan and execute the biggest heist in history - with the gold reserves at Fort Knox being the target. Goldfinger and his henchman, Oddjob, are completely despicable, and for once, Bond's attempts at romance are, for the most part, thwarted by the inclusion of lesbian characters ... although, sadly, the author didn't seem to have the balls (no pun intended) to carry this through to the end. Despite this, Ian Fleming has produced some superb passages in this book, with his usual eye for detail and joyful descriptions of food, cars and people. One of my favourite scenes is a tense and thrilling round of golf between Bond and Goldfinger ... in fact, I would go as far as saying that it's worth reading the book just for this!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 320 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.00, borrowed as an ebook from the library.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, unabridged audio CD, ebook.

Happy New Year!

Can't say I'm sorry to see the back of 2016 ... it's been a tough year on so many fronts. It's sometimes hard to be positive, but I feel it is the only way to go for things to turn around. I'm going to start with the small stuff.

Stop worrying about the things that don't matter ... who cares if I haven't dusted today?

There's already enough Grinches in the world, it doesn't need another one.

Be hopeful. Look forward. Give others the opportunity to become infected by positivity.

Focus on the good stuff ... family, friends, pets, nature, music, art and of course, books!

So here's to 2017, and all the warmth, fun and vitality that a year of reading can bring.