On Writing - No ordinary textbook!

As an aspiring author looking for inspiration and advice on all things writing, I had been hearing great things about On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King, so decided to give it a go! I'd half expected a more structured textbook-type of a book, but this wasn't to be the case. The first part of the book is about how Stephen King, one of the most successful writers of the last few decades, came to be a writer in the first place. This memoir is fascinating, funny and heartbreaking all at the same time. It could be one of his novels, and you have to keep reminding yourself that this is the man himself, telling his own story - the good, the bad and the decidedly ugly parts are all here. Then we move onto his tips for writing ... a kind of rough guide. He openly admits that what he is telling the reader won't take long and that you should avoid lengthy tomes on how to become a best seller. You can either write or you can't - all he is providing is a framework to help make you become a better writer, but only if you put the work in. Littered with some memorable advice like "The road to hell is paved with adverbs" - which he demonstrates with some fine examples - are written in such a style that you forget that you are trying to learn stuff and just sit back and let his words soak in! I would recommend this book even if you don't think you like Stephen King (I'm not a horror fan, but have read a few of his other works). I wouldn't even say that you necessarily have to be thinking about becoming a writer to reach for it. If you are just interested in how someone finds their way to the job they really want to do, or maybe how a writer goes about their craft, then this works on that level alone. I read the audio edition, which is narrated by Stephen King himself, which I felt added a little extra something.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook.
Length: 384 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.84.

Blood Rites - Wizardly deeds and misdeeds!

Blood Rites, by Jim Butcher is the sixth in the series following the adventures of Harry Dresden, Chicago's very own Wizard Private Investigator. The book opens with an action sequence involving Harry and his vampire buddy Thomas, who is helping him escape from a hail of flaming monkey poo. Thomas then asks Harry to look into a series of murders centred around the production of an adult film. It looks like someone is out to get the Producer, as the women he is closest to are being killed in unusual ways. Harry goes undercover on the set, discovers that dark magical forces are indeed involved and sets out to trap the perpetrator in his own inimitable fashion. However, it appears that two of Thomas's "sisters" are also involved in the film and matters inevitably become complicated. This novel entertains the reader with the usual mix of magical mayhem and sleuthing. However, we also get to know a more about Harry's long-dead mother, and that he might not be as alone in the world as he has always believed. This revelation is shattering and Harry is not sure he's equipped to deal with it - or even if he can live long enough to find out. Full of fun, flawed characters, most of whom are definitely in touch with their dark side, this is a book for fans of both fantasy and crime/thrillers. I read the audio version, superbly narrated, as always by James Marsters who is now, for me, the embodiment of the wizard himself.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook
Length: 416 print pages.
Price I paid: £5.84

Waiting for Sunrise - classy spy novel

It's 1913, and Lysander Rief, a young British actor, is in Vienna trying to find a cure for a very particular problem. He has a fiancée waiting for him at home, but unless he finds a cure, their wedding night is going to be disappointingly fraught. In the waiting room of Dr Bensimon, he meets Hettie Bull, a beautiful artist who he is immediately drawn to, and they embark upon an intense and destructive relationship that has far reaching consequences. Even though with Hettie, his particular problem seems to have cured itself, he continues his sessions with the good doctor, who is treating him with parallelism (where the subject recalls all the details of the event that led to their problem, and then creates a completely different memory of that event.) This involves Lysander keeping a journal, through which the story unfolds and we discover the root cause of his difficulty with intimacy. As Europe descends into war, Lysander finds himself being recruited into the shady world of the intelligence services, and embarks on a new career as a spy. Waiting for Sunrise, by William Boyd, is a classy novel which takes the reader down a variety of seedy paths that are the very bedrock of spydom. The characters are believable, if not always likeable, and there is a definite undercurrent of humour throughout which helps to keep the awfulness of the situation Lysander finds himself in - sometimes self-inflicted - more bearable. Boyd's books usually present a treat for the reader, and this one is no exception. Definitely recommended.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 353 print pages.

Formats: print, audio CD, ebook.

Price I paid: free - borrowed from my husband.

The House at Riverton - Gently absorbing

Grace Bradley is 98, but still as sharp as a razor blade. She is helping a young director who is making a film about a young poet who took his life during a glitzy party at a grand house in the English countryside in the early 1920's. Grace is being consulted to fill in some background detail, as she was a housemaid at Riverton during this time. However, Grace can do more than fill in the background, as she was intimately involved in the lives of the family, in particular, one of the two sisters who were witnesses to the grim event. This family saga is very much in the spirit of Downton Abbey - local village girl is sent to the Big House in the footsteps of her mother who worked there as a young woman. She grows up feeling close to the sisters and begins to share their secrets and maybe uncover some of her own. As you might have gathered, much tragedy ensues, and no one seems to have a very happy life (not helped, of course, by the events of the Great War). Despite its length, The House at Riverton, by Kate Morton felt like a fast read. The action bowls along and I really did care what happened to the characters. This would make a great holiday read - it may be light, but there's more than enough substance to the story and the characters who inhabit it. Whilst there may not be any huge surprises, the quality of the writing is enough to keep the reader interested in this study of the classes of a bygone era.

My STAR rating: THREE.

Formats available: print; unabridged audio download; ebook
Length: 600 print pages.
Price I paid: £0.50.

Himself - spookily entertaining!

There are some books that within the first few paragraphs, you just know you are going to love. And Himself, by Jess Kidd was certainly one of those for me. Set in two time frames - the 1970's and the the 1950's, we follow a young man's journey back to Mulderrig, the tiny Irish village of his birth. Mahoney is on a mission to find out why his mother gave him up for adoption when he was a baby. All he has is a photograph of his young mother and the name of the village. Mahoney is a good looking boy, and a charmer, but he is not without fault. People are drawn to him, both men and women and one particularly feisty lady, Mrs Cauley, an elderly actress, takes him under her wing, determined to find out what happened some 20 years ago. Almost everyone says that his mother left town on a bus and never came back, but there are some, including Mrs Cauley, who are sure there is a darker tale to tell. And boy, is there ever! Throw in the fact that Mahoney can not only see dead people, but have conversations with them, and you have all the ingredients for a most entertaining mystery. And this book does not disappoint. The characters are excellent, and all get the chance to shine with some zingy dialogue ... even the ghosts! Moments of brutal violence and heartbreak mingle almost seamlessly with humour and hope. Magnificently narrated by Aidan Kelly, I really wish this book was still on my "to read" pile, so that I could enjoy it for the first time all over again! An absolute corker! Jess Kidd is an author I will definitely be seeking out in the future.

My STAR rating: FIVE.

Length: 368 print pages.

Formats: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, ebook.

Price I paid: £2.98.

Engleby - disturbingly good

This book appears to be the memoir of Mike Engleby, initially focusing on his university days, during which he starts to become slightly obsessed with fellow student Jennifer. But when Jennifer disappears, he cannot quite understand what has happened and this part of his life starts to haunt him. As time passes, and Mike begins a career in journalism and meeting new people, he keeps on writing, but returns to his musings on Jennifer time and again. In each recollection, additional snippets of information are revealed about what Mike's relationship with her and others was really like ... or does it?  I would like to say that Engleby is a classic case of a novel featuring an unreliable narrator - which it is to a certain extent, but it is so much more. It delves into the disturbing tricks our minds can play on us and the differing images of ourselves - the variety of ones we present to other people, and the one we know to be our true self. But then again, do we ever really know our true self? What makes us who we are - nature or nurture or both? The reader starts to wonder whether we can trust anything Mike actually says? Is he a calculating liar, or a self-deluded monster? This is a disturbing book that never lets you feel settled. It is a fine example of contemporary story telling by Sebastian Faulks, an author who rarely disappoints. The narrative takes you in all directions and even now, I'm still musing over what really happened. A book that definitely gets into your head, and stays there long after you turn the last page!

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 342 print pages.

Formats: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, ebook.

Price I paid: free, borrowed from husband.

Career Of Evil - excellent thriller

Career Of Evil, by Roberth Galbraith is the third outing for private detective Cormoran Strike and his assistant, Robin Ellacott. Life is ticking along pretty nicely - Robin is shortly to be married to her childhood sweetheart Matthew, and is now pretty much a partner in the detective agency, doing a job she loves. Cormoran has begun a new relationship with a beautiful woman and is enjoying working alongside Robin. However, when a woman's severed leg is delivered to Robin at the agency, it sets off a chain of events that threaten to ruin not only their business, but their very lives. Cormoran is convinced this is the work of one of four men from his past - all of whom are capable of such evil and who would also want to see him destroyed. He provides all the relevant information to the police about his list of suspects, but when further violent acts take place, and the police start to focus on someone Cormoran is convinced didn't do it, he and Robin try to take matters into their own hands. However, this leads to increasingly dangerous situations and a loss of clients, with the result that the strain starts to impact on Robin's relationships - both with Matthew and Cormoran. In this incredibly gripping thriller, we find out more about each of the three main characters, and really start to understand them better. I found the interplay between Robin and Cormoran especially entertaining. There is an underlying attraction between the two of them and, especially in this book, we are privy to Cormoran's thoughts and his determination to reign himself in ... knowing that it would be such a bad idea to make a move on Robin, as he values the work they do together and doesn't want anything to spoil that. The killer causing all this havoc is particularly violent, and there are some grim moments, so for those with a weak stomach, this may not be the book for you. The only thing I'm still unconvinced about is Robin's relationship with Matthew - he comes across as a weak, needy and incredibly grumpy pain in the bum, and I cannot understand why Robin is with him. Despite this irritant (which may just be me), Career of Evil is a great read and I am already looking forward to the next instalment. By the way, I read the audio edition, which I can highly recommend for its wonderful narration by Robert Glenister.

My STAR rating: FOUR.

Length: 512 print pages.

Formats: print, unabridged audio download, audio CD, ebook.

Price I paid: £0.99.