Louiseog Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Books in January: China Lake by Meg Gardiner 4 Above average thriller about religious fundamentalism in the US. Quite exciting. Set in Stone by Robert Goddard 3.5 Supernaturalish thriller about a man whose wife has died, a bit too complicated at times. Perfect Ten by Louise Kean 3.5 much better than I thought it would be, issues of weight loss and self esteem but still bright cover and fairly easy. Hostage to Murder by Val McDermid 3.5 thriller about journalist who gets involved in kidnapping etc. Quite good. One Last Look by Susanna Moore 4 Book club choice quite liked this, wouldn't have chosen it but quite good. Annie Proulx, The Shipping News 5 Ace. Ian Rankin Fleshmarket Close 4 another Rebus book always good. Purity in Death by JD Robb 3 police thriller set in the future. Have now read three of these and think I may have had enough, maybe should have read them in order. Isobel Wolff Behaving Badly 4 another supermarket bargain for a quick read that was better than I thought. The History of Love by Nicole Krauss 4.5 Lovely I liked the way that it took ages to understand what was going on. A bit like One Last Look in that respect, for me! Artemis Fowl and the Opal Deception - Eoin Colfer 4.5 Most recent in the series. Harry Potter meets Q from James Bond! Yet another kids book that is really worth a read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Purity in Death by JD Robb 3 police thriller set in the future. Have now read three of these and think I may have had enough, maybe should have read them in order. They don't suit everyone, but you probably do get alot more from them when you read them in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted August 9, 2006 Author Share Posted August 9, 2006 Books in February He Loves me he loves me not, Claudia Carroll 3 Just a nice love story, can't really remember. The Skeleton Room, Kate Ellis 4 Was a recommendation from http://www.findmeagoodread.co.uk. Its a police story but with an archaeological bent. Part of a series which I may not read more of. A Jemima Shore mystery by Antonia Fraser 1 did not care enough to even write the proper title and swapped before I finished it. Not my cup of tea. Babyface, Fiona Gibson 3 Girl meets boy on lonely hearts, falls pregnant, has baby, moves in, baby is model does not tell partner, he finds out, is cross, she goes to France, lives in squalor, meets another man, finds pregnant again, ends up in council flat in England, happy?! Better than that sounds but not much! Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman 5 really excellent. A man is catapulted in a different London. The Blue Diary, Alice Hoffman 5 a man is arrested for a crime he committed fifteen years earlier and the effect it has on his family and friends. Really good. Undomestic Goddess, Sophie Kinsella 4 Good easy read, bestsellers in shops at moment. Liked it. While we were grown ups and Walking in high heels Anna Maxted 4.5 really good chick lit Salem Falls, Jodi Piccoult 4 Book Club choice, liked it. Pentecost Alley, Anne Perry 4 Another police one set in 19th Century Jack the Ripper London, good period detail. Story not great. Where love goes by Joyce Maynard 4 Post divorce story good characters. Another book club choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted August 9, 2006 Author Share Posted August 9, 2006 Purity in Death by JD Robb 3 police thriller set in the future. Have now read three of these and think I may have had enough, maybe should have read them in order. They don't suit everyone, but you probably do get alot more from them when you read them in order. I did really llike the idea but think you're right. Will try again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted August 9, 2006 Author Share Posted August 9, 2006 Am having a bit of a sort out, can you tell and am transferring scrappy bits of paper to here hope that's OK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted August 9, 2006 Author Share Posted August 9, 2006 Books in March Sleepy Head - Mark Billingham 5 Have read a few by this author, quite scarey crime thriller. I liked this one although it was a horrid storyline. The crime was not murder but to produce a living coma in which the victim was alive and concious but could not move or communicate. She was therefore a voice in the book which really worked for me. Brazzaville Beach - William Boyd 3 enjoyed it not something I'd pick though and really didn't like main character. Book club choice Lincoln Lawyer - Michael Connelly 5 Really liked this one to. Keep going though hard work to start! Something Rotten - Jasper Fforde 5 another really good one. Retribution - Julianne Hoffman 4.5 Another lawyer courtroom drama with a cunning twist! Not unlike Linda Farstein The Bone Yard - Paul Johnston 4 murder mystery set in Edinburgh in 2012 in a horrid future. Good though, easy to read. Wicked - Gregory Maguire 3 to 5 depending on my mood The story of the Wicked Witch of the West and how she was created. A good idea and really made me think about the nature of evil, not what I thought though. Cross Bones - Kathy Reichs 3 I do like her boooks but this was another Jesus conspiracy a la da Vinci and somehow I was cross with her for jumping on the band wagon, still worth a read but not with my tbr pile!! Find I'm thinking like that now. I've so much to read that I'm much less patient with rubbish. The Reader - Bernard Schlink 2 I hated this. Could not feel sympathy for anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted August 9, 2006 Author Share Posted August 9, 2006 Books in April Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death and Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet - MC Beaton, 4 They are really good, quick reads, nothing fancy. A Dying Light in Corduba - Lindsey Davis, 3: Thought it was good at the time and still remember the plot but have gone off the historical detective genre Working Wonders - Jenny Colgan 5: Loved this, not what I expected at all really laughed. Lost Souls - Michael Collins 4.5 another good one. Thought it quite similar to Alice Hoffman (the Blue Diary particularly) about a police man who finds a body but is more about the ramifications for him and how he really wants to live his life. Worth it. Family Tree - Carole Cadwallader, 5 my favourite this month. Very nostalgic about the 1970s and 80s. I was the narrator! The Plague Maiden - Kate Ellis, 2 second one I've read by her and exactly the same as the last one! Wives of Bath - Wendy Holden, 4 chick lit at its best really quick and easy. Outlaws of Ennor - Michael Jecks, 3 see Lindsey Davis one!! At Swim, Two Boys, Jamie O'Neill, 3 Book club choice. About two boys in Dublin during the Easter Rising. Hard read but good. True and Outstanding Adventure of the Hunt Sisters - Elizabeth Robinson - 4.5 made me laugh and cry, similar theme to PS I Love You but less sickly?!? Dissolution - C J Sampson 3 see Lindsey Davis one!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman 5 really excellent. A man is catapulted in a different London. Sounds interesting. The Blue Diary, Alice Hoffman 5 a man is arrested for a crime he committed fifteen years earlier and the effect it has on his family and friends. Really good. I read this a while back and really enjoyed it too. Sleepy Head - Mark Billingham 5 Have read a few by this author, quite scarey crime thriller. I liked this one although it was a horrid storyline. The crime was not murder but to produce a living coma in which the victim was alive and concious but could not move or communicate. She was therefore a voice in the book which really worked for me. I know I've read this.. and I recall liking it.. but for the life of me I can't remember the storyline now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted August 9, 2006 Author Share Posted August 9, 2006 Should really be cleaning the fridge but this is much more fun ! Books in May Case Histories - Kate Atkinson 4.5 Really enjoyed this. Great author. A detective investigating a few old murders which interweave. The Dead Place - Stephen Booth 2.5 Crime/police book part of a series. Not great bit boring! Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener - MC Beaton 4 These are great! Number 4 to find now! Such an easy feel good read. Oryx and Crake - Margaret Atwood 4 Book Club choice. A future world where only the genetically modified survive. Great Practical Magic - Alice Hoffman 5 Another great author. Swapped with Kell! This is my second by her and loved them both, story of witches and women sticking together, fantastic characters and ideas. Still Waters - Tami Hoag 3 Girly thriller, bit Mills and Boon meets American police author! Crack Down - Val McDermid 4.5 I like McDermid, think that her most recent ones about Tony Hill are a bit scarey but these earlier ones about Private Investigator Kate Brannigan are good, there is another series about another female PI Lindsay someone they're good too. Home From Home - Carol Smith 3 Good psychological thriller, a clever idea but not much character development. Easy to read. The Traveller - John Twelve Hawks 3.5 Thriller in a world where Travellers can move into different dimensions and are guarded by (can't remember) bodyguards who devote their whole lives to doing this from the Brethren who control the internet and grid, about living off the grid and the control that this has on our lives. Good thriller, good ideas, then stopped (a sequel?) Trace - Patricia Cornwell 3 Think I've had enough of Kay Scarpetta, but better than she has been. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted August 9, 2006 Author Share Posted August 9, 2006 Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman 5 really excellent. A man is catapulted in a different London. Sounds interesting. It was very clever (I saw a copy for Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted August 9, 2006 Author Share Posted August 9, 2006 Nearly done now!! Books in June Simon Brett: Death on the Downs 4 Agatha Raisin with a bit more, great!! Susan Fletcher, Eve Green 4 - I really liked this one too although the topic was hard work Victoria Hislop, The Island 4 similar to Eve Green a good read Donna Leon A Venetian Reckoning 4.5 another good read by this author David Lawrence The Dead Sit Round in a Ring 3 police detective novel, OK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted August 9, 2006 Author Share Posted August 9, 2006 Books for July Simon Beckett - Chemistry of Death 4. A good English thriller! Sam Bourne - Righteous Men 4 - Richard and Judy, jewish da Vinci? M C Beaton - Agatha Raisin and the Witches of Wykhadden 3 as good as usual although have gone out of order and think it suffered as a result. Erma Bombeck - When you look like your Passport its time to come home 2.5 - funny travel stories but didn't like her much Jasper Fforde - The Well of Lost Plots 5 Innovative, mad, funny and a great story. Loved this one and then ... Jasper Fforde - The Big Over Easy 5 New series about the Nursery Crime Division of police. Investigating Humpty's murder. Lots of links to Thursday Next (the other JF series and also really good) Amanda Eyre Ward - How to be Lost 4.5 The effects on a family of the loss of a daughter. Susan Hill - The Pure in Heart 5 Another series this one about Detective Inspector Simon Serailler. Its the second and it concentrates more on the investigators than the crime which I am beginning to find enjoyable. Need to read in order though and I am (which is not like me) Susan Hill - The Woman in Black 4 Toe curlingly scarey! Marina Lewycka - Ukraninan Tractor one 3. Was really looking forward to it and thought it was OK not as great as I wanted it to be. Jim Lynch - The Highest Tide 4 Lovely environmental theme but did not get the characters. Valerie Martin - Property 4 slavery story about a plantation owner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 A quiet month in June! But i see you made up for it in July! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Wow! Busy readnig month there! I've requested The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde from RISI - I'm hoping it'll be accepted as it looks rather fun & I've never read any Fforde as yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted August 9, 2006 Author Share Posted August 9, 2006 A quiet month in June! But i see you made up for it in July! I know had to go to work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarahrob Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Wow! Busy readnig month there! I've requested The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde from RISI - I'm hoping it'll be accepted as it looks rather fun & I've never read any Fforde as yet. Hope you get it Kell. I didn't think it was as good as the Thursday Next books but it is still worth a read. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted August 9, 2006 Author Share Posted August 9, 2006 Wow! Busy readnig month there! I've requested The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde from RISI - I'm hoping it'll be accepted as it looks rather fun & I've never read any Fforde as yet. You will Kell!!! If you want I have it and am happy to swap/lend it. PM me if you do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted August 9, 2006 Share Posted August 9, 2006 Louise - i'd love to swap it! Have al ook on my sale or swap list & I'll pop your choice (if you want any of them) in the post this weekend. Thank you so much! or if it ends up being a lend - i'll still be eternally gateful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted August 9, 2006 Author Share Posted August 9, 2006 Lend is easier as tbr Mountain is threatening to overwhelm me. Let me have your address and I'll post tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted September 1, 2006 Author Share Posted September 1, 2006 August Here goes: Behind the Scenes at the British Museum - Kate Atkinson: Was cruising along and then suddenly became engaged with all the characters and how they connected. The fact that they lost touch was very poignant. Torso in the Town - Simon Brett: I really like this series of the Fethering mysteries and the growing relationships between the two women. Mrs Pargeter's Plot - Simon Brett: same author different series, lighter and a bit like Agatha Raisin in style and substance quick and easy. No Birds Sing - Jo Bannister: another above average mystery, police story. Small town lots of crime which all become interconnected. Part of a series and not the first which was my only problem. Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony - Eoin Colfer: I think that this series is almost better than Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl's latest adventure with the fairy world underground, lots of gadgets and great ideas. The Greatest Knight - Elizabeth Chadwick: The story of William Marshal favourite of Eleanor of Acquitaine and her son Henry II Becket and the Crusades, a good story. Making History - Stephen Fry: What would happen if Hitler had not been born? A great time travelling tale with a real twist. Ace The Abortionists Daughter- Elizabeth Hyde: easily forgotten (in fact had to think about who dunnit as I'd forgotten) Latifa - Forbidden Face: About a teenager and how she lived in taliban controlled Afghanistan some very interesting and thought provoking situations. The Historian- Elizabeth Kostova: I loved this and it made me want to travel in eastern Europe. Great well presented research. My Best Friend's Girl - Dorothy Koomson: light and easy read thought it missed out issues that could have been discussed in more depth but OK. Empress Orchid - Anchee Min: Loved this political tale, really liked the detail and simplicity of the story. Some really horrid bits but good. Something Might Happen - Julie Myerson: the effects of a group of people of the violent murder of one of them. More powerfula dn sad than I thought. The Two Pound Tram - William Newton: a quirky quick read, two boys leave home to buy a tram, the story of their life Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl - Tracy Quan: Very rude! Quite boring too. Total Recall - Sara Paretsky: PI Vi Warshawski who I like rushes around solving murders in Chicago, bit like Val McDermid's Kate Brannigan. My favourites: The Historian and Making History Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 Goodness me, how do you read that many books?! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted September 1, 2006 Author Share Posted September 1, 2006 Quicky LOL! Holiday and no television. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted September 1, 2006 Share Posted September 1, 2006 Artemis Fowl and the Lost Colony - Eoin Colfer: I think that this series is almost better than Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl's latest adventure with the fairy world underground, lots of gadgets and great ideas. I'm dying to read this one - I'm a HUGE AF fan & have all the books in my permanent collection, They're actually the reason I held off on reading the Harry Potter books - I figured nothing could be as good as the AF books! I love HP, but I love AF more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted October 1, 2006 Author Share Posted October 1, 2006 My September reads: Mark Dunn - Ella Minnow Pea can Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muggle not Posted October 3, 2006 Share Posted October 3, 2006 Wow louiseog, I am impressed with the number of books that you read. How many do you normally read in a year. Hmmm, I don't remember seeing any Pratchett on you list, or did I miss them as I sped through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.