What Kat Read Next 2010

[Lilywhite]

Currently Reading

 

 

 

Already Read

 

34. Norah Roberts ~ Winter Dreams (2/5)

33. Karen Rose ~ Silent Scream (4/5)

32. Jonathan Letham ~ As She Climbed Across The Table (1/5)

31. Jonathan Nasaw ~ 27 Bones

30. Jonathan Nasaw ~ Fear Itself (3/5)

29. Jonathan Nasaw ~ The Girls He Adored (3/5)

28. Diane Setterfield ~ The Thirteenth Tale (4.5/5)

27.Lesley Pearse ~ Stolen (2/5)

26. Gregory Maguire ~ Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister (4/5)

25. Jonathan Stroud ~ The Ring of Solomon (Bartemaeus) (5/5)

24. Roberta Kray ~ The Pact (3/5)

23. Martina Cole ~ Hard Girls (4/5)

22. Liz Jensen ~ The Rapture (0/5)

21. Sara Shephard ~ All The Things We Didn't Say (2/5)

20. Kate Summerscale ~ The Suspicions Of Mr. Whicher (2/5)

19. MaryJanice Davidson ~ Derik's Bane (3/5)

18. Jodi Picoult ~ Picture Perfect (4/5)

17. Libba Bray ~ A Great and Terrible Beauty (4/5)

16. Karen Rose ~ Have You Seen Her? (3/5)

15. Karen Rose ~ I can See You (3/5)

14. Mary Hooper ~ Newes of the Dead (4/5)

13. Natsuo Kirino ~ Grotesque (3/5)

12. Mo Hayder ~ Skin (4/5)

11. The Heretics Daughter ~ Kathleen Kent (5/5)

Wines and Spirits: Looking Behind the Label (3 read throughs and a million sticky notes)

10. Various ~ Blood Lite (3/5)

9. Eden Maguire ~ Beautiful Dead: Jonas (3/5)

8. Karen Rose ~ Kill For Me (2/5)

7. Mary-Janice Davidson ~ Undead and Uneasy (4/5)

6. Stephfordy Mayo ~ New Moan (3/5)

5. Jodi Picoult ~ Songs of the Humpback Whale (2.5/5)

4. Tess Gerritsen ~ Girl Missing (3/5)

3. Charlaine Harris - Grave Secret (4/5)

2. Martina Cole ~ The Business (4/5)

1. Joanne Briscoe ~ Sleep With Me (2/5)

 

 

Read 3 Buy 1 credits: -3 (14 Used)

[Lilywhite]

'Mount To Be Read'

81

 

Mitch Albom ~ For One More Day

Kelley Armstrong ~ Exit Strategy (Nadia Stafford Bk 1)

Kelley Armstrong ~ The Awakening

Kelley Armstrong ~ The Summoning (Darkest Powers Bk 1)

Kelley Armstrong ~ Men of The Otherworld (Bk 1)

Margaret Atwood ~ The Handmaids Tale

Michele Bardsley ~ Because Your Vampire Said So!

Holly Black ~ Ironside

Holly Black ~ Tithe

John Boyne ~ The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

Anthony Bozza ~ Slash: The Autobiography

Trudi Canavan ~ The Priestess of the White

Trudi Canavan ~ Last of The Wilds

Trudi Canavan ~ Voice of The Gods

Trudi Canavan ~ Magicians Apprentice

Gail Carriger ~ Soulless

John Connolly ~ The Book of Lost Things

Catherine Cookson ~ A Dinner Of Herbs

Mary-Janice Davidson ~ Dead And Buried

Christie Dickason ~ The Principessa

Berlie Doherty ~ Dear Nobody

Suzannah Dunn ~ The Sixth Wife

Jane Eagland ~ Wildthorn

James Elroy ~ Black Dahlia

Sam Enthoven ~ The Black Tattoo

Stephen Foster ~ Walking Ollie

Kathryn Fox ~ Blood Born

Elizabeth Gaskell ~ North and South

Tess Gerritsen ~ In Their Footsteps

Tess Gerritsen ~ Stolen

Tess Gerritsen ~ Call After Midnight

Seth Grahame-Smith & Jane Austen ~ Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Vicky Halls ~ Cat Counsellor

Charlaine Harris ~ Dead Until Dark

Charlaine Harris ~ Living Dead in Dallas

Kim Harrison ~ Dead Witch Walking

Kim Harrison ~ The good, The Bad and The Undead

Kim Harrison ~ A Fistful of Charms

Raven Hart ~ The Vampire's Seduction

Raven Hart ~ The Vampire's Kiss

Torey Hayden ~ The Sunflower Forest

Torey Hayden ~ Beautiful Child

Torey Hayden ~ Overheard In A Dream

Mo Hayder ~ Gone

Mandasue Heller ~ The Pact

Susan Hill ~ Mrs DeWinter

Chris Jericho ~ A Lions Tale

Jeanne Kalogridis ~ Burning Times

Stephen King ~ Under the Dome

Elizabeth Kostova ~ The Swan Thieves

Martin Langfield ~ The Malice Box

Norah Lofts ~ The Lost Queen

Norah Lofts ~ The Concubine

Rosamund Lupton ~ Sister

Gregory Maguire ~ A Lion Amongst Men

Gregory Maguire ~ Lost

Gregory Maguire ~ Mirror Mirror

Donald McCaig ~ Rhett Butler's People

Karen Moline ~ Belladonna

Kate Morton ~ The Forgotten Garden

Jo Nesbo ~ The Snowman

Jo Nesbo ~ The Devil's Star

Christopher Paolini ~ Brisingr

Jean Plaidy ~ Castille For Isabella (Isabelle & Ferdinand Trilogy bk1)

Jean Plaidy ~ Uneasy Lies The Head (Tudors bk1)

Terry Pratchett ~ The Light Fantastic

Justine Picardie ~ Daphne

Patricia Scanlon ~ Promises Promises

Mark Spitz ~ Nobody Likes You

Eva Stachniak ~ Dancing With Kings

Jonathan Stroud ~ Heroes Of The Valley

Astro Teller ~ Exegesis

Sue Townsend ~ The Queen & I

Willy Vlautin ~ Lean on Pete

Freda Warrington ~ A Taste of Blood Wine

J M Warwick ~ A Season of Eden

Sarah Waters ~ Fingersmith

Sarah Waters ~ Affinity

Alison Weir ~ The Lady Elizabeth

Alison Weir ~ Innocent Traitor

Markus Zusak ~ The Book Thief

[Lilywhite]

Waiting to Arrive

 

My Wish List

 

Kelley Armstrong ~ Personal Demon (Women of the Otherworld book 8)

Kelley Armstrong ~ Living with the Dead (Women of the Otherworld book 9)

Kelley Armstrong ~ Frostbitten (Otherworld book 10)

Kelley Armstrong ~ Waking The Witch (Otherworld book 11)

Kelley Armstrong ~ Spellbound (Otherworld book 12)

Kelley Armstrong ~ Tales of the Otherworld (Otherworld Novella)

Kelley Armstrong ~ Angelic (Otherworld Novella)

Kelley Armstrong ~ Counterfeit Magic (Otherworld Novella)

Kelley Armstrong ~ Forbidden (Otherworld Novella)

Kelley Armstrong ~ Made To Be Broken (Nadia Stafford book 2)

Kelley Armstrong ~ The Reckoning (Darkest Powers book 3)

Kelley Armstrong ~ The Gathering (Darkest Powers book 4)

Martina Cole ~ The Family

Maryjanice Davidson ~ Undead and Unworthy (book 7)

Maryjanice Davidson ~ Undead and Unwelcome (book 8)

Maryjanice Davidson ~ Undead and Unfinished (book 9)

Maryjanice Davidson ~ Naughty or Nice (book 2)

Maryjanice Davidson ~ Dead and Loving it (book 3)

Maryjanice Davidson ~ Dead over heels (book 4)

Michele Bardsley ~ Wait til your Vampire gets home (book 4)

Michele Bardsley ~ Over my dead body (book 5)

Michele Bardsley ~ Come hell or high water (book 6)

Michele Bardsley ~ Cross Your Heart (book 7)

Michele Bardsley ~ Must Love Lycans (book 8)

Amy Molloy ~ Wife, Interrupted

LOLcat Bible: In Teh Beginnin Ceiling Cat Maded Teh Skiez an Da Erfs N Stuffs

Philippa Gregory ~ The Red Queen

Tom Cox ~ Under The Paw: Confessions of a Cat Man

Alison Weir ~ The Lady in the Tower

Truman Capote ~ Breakfast at Tiffany's

Emma Donoghue ~ Room

Eden Maguire ~ Arizona

Eva Ibbotson ~ The Secret Countess

Bernard Shaw ~ Pygmalion (Penguin Classics)

Libba Bray ~ Rebel Angels

Libba Bray ~ The Sweet Far Thing

Elizabeth H. Winthrop ~ December

Gregory Maguire ~ The Next Queen of Heaven

Gregory Maguire ~ Matchless (A Christmas Story)

Lesley Pearse ~ Belle

Jodi Picoult ~ Compasion

Jodi Picoult ~ House Rules

Jodi Picoult ~ Harvesting the Heart

[Lilywhite]

Sleep With Me

Joanna Briscoe

 

Richard and Lelia's child is conceived in a moment of giggling chaos as they dress for a Christmas party. When they arrive, rudely late and still glowing, they barely register a slight, drab woman in the hall. Sylvie.

As their baby grows, so too does the presence of that barely noticeable figure. Slowly Richard finds himself seduced by Sylvie's subtle, almost imperceptible charm. As he grows more ambivalent about the approaching birth of his child, Lelia finds herself haunted by painful secrets of her past. And Sylvie seems to be nowhere, yet everywhere. She's as invisible as she wants to be, and that is the source of her power. Beware of mice.

How far can you trust even those you love? A story of compulsion, desire, darkness and betrayal, Sleep With Me moves towards a breathtaking climax. It confirms Joanna Briscoe as a major literary talent.

 

Started: 24/12/09

Finished: 06/01/10

Rated:2/5

Comments: This book has a great plot but it just drags on and on. The beginning is great and the end is great but the 200 pages in the middle need reworking. Shame.

[BookJumper]

Lethem's As She Climbed Across the Table is one of the most unusual (mostly in a good way) things I've ever read, hope you enjoy it! And do make sure you let us know if A Lion Among Men is as good as Wicked and Son of A Witch pretty please?

[Lilywhite]

The Business

Martina Cole

 

Imelda Dooley is scared. Really scared. She’s played hard and fast and now she’s been caught. She’s pregnant and she’s on her own. Her father, not a man to mess with, will see that somebody pays for this. And it’s not going to be her. So Imelda Dooley tells a lie. A lie that literally causes murders.

When Mary Dooley’s husband is killed in the night’s events, she knows she must graft to keep the family afloat. And she does, becoming a name in her own right. But she still has to watch her daughter’s life spiral into a vicious, hate-fuelled cycle of drugs and prostitution.

Caught up in the carnage that is Imelda’s existence are Mary’s adored grandchildren, Jordanna and Kenny. Pretty little Jordanna isn’t yet three and she already knows far too much. All the little girl can do is look after her baby brother, Kenny, and try not to draw unwanted attention to herself.

Set in the heart of London 's criminal world, from the tail-end of the seventies up until the present-day, THE BUSINESS is a gritty, disturbing and haunting tale of drugs, prostitution and a young girl’s fight for survival – against all the odds.

 

Started: 11/01/10

Finished: 22/01/10

Rated: 4/5

Comments: Personally I thought Martina had been slipping of late. Her more recent books seemed to lack the punch of her earlier stuff. However, this one has comepletely changed my mind again. She is back in the swing of things. Great characters, smack bang in the middle of the criminal underworld. Nefarious dealings and crimes to make your eyes water. I love this stuff

[Lilywhite]

Grave Secret

Charlaine Harris

 

When she was 15, Harper Connelly was struck by a bolt of lightning, which left her with a spiderweb of red over her body, headaches, and episodes of weakness. Sometimes her right hand shakes. And she can find dead people. It's taken a while, but at last Harper's pretty happy with her life: she's making a living, using her unique talent to help people, and she's got a lover - her stepbrother Tolliver. That creeps some people out, but though they grew up together, and got each other through the real bad times - their parents' drug-use, the abuse, the disappearance of Harper's elder sister Cameron - they're not blood relatives. Then Tolliver's dad arrives on the scene, seeking forgiveness for the sins of their youth, and the police get a tip-off that after all these years, Cameron's been spotted in a mall. With all this going on Harper realises life is getting a little complicated, but she doesn't expect those complications to include Tolliver getting shot, or watching a cop die taking a bullet for her. Harper can find dead people, but now it's clear someone wants her dead . . .

 

Started: 24/01/10

Finished: 24/01/10

Rated: 4/5

Comments: I enjoyed this book so much I finished it in one day. This series has definitely improved with each book and this one has been, by far, the very best. I've enjoyed catching up with Harper and Tolliver again (although their relationship still doesn't sit right with me).

I think that they should be family or lovers, not start as one and end up as another.

In no way am I being judgmental on the situation, it's purely from a story point of view. The pair work either way, I just think Harris should have picked one and stuck to her guns. Still a great book.

[Lilywhite]

Girl Missing

Tess Gerritsen

 

The first body is a mystery. She's young. She's beautiful. And her corpse, laid out in the office of Boston medical examiner Kat Novak, betrays no secrets - except for a matchbook clutched in one stiff hand, seven numbers scrawled inside. The next body is a warning. When a second victim is discovered, Kat begins to fear that a serial killer is stalking the streets. The police are skeptical. The mayor won't listen. And Kat's chief suspect is one of the town's most prominent citizens. The final body ...might be hers. With the death toll rising, Kat races to expose a deadly predator who is closer than she ever dreamt. And every move she makes could be her very last.

 

Started: 25/01/10

Finished: 29/01/10

Rated:3/5

Comments: This is a good book but is nowhere near her usual standard. I understand it's her first foray into the crime world (she normally wrote romance) and it does show in some places. None the less, an enjoyable read.

[Lilywhite]

Songs of the Humpback Whale

Jodi Picoult

 

Back in print by popular demand, national bestselling author Jodi Picoult's acclaimed debut novel treats fans old and new to a beautiful, poignant story of family, friendship and love. Jodi Picoult's powerful novel portrays an emotionally charged marriage that changes course in one explosive moment. For years, Jane Jones has lived in the shadow of her husband, renowned San Diego oceanographer Oliver Jones. But during an escalating argument, Jane turns to him with an alarming volatility. In anger and fear, Jane leaves with her teenage daughter, Rebecca, for a cross-country odyssey. Charted by letters from her brother Joley, they are guided to his Massachusetts apple farm, where surprising self-discoveries await. Now Oliver, an expert at tracking humpback whales across vast oceans, will search for his wife across a continent, and find a new way to see the world, his family, and himself: through her eyes.

 

Started: 30/01/10

Finished: 11/02/10

Rated: 2.5/5

Comments: Not sure what to think of this one. It wasn't great, yet it was still quite readable. I'm pretty sure I've missed the point of it somewhere along the line because I got to the end and just kind of shrugged. I didn't quite get the point she was getting at. I wasn't a great fan of the two differing time lines. It works, but it was hard for me to follow. Not my favourite Picoult book and I don't think I'll be revisiting it.

[Lilywhite]

New Moan: The First Book in the TwiShite Saga: A Parody

Stephfordy Mayo

 

'I want to bite you, Heffa. I want to bite you very hard. I'll be gentle, I promise. If you really loved me, you'd let me.' Heffa Lump is just a typical, pale and interesting seventeen-year-old, who doubts that anyone will ever see her true beauty. But then she moves to Spatula and meets Teddy Kelledy, an impossibly gorgeous boy who eats rare meat, is super-strong and never goes out in sunlight. Could he, just maybe - be a vampire? (Hint: totally.) A tale of first love, painful longing and even more painful pointy teeth, "New Moan" is a hilarious parody of the phenomenon that is Stephenie Meyer's Twilight saga.

 

Started: 11/02/10

Finished: 21/02/10

Rated: 3/5

Comments: This one gets a higher rating than it really deserves because it tickled me. It's not particularly well written and there's very little substance to it but it has moments of true genius throughout. (Like a character named Arpatz) Don't bother attempting this one unless you've read Twilight because most of it will be lost on you. However, if you've read Twilight and can take it when someone criticises it, then give it a go.

[Weave]

Great reviews Kat

[vodkafan]

Kat your TBR pile is impossibly huge. Just letting you know your swop book arrived two days ago thanks but Laundry Fairy liked the look of it straight away and has stolen it.

[Lilywhite]

Thanks for letting me know. I got your recommended book and it's looks quite interesting

 

I am doing my best to reduce the TBR list but despite not buying anything new since before Christmas it doesn't seem to be going anywhere..... I plan to scale it one day

[Lilywhite]

Undead And Uneasy

MaryJanice Davidson

 

 

Betsy Taylor, undead vampire queen, has been given a new nickname by her nearest and dearest: Bridezilla. Because whether you're alive or undead, planning weddings is a bitch. Especially when your groom thinks the whole thing is a waste of time. Betsy's also dealing with a full house: she lives with a ghost (Cathy), a werewolf (Antonia), a gay physician/human (Marc), her fiance and vampire king (Eric Sinclair), her best friend (Jessica), a recovering Fiend (Garrett). But when Sinclair disappears, Betsy begins to get seriously uneasy...

 

Started: 22/02/10

Finished: 22/02/10

Rated: 4/5

Comments: I love these books! MJ has really taken this story in the right direction and I've grown to love good ol' Betsy even more in each installment. If you haven't read any before, give them a go.

[Lilywhite]

Kill For Me

Karen Rose

 

The terrifying sequel to DIE FOR ME and SCREAM FOR ME, KILL FOR ME is Karen Rose's most frightening thriller to date.

 

For years District Attorney Susannah Vartanian has refused to allow anyone close to her. Her life changed overnight when as a teenager she was brutally raped by a vicious gang of youths.

Detective Luke Papadopoulus is fast approaching burn-out. As a detective working on sex-crimes against children, he will do anything to find those responsible for such evil atrocities.

Monica Cassidy is terrified. Kidnapped and held in a bunker with eleven other girls, all victims of a paedophile ring started by Susannah's rapists, she barely escaped with her life when her kidnappers panicked and fled, killing five of the girls as they left.

Now Monica is the only one who can identify the ring's members and they know where she is. Will Luke and Susannah be able to keep Monica safe and crack the ring before the remaining girls disappear forever?

 

Started: 23/02/10

Finished: 09/03/10

Rated: 2/5

Comments: I'm normally a big fan of Karens but this book just bored me. I got lost in the twists and turns and only kept reading because it was the culmination of quite a long story line. It felt like she had a lot of ideas for the characters and storylines but was told she only had one book left. She could easily have made this story the side plot in two or three books. A shame but it won't put me off just yet.

[Charm]

Undead And Uneasy

MaryJanice Davidson

 

 

Comments: I love these books! MJ has really taken this story in the right direction and I've grown to love good ol' Betsy even more in each installment. If you haven't read any before, give them a go.

 

I've read the first of these and have since added the rest to my wishlist! I agree, they're great reads

 

I've also got a couple of Karen Rose's books on there too, must get my hands on some of them

[Lilywhite]

I highly recommend both sets of books.

[lexiepiper]

Kill For Me

Karen Rose

 

 

I just finished this today, and thought it was really good! Hope you're enjoying it too!

[Lilywhite]

I'm glad you enjoyed it. So far so good

[Lilywhite]

Wines and Spirits: Looking Behind the Label

Wine & Spirit Education Trust

 

The Intermediate Certificate textbook, "Wines & Spirits, Looking Behind the Label" is a comprehensive softback book with a foreword by Jancis Robinson. It is published by the WSET. The text is supported throughout with full colour maps, diagrams and photographs.

 

Started: 08/03/10

Finished: 20/04/10

Rated:

Comments: After reading this one to death I think I deserve another Read 3 Buy 1 credit

[vodkafan]

Kill For Me

Karen Rose

 

. Kidnapped and held in a bunker with eleven other girls, all victims of a paedophile ring started by Susannah's rapists, she barely escaped with her life when her kidnappers panicked and fled, killing five of the girls as they left.

Now Monica is the only one who can identify the ring's members and they know where she is. Will Luke and Susannah be able to keep Monica safe and crack the ring before the remaining girls disappear forever?

 

Started: 23/02/10

Finished: 09/03/10

Rated: 2/5

Comments: I'm normally a big fan of Karens but this book just bored me. I got lost in the twists and turns and only kept reading because it was the culmination of quite a long story line. It felt like she had a lot of ideas for the characters and storylines but was told she only had one book left. She could easily have made this story the side plot in two or three books. A shame but it won't put me off just yet.

 

Kat the basic premise of this book was so awful a subject I don't know how the author could think about stuff like that and turn it into a story.

[Lilywhite]

To be honest Vodkafan it's not the greatest of things to read about but you are reading it from the point of the good guys and they do get their comeuppance. Whilst being an integral part of the storyline, it's not like she went into detail.

[Lilywhite]

Beautiful Dead Book 1: Jonas

Eden Maguire

 

Something strange is happening in Ellerton High. Phoenix is the fourth teenager to die within a year. His street fight stabbing follows the deaths of Jonas, Summer and Arizona in equally strange and sudden circumstances. Rumours of ghosts and strange happenings rip through the small community as it comes to terms with shock and loss.

Darina, Phoenix’s grief-stricken girlfriend, is on the verge. She can’t escape her intense heartache, or the impossible apparitions of those that are meant to be dead. And all the while the sound of beating wings echo inside her head...

And then one day Phoenix appears to Darina. Ecstatic to be reunited, he tells her about the Beautiful Dead. Souls in limbo, they have been chosen to return to the world to set right a wrong linked to their deaths and bring about justice. Beautiful, superhuman and powerful, they are marked by a ‘death mark’ – a small tattoo of angel’s wings. Phoenix tells her that the sound of invisible wings beating are the millions of souls in limbo, desperate to return to earth.

Darina’s mission is clear: she must help Jonas, Summer, Arizona, and impossibly, her beloved Phoenix, right the wrong linked to their deaths to set them free from limbo so that they can finally rest in peace. Will love conquer death? And if it does, can Darina set it free?

 

Started: 13/03/10

Finished: 7/03/10

Rated: 4/5

Comments: For a YA series this has great plot. I wasn't too keen on the moany main character but if I can read Twilight, I can get through this. By halfway I was really into the story and I think I'll be getting more from this series to see how it develops.

[lexiepiper]

Ooo I have this on my wishlist so I'm really interested to hear what you think

[Lilywhite]

Blood Lite: An Anthology of Humorous Horror Stories Presented by the Horror Writers Association

Various

 

The Horror Writers Association Presents BLOOD LITE...a collection of entertaining tales that puts the fun back into dark fiction, with ironic twists and tongue-in-cheek wit to temper the jagged edge.

Charlaine Harris reveals the dark side of going green, when a quartet of die-hard environmentalists hosts a fundraiser with a gory twist in "An Evening with Al Gore"...In an all-new Dresden Files story from Jim Butcher, when it comes to tracking deadly paranormal doings, there's no such thing as a "Day Off" for the Chicago P.D.'s wizard detective, Harry Dresden...Sherrilyn Kenyon turns a cubicle-dwelling MBA with no life into a demon-fighting seraph with one hell of an afterlife in "Where Angels Fear to Tread"...Celebrity necromancer Jaime Vegas is headlining a sold-out seance tour, but behind the scenes, a disgruntled ghost has a bone to pick, in Kelley Armstrong's "The Ungrateful Dead." Plus tales guaranteed to get under your skin -- in a good way -- from Janet Berliner, Don D'Ammassa, Nancy Holder, Nancy Kilpatrick, J. A. Konrath and F. Paul, Wilson Joe, R. Lansdale, Will Ludwigsen, Sharyn McCrumb, Mark Onspaugh, Mike Resnick, Steven Savile, D. L. Snell, Eric James Stone, Jeff Strand, Lucien Soulban, Matt Venne, Christopher Welch

So let the blood flow and laughter reign -- because when it comes to facing our deepest, darkest fears, a little humor goes a long way!

 

Started: 19/03/10

Finished: 07/04/10

Rated: 3/5

Comments: These stories were great fun to read. I loved the differing aspects from each writer. Some were creepy, some were funny and some were downright weird. Highly recommended if you like your comedy with a supernatural twist.