tunn300 Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 (edited) Hi all, Am new to these forums and have decided in 2010 to set much more time aside for reading at the expense of TV. Normally I read about 7 or 8 books a year but am hoping to read at least 2 a month this year. For the last 2-3 years have read almost exclusively crime genre books and really want to sample a variety of different books. If anybody has any good suggestions they would be gratefully received. Anyway here goes with the list. Read January Or She Dies - Gregg Hurwitz - 7/10 Sign of the Cross - Chris Kuzneski - 8/10 Slumdog Millionaire - Vikus Swarup - 9/10 February The Little Stranger - Sarah Waters 8/10 Blacklands - Belinda Bauer 6/10 Juliet, Naked - Nick Hornby 7/10 Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris 7/10 Restless - William Boyd 8/10 Sacred Hearts - Sarah Dunant - 9/10 Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane 10/10 Gold - Dan Rhodes 9/10 March The Heretic's Daughter - Kathleen Kent 7/10 The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom 9/10 Anthropology - Dan Rhodes 5/10 Living Dead in Dallas - Charlaine Harris 8/10 The Way Home - George Pelecanos 9/10 Bait - Nick Brownlee 8/10 April A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian - Marina Lewycka 9/10 The Road - Cormac McCarthy 10/10 The Best a Man Can Get - John O'farrell 7/10 The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ - Philip Pullman 6/10 May June July The Silver Linings Playbook - Matthew Quick 8/10 The Book of Lies - Brad Meltzer 6/10 August The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon 10/10 Little Hands Clapping - Dan Rhodes 8/10 The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson 9/10 Burn - Nick Brownlee 8/10 The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson 10/10 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows 9/10 September October November December The Snowman - Jo Nesbo 8/10 Currently Reading To Read The Prophecy - Chris Kuzneski Sword of God - Chris Kuzneski Six Suspects - Vikas Swarup The Devil's Punchbowl - Greg Iles Belfast Confidential - Colin Bateman Orpheus Rising - Colin Bateman The Horse With my Name - Colin Bateman In the Woods - Tanya French Double Whammy - Carl Hiaasen Tourist Season - Carl Hiaasen The Rapture - Liz Jensen Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese Brixton Beach - Roma Tearne Count to Ten - Karen Rose Darkhouse - Alex Barclay Life Expectancy - Dean Koontz The Caller - Alex Barclay In the Dark - Mark Billingham Grave Sight - Charlaine Harris The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards One Day - David Nicholls Child 44 - Tom Rob Smith The Pirate's Daughter - Margaret Cezair-Thompson The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest - Stieg Larsson Twilight - Stephenie Meyer The Book Thief - Markus Zusak A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini Wish You Were Here - Mike Gayle Bloodline - Mark Billingham The Twilight Time - Karen Campbell Down River - John Hart Club Dead - Charlaine Harris Dead to the World - Charlaine Harris Dead As A Doornail - Charlaine Harris All Together Dead - Charlaine Harris Definitely Dead -Charlaine Harris From Dead to Worse - Charlaine Harris Labyrinth - Kate Mosse Death Trip - Lee Weeks Too Close To Home - Linwood Barclay Shatter - Michael Robotham The Drowning Man - Michael Robotham The Crucifix Killer - Chris Carter Heartsick - Chelsea Cain Sweetheart - Chelsea Cain Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen The Swan Thieves - Elizabeth Kostova Have a Little Faith - Mitch Albom Coming Back to me - Marcus Trescothick One Fine Day in the Middle of the Night - Christoper Brookmyer Blood at the Bookies - Simon Brett The Angels Game - Carlos Ruiz Zafon Fingersmith - Sarah Waters Two Caravans - Marina Lewycka The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger All texts in blue have been added since the start of the year, mostly after recommendations on this forum. Edited December 29, 2010 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 6, 2010 Author Share Posted February 6, 2010 (edited) holding post Edited February 10, 2010 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 6, 2010 Share Posted February 6, 2010 I see you've got most (alll?) of the books from the TV Book Club to read - I always found the Richard & Judy lists were a good way to read something I might not normally read and introduce a new author or genre that lead to others, so that's a great way for you to explore some different books I'm thinking of reading Wedlock, as that sounds a bit different, and I've read a few Carl Hiaasen books and have loved them all (some were his childrens books) and I'll probably get to Double Whammy as well at some point. Apart from that, this forum will give you more recommendations than you could possibly imagine, even in the crime genre you'll find authors and books you've never heard of and will be tempted to stick with them rather than find something else! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 6, 2010 Author Share Posted February 6, 2010 (edited) Thanks for the reply Chesilbeach. I do have all the book club reads as i thought it as good a place as any to start. Already just browsing these forums has made me go out today and add more titles to my list. Got a good old reading session in today so finished the Little Stranger and am about a third of the way through Blacklands. Edited February 10, 2010 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 The story follows life at an old country manor shortly after World War II. With a new labour government times are changing and old families, such as the Ayres, are being left behind and struggling to stay afloat. The story is told through the eyes of a doctor Faraday who visited the hall when he was a child and returns over 30 years later as the family doctor to find the house in a bad state. I really enjoyed Waters descriptions of a small rural Warwickshire village after the war and found she really bought the house to life. The story mainly focuses on some strange happenings at hundreds but also a relationship between Catherine Ayres and doctor Faraday. The story is slow to build with only small incidents happening infrequently and I found this built the tensions nicely and I definitely had a few 'goose-bump' moments. However after this slow build-up I did expect something more of a shock or big fright at the end but actually found the story rather petered out. I also found the relationship between Faraday and Catherine a little unnecessary as it added little to the story. Overall I enjoyed this book and especially Waters style of writing. She is an excellent storyteller and I will be adding more of her books to my collection. The book did pose many questions and I am still not sure if it implies in some way that Faraday himself is involved in creating the incidents, as his out of body experience on the night Catherine dies would imply. A recommended read - 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ethan Posted February 7, 2010 Share Posted February 7, 2010 Nice review. I recently read The Night Watch which I very much enjoyed, set in London, WWII, and shortly after the war. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 7, 2010 Author Share Posted February 7, 2010 So finished this book today after only starting it yesterday lunchtime. A very quick and easy book to read the story flows nicely. The story follows the lives of Steven an 11 year old boy still mourning the loss of an uncle he has never met and Avery the convicted pedophile who killed Stevens uncle. As said before the book really does flow well and I found it very easy to read. It is obviously quite a controversial book, with one of the main characters an utterly detestable child killer. I think Bauer deals fairly well with the issue and never becomes too graphic in her descriptions of the way Avery treats his victims. The are two main problems for me with this book. Firstly the characters are really one dimensional and second the plot is just far too easily guessed and the steps taken to get there are very basic. From reading the 2 chapters I think the story arcs of the main 2 characters became clear and unfortunately to get them to that point Bauer in my opinion cut a few corners. I can't believe Avery would only suddenly have his passion for young children re-awoken by a single photo. the way he replays his murders would imply he thinks about commiting the crimes all the time adn so surely would have tried to escape sooner. Also Avery's huge intellect is constantly referenced, however his break out from prison could have been concocted by the simplest thug. My real issue also comes with Avery being shot by the son of one of his failed earlier victims after he escapes. this adds nothing to the story and takes it yet further form being realistic. This is by no means a bad book but I had hoped for more. It has some promising features and i will certainly read any of her future novels. However for me this was my first disappointment of 2010 and in order to try and keep my shelves from overflowing I am putting the book on my read it, swap it page (as I will do with all books scoring below 8 from now on). 6/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 11, 2010 Author Share Posted February 11, 2010 Well am still reading Juilet, Naked by Nick Hornby. My reading always slows during the week as have to teach all day and then spend most of the evening planning or marking. Am about halfway through though so should finish at the weekend. Next week is half term, so I plan to get plenty of reading done. Have discovered the read it swap it website and listed a load of old books I know I will never read again and have decided from now on anything I rate below an 8 will go on there. So this last two days have acquired. Child 44 - Tom Rob Smith The Pirate's Daughter - Margaret Cezair-Thompson Dead Until Dark - Charlaine Harris Heard good things about dead after dark and child 44 on here. Heard nothing really about The Pirate's daughter but thought it sounded interesting and would give it a go. Also after hearing so many good things about the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo I have succumbed to buying that too. I vowed to read more this year and am doing just that, however my TBR pile just keeps growing as I keep reading about so many interesting books and then getting them. Ooops. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 13, 2010 Author Share Posted February 13, 2010 (edited) Synopsis - Amazon Nick Hornby returns to his roots - music and messy relationships - in this funny and touching new novel which thoughtfully and sympathetically looks at how lives can be wasted but how they are never beyond redemption. Annie lives in a dull town on England's bleak east coast and is in a relationship with Duncan which mirrors the place; Tucker was once a brilliant songwriter and performer, who's gone into seclusion in rural America - or at least that's what his fans think. Duncan is obsessed with Tucker's work, to the point of derangement, and when Annie dares to go public on her dislike of his latest album, there are quite unexpected, life-changing consequences for all three. Nick Hornby uses this intriguing canvas to explore why it is we so often let the early promise of relationships, ambition and indeed life evaporate. And he comes to some surprisingly optimistic conclusions. Review Haven't read a Hornby in a while and have found the last couple disappointing. (Long Way Down and Slam). However this is a return to form for him and I found the book a thoroughly enjoyable and easy read. The characters I find are very interesting, especially Malcolm, Annie's ageing and inexperienced shrink, and Hornby does have a way of making the mundane more interesting. Have to say I didn't find it as funny as many of the reviews on the cover but there were some incidents that made me chuckle. Especially the night in the working mens club. The plot obviously requires you to suspend your belief in reality and is pretty straightforward throughout. I would recommend it as a good read for someone looking for a light-hearted easy read but it is an easily forgettable book. Nevertheless one I enjoyed greatly while reading. 7/10 Edited February 13, 2010 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 13, 2010 Author Share Posted February 13, 2010 So have started one of my new purchases - Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris and am about 50 or so pages in. As I have watched the first series of True Blood I already know everything that has happened so far. The book is identical to the tv series with nothing added or missing so far. Am enjoying but obviously already know all the plot points and am still a little undecided about Harris's writing style. What particularly grates so far is that every time a new character is introduced we have a paragraph of pure physical description and then that is that character done. I usually expect more from an author. However am sure I will continue to read the series as I like the show and will be good to read ahead. Also looking at others reviews it looks like they get better as they go on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted February 13, 2010 Share Posted February 13, 2010 Read all your reviews with interest Tunn. Sounds like "the little stranger" might be Sarah Water's first "bummer" -not as good as her earlier books although have only read one as yet (Fingersmith which was superb) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 14, 2010 Author Share Posted February 14, 2010 Thanks for taking the time to read the reviews Vodkafan. I haven't actually read any of Waters other books so have nothing to compare it to. I did personally enjoy the book but will make sure I hunt out a copy of Fingersmith (which I have heard many good things about) and then compare them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nightwish Posted February 14, 2010 Share Posted February 14, 2010 Oh I have just got hold of those 3 books that were reviewed on the TV book club! Hope to get reading them soon and you haven't given them such a bad review so hopefully I will enjoy them ! I hope you enjoy the True Blood books, I've only read the first 4 but I have enjoyed them so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 14, 2010 Author Share Posted February 14, 2010 (edited) Am sure you will enjoy them Nightwish. I did really enjoy Reading all 3, the little stranger was definitely my favourite though. Although I said I found Blacklands dissapointing it was still a good book but I probably had slightly too high expectations after some other reviews. Let me know how you find them. Edited February 15, 2010 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 15, 2010 Author Share Posted February 15, 2010 Synopsis (Amazon) Sookie Stackhouse is a small-time cocktail waitress in small-town Louisiana. She's quiet, keeps to herself, and doesn't get out much - not because she's not pretty - she's a very cute bubbly blonde - or not interested in a social life. She really is . . . but Sookie's got a bit of a disability. She can read minds. And that doesn't make her too dateable. And then along comes Bill: he's tall, he's dark and he's handsome - and Sookie can't 'hear' a word he's thinking. He's exactly the type of guy she's been waiting all her life for. But Bill has a disability of his own: he's fussy about his food, he doesn't like suntans and he's never around during the day . . . Yep, Bill's a vampire. Worse than that, he hangs with a seriously creepy crowd, with a reputation for trouble - of the murderous kind. And then one of Sookie's colleagues at the bar is killed, and it's beginning to look like Sookie might be the next victim . . . Review I picked this book up after reading about it on this website. I have seen the first series of True Blood and very much enjoyed it. The first book is pretty much season 1 of the show, as far as I could tell nothing major was missed from the show that isn't in this book. I think I could have probably skipped straight to book 2 and been fine with all the plot details. At first I struggled to adjust to Harris's writing style. It is very fast paced with no time for description or lengthy dialogue and she sometimes skips from one idea to the next with no clear breaks. The pace really is summed up by her description of the characters, who all get one paragraph exactly when they are first introduced at the start of the book and then not much else after. However after about 50 or so pages I managed to settle in to the style and enjoy the book. I read in about 3 sittings and it constantly held my interest despite the fact I already knew all the major plot points from the tv show. I did find that Harris did fail to build any suspense, even towards the end of the book, but again that could be because I knew where it was headed and will have to be judged again after reading further books. Overall I did enjoy the book and it is a good, quick read. It certainly won't win an literary prizes but is good for a lazy Sunday read. I will be adding the rest of the series to my collection as I like the book and I also am eager to find out what will happen in the show. Have spotted the first 8 books in a box set collection at a very reasonable price and will buy it next week after payday. Thanks for the recommendation BCF. 7/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 15, 2010 Author Share Posted February 15, 2010 Am being a bit naughty at the moment as I pushed Dead Until Dark a book I had only recently obtained to the top of my TBR pile and am now doing the same with Restless by William Boyd. I picked it up in Asda on Friday for the bargain price of �1.50 and am drawn to read it next. Think I may have to give up on the idea of reading my pile in order. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Nice review of Dead Until Dark, Tunn. I just finished the second book in the series (I also bought the box-set of 8 books) and I'm really enjoying them. I also tend to read new books before others that I've had on my TBR pile for years; it's just too hard to resist sometimes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Great review Tunn300 I also enjoyed Dead Until Dark but I think the next 3 books in the series are the best. Maybe that was also because I'd been watching the show, so some of the mystery had been removed. Can't wait to hear what you think of the Dead in Dallas next Happy reading! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pickle Posted February 15, 2010 Share Posted February 15, 2010 Great Review, I think i have read until the last in the series but I got a little confused when they changed the front covers to go with the TV shows, I quite liked the old ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 15, 2010 Author Share Posted February 15, 2010 Thanks for all the replies to my review. Am going to purchase the True Blood 8 book box set next Tuesday (pay day). Will probably then start straight away on book 2 - Dead in Dallas. Will let you know what I think Nicola, hopefully I will find the same as you, that they get better as they go on. I have seen series 2 of True Blood starts next Friday on fx too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 17, 2010 Author Share Posted February 17, 2010 Have read a lot in the last couple of days and only have about 50 pages of Restless by William Boyd left to read. I have really enjoyed it so far and as yet have no idea about the ending. I will post a review when I have finished. When I started this blog my aim was to first read all 10 of the TV book club choices. Having read three in a row I deviated slightly and read a couple of my newer books. However after i finish Restless am going to go back and carry on with these titles. Am going to read Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant next. Am a bit nervous as this is not a book I would normally go for at all but the whole point of picking up these books was to sample a wider range of genres. Hope I like it as have really fallen in love with reading again at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 17, 2010 Author Share Posted February 17, 2010 By the way, a having real trouble with my profile pic. Have tried uploading a few and they will not display in box. If you click on ? in box then my pic does appear on my homepage type thing. The image is less than 100x100 so don't know what the problem is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 17, 2010 Author Share Posted February 17, 2010 (edited) Synopsis - Amazon It is 1939. Eva Delectorskaya is a beautiful 28-year-old Russian emigree living in Paris. As war breaks out she is recruited for the British Secret Service by Lucas Romer, a mysterious Englishman, and under his tutelage she learns to become the perfect spy, to mask her emotions and trust no one, including those she loves most. Since the war, Eva has carefully rebuilt her life as a typically English wife and mother. But once a spy, always a spy. Now she must complete one final assignment, and this time Eva can't do it alone: she needs her daughter's help. Review I saw this book in the reduced section at Asda and picked it up for �1.50. At the time I had no Idea it had been a previous Richard and Judy summer read. The story follows Eva, a former British spy during WWII, and her daughter Ruth. I really like the way the book is structured and found it very original. Each chapter starts in the current day, which happens to be 1976, and part way through reverts to Eva's memoirs of her time spent as a spy in 1940-1941. I thought the book conveyed the experience of what it must be like to be a spy and always suspicious really well. Throughout the book we are treated to constant surprises that keep us guessing and it builds to an interesting, if not totally satisfying finale. I have never read any of Boyd's work before but found his writing well paced and easy to read. My only gripe would be the depiction of Eva's son Jochen, I am yet to meet a child who is still at primary schools and speaks so eloquently. I liked the characters although am not entirely sure the inclusion of Ludger and Isle added anything at all to the story other than a bit of background on Ruth's time in Germany. Overall I really enjoyed this book and found it an interesting and easy read. I managed to read it in about 2 days as I always wanted to know what would happen next and that is always the sign of a good book. I will add more of Boyd's work to my TBR if I come across it. 8/10 Edited August 6, 2010 by Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 Glad you enjoyed Restless; I liked it a lot when I read it a couple of years ago. I'm (slowly) working my way through Boyd's other books, but my favourite so far is Any Human Heart. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tunn300 Posted February 17, 2010 Author Share Posted February 17, 2010 (edited) Have added the book I think you are talking about to my Amazon wish list. Thanks for the help Chesilbeach Edited February 17, 2010 by tunn300 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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