Paperplane's 2013 Reading List

[paperplane]

This will be my second or third reading list on this forum - I have been on a long hiatus..  

Whilst I took a long break I am now back full swing into reading since I replaced my Kindle.

In my 'have read' section, I will include some books from 2012..

Currently reading:

 

Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three - Mara Leveritt

In order I have read so far:

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Steig Larsson
The Girl who played with Fire - Steig Larsson
The Girl who kicked the Hornet's Nest - Steig Larsson
Australia's Serial Killers: The Definitive History - Paul B Kidd
A Caribbean Mystery - Agatha Christie
Murder in Italy: The Shocking Slaying a British Student, the Accused American Girl and an International Scandal - Candace Dempsey
Duplicity - Paul T Goldman
Finding Karla - Paula Todd
Green River Running Red - Ann Rule
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - John Berendt
When Greed Turns Deadly - Dixie Murphy
Pines - Blake Crouch
Desert Places - Blake Crouch
Locked Doors - Blake Crouch
Sweet Poison - David Gillespie
The Camera Guy - Richard Goodship
The Killing Floor - Lee Child
The Stranger Beside Me - Ann Rule
Catch Me If You Can - Frank Abagnale
The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand (attempted but didn't like)
No Regrets - Ann Rule
Bitter Harvest - Ann Rule
Fifty Shades of Grey - E.L James
Fifty Shades Darker - E.L James (attempted but didn't like)
Captive in the Dark - CJ Roberts
Seduced in the Dark - CJ Roberts
We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous and the Global Cyber Insurgency - Parmy Olsen
Die Trying - Lee Child (attempted three times but didn't like)
Last Chance, Last Dance - Ann Rule

Worth More Dead - Ann Rule

Child of God - Cormac McCarthy

The Man in the Rockefeller Suit - Mark Seal

Perfect Chemistry - Simone Elkeles

Epilogue - CJ Roberts

Want to read:

#123
13: Story of the Most Notorious Superstition - Nathaniel Lachenmeyer

A:
Abandon - Blake Crouch
Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea - Steven Callahan
And the Sea Will Tell - Vincent Bugliosi
Angel Baby - Richard Lange
Await Your Reply - Dan Chaon

B:
Beauty Queens - Libba Bray
Between a Rock a Hard Place - Aron Ralston
Bloody Countess: The Atrocities of Erzebet Bathory - Valentine Penrose
Blue Lenses & Other Stories - Daphne Du Maurier
Box Man - Kobo Abe
Bully - Jim Schutze

Butter - Erin Jane Lange

C:
Countess Dracula - Tony Thorne
Cracked - K.M Walton
Cult Killers - Frank Moorhouse

 

D:
December - Elizabeth Hartley Winthrop
Devil in White City - Erik Larson
Don Quixote - Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
Dream Story - Arthur Schnitzler

E:
Earth Abides - George R Stewart

F:
Fall of the Citizens - Eric Thomas
Frenchman's Creek - Daphne Du Maurier

G:

Gangland North West and South - Jason Morton

Gardner Heist: The True Story of the Worlds Largest Unsolved Art Theft - Ulrich Boser
Ghost in the Wires - Kevin Mitnick

H:
Hard Bite - Anonymous 9
Haunted Heartland - Beth Scott
High Rise - J.G Ballad
Honeymoon Dive: Death of Tina Watson - Lindsay Simpson
How Late it Was, How Late - James Kelman

I:

J:
Janet Frame: An Autobiography - Janet Frame

K:
Killer Clown: John Wayne Gacy Murders - Terry Sullivan

King's General - Daphne Du Maurier

L:
Labrador Pact - Matt Haig
Looking for Alaska - John Green

M:
Madapple - Christina Meldrum

Mary Anne - Daphne Du Maurier
Metropole - Ferenc Karinthy
Monkey Grip - Helen Garner
Multiple Effects of Rainshadow - Thea Astley
MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend - Rachel Bertsche
My Cousin Rachel - Daphne Du Maurier
Myrtles Plantation - Frances Kermeen

N:
No Second Chance - Harlan Coben
Numbers - Rachel Ward

O:
Observatory Mansions - Edward Carey
One Bloody Thing After Another - Joey Comeau
Other Boylyn Girl - Philippa Gregory
Out - Natsuro Kirino

P:
Papillon - Henri Charriere
Parapsychology: The Controversial Science - Richard S. Broughton
Parasites - Daphne Du Maurier
People Who Eat Darkness - Richard Lloyd Parry
Post Office - Charles Bukowski
Procession of the Dead - D.B Shan
Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art - Laney Salisbury
Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madenss Industry - Jon Ronson

 

Q:
Quiet Earth - Craig Harrison

 

R:
Radleys - Matt Haig
Reamde - Neal Stephenson
Rebecca's Tale - Sally Beauman
Red Necklace - Sally Gardner
Rendezvouz & Other Stories - Daphne Du Maurier
Rules for Disappearing - Ashley Elston
Run - Blake Crouch

 

S:
Shining - Stephen King
Shrine of Jeffrey Dahmer - Brian Masters
Slammed - Colleen Hoover
Snowbound - Blake Crouch
Son - Jack Olsen

S.O.S Spirit of Survival - The Costa Concordia - Valerie Joy
Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson
Strangers On A Train - Patricia Highsmith
Strapless - Deborah Davis
Strong Poison - Dorothy L Sayers

 

T:
The Thirteenth Tale - Diane Setterfield
This is Not Chick Lit - Elizabeth Merrick
To Catch a Theif - David Dodge
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

U:
Unbelievable: Investigations into Ghosts, Poltergeists, Telepathy & Other Unseen Phenomena - Stacy Horn

V:
Vanishing Point - David Markson
Vertigo - Narcejac Boileau
Vlad the Impaler - M.J Trow
Vodka Doesn't Freeze - Leah Giarratano
Voodoo Doll - Leah Giarratano

W:
Watch the World Burn - Leah Giarratano
Watership Down - Richard Adams
We - Yevgeny Zamyatin
Will Grayson, Will Grayson - John Green

 

X:

Y:

Z:

Still lots more to add....

Edited October 22, 2013 by paperplane

[paperplane]

Just finished The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule last night - I can't imagine how creeped out the author must have felt.

 

She worked with him!

 

This is the second Ann Rule book I've read so I will be adding a few more books of hers to my TBR list...

 

Have started the second Jack Reacher book by Lee Child but I may start something else, the beginning hasn't really drawn me in yet...

[frankie]

Hello paperplane, welcome back!

 

Australia's Serial Killers: The Definitive History - Paul B Kidd

 

How did you like this, would you recommend it?

 

Green River Running Red - Ann Rule

 

This was a great read, what did you think of it?

 

 

Just finished The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule last night - I can't imagine how creeped out the author must have felt.

 

She worked with him!

 

I know, what a coincidence, and how freaked would you be if you'd worked next to a person like that... That's one of the scariest and most vile reads I've ever read, but it was very well written, I really liked the book. It makes it a whole lot more interesting when the author knows the murderer.

 

I hope you have a great reading year in 2013!

[Kylie]

Welcome back, Paperplane.

 

I hope you enjoyed The Thirteenth Tale when you read it. I thought it was great!

[poppyshake]

Hope you have a great reading year Paperplane and that we see more of you

[paperplane]

Thank you fellow BCF-ers!!

 

Just realised I have been very slack with my log yet AGAIN! 

 

I've since read a couple more Ann Rule books, Bitter Harvest and No Regrets - although true crime is quite a morbid subject I find it so fascinating especially the way Ann Rule presents the cases.

 

I also struggled with The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand - I tried to push and push and push through but just couldn't so it's going in my 'attempted but didn't like' pile.

 

I'm currently reading (and hate to admit it) Fifty Shades of Grey as I need a break from all my true crime reading..

 

I find I tend to do that though, I read one genre full on for months then change to something completely different.

 

Meanwhile I have lots and lots of books to my TBR pile!

[paperplane]

Well, I finished Fifty Shades of Grey and liked it, started the second one, got to 30% and have given up.

 

Too repetitive already! Flirt, flirt, angry, angry, flirt, sex, and repeat.

 

I might try something else from my TBR..

[frankie]

Well, I finished Fifty Shades of Grey and liked it, started the second one, got to 30% and have given up.

 

Too repetitive already! Flirt, flirt, angry, angry, flirt, sex, and repeat.

 

 

Sounds like a great blurb!

[paperplane]

Okay, so..I asked about this in the 'Has anyone read' thread but I was too impatient so I started on it and glad I did.

 

I read the first book of the Dark Duet series 'Captive in the Dark' by CJ Roberts in almost one sitting and I have to say I haven't felt like this about a book in a long long LONG time.

I normally don’t write long-ish reviews but this, I have to.

 

First I will apologise for all the italics that you'll see in my review as they simply must be emphasised.

Let me start off by saying, in comparison, 50 Shades and all other duplicates have absolutely NOTHING on this book - this is darker, grittier, seedier, intense, disturbing, panic inducing, confusing, heart wrenching and is one big mindf##k of an emotional roller coaster.

 

In fact, this book is entirely something else the way it’s beautifully written.

 

I don’t think I’ve ever read a book where the author has made me feel emotionally confused, upset and attached to fictional characters Caleb and Livvie also known as Kitten.

 

Caleb more so, he takes typical ‘bad boy’ to the extreme, i.e. murder, human trafficking, slavery.

 

I guess I feel so much for this book because I’ve been there.

 

Not necessarily the physical torturing and abuse but the emotional side of knowing someone who is so loving one minute and hateful with rage the next.

 

It’s a definite case of ‘hating to love’ that one particular person you just can’t shake your feelings for – it’s wrong on all the highest levels and you know it.

 

It's completely draining on your soul.

 

This book made me hate Caleb yet somehow you love him and want to be loved by him but always on unsure as he's so volatile. Urgh!

 

The author made me well and truly feel like I was suffering from Stockholm Syndrome – it is that good.

 

I’m already onto the second book ‘Seduced in the Dark’ and already am back to square one – emotional confusion.

Although this kind of genre may not be everyone’s cup of tea I highly recommend this to anyone! 

[paperplane]

Frankie I didn't see your earlier post until just now!

 

Australia's Serial Killers a Definitive History (Paul b Kidd) I love and highly recommend! Lots of stories that hit home as some were so close to where I live!

 

Green River Running Red I also loved - one of Ann's best in my opinion!

[julie]

Paperplane

 

Good to see another true crime reader -- it's probably my favorite type of book to read . I've read all the Ann Rule books as they have come out  through the years . I don't remember many of them since it was so long ago that I finished them. The last one of hers I read was the yearly one she puts out now with several cases all in one book. I think that was last fall maybe ? She has another coming out this fall .

 

LOVED Midnight in the Garden --- terrific story . I like books like that which tell you a bot of the history of the town and beautiful homes ,plus a story of the people . They certainly had a lot of interesting characters in the book  . Sounds like a beautiful city too .

 

The West Memphis Three is an amazingly good story . I'll be interested in hearing your thoughts on it .  

[paperplane]

I totally agree Julie! True crime is my most favourite genre too, I know a lot of people shy away from it but I find it so fascinating.

 

I finished Seduced in the Dark yesterday and loved the ending! It's one of those books where the author has you thinking one thing right the way through and purposely makes you think you know what will happen and then suddenly BAM! completely not what I thought was going to happen.

 

I have started on the book-length Epilogue which the author was pretty much pestered into writing due to her fans but I really wished she left it at the second book. 

 

I have been trawling good reads and have a few more true crime/story books to add to my TBR!

[paperplane]

I've decided to put aside Epilogue for now, I will keep it in my 'currently reading' section as I do intend of finishing it, just need a rest from the series for now.

 

As of last night I've started on 'We Are Anonymous: Inside the Hacker World of LulzSec, Anonymous and the Global Cyber Insurgency' and its a very interesting read so far..

[paperplane]

I feel so guilty I'm never able to consistently keep this log up 

 

The only time I get time to really read is on the train to and from work and getting addicted to that damn Candy Crush game doesn't help either.

 

Anyway, I haven't read all that much..

 

I tried reading 'Die Trying' by Lee Child for the third time and have decided it's just not for me.

 

The first novel in the series I was able to breeze through but this one is just so irritating and grating I can't quite put my finger on it.

 

As of yesterday I finished 'Last Chance, Last Dance' by Ann Rule, yet another fascinating read.

 

Have now started on another of hers, 'Worth More Dead'.

[julie]

Paperplane

 Tomorrow is when the newest Ann Rule book comes out here.  I have it pre-ordered for my Kindle. I think it's one complete story ,,rather than her yearly fall book that usually has multiple short stories all in one book . Some of her earlier books were all one though .

 

You guys have some really famous cases over there . I'd love to read the story of Hanging Rock, which is pretty hard to locate ,especially for my Kindle. I see Amazon has it listed as a possible Kindle item at some point ,so I'll keep an eye out for it .

 

How about the story of the Beaumont kids who came up missing so many years back ? You have lots of interesting unsolved crimes from there.

 

Some of my other favorites from here are Fatal Vision by Joe McGinnis ( about Jeff McDonald ,whose whole family was killed back in the early 70s ).. then  "And the Sea Will Tell " by Vincent Bugliosi ,and   Dreams of Ada . Those are probably my top 3 favorites in true crime ,so if you ever run across any of them ,grab them and give them a try .

 

What is their take of Hanging Rock -- do they think the only girl to come back was responsible for some reason, or was she injured in any way ? Do they have any other theories ?

[paperplane]

I'll have to look into that Julie! I knew she had a new book coming out soon but wasn't sure when.

 

I read Picnic at Hanging Rock a few years ago except I don't think it was an actual true account, however the way it was cleverly written does/did give me that creeped out eerie feeling you get from reading true account/crime books.

 

From what I remember, the ending was never really explained and was left up to the reader to decide what happened, I assume they entered some magnetic portal that took them to some other dimension.

 

If you also ever get the chance to see the film, (although made in the 70's) it's worth watching, I still got that creeped out vibe!

 

I have heard of the Beaumont case however have only come across it in books where it also has a lot of other cases..

 

My most favourite (if a true crime book can be that?) book is 'The Killing of Caroline Byrne'. It's about a Sydney model who was pushed off a cliff 'The Gap', which was also a notorious suicide spot by her boyfriend Gordon Wood back in 1995.

 

I was only about 7 years old at the time but remember it being all over the news as there were so many things that just didn't add up.

 

Her boyfriend was also the chauffeur/run-around-person for a very high profile businessman, Rene Rivkin who was later convicted of insider trading.

 

Some say she jumped others say she was pushed...some theories surrounding her death was she may have known or was told too much by Gordon about a pending fraudulent arson insurance claim to do with one of Rene's businesses.

 

It just hits so close to home because she grew up in a suburb (Camden) where I grew up and then lived in a rather infamous Sydney apartment building, 'The Connaught' which I pretty much walk past to get to work every day.

 

 

Another that comes to mind was also 'Mr Rent-A Kill' aka Christopher Dale Flannery who is almost always in Australian true crime books that feature lots of stories.

 

He also lived in the Connaught and was suspected of many Sydney murders from the 1970's and 80's.

Apparently he was last seen entering a police car of the basement car park of the building and was never seen alive again.

 

Creepy....

 

I will definitely have a look at the others you have mentioned, I love adding books to my TBR list!

[julie]

PP --

(Hope you don't mid if I shorten your name )

 

I hadn't heard of the 2 killers you mentioned . The story of the lady who fell off the cliff and they don't know if she jumped or was pushed ? We've had a few over here like that, although no one well-known had  it happen . I read a book a few years ago , I think just called Over the Edge ? -- about a girl who was supposedly hiking with her boyfriend and "fell" off a cliff, but it ended up that he pushed her to collect her insurance money . I can't remember how he was eventually caught . Been too long since I read about it .

 

I'll have to look up the names you mentioned. I've read a few true crime books about cases from over there . Amazon has put some on over here that I have read ,so I'm hoping they will start putting more of them out for us to get over here .

 

I like the ones that are never solved , or people have just come up missing and no one knows what ever happened to them . Gives you something to think about, wondering who could have hurt them or did they disappear on their own ?

 

I can understand your interest in cases that have happened in areas you are familiar with  , Even in our tiny neck of the woods, I know 2 girls who have been murdered . The one was a year younger than me ,and our moms were friends back when we were little . She had just graduated high school and she came up missing 2 months later ,with her boyfriend . She came from a really good family, very religious. She was also very pretty . Anyhow ,the cops found her boyfriend's car 3 days later in what is now a park ( like for hiking or fishing ) ,but at the time, it was mainly just a rock parking lot with woods . Someone took them out into the woods, made them kneel down and shot them both . This was in 1977 . It was never solved . A couple years ago, an old man admitted to killing them, but no one believed his story . Some guys wanna admit to doing something like that, in an ODD WAY ,they want to be famous ... anyhow, he died before they could have a proper trial for him. The cops in our area say there is no way he did it ,and I don't think so either. It doesn't match up .

 

The other case was a little girl ( about 10 years younger than me ) who was abducted from a park across the street from her house ,right in broad daylight . They found her body a few months later ,had a trial for the guy they THOUGHT did it ,and we executed  him . I think we killed the wrong guy for that one. He NEVER had a history of taking little girls, never a history of the violence of killing anyone ... he had raped a couple ladies ( date rape type thing), but they willingly went home with him ,then he attacked them. He had no history of abducting people , kidnapping, etc ... I honestly think we killed the wrong guy, but over here, cops tend to feel under pressure to arrest and convict someone for these things ,so people will feel safe ( like we have the bad guy off the streets ), but there are times where we make mistakes and convict the wrong guy ,just so they make an arrest .

 

Anyhow, I'll quit babbling about it now. I just get really enthused when talking about true crime cases .  I'll keep a lookout for the names you mentioned .

Edited October 8, 2013 by julie

[Devi]

@ julie: have you read any books on azaria chamberlain? The baby that was taken by a dingo, mother convicted, then cleared? I can't remember if we ever mentioned it in our talks.

 

@ paperplane: regarding knowing murder victims, did you hear about the murder of sarah cafferkey? Anyway, she was a friend of mine, we went to primary school together.

[julie]

Devi

I DO remember Lindy -- no clue what the name of the book was. It was MANY years ago ,so I only remember the bare basics-- family goes on an outing ( camping or just a picnic ?) ,mother lays the baby down and it comes up missing. Can't remember at the time of the book whether she had been blamed for it or just under suspicion .. but then didn't she just recently get exonerated of all guilt ? Didn't they find the baby's clothing or blanket or something not long ago in a dingo's cave or something ? I haven't kept up with it much recently .

[paperplane]

Devi, I did hear about the Sarah Cafferky case, only happened just recently from what I remember, she was so pretty.

 

Same with Jill Meagher..

 

 

Never mind Julie, it's always nice to have another true crime enthusiast on this forum as I know a lot of people tend to avoid this genre.

 

I just find the unexplained, unknown and real events so fascinating and interesting yet scary at the same time.

[Devi]

Devi

I DO remember Lindy -- no clue what the name of the book was. It was MANY years ago ,so I only remember the bare basics-- family goes on an outing ( camping or just a picnic ?) ,mother lays the baby down and it comes up missing. Can't remember at the time of the book whether she had been blamed for it or just under suspicion .. but then didn't she just recently get exonerated of all guilt ? Didn't they find the baby's clothing or blanket or something not long ago in a dingo's cave or something ? I haven't kept up with it much recently .

Yes she was exonerated, and they did find some bloody clothe of some type in a cave. Must be horrible and frustrating to know the truth and no one believe you no matter what.

 

 

Devi, I did hear about the Sarah Cafferky case, only happened just recently from what I remember, she was so pretty.

 

Same with Jill Meagher..

 

 

Never mind Julie, it's always nice to have another true crime enthusiast on this forum as I know a lot of people tend to avoid this genre.

 

I just find the unexplained, unknown and real events so fascinating and interesting yet scary at the same time.

I am also a true crime buff, i don't admit it much as people tend to think i am a sicko or something. i got lots of true crime books, if you are keen we can do some book swaps in the future. I have been hoping for a couple of aussies to swap books with, most of the lovely people on here find it to expensive to swap with overseas readers, which i completely understand.

[julie]

Devi

I don't think anyone is a sicko if they like to read True Crime. I  think most people read it for the same reasons : they like to understand what makes a person decide to kill someone, how they try to do it so they won't get caught , how they DO get caught ,and how the lawyers end up presenting the case . All just interesting learning about those parts of it I think .

 

I read almost any type of true crime book, but some of the serial killer ones aren't that interesting . The people that do that are usually really mentally OFF ,and the people they kill are usually strangers. Not always ,but usually . I find them more interesting if it's within a family, someone you know well, and what  would bring you to the place in your head to do that .

 

Anyhow, that's why I like reading TC ....Fascinating .

Edited October 9, 2013 by julie

[Devi]

Devi

I don't think anyone is a sicko if they like to read True Crime. I  think most people read it for the same reasons : they like to understand what makes a person decide ti kill someone, how they try to doo it so they won't get caught , how they DO get caught ,and how the lawyers end up presenting the case . All just interesting learning about those parts of it I think .

 

I read almost any type of true crime book, but some of the serial killer ones aren't that interesting . The people that do that are usually really mentally OFF ,and the people they kill are usually strangers. Not always ,but usually . I find them more interesting if it's within a family, someone you know well, and what  would bring you to the place in your head to do that .

 

Anyhow, that's why I like reading TC ....Fascinating .

Its very true, in Sarah's case, she and her killer were friends for a few months before her murder. Its also come out they she may have never known that he once served time for another murder previously, as we all think she would not of hung out with him otherwise. It wasn't the type of thing she would of done.

 

I was listening to the court hearing live when they were sentencing him, he did some awful things to her.

[julie]

How old did you say she was when it happened ? Adult ?  Sometimes these guys are quite charming in the beginning, so they can fool people into thinking they are nice . It sometimes takes awhile til they earn a persons' trust, then they snap and hurt them .

I'm sure it was really hard to listen to the details of what happened to your friend. At least they caught the guy, not that it brings back your friend, but there's a small bit of satisfaction in knowing they aren't out hurting others . The problem over here is they aren't strict enough with the punishments in the beginning. Like some of the serial killers have previous records going way back several decades ,so it makes people angry to hear that if they would have put them away years ago, people would still be alive today .

 

What punishment did her killer get ? Do you guys have the death penalty over there or just life in prison ?

Edited October 9, 2013 by julie

[Devi]

How old did you say she was when it happened ? Adult ?  Sometimes these guys are quite charming in the beginning, so they can fool people into thinking they are nice . It sometimes takes awhile til they earn a persons' trust, then they snap and hurt them .

I'm sure it was really hard to listen to the details of what happened to your friend. At least they caught the guy, not that it brings back your friend, but there's a small bit of satisfaction in knowing they aren't out hurting others . The problem over here is they aren't strict enough with the punishments in the beginning. Like some of the serial killers have previous records going way back several decades ,so it makes people angry to hear that if they would have put them away years ago, people would still be alive today .

 

What punishment did her killer get ? Do you guys have the death penalty over there or just life in prison ?

We used to have the death penalty - by hanging, but we stopped that a long long time ago. We are fighting for tougher parole laws. She was 22 and he is 40 something. He got life in prison, no parole. His first victim was 19 i believe.

 

 

 

Sorry for the talk in your thread paperplane.