Little Pixie`s Bookshelf 2013

[Little Pixie]

I`ve just had a look through my TBR list and I reckon 159 books were bought in the past couple of years. Oopsies.

[Little Pixie]

Book # 54     Deception Point by Dan Brown

 

Synopsis by Amazon

 

When a new NASA satellite detects evidence of an astonishingly rare object
buried deep in the Arctic ice, the floundering space agency proclaims a
much-needed victory...a victory that has profound implications for U.S. space
policy and the impending presidential election.
 

With the Oval Office in the balance, the President dispatches White House
Intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton to the Arctic to verify the authenticity of
the find. Accompanied by a team of experts, including the charismatic academic
Michael Tolland, Rachel uncovers the unthinkable - evidence of scientific
trickery - a bold deception that threatens to plunge the world into
controversy...

 

The third Dan Brown book which I`ve read ( after Digital Fortess and Angels and Demons ) and I think I enjoyed this the most. It`s a fun, exciting read and I read it thinking ` Ooh, I`d like to see the film of this`. The scenes are pretty vivid, and while the characters didn`t draw me in totally and there was the occasional cliche, it`s a proper thriller - and the science-y stuff came off as interesting, rather than a boring lecture and opportunity to put the kettle on.

 

Oh, and saying what it`s about would be a huge spoiler.

[Little Pixie]

Book # 55 Stranger in Paradise by Robert B Parker

 

Synopsis by Amazon

 

Jesse Stone is an ex LA cop who has taken the job of police chief in Paradise,
Massachusetts. His drinking and his damaged relationship with his wife, define
him as much as his supreme skill at policing his patch.

 

When Crow, an Apache hitman, turns up in Jesse Stone's office, he is intrigued
and very much on his guard.

 

Ten years before, Crow was part of a gang that had taken a woman in the town
hostage when a bank raid went wrong. The hostages were released unharmed, thanks
to Crow's moral view that you didn't kill women, but he also got away with
enough money not to have to work again.

 

So why is Crow back in town? Why has he come to see Jesse? And why has he
taken a job of kidnapping a young girl and her mother?
 

All questions to which Jesse has to find answers as things start to go badly
wrong in Paradise.

 

One of Robert B Parker`s Jesse Stone Mysteries. Short, snappy sentences, some psychological insight and a plot which has you hooked. Sometimes it feels like a fast-food version of Raymond Chandler, but it`s a fun read.

Edited July 4, 2013 by Little Pixie

[Brian.]

I quite enjoyed Deception Point when I read it a few years ago and like you I preferred it to his other books.

[Little Pixie]

I quite enjoyed Deception Point when I read it a few years ago and like you I preferred it to his other books.

 

It`s made me look forward more to his next one - the Da Vinci Code - when I shall be the last person in the World to read it.

[Athena]

I haven't read it yet either! Some of Dan Brown's books are on my TBR. I hope you enjoy it when you read it .

[Devi]

In my case, the da vinci code is the only book of Dan Brown's that I have read.

[Little Pixie]

I haven't read it yet either! Some of Dan Brown's books are on my TBR. I hope you enjoy it when you read it .

 

Just us two then ! And ditto.

[Little Pixie]

In my case, the da vinci code is the only book of Dan Brown's that I have read.

 

Was it one of those `Everyone else has read it, I feel forced to` reads or did you enjoy it ?

[Little Pixie]

Book # 56       Death at La Fenice by Donna Leon

 

Synopsis by Amazon

 

The twisted maze of Venice's canals has always been shrouded in mystery.Even the celebrated opera house,

La Fenice, has seen its share of death. But
nothing so horrific and violent as that of world-famous conductor, Maestro
Helmut Wellauer - poisoned during a performance of La Traviata. Even Commissario
of Police, Guido Brunetti, used to the labyrinthine corruptions of the city, is
shocked at the number of enemies Wellauer has made on his way to the top - but
just how many have motive enough for murder? The beauty of Venice is crumbling -
and evil can seep through its decaying stones ...

 

Hmm, not sure about that synopsis - fortunately, I found it a much gentler read than it suggests, and whilst whodunnit and why is quite nasty, it doesn`t linger distastefully or indulge in graphic explanations. Phew.

 

I was looking for something to replace the Michael Dibdin Aurelio Zen books ( Italian detective series ) and this was great fun. It`s less like a police procedural and more like a private detective series, with lots about Inspector Brunnetti and his family ; the author makes them come across as immensely likeable.

 

There`s plenty of wry humour :

 

`Is she pretty ?`

`If you like tall blondes,` Brunnetti said.

`Don`t you ?`

`My wife doesn`t permit me to, sir`.

 

 

Looking forward to reading the next in the series ; I bought a Donna Leon collection of 8 or 10 of them, but whilst I have Book 2, it then skips ahead to book 5 or 6, so I may have to purchase more books so I can be a bit of a tyrant and read them in order.

 

Edited July 5, 2013 by Little Pixie

[Devi]

Was it one of those `Everyone else has read it, I feel forced to` reads or did you enjoy it ?

 

I hadn't really heard of it till the movie trailers started showing, that's when I thought I would see what all the fuss was about before watching the movie. Thought it was good, but not that great compared to the hype, so I haven't seen the movie still to this day.

 

I also have Death at La Fenice - Donna Leon on my shelf to be read.

[Athena]

Just us two then ! And ditto.

x

Thanks !

[Little Pixie]

I hadn't really heard of it till the movie trailers started showing, that's when I thought I would see what all the fuss was about before watching the movie. Thought it was good, but not that great compared to the hype, so I haven't seen the movie still to this day.

 

I also have Death at La Fenice - Donna Leon on my shelf to be read.

 

I saw the film a while back and quite liked it ; generally, I`d read the book first though.

 

Oh, I forgot to say in the Donna Leon book review that I wasn`t sure about the tense used at the start of the book ( don`t know what it`s called, but it was using a past tense to describe what was happening now, oslt ), but I got used to it and didn`t find it jarring after a while - just in case you find the same problem when you read it.

[Little Pixie]

Book # 57   The God of the Hive by Laurie R King

 

Synopsis by Amazon

 

It began as a problem in one of Holmes' beloved beehives, led to a murderous
cult, and ended - or so they'd hoped - with a daring escape from a sacrificial
altar.

 

Instead, Mary Russell and her husband, Sherlock Holmes, have stirred the wrath
of those they've thwarted. Now they are separated and on the run, and pursued
across the Continent by a ruthless enemy with powerful connections. Unstoppable
together, Russell and Holmes will have to survive this time apart, and with
Holmes' young granddaughter in her safekeeping, Russell will have to call on
instincts she didn't know she had. From secret rooms in London to rickety planes
over Scotland, Russell and Holmes work their way back to each other in the most
complex, shocking, and deeply personal case of their career.

 

Hmm, can`t get rid of the bold typeface below - I think it`s taking its cue from the synopsis.

 

The 10th in the Mary Russell series, it`s a follow-on from the previous book. I find that separating the main characters is always a downer and so it proved in this book ; you`re always waiting for them to be reunited and for the plot to really get doing... which it does halfway through. At which point, all the excitement and interest is there and you realise that you needed to know all the less-than-exciting stuff at the start to appreciate the ending.

 

I know the idea of Sherlock Holmes getting married and having adventures with his wife sounds off-putting ( it certainly put me off trying the series for ages  ) but the books are cleverly done and delve into what was happening historically at the time ; this book had an interesting take on what happened to the British Intelligence Services after WW1, in a very believable way.  

Edited July 6, 2013 by Little Pixie

[Little Pixie]

I may be in possession of more books.....  Blame the annual Abbey Fair.

 

Keeping the Dead - Tess Gerritsen  - I`ve read one of her Rizzoli and Isles books before and thought it was a decent thriller.

 

Breakneck - Erica Spindler - not heard of this author before,

 

Kiling the Shadows - Val McDermid - might be a bit too dark for me...

 

Die Laughing - Carola Dunn  - have read one in the series before

 

Sacred and Profane - Faye Kellerman - looks interesting

 

A Devil is Waiting - Jack Higgins - looks like the latest one, yay.

[Little Pixie]

Book # 58   Skios by Michael Frayn

 

Synopsis by Amazon

 

 

On the sunlit Greek island of Skios, the Fred Toppler Foundation's annual
lecture is to be given by Dr Norman Wilfred, the world-famous authority on the
scientific organisation of science. He turns out to be surprisingly young and
charming -- not at all the intimidating figure they had been expecting. The
Foundation's guests are soon eating out of his hand. So, even sooner, is Nikki,
the attractive and efficient organiser.

 

Meanwhile, in a remote villa at the other end of the island, Nikki's old
school-friend Georgie waits for the notorious chancer she has rashly agreed to
go on holiday with, and who has only too characteristically failed to turn up.
Trapped in the villa with her, by an unfortunate chain of misadventure, is a
balding old gent called Dr Norman Wilfred, who has lost his whereabouts, his
luggage, his temper and increasingly all normal sense of reality -- everything
he possesses apart from the flyblown text of a well-travelled lecture on the
scientific organisation of science...

 

And so the fun begins...

Mistaken indentities, missing suitcases, and all the other things which happen in farces. I`m not sure that it really works as a book - there are quite a few scenes where it would be really funny to actually see something happen on a screen rather than take a whole page to process an event, but it`s a pleasant read ( and well crafted enought that I`d look at his other books).

Edited July 9, 2013 by Little Pixie

[Little Pixie]

I`m reading Haruki Murakami`s 1Q84 atm - almost finishing book 2 now, so was `forced` to go and order the third and final book. It`s taken me longer to read than usual `cos I keep going back and re-reading passages ; the language is wondrous.

[Athena]

I've heard some good things about it, glad to hear you like it! It's on my wishlist.

[Little Pixie]

I've heard some good things about it, glad to hear you like it! It's on my wishlist.

 

I shall post a review when I`ve finished book 3 - hopefully it`ll arrive on Monday - I haven`t bought a full price ( well, Amazon discounted full price book   ) for months. It`s all one story of around 1000 pages, but the writing is so good that I read the first two books like I was reading an airport thriller.   

 

I want to read his other books now; After Dark is the only other book of his which I`ve read, which was great, if a little trippy. I`d say they have elements of sci-fi/fantasy, but the critics seem to prefer the term magical realism.

[Athena]

I look forward to read your review!

[Devi]

I've got the hardcover edition with all three books sitting on my shelf. One big book thats for sure! Look forward to the review!

[Little Pixie]

_{Thanks Devi and Athena.   Just checked and the book should be with me on Tuesday - I`m super-excited.}  

[pontalba]

I've read the Donna Leon book above and really enjoyed it, I want to read more of her books.  I've been really torn on the Mary Russell books.  I absolutely loved the first two or three, but as Holmes slowly slipped out of the books, my enjoyment lessened in parallel.  I didn't even read several in between, but did read, I think the last two and they were better.  Maybe King listened to the gripes about Holmes absence.

 

I read IQ84 and, sort of in spite of myself, enjoyed it.   It isn't easily forgotten, and grows on you as time goes by I find.  I've read a couple of Murakami and am ambivalent on his writing. 

 

Love the Sean Dillon/Jack Higgins series.  

 

I've got the hardcover edition with all three books sitting on my shelf. One big book thats for sure! Look forward to the review!

That's the version we bought.  I was really tempted to buy the trio in paperback though, it was beautiful. 

[Little Pixie]

I've read the Donna Leon book above and really enjoyed it, I want to read more of her books.  I've been really torn on the Mary Russell books.  I absolutely loved the first two or three, but as Holmes slowly slipped out of the books, my enjoyment lessened in parallel.  I didn't even read several in between, but did read, I think the last two and they were better.  Maybe King listened to the gripes about Holmes absence.

 

I read IQ84 and, sort of in spite of myself, enjoyed it.   It isn't easily forgotten, and grows on you as time goes by I find.  I've read a couple of Murakami and am ambivalent on his writing. 

 

Love the Sean Dillon/Jack Higgins series.

 

That's the version we bought.  I was really tempted to buy the trio in paperback though, it was beautiful. 

 

I`ve got Laurie R King`s The Pirate King to read, and I`m waiting for the current one to drop a bit in price - unless I`m desperate to read something, I`m happy to wait for the used books to get cheaper ( plus, so many times a used hardback in nice condition has been far cheaper than a new paperback version ).

 

I do like magical realism - like Isabel Allende and Amy Tan - though was less keen on whoever wrote 100 years of Solitude and that cholera book - sorry, too lazy to look it up.   I think Murakami might be in a genre of his own somehow.

 

Not read a Sean Dillon for ages - they made some TV movies with Rob Lowe as the title character, which were set partly in Birmingham, about an hour from me ( I`m near Wales ) - they made it look really classy in the night shots, which I`m not sure is really Birmingham`s reputation.

[pontalba]

Rob Lowe?? Gawd.  Sean Dillon's character is supposed to be short, slight and have very pale hair and I believe pale eyes. 

 

I repeat........Rob Lowe?????

 

Re second hand books, definitely!  We have great Library Sales here, plus two nice  second hand stores.  Plus there is always Amazon Marketplace with their one cent books.