Kat's Reading 2008

[Lilywhite]

Well, I'm going to bite the bullet and make a start on AA Theory Test

 

I'm not going to read anything else until I've read this cover to cover at least once!

[Lilywhite]

I was quite good and did lots of 'car' reading before I gave into temptation. I will come clean though and list those I read during my embargo.....

 

The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl ~ Belle de Jour

Belle de Jour is the nom de plume of a high-class call girl working in London. This is her story. From the summer of 2003 to the autumn of 2004 Belle charted her day-to-day adventures on and off the field in a frank, funny and award-winning web diary. Now, in her Intimate Adventures, Belle elaborates on those diary entries, revealing (among other things) how she became a working girl, what it feels like to do it for money, and where to buy the best knickers for the job.

 

The Further Adventures of a London Call Girl ~ Belle De Jour

"She lists like Hornby. She talks dirty like Amis. She has the misanthropy of Larkin and examines the finer points of sexual technique as she is adjusting the torque on a beloved but temperamental old E-type...It's hard to believe that this clever and candid new voice has no more to say. Whoever the author is, she should give up the day job. Only then will we find out what the real Belle de Jour is made of.' Independent This follow-up to the hugely successful 'Intimate Adventures' will be just as bold, funny and brilliant. Peppered with agony-aunt letters and advice, and stories from her 'working' life, it's also the story of a young woman making her way in the world - told in Belle's inimitable voice.

 

Being Emily ~ Anne Donovan

Things are never dull in the O'Connell family. Still, Fiona, squeezed beteen her quiet brother and her mischievous line-dancing twin sisters, thinks life in their tenement flat is far less interesting than Emily Bronte's.

But tragedy is not confined to Victorian novels. And life for Fiona in this happy domestic set-up is about to change forever, Following the devastating events of a single day her family can never be the same. But - perhaps - new relationships will develop, built on a solid foundation of love.

Moving, funny and ultimately heart=warming, Being Emily is a wonderful novel about one young girl trying to find her place in the world among the turmoil that only your own family can create.

[madcow]

Tut tut and there's me thinking you were being good

[Lilywhite]

I was, for about 2 days

[madcow]

You did well to last two days

[Lilywhite]

I've finished Being Emily ~ Anne Donovan and have left my review in the review section and also with Library Thing.

 

Have picked up 19 Minutes ~ Jodi Picoult as it has been waiting patiently for me to read it for some time now. Looking forward to this one, have already heard some good things about it.

 

Sterling is a small, ordinary New Hampshire town where nothing ever happens -- until a student enters the local high school with an arsenal of guns and starts shooting, changing the lives of everyone inside and out. The daughter of the judge sitting on the case is the state's best witness -- but she can't remember what happened in front of her own eyes. Or can she?

[Kate]

I really enjoyed Nineteen Minutes. The last 200 pages had me gripped, I just couldn't put it down. I highly recommend it

[Lilywhite]

Thanks for that Kate, so far so good.

[Lilywhite]

I finished Nineteen Minutes the other night whilst there was nothing on TV. I found a great story and I enjoyed the read, as I always do with Jodi Picoult. However, I did have the ending pegged from very early on and I think this may have detracted from the effect she was trying to make with her book. I would still recommend this one to anyone, although I'd probably recommend some of her earlier stuff more.

 

I was going to give Exit Strategy ~ Kelley Armstrong a go as it dropped through my letterbox this week. But I decided that I should finish the 'Women of the Otherworld' series before I start a new one, so I've picked up Haunted.

 

Eve Levine - Half demon, black witch and devoted mother - has been dead for three years. She has a great house, an interesting love life and can't be killed again - which comes in handy when you've made as many enemies as Eve. Yes, the afterlife isn't too bad - all she needs to do is find a way to communicate with her daughter Savannah and she'll be happy.

But fate - or more exactly, the Fates - have other plans. Eve owes them a favour, and they just called it in. An evil spirit called the Nix has escaped from hell. She feeds on chaos and death, and is very good at persuading people to kill for her. The Fates want Eve to hunt her down before she does any more damage, but the Nix is a dangerous enemy - previous hunters have been sent mad in the process. As if that's not problem enough, it turns out that the only way to stop her is with an Angel's sword. And Eve's no angel...

[Lilywhite]

Well, thanks to work, that didn't take me long to finish at all. I've picked up the next book along now which is Broken

 

Broken, Kelley Armstrong's sixth novel, marks the welcome return of kick-ass werewolf Elena Michaels. When the not entirely trustworthy half-demon Xavier calls in a favour, it seems easy enough - steal Jack the Ripper's 'From Hell' letter away from a Toronto collector who had himself stolen it from the British police files. But nothing in the supernatural world is ever as simple as it seems. When Elena accidently triggers a spell placed on the letter, she opens a portal into the nether regions of Victorian London. Toronto may be looking for a tourism boost, but 'Gateway to Hell' isn't quite the new slogan the city had in mind.

With thieving vampires, killer rats and unstoppable zombies on the loose, Elena and the rest of her Pack have a lot on their hands. Oh, and then there's the small matter of Elena's pregnancy...

[Lilywhite]

I'm down to my last 'Women of the Otherworld' book now. My extra special signed copy of No Humans Involved. I honestly don't think I was that impressed with Broken, I don't think there was any need to go back to Elena and Clay and to have another story. But that's not helped by the fact that they weren't my favourite characters to begin with.

 

No Humans Involved stars necromancer Jaime Vegas. She's on a television shoot in Brentwood, Los Angeles when weird things start to happen. Invisible hands brush her arms, she sees movements out of the corner of her eye, unintelligible fragments of words are whispered in her ear. Jaime's used to seeing the dead and hearing them clearly. But now, for the first time in her life, she knows what humans mean when they say they're being haunted. Jaime is determined to get to the bottom of this, but she doesn't realize how low her investigation will take her, or what human-based horror she will uncover. As she delves through the dark underside of Los Angeles she'll need as much Otherworld help as she can get to survive unscathed. But Jeremy, the alpha-werewolf is there by her side to offer his protection. And maybe more than that!

[Lilywhite]

I really enjoyed No Humans Involved, so much so, I would say it was my favourite so far. I like Jaime already and I think getting to know Jeremy a bit more was a great move. It's just a shame that this is the last book, as there are so many more characters that we could have read about. Does anybody know if there will ever be more Women of the Otherword books???

 

I'm currently reading Die for Me ~ Karen Rose I meant to pick up my Early Review from Librarything but I've misplaced it whilst decorating Doh!

When a multimedia games designer decides to take his research to the next level for his new game, The Inquisitor, fantasy ends and murder begins. Called to a remote murder site Vito Ciccotelli, homicide detective is confronted with numerous bodies, all with horrific injuries, and it seems the victim of the same killer.

[Lilywhite]

Well, I finished Die For Me and I was quite impressed. I thought the story had just enough twists and turns to keep me interested, without being overly complicated or becoming silly. I'm looking forward to reading some more.

 

I picked up my Early Reviewer book The Story of a Marriage but to be honest, it's taking me forever and is starting to feel like a bit if a chore to read. And it's only a quarter of the size of the other books I read.

 

“We think we know the ones we love.” So Pearlie Cook begins her indirect and devastating exploration of the mystery in the heart of every relationship, how we can ever truly know another person.

It is 1953 and Pearlie, a dutiful housewife, finds herself living in the Sunset district of San Francisco, caring not only for her husband’s fragile health but also for her son who is afflicted with polio. Then, one Saturday morning, a stranger appears on her doorstep and everything changes. All the certainties by which Pearlie has lived are thrown into doubt. Does she know her husband at all? And what does the stranger want in return for his offer of $100,000?

[Lilywhite]

Sorry to say I didn't finish it, I couldn't take any more than the 97 pages I forced myself to read. Just not my cup of tea really. If anyone would like to try it let me know and I will gladly send it on.

 

Now I'm reading one I picked up in Waterstones on a whim a few weeks ago. I shouldn't have because they charged me £10.99 for a paperback, but I didn't realise until I'd already paid.

 

Luckily though it's turning out quite good and I've already read more of it in an hour than I read of the last book in two and a half weeks!

 

Dead Lovely ~ Helen Fitzgerald

 

Krissie Donald has no desire to 'settle down'. Committed men are hers for the taking, but she prefers explosive liaisons to any sort of full-blown relationship. Krissie's best friend, Sarah, couldn't be more different. Married to a good-catch-doctor in her early twenties, it isn't long before Sarah's dying to start a family. When Krissie becomes pregnant after a holiday dalliance in Tenerife, their relationship quickly begins to go awry. For Sarah, who's been trying to conceive for what seems like forever, this seems painfully unfair, and things deteriorate further during a holiday in the Scottish Highlands with Sarah's husband, Kyle. What starts out as an enjoyable and much-needed break soon becomes a nightmarish combination of sexual tension, murder and mayhem.

[Lilywhite]

Finished this one already. I took it to work and read in my breaks. A refreshingly candid novel and not at all what I expected. It does seem to take a turn away from the story at the end but nontheless, a great book.

[Lilywhite]

I've not had much time to read lately although I have been squeezing in 15 mins in the bat every now and then. I've been reading another Karen Rose called I'm Watching You. So far so good. I've only read one other Karen Rose and this one seems to be following a very similar character formula (which is slightly disappointing) but the story is a very interesting one.

 

I KNOW THEIR CRIMES

 

Star prosecutor Kristen Mayhew has a dangerous secret admirer. He seems to knows her every thought, her every move. He sends her letters. And he kills the criminals she herself is powerless to stop.

 

I HUNT DOWN THE GUILTY

 

This avenger even knows Kristen’s deepest secret—the one that has kept her from surrendering her heart to Abe Reagan, the police detective sworn to protect her. Like Kristen, Reagan is haunted by the loss of something precious that he can never regain. But in the shadow of a calculating serial killer, the two turn to each other and dare to rediscover passion...even as the messages and vicious murders continue. Even as the killer’s thirst for retribution makes Kristen a target for murder.

I'M WATCHING YOU

[Lilywhite]

Another Karen Rose one for me again. Im really beginning to like her style (despite the aforementioned similarity between all her main characters and their current situations)

This time it's Count to Ten.

 

A young boy and his brother are abandoned by their mother and end up in the foster-care system. Let down by everyone who should have looked out for them, the boys fall prey to the abusers they meet. Is it any wonder one of them loses his mind and develops a taste for matches and revenge? Years later, Reed Solliday, of Chicago's Fire Department, is determined to find an arsonist whose actions have just escalated to murder. With the police now involved, Reed is paired with Detective Mia Mitchell, on her first assignment since her father's death and her partner's shooting. Solliday and Mitchell know the violence is escalating and the death toll is rising. With no apparent connection between the deaths, they are at a loss until their attention focuses on a young offenders institution and the misfits within...Take a breath. Count to ten. And watch their world explode.

[Lilywhite]

I enjoyed Count to Ten. Once again, very predictable main character storyline but the actual crime and 'baddie' were a great puzzle to solve. I was kept on my toes right until it's given away who it is, there were subtle hints throughout but enough twists to keep you guessing. I will definately be reading more of her books.

 

I also picked up Blood Ties ~ Sam Hayes as it dropped throuh my door last week. This is part of a bookring so I will be passing it on soon. I have left my Tuppence worth in the appropriate thread

 

Not sure where too next.....

[Lilywhite]

I've read Faith ~ Lesley Pearse

It is 1995, Scotland. The prison of Cornton Vale. Laura Brannigan is in jail for a murder she claims she didn't commit. For two years she's been battling for justice - insisting the police made a terrible mistake; pleading that she didn't kill her best friend, Jackie. With her spirits at their lowest ebb, she's resigned to her miserable fate - until, out of the blue, a letter is delivered to the prison. At the sight of the letter's handwriting, Laura's heart lurches - taking her back to a different, happier time and memory of an old love...1972 was the year Laura met Stuart and experienced her first summer of love.It was a heady time as she'd only recently been able to stop running. For Laura had always been a survivor: leaving an abusive home at fifteen and then life on her own - until she met Jackie. She and Jackie became best friends, swore they'd be sisters for ever. So what went wrong in the intervening years? And why is Stuart writing to Laura now? Does he have faith in her innocence? And can he help free Laura from prison - and her past?

 

and now I've moved onto The Season of The Witch ~ Natasha Mostert

Gabriel Blackstone has an unusual talent. A computer hacker by trade, he is also able to enter the minds of others. But he uses his gift only reluctantly - until he is contacted by an ex-lover who begs him to find her step-son, last seen months earlier in the company of two sisters. And so Gabriel visits Monk House, a place where time seems to stand still, and where the rooms are dominated by the coded symbol of a cross and circle. As winter closes in, Gabriel becomes increasingly bewitched by the house, and by its owners, the beautiful and mysterious Monk sisters. But even as he falls in love, he knows that one of them is a deadly killer. But which one? And what is the secret they are so determined to protect?

[Janet]

I like the sound of Faith. As you haven't commented on it am I to take it you didn't enjoy it, Kat?

[Lilywhite]

I did enjoy it Janet, but not as much as other Lesley Pearse books. She's a fantastic author but this felt somewhat different to her other stories.

[Lilywhite]

I'm currently reading another Karen Rose book, this time it's Nothing to Fear so far so good, although not as riveting as her other books.

 

Sue Conroy is out of control. Recently released from prison she is determined to find the people responsible for putting her there and to give them a taste of what she has had to endure. When Sue kidnaps an eleven-year-old deaf boy it's only the first stage in an elaborate plan. Running to Chicago, Sue poses as a battered woman and it leads her to Hanover House, an inner-city women's shelter, run by Dana Dupinsky. Dana safeguards many secrets in her own life and in the lives of those around her but she would never harbour a murderer, that is if she knew that one was living at the shelter. Distracted by the presence of a new man in her life, Dana only realises the danger when those around suddenly start dying and she is thrust into the middle of Sue's dangerous and evil game!

 

I also has some swaps drop through the door this morning (even if it did take them a five days to arrive second class!!) I got Kim Edwards ~ The Memory Keepers Daughter, Michael Faber ~ Under The Skin and James Bradley ~ The Resurrectionist That should keep me going for a while.

[Lilywhite]

Nothing to Fear was an interesting story but I have to say it's the weakest of Karen Rose's books so far. The investigative characters didn't seem to gel properly with the bad guy they were chasing and it all fit together in the end a bit too neatly. Still, not a bad read and I would recommend her books to anyone who enjoys a good crime yarn without getting too gory.

 

 

I've also finished my ER book Quiver by Peter Leonard. I've posted a review in the Fiction section and on LibraryThing.

[Lilywhite]

I picked up No Time For Goodbye ~ Linwood Barclay on Thursday as it was sitting next to me on the sofa and I couldn't resist. In fact, it was that good, I've finished it already Highly recommend this one.

 

"The house was deathly quiet. That was the first sign that something was terribly wrong. Fourteen-year-old Cynthia Bigge woke that morning to find herself alone. Her family - mother, father, and brother - had vanished without a word, without a note, without a trace. Twenty-five years later, Cynthia is still looking for answers. Now she is about to learn the devastating truth."

[Lilywhite]

Another hard to put down book that I started on Sunday at work and I finished today. (Well, it was my day off!) The Outcast by Sadie Jones.

It's 1957 and Lewis Aldridge is travelling back to his home in the South of England. He is straight out of jail and nineteen years old. His return will trigger the implosion not just of his family, but of a whole community.

A decade earlier, his father's homecoming casts a different shape. The war is over and Gilbert reverts easily to suburban life — cocktails at six-thirty, church on Sundays — but his wife and young son resist the stuffy routine. Lewis and his mother escape to the woods for picnics, just as they did in wartime days. Nobody is surprised that Gilbert's wife counters convention, but they are all shocked when, after one of their jaunts, Lewis comes back without her.

Not far away, Kit Carmichael keeps watch. She has always understood more than most, not least from what she is dealt by her own father's hand. Lewis's grief and burgeoning rage are all too plain, and Kit makes a private vow to help. But in her attempts to set them both free, she fails to predict the painful and horrifying secrets that must first be forced into the open.

 

This is one of the bookrings being passed around at the moment and I've been and left my thoughts in the appropriate review thread. So if you're interested, go and take a peek!

 

Now.... what's next?