~V~ Posted January 15, 2007 Share Posted January 15, 2007 thought i'd start one of these, will be interesting to see how many books i plough my way through this year. trouble is, i've already read four! the first ones aren't in order and i've already forgotten one of the books i've read. oops! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted January 15, 2007 Author Share Posted January 15, 2007 1. robert goddard - never go back amazon link i was surprised when i started to read this as it was another one starring harry barnett but it didn't say so on the back cover. however, as usual, goddard manages to keep the pace flowing well, with enough twists and turns to keep you turning the pages and rushing to get back to it. as a writer, i'm amazed not more people have mentioned him on here, i love his understated style and the way he captures the 'essence' of britain in whichever era he's writing. this one takes harry to a 50 year reunion at a scottish castle with some ex-RAF chums who are slowly being bumped off. the only thing that stops this getting 10/10 is that i guessed 'whodunnit' before the denouement. 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted January 15, 2007 Author Share Posted January 15, 2007 2. void moon - michael connelly amazon link another favourite author. this time it wasn't his usual star in the book, and although it was an absolute page-turner whilst reading it, it left me a little disappointed at the end. it starts well, and really seems to bring the casinos of las vegas to life but some areas of the plot just don't gel well. 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted January 15, 2007 Author Share Posted January 15, 2007 3. The History Of Lucy's Love Life In 10.5 Chapters by Deborah Wright amazon link this is quite good fun really. totally silly but i love the way it touches on famous historical figures. byron, for example, is a scream. the time machine element is novel and fun, and the way our heroine deals with all the lessons she learns and the scrapes she finds herself in is good fun too. this was a great book to read whilst sunning myself (showing off now) and i would recommend it as a good bit of 'chick-lit' for anyone needing something light and fluffy 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted January 21, 2007 Author Share Posted January 21, 2007 4. Come Again by Josie Lloyd and Emly Rees Amazon Link i like these two writing together. i guess she writes the female parts, and he the male. but what would i know? i like the way that this doesn't turn out how you expect it to good, classic chick-lit 7/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted January 21, 2007 Author Share Posted January 21, 2007 5. Lifeless by Mark Billingham amazon link i love billingham's stuff. he manages to get quite a bit of homour (ok, so it's black homour, my favourite sort) into the thrillers he writes. this one is quite strange as tom thorne is on the streets, living amongst the homeless. if you want to discove a new thriller writer and haven't read any of his stuff - go for it. i doubt you'll be disappointed 8/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 I have (and read) Lazy bones of his, but atm cannot remember the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 I have Sleepyhead waiting on the shelf. I think that is his first one.......am I right? I only bought it because I remembered him as Gary from Maid Marian. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted January 22, 2007 Author Share Posted January 22, 2007 I have (and read) Lazy bones of his, but atm cannot remember the story. a woman(?) writing to prisoners and then killing them on their release I have Sleepyhead waiting on the shelf. I think that is his first one.......am I right? I only bought it because I remembered him as Gary from Maid Marian. yes, that's his first one. i've read all up to this apart from 'the burning girl'. seem to have missed that somewhere along the line here's his full list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 They all look to be quite good. I'll have to give Sleepyhead a go. Thanks, ~V~. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted January 23, 2007 Author Share Posted January 23, 2007 They all look to be quite good. I'll have to give Sleepyhead a go. Thanks, ~V~. if you like thrillers, you should like him. if not, i'll happily take the blame Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Don't worry. I never blame anyone when it comes to books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted February 3, 2007 Author Share Posted February 3, 2007 6. Little Face by Sophie Hannah Amazon Link I'm not sure about this one. I was desperate to get it when I read about it on here and read it as soon as I had finished my previous one. It is a page-turner and takes on some twists and turns. Also there's an unusual way with the chapters as one chapter is one character, the next is a second character but a week later and so on swapping between the two. However, I'd read a couple of write-ups that had no spoilers but mentioned a big twist at the end. Sorry Sophie, but it wasn't much of a twist for me. Yes, the story meandered a little but, much as I enjoyed reading it, the ending was a bit of a let-down. The characters were all pretty odd too. Much too over-characterised in a way. When I read a book, I want to like at least one of the characters, or identify with them in some way. In this, I had no sympathy or empathy with any of them and I suppose, ultimately, that's what let the book down for me. I just didn't care enough 7/10 purely because i was eager to read it and it kept me turning the pages Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted March 16, 2007 Author Share Posted March 16, 2007 7. With No One as Witness - Elizabeth George Amazon Link Blimey! This was heavy going! I can't believe I took six weeks to read a book. One by a previously favourite author too. Admittedly, the last 100 pages or so, it speeded up considerably and I completed these at my usual pace. Other than that it was turgid and slow for 80% of the book. Many of the usual main cast of characters were put off to one side, Deborah and St James for two, and quite a few of the secondary characters weren't even visible (Deborah's father and Barbara's mother for example) The book jumped around far too much and, as it was about a serial killer, anybody could have been the perpetrator. I did guess one major thing early on, but the main denouement was a major disappointment as there were no more reasons for it to be person a then it was person b (does that make sense?) So, in essence, these are my major criticisms: - it's far too long - too many unbelievable characters (Barbara's neighbours, some of the staff at Colosseum, Griff, his wife and Ulrike in particular) - the side-lining of two previously major characters (although this has been happening slowly over her last couple of 'lynley' books) - anybody could have been the killer. So it was less like the whodunnits that made her popular in the first place - it felt like a lesson in the drudgery of police work. So much time was spent on the routine aspect of their job - I can't warm to Winston. He feels like a total caricature. Then again, so does Lynley i suppose - yet again 'Havers saves the day' - the ending is dire. I think maybe the TV series (which I never watched, after the first one, due to totally poor casting and poor production) has thrown Ms George into a bit of a spin. This is such a departure from what she was good at that I'm undecided as to whether I'll ever purchase one of her books again. 4/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted April 5, 2007 Author Share Posted April 5, 2007 8. The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rebenfeld Amazon Link So, the book for March which I got as a prize.... This is one of those weird books. I loved it whilst reading it and yet was disappointed when I finished it. To me, it was like two books; one of which I really enjoyed and of of which I didn't. There were fictional characters investigating (or being involved somehow with) a murder. Loved this part. I also really enjoyed the extra character that was Noo Yawk at the turn of the last century. So much so that I was looking up the buildings described on the Interweb However, the part about Freud, Jung, et al was just superfluous (to me). It appears that Mr Rubenfeld was desperate to write about Freud in the states and the advent of psychoanalysis and so wrapped this murder tale around it. 8/10 due to the fact I enjoyed it while reading it and managed to ignore most of the 'real' characters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted April 5, 2007 Share Posted April 5, 2007 8. The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rebenfeld I also really enjoyed the extra character that was Noo Yawk at the turn of the last century. So much so that I was looking up the buildings described on the Interweb I did exactly the same and also looked up some of the people mentioned that really existed. I learnt quite a bit which was a bonus. The next book I read was The Shadow of the Wind which coincidently mentioned the firm of architects from which the murdered architect came from - it meant something to me because I'd read The Interpretation of Murder. While reading The Shadow of the Wind I read up on the Spanish Civil War to give the novel some sort of context - learnt loads there as I realised that I knew nothing about Spanish history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted April 5, 2007 Author Share Posted April 5, 2007 I did exactly the same and also looked up some of the people mentioned that really existed. I learnt quite a bit which was a bonus. The next book I read was The Shadow of the Wind which coincidently mentioned the firm of architects from which the murdered architect came from - it meant something to me because I'd read The Interpretation of Murder. While reading The Shadow of the Wind I read up on the Spanish Civil War to give the novel some sort of context - learnt loads there as I realised that I knew nothing about Spanish history. it's not often i do that with a book, but it adds a lot when you do. and with books, it's rare you find a spoiler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted April 6, 2007 Share Posted April 6, 2007 I've found through reading that I've learnt loads about all sorts - psychology, geography, history, politics, different cultures etc - it's a nice way to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted April 7, 2007 Author Share Posted April 7, 2007 9. At Risk by Patricia Cornwell Amazon Link I thought I'd give her another chance. It says on the back she is returning to what she does best. Well I'm sorry Ms Cornwell, but this book is poo. It feels like a draft copy. There is no element of 'whodunnit' (kind of esential in a crime book surely?) and the detectives manage to solve the crime 'off the page', so to speak. The story jumps around with huge shafts of information missing, but far too many characters for such a short book. I'm sorry but I am a reasonably intelligent person and found it very difficult to keep track of who was who (two of the characters, being related, are called by the same name at times) and what people were doing. If the main characters were already 'known' it wouldn't have been so bad but it in no way serves as an introduction 2/10 purely because I finished it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted April 14, 2007 Author Share Posted April 14, 2007 10. Anybody Out There by Marian Keyes Amazon Link I adore Marian Keyes. I love her books equally as much. Having seen her on the tv quite a few times, it's hard not to 'hear' the text in her voice. This book goes back to the wondrous Walsh family. This time with 'Daughter no 4', Anna. It starts off in Ireland but flits between there and New York, where Anna lives and works. The family are as barmy as ever, Mother Walsh has discovered e-mail and the youngest sister is working as a PI, with a small sideline in investigating a problem close to home. Some of the lines are hysterical, and there's some real tragedy too, along with some great characters, many of which you will recognise. 10/10 I love this book Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 10. Anybody Out There by Marian Keyes Amazon Link I adore Marian Keyes. I love her books equally as much. Having seen her on the tv quite a few times, it's hard not to 'hear' the text in her voice. This book goes back to the wondrous Walsh family. This time with 'Daughter no 4', Anna. It starts off in Ireland but flits between there and New York, where Anna lives and works. The family are as barmy as ever, Mother Walsh has discovered e-mail and the youngest sister is working as a PI, with a small sideline in investigating a problem close to home. Some of the lines are hysterical, and there's some real tragedy too, along with some great characters, many of which you will recognise. 10/10 I love this book I love the Walsh family these books make me laugh out loud. Have we had a Helen one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted April 15, 2007 Author Share Posted April 15, 2007 I love the Walsh family these books make me laugh out loud. Have we had a Helen one? i'm not sure. i know claire was 'watermelon' and rachel was 'rachel's holiday' (obviously) and i can't really remember those as they were so long ago did we have a maggie one? i'm guessing we did as she seems to be doing them in age order i also spotted that the next generation seem to be getting set up for future books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 i'm not sure. i know claire was 'watermelon' and rachel was 'rachel's holiday' (obviously) and i can't really remember those as they were so long ago did we have a maggie one? i'm guessing we did as she seems to be doing them in age order i also spotted that the next generation seem to be getting set up for future books The Maggie one was Angels, there are no more about the Walshes, I've just looked on www.fantasticfiction.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~V~ Posted April 15, 2007 Author Share Posted April 15, 2007 The Maggie one was Angels, there are no more about the Walshes, I've just looked on www.fantasticfiction.co.uk i got all out of synch (moved house, all books packed away, taking forever to unpack) and haven't read that yet. doh! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyanddandy Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 I read 'Anybody Out There?' very recently - thoroughly enjoyed it - definitely her best. Intricate and well written study of bereavement process I thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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