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Dawn's Books Read in 2011


dawnbirduk

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January

 

The Headhunters by Peter Lovesey

The Labyrinth Makers by Anthony Price – Book 1 in the Dr David Audley Series

Murder on the Brighton Express by Peter Marston – 5th book in the Robert Colbeck Series

Bones by Jonathan Kellerman – Book 23 in the Alex Delaware Series - Gave up

The Devils Bones by Jefferson Bass – 3rd book in the Body Farm Series – slow

The Spark by Chris Downie

The Last Gospel by David Gibbons – 3rd Book in Jack Howard series - Gave up

The Eight of Swords by David Skibbings – 1st Book in the Tarot Card Mysteries

 

February

 

Stalking Susan by Julie Kramer – 1st book in the Riley Spartz series

Killing Fear by Allison Brennan – 1st Book in Prison Break Trilogy – Great Read

Coldest Blood by Jim Kelley – 4th Book in Phillip Dryden Series

Dead Wrong by JA Jance

 

March

 

Pray for Silence by Linda Castillo

The Creeper by Tania Carver – Good

The Garden of Evil by David Hewson – Gave up

The Crucifix Killer by Chris Carter – Brilliant

Black Seconds by Karin Fossum

Last Post by Richard Barnard

Exposed by Alex Carva – 6th Book in Maggie O’Dell series

Quiver by Peter Leonard – Gave up

Discipleship Explored

I’m watching you by Karen Rose

 

April

 

The Final Reckoning by Sam Bourne

Essential 100 by Whitney T Kuniholm

In the Kitchen with God

Flipping Out by Marshall Karp – 3rd book in Lomax and Biggs series

A better quality of murder by Ann Granger – 3rd book in Lizzie Martin series

The suspicions of Mr Whicher by Kate Summerscale

The sword of the Templars by Paul Christopher – 1st book in the Templars Series

Vengeance Road by Rick Mofina – 1st book in Jack Gannon Series – Brilliant

Sex, Murder and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis

 

May

 

You Can’t Hide by Karen Rose – Brilliant

Blood Lance by Craig Smith – Gave up

The Point of Rescue by Sophie Hannah – Disappointing

By Death Divided by Patricia Hall- Good

A most dangerous woman by LM Jackson – Good

 

June

 

The Dead Room by Chris Mooney

Gone but not forgotten by Phillip Margolin

Steel Witches by Patrick Lennon

 

July

 

Dying in the wool by Frances Brody – a Kate Shackleton Book

Die for Me by Karen Rose

Help! I’m a Sunday School Teacher by Ray Johnston

Styx and Stones by Carola Dunn

The Shop on Blossom Street by Debbie Macomber – Blossom Street book 1

 

August

 

Silent Scream by Karen Rose

Waking the witch by Kelley Armstrong – Women of the Otherworld Book 11

Identity by G M Ford

Could it be Magic by Melanie Rose

The Lost guide to Life and Love by Sharon Griffith

The Book of the Dead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs – Book 3 of the Diogenes Trilogy

The Merchants House by Kate Ellis – A Wesley Peterson Book

The Vows of Silence by Susan Hill – Book 4 in the Simon Serrailler series

 

September

Trail of Blood by S J Rozan

Ghost song by Sarah Rayne

Blue Lightning by Anne Cleeeves

Dead Beat by Jim Butcher

In a Dry Season by Peter Robinson

The Crossing Places by Elly Griffiths

An Unhallowed Grave by Kate Ellis

The Mesmerist's Apprentice by Lee Jackson

 

October

 

Death and the Cornish Fiddler by Deryn Lake

A vengeful longing by RN Morris - gave up on

The old contemptibles by Martha Grimes - gave up on

Murder and the Golden Goblet by Amy Myers

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Armada Boy by Kate Ellis

The Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings

The Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

The Ambassadors by Henry James - gave up on

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - Brilliant

Life Is Just What You Make It: My Story So Far - by Donny Osmond

 

 

November

The Magicians Gambit by David Eddings (Book 3 of the Belgariad)

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

Castle of Wizardry by David Eddings

Enchanters End Game by David Eddings

Taboo by Casey Hill

The Murder Stone by Louise Penny

The Night Season by Chelsea Cain

 

December

The Railway Man by John Dean

Stormriders by Anthony Horowitz

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Heat Wave by Richard Castle

Boudica by Manda Scott

Childrens Stories from the Village Shepherd by Janice B Scott

The Black Shuck - The Devil Dog by Piers Warren

 

Total = 84

Edited by dawnbirduk
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Hi

You may also like Anita Shreve. A CHANGE IN CLIMATE, I have recently read. Newly married Margaret and Patrick, arrive in Africa and embark as part of a small group, on a climbing expedition of Mount Kenya. I really enjoyed the way, in which the climb was, as well as been fraught with suspense, an integral part of the story. And not just a blurb attraction. It also gives little glimpses into the dark poverty side of Africa, and of the politics. I am not sure which genre this book would come under. So I would blurb it as being suspense; thriller; romance. Loved it.

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wow...I'm impressed! Some great stuff :D

 

and I love this title Sex, Murder and a Double Latte by Kyra Davis

 

Yes isn't it delightful, I picked it up in a charity shop, I loved the title and my Grandaughters name is Kira Davies so how could I resist :D

 

Hi

You may also like Anita Shreve. A CHANGE IN CLIMATE, I have recently read. Newly married Margaret and Patrick, arrive in Africa and embark as part of a small group, on a climbing expedition of Mount Kenya. I really enjoyed the way, in which the climb was, as well as been fraught with suspense, an integral part of the story. And not just a blurb attraction. It also gives little glimpses into the dark poverty side of Africa, and of the politics. I am not sure which genre this book would come under. So I would blurb it as being suspense; thriller; romance. Loved it.

 

Thanks Frodo that sounds really interested I will have a look for it in the Library, I am finding too much to read on this forum :wink:

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I am finding too much to read on this forum :wink:

Haha - that can happen! :giggle2:

 

I've read a couple of Susan Hill's books. I haven't heard of The Vows of Silence though - I will have to go and look on Amazon.

 

ETA: Ah, I see it's one of her detective ones!

Edited by Janet
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Death and the Cornish Fiddler by Deryn Lake - Genre Crime

 

I don't usually read set in this era, anything pre Victorian, I do not usually choose to read, so was sceptical, however, I was attracted by the cover and the title, and the synopsis, if you chose to ignore the era, so thought give it a go.

 

I was pleasantly surprised, it was a pleasant read, very descriptive of the era, and I enjoyed reading about the characters and the storyline was also very good.

 

 

Synopsis from Goodreads - The spring of 1765 brings a welcome sense of recovery to the recently widowed Apothecary John Rawlings, but his tentative peace of mind does not last for long: a young child disappears in strange circumstances at the Hellstone Floral Dance and a seemingly omnipresent blind musician is never far away. While this mysterious figure intrigues Rawlings, the case of the missing child alarms him; he feels he must do all in his powers to attempt to rescue the young life.

 

Packed full of colorful historical detail, Death and the Cornish Fiddler is the eleventh book in the highly acclaimed John Rawlings series - a new masterpiece from the queen of Georgian fiction.

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Today I gave up on A vengeful longing by R N Morris because I did not get on with this book, it was very long winded and slow moving, I did not relate to the characters, in the end I felt it was not improving and gave up on it.

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I gave up on my second book which is unprecedented, this one was The Old Contemptibles by Martha Grimes, confused.com, I got so totally confused with the storyline and didn't relate to the characters, another one bites the dust:)

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I have just finsihed Murder and the Golden Goblet by Amy Myers - I found this book very confusing, for me it was slow and disjointed and I didn't relate to the characters they seemed shallow and unreal to me somehow

 

From Goodreads - The latest in the Marsh & Daughter mystery series - Who was Lance Venyon? Curiosity over a memorial plaque in an old Kentish church sets wheelchair-bound ex-cop Peter Marsh and his daughter Georgia on a long and dangerous trail that will lead them not only into the world of art fakes in 1950s Paris, but further back still to the legends of King Arthur, Sir Gawain and their connections with Dover Castle . . .

 

Unfortunately the synopsis made the book sound just my type of book.

Edited by dawnbirduk
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The Hunger Games By Suzanne Collins

 

This book is characterised as a Teen book, and I my teens are left behind in the far past :giggle2: . But after all the reviews on here, decided I must give is a read. Surprisingly I thoroughly enjoyed this, it was superbly well written, and the characters were well thought out and most believable, I lived through every pain and emotion along the way. Brilliant. Although I would have loved to know what happened to Gale, I liked him :D

 

Synopisis From Goodreads - In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

 

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love

 

However, while reading this book, there was this feeling of deja vue, I kept thinking I have read a similar story before, took a lot of thinking back to years ago, and the name Elizabeth Moon kept popping up, my hubby eventually came up with it, Hunting Party by Elizabeth Moon The story line was slightly different as a group of people were placed on a planet, and were hunted down by hunters as a sport.

 

Synopisis From Amazon - Hunting Party by Elizabeth Moon - Elizabeth Moon is best known in Britain for her Paksennarion fantasies; Hunting Party (1993) is the first of her Serrano Legacy SF novels. Its heroine Heris Serrano has suffered a familiar military-SF predicament--forced to resign her command in the space navy thanks to the machinations of a wicked admiral. Her new life as captain of an eccentric lady aristocrat's private space-yacht is handled with originality, charm and a thoughtfulness about how things work that's reminiscent of Robert A. Heinlein's better SF.

 

Both captain and owner emerge as interesting personalities. Following a voyage enlivened by various accidents plus sabotage attempts by a spoiled brat on board, Hunting Party lives up to its title with episodes of horsemanship and fox-hunting on a lord's planet-wide estate. Here, secretly, darker entertainment is also going on--a sadistic armed hunt for human quarry. As a former US Marines lieutenant, Moon is grimly plausible about guns and their effects. Perhaps a little less plausible are the coincidences that bring together numerous unexpected characters, including Heris's personal nemesis and an old flame, for satisfying final confrontations.

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I have just finished The Armada Boy by Kate Ellis and once again Kate Ellis got me enthralled in a wonderful storyline with wonderful characters. A great story.

 

Synopsis From Bookreads - Fifty years after D Day, a group of American veterans has returned to the small Devonshire town of Bereton where, in 1944, they prepared for Normandy, amazed the local children with gifts of candy and comics, and courted the local maidens. When one of the old soldiers, Norman Openheim, is found stabbed to death in the ruins of the same chapel where the GIs and the village girls once held their wartime trysts, Detective Sergeant Wesley Peterson finds his investigative attention torn between the past and the present. There is no shortage of suspects. Dorinda, Openheim's widow, is acting anything but bereaved in the company of tall, handsome Todd Weringer; a trio of post-adolescent urban urchins (Dog, Rat, and Snot) has been harassing the local merchants at knifepoint; and Norman's romance of 50 years ago produced a son with a criminal record and, just maybe, a lifetime of resentment built up against the father he never knew. More intriguing to Peterson and archaeologist Neil Watson are the parallels that exist between this murder and the murder of a sailor from the Spanish Armada in 1588. Hatred, jealousy, and revenge have cast 400-year-old shadows, and Peterson must untangle a skein of accusations, resentments, and family alliances that stretch back through the centuries.

Edited by dawnbirduk
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I have just finished The Pawn of Prophecy by David Eddings (Book 1 of The Belgariad)

 

I love books with Maps in them, although this starts a little slow, the characters in the book and the setting for the story are a great read. This is Fantasy at its best. Going back down memory lane and rereading such a good story. I adore Polgara. :giggle2:

 

Synopsis from Goodreads - Garion the farm boy did not believe in magic dooms, but then he did not know that soon he would be on a quest of unparalleled magic and danger when the dread evil God Torak was reawakened.
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The Queen of Sorcery by David Eddings Book 2 of The Belgariad

 

My Favourite Characters Was Belgareth and Polgara, although all the characters knitted so well together, I enjoyed the interaction between Belgareth and Polgara.

 

The part I enjoyed most was Belgarions gradual realisation of who he is.

 

I do enjoy fantasy books that take centre round a small group people on a quest/search, I find it exciting following their adventures

 

I have read this book before it is a great story and very well told, watching it develop and grow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

From Goodreads - "BELGARIAD is exactly the kind of fantasy I like. It has magic, adventure, humor, mystery, and a certain delightful human insight."

PIERS ANTHONY The master Sorcerer Belgarath and his daughter Polgara the arch-Sorceress were on the trail of the Orb, seeking to regain its saving power before the final disaster prophesized by the legends. And with them went Garion, a simple farm boy only months before, but now the focus of the struggle. He had never believed in sorcery and wanted no part of it. Yet with every league they traveled, the power grew in him, forcing him to acts of wizardry he could not accept

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Black Shuck - The Devil's Dog by Piers Warren

 

Just read in the Eestern Daily Press (a regional newspaper)about a book coming out on the 24th October called Black Shuck - The Devil's Dog by Piers Warren it is about the legend of the large Black Dog that has haunted the East Anglian Coast for centuries.

 

 

Synopsis from Black Shuck

 

Black Shuck - The Devil's Dog - a terrifying new supernatural thriller

by Piers Warren set in the village of Blakeney on the North Norfolk coast.

 

A New Ghost Story for Halloween 2011

 

For centuries Black Shuck has patrolled the coastal paths of Norfolk – a spectral portent of death. But now the phantom dog is evolving into something altogether more horrifying. Gaining strength and powers by the day, Shuck has developed a gruesome appetite – a hunger he sets out to satiate ...

 

Wildlife film-maker Harry Lambert needs a serious rest. His best friend is dead, his wife has left him and his career is on the rocks. A spot of bird-watching on the Norfolk coast should help ... but when Harry stumbles into Black Shuck's territory, the hellhound finds the victim it was hunting for ..

 

 

 

Doesn't it sound wonderful, I can't wait........... and Blakeney is just a few miles up the coast from me.........fantastic.

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I couldn't find a copy of this book so Poppyshake loaned me a copy for which I am most grateful.

 

This is a different genre for me, I am cautious of Classics, in this case I was right to be, I didn't enjoy the writing style, it was very long winded and tiresome, I suppose boring would be more the term. And I just couldn't relate to the characters at all, after struggling through a 1/4 of the book I finally gave up.

 

However, I am not sorry to have attempted it, a new reading experience is never wasted.

 

Synopsis from Goodreads - Graham Greene and E.M. Forster marvelled at it, but F.R. Leavis considered it to be 'not only not one of his great books, but to be a bad one.' As for the author, he held The Ambassadors as the favorite among all his novels.

Sent from Massachusetts by the formidable Mrs. Newsome to recall her son, Chad, from what she assumes to be a corrupt life in Paris, Strether finds his intentions subtly and profoundly transformed as he falls under the spell of the city and of his charge. He is quick to perceive that Chad has been not so much corrupted as refined, and over the course of the hot summer months in Paris he gradually realizes that this discovery and acceptance of Chad's unconventional new lifestyle alter his own ideals and ambitions.

One of Henry James's three final novels, all of which have sharply divided modern critics, The Ambassadors is the finely drawn portrait of a man's late awakening to the importance of morality that is founded not on the dictates of convention but on its value per se.

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I'm sorry you didn't get on with 'The Ambassadors' Dawn but it's a difficult book to love. I thought the same as you .. that it was long winded and tiresome (now why didn't they put that on the book blurb :D) I enjoyed my next read so much more because of it.

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Stieg Larsson

 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

I had seen many references to this book but had my reservations, but eventually gave this book a go, a wopping book of 538 pages.

 

But wow what a surprise, fantastic.

 

The Prologue was a bit boring but it did set the scene, then you went into part 1, and it became a great page turner one of those rare books you can't get enough of and grudge every minute not reading.

 

I loved Mikael and as for Lisbeth, not a nice person, but there is something about her that as her character grows you start to gain sympathy for.

 

I have to say I didn't like Cecilia, she seemed a very selfish woman.

 

I guess there is only one thing for it I will have to read Book2 of the Millennium Series :)

 

From Goodreads

 

The Industrialist

Henrik Vanger, head of the dynastic Vanger Corporation, is tormented by the loss of a child decades earlier and convinced that a member of his family has committed murder.

 

The Journalist

Mikael Blomkvist delves deep into the Vangers' past to uncover the truth behind the unsolved mystery. But someone else wants the past to remain a secret and will go to any lengths to keep it that way.

 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Lisbeth Salander, the enigmatic, delinquent and dangerous security specialist, assists in the investigation. A genius computer hacker, she tolerates no restrictions placed upon her by individuals, society or the law.

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Stieg Larsson

 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

I had seen many references to this book but had my reservations, but eventually gave this book a go, a wopping book of 538 pages.

 

But wow what a surprise, fantastic.

 

The Prologue was a bit boring but it did set the scene, then you went into part 1, and it became a great page turner one of those rare books you can't get enough of and grudge every minute not reading.

 

I loved Mikael and as for Lisbeth, not a nice person, but there is something about her that as her character grows you start to gain sympathy for.

 

I have to say I didn't like Cecilia, she seemed a very selfish woman.

 

I guess there is only one thing for it I will have to read Book2 of the Millennium Series :)

 

I have this book on my TBR pile, I might have to bump it up a bit more!

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