Wolfy's 11 steps to reading contentment in 2011 - Part II

As the last thread had passed the 200 post mark I thought I'd start a new one and this seemed like a good time to make the split.

Here's the category selections (more details provided in each category post) and ongoing count for each:

1. Out for the Count (1 of 1)
2. Two in One (2 of 2)
3. Stop Bas-Lagging Behind (3 of 3)
4. More of Elmore (4 of 4)
5. Weather Control (5 of 5)
6. Absolute Zero (6 of 6)
7. Tickling the Funny Bone (7 of 7)
8. Book Watch (8 of 8)
9. Lost in Translation (9 of 9)
10. Starter for Ten (10 of 10)
11. What a Carry On (11 of 11)




As always, everything is subject to change. Comments and suggestions also welcomed.

1 Out for the Count – The Count of Monte Cristo



I’ve seen a few film and tv adaptations and read a couple of others but I’ve never read the original so it’s about time I did.

1. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (Msg66 19/02/11)

2 Two in 1 – Omnibus editions featuring at least 2 stories in 1 book



1. The Absolute Sandman Volume One by Neil Gaiman (Msg49 22/01/11)
2. The Castle Omnibus by Steph Swainston (Msg43 11/08/11)

3 Stop Bas-Lagging Behind – China Miéville’s Bas-Lag Books



1. Perdido Street Station (Msg81 11/03/11)
2. The Scar (Msg121 23/04/11)
3. Iron Council (Msg18 05/07/11)

4 More of Elmore – Books by Elmore Leonard



1. The Big Bounce (Msg48 21/01/11)
2. Killshot (Msg99 30/03/11)
3. Get Shorty (Msg39 23/07/11)
4. Be Cool (Msg42 28/07/11)

5 Weather Control – Something to do with weather included in title



1. The Stormwatcher by Graham Joyce (Msg64 28/01/11)
2. Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd (Msg90 17/03/11)
3. Sandstorm by James Rollins (Msg157 03/06/11)
4. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (Msg49 18/08/11)
5. Snow is Silent by Benjamin Prado (Msg87 15/09/11)

6 Absolute Zero - 0 Reviews on LT



1. The Devil's Graveyard by Anonymous (Msg38 07/01/11)
2. The Skin Palace by Jack O'Connell (Msg78 27/02/11)
3. Tank Girl: Armadillo! by Alan C. Martin (Msg93 19/03/11)
4. Brother Nature by Robert Llewellyn (Msg131 29/04/11)
5. Rapture by David Sosnowski (Msg59 22/08/11)
6. Hope by Glen Duncan (Msg100 26/09/11)

7 Tickling the Funny Bone - Tagged Humour (or of that ilk) in my library



1. All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye by Christopher Brookmyre (Msg34 04/01/11)
2. Fortysomething by Nigel Williams (Msg65 01/02/11)
3. Pandaemonium by Christopher Brookmyre (Msg114 11/04/11)
4. Dead Famous by Ben Elton (Msg149 21/05/11)
5. Fool by Christopher Moore (Msg20 07/07/11)
6. Orpheus Rising by Colin Bateman (Msg68 31/08/11)
7. Don’t Point That Thing at Me by Kyril Bonfiglioli (Msg124 06/10/11)

8 Book Watch - Association to Film or TV Show



1. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (Msg54 23/01/11)
2. Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Msg74 22/02/11)
3. Minority Report by Philip K. Dick (Msg77 24/02/11)
4. Layer Cake by J.J. Connolly (Msg152 25/05/11)
5. Brighton Rock by Graham Greene (Msg159 10/06/11)
6. Watchmen by Alan Moore (Msg196 23/06/11)
7. A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick (Msg88 19/09/11)
8. A Good Man in Africa by William Boyd (Msg125 13/10/11)

9 Lost in Translation - Originally written in a language other than English



1. The Successor by Ismail Kadare (Msg62 26/01/11)
2. Piercing by Ryū Murakami (Msg87 14/03/11)
3. In Search of a Distant Voice by Taichi Yamada (Msg111 08/04/11)
4. Shadow Prowler by Alexey Pehov (Msg141 13/05/11)
5. The Cardinal's Blades by Pierre Pevel (Msg170 18/06/11)
6. The Good Angel of Death by Andrey Kurkov (Msg27 14/07/11)
7. The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa (Msg69 03/09/11)
8. Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte (Msg109 30/09/11)
9. The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas (Msg136 21/10/11)

10 Starter for Ten – First book in a series



1. Night Soldiers by Alan Furst (Msg41 19/01/11)
2. The Monkey's Raincoat by Robert Crais (Msg95 26/03/11)
3. Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve (Msg105 01/04/11)
4. The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde (Msg136 07/05/11)
5. A Kiss Before the Apocalypse by Thomas E. Sniegoski (Msg158 06/06/11)
6. Already Dead by Charlie Huston (Msg203 24/06/11)
7. Burglars Can't Be Choosers by Lawrence Block (Msg28 15/07/11)
8. Garnethill by Denise Mina (Msg71 07/09/11)
9. Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath (Msg120 04/10/11)
10. Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch (Msg142 28/10/11)

11 What a Carry On – Next in line for ongoing series



1. The Magdalen Martyrs by Ken Bruen (Msg40 11/01/11)
2. Turbulent Priests by Colin Bateman (Msg86 13/03/11)
3. The Wandering Fire by Guy Gavriel Kay (Msg94 24/03/11)
4. Changes by Jim Butcher (Msg127 27/04/11)
5. Stalking the Angel by Robert Crais (Msg165 13/06/11)
6. Word Made Flesh by Jack O'Connell (Msg182 20/06/11)
7. No Dominion by Charlie Huston (Msg206 26/06/11)
8. The Black Ice by Michael Connelly (Msg35 19/07/11)
9. Common Murder by Val McDermid (Msg81 09/09/11)
10. Last Tango in Aberystwyth by Malcolm Pryce (Msg127 19/10/11)
11. Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch (Msg149 30/10/11)

999. Overflow - Books that do not fit in any of the other 11 categories and any other of my ongoing challenges



1. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (Msg142 18/05/11)
2. Looking for Jake and Other Stories by China Miéville (Msg187 21/06/11)
3. Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman (Msg63 27/08/11)
4. Britten and Brülightly by Hannah Berry (Msg101 27/09/11)
5. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham (Msg169 02/11/11)
6. Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Three by Bill Willingham (Msg174 03/11/11)
7. Zoo City by Lauren Beukes (Msg179 06/11/11)
8. The Dramatist by Ken Bruen (Msg190 08/11/11)
9. Found Wanting by Robert Goddard (Msg197 16/11/11)
10. The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan (Msg202 23/11/11)
11. Death of an Ordinary Man by Glen Duncan (Msg209 28/11/11)
12. A Day and a Night and a Day by Glen Duncan (Msg219 12/12/11)
13. Priest by Ken Bruen (Msg220 14/12/11)
14. Juliet Naked by Nick Hornby (Msg221 18/12/11)
15-17. Cross, Sanctuary & The Devil (Jack Taylor) by Ken Bruen (Msg224 22/12/11)
18. Vurt by Jeff Noon Msg235 30/12/11)

Good luck with the second part of your challenge. You have some great choices in your "options" lists. I'm sure it'll be hard to choose!

Thanks. Sometimes I look and think that there's just too many of those options but they're all on my tbr shelves right now and I thought I'd list all those that fit so I don't forget any. I keep adding to them as well so there's more now than when I started.

I had a very detailed plan when I started the year, but by February that was out the window. It will be interesting to compare my list of what I originally planned, to the list of what I actually read at years' end.

I'm with DeltaQueen50 - this year's reading path had so much good intention, but I've mauled most of my categories. I'm enjoying myself, though, so it hardly matters, but I have a feeling that the TBR-list for 2012 will look frighteningly similar to the TBR-list for 2011. :)

Yup, I've fought with my categories too. I stuck The Life of Pi in my animal behavior section, and a biography of Gandhi in my Nobel prize winners in literature section. I may steel your overflow category next year, & btw Go Scumbag College! Lentils anyone?

There's books in my options lists that have been there since I started with the category challenge in 2009. They'll probably still be there for next year as well.

LOL! This is my first year in the challenge, but yes, my options lists have been rather optional too.

Stop Bas-Lagging Behind - Iron Council by China Miéville

A rail link to span the continent. Make New Crobuzon the hub of Bas-Lag. That was the idea when it started but with conditions worsening and money running out it didn't quite make it. When the pay starts drying up then the workers start getting disgruntled and a revolution occurs. The train that's leading the way with supplies and equipment gets taken. Off into the wilds it goes and becomes the legend that is the Iron Council. A place where even the Remade are treated as equals.

Back in New Crobuzon there's a war with Tesh to deal with and rebellion is also in the air. Not content with Runagate Rampant meetings where all they seem to do is talk, Ori manages to insinuate himself into a rebel group led by Toro. Could Toro be the natural successor to Jack Half-a-Prayer? There's certainly plans afoot to change the order of how things are run in the city and Ori becomes a part of that.

With insurrection brewing, Judah Low sets off to find the Iron Council and having learned that's where he's gone Cutter and a small band of others follow after to catch him up and continue on their journey. Can they make it through to where the Iron Council is purported to be and does it still even exist or has it passed into nothing more than legends and rumours after all that time?

Although this was the shortest of the 3 novels in the series it was, at times, feeling like the longest. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy it (how can you not enjoy Mr Miéville's work?) but I didn't pick it up as often as I could have done. Still, a good story that was told with all the imagination that the author brings to his work and worth the effort of reading. 4★'s

I tried to start The Scar, but I know I have to have time to get completely enveloped in the world, so it's not a go yet, but Iron Council really sounds like something I would like, so I should get a move on! :)

Tickling the Funny Bone - Fool by Christopher Moore

A bawdy retelling of the story of King Lear (and a few bits of the Bard's other work thrown in for good measure) as told from the fool's point of view. There is a warning included at the start of the book so you know what to expect and it certainly needs that as the story includes a lot of sex and profanity. If that doesn't put you off though this is a fun romp concerning the politics of Mediaeval Britain. The King has decided to give away his power to his daughters and this mean's that Pocket, the fool, is no longer under his protection. Seeing that Pocket has insulted pretty much every one of the people that will now have more power then he start's to fear for his life. Can he manage to plot to save it?

I've never read any of Shakespeare's works but that didn't hinder my reading of this book. I'm sure that if you do know the source then it will add deeper meaning but it's not necessary if you haven't. It's probably just slightly overlong and gets a little repetetive towards the end but it's still a decent enough read with a few laugh out loud moments. 3½★'s

>18 AHS-Wolfy: - Augh! How did I not know until I read your review just now that Perdido Street Station was book one in a trilogy!?!?!?

*** adds two more books the the TBR pile and exits quickly before something else shiny catches my eye***

->20 AHS-Wolfy:
Fool is somewhere in Mt. TBR, but I was adviced to reread King Lear before reading it - maybe I should read Lear after Fool instead....

->21 lkernagh:
Ah, just go ahead and add all of Miéville's books - you'll do it sooner or later anyways! :)

21, Don't forget to include the short stories collection called Looking for Jake as well as it includes a story about Jack.

22, When you read Fool the author's comments at the end are worth reading. He describes his thought processes and the research he did before tackling the story.

I'll definitely be tracking down more of Miéville's books as and when I can.

>22 -Eva-: - I have resigned myself to being buried under the TBR pile .... ;-)

>23 AHS-Wolfy: - Just checked and happily, my local library has all four books, including Looking for Jake so I think I am set, at least for the Bas-Lag series.

Just stopping by ever so briefly to star the new thread, before leaving town for more holidaying tomorrow morning. Great review of Iron Council! I really enjoyed that one - part adventure story, part discussion about violence as a political method. Rare stuff in any fiction!

Lori, the Bas-Lag books are not a trilogy per se. They are just set in the same world, but should probably be read in order to get the rather complex and strange world-building fixed.

I just picked up a signed copy of Embassytown today, me!

24, hope you enjoy them at least as much as I dd when you get to them.

25, Lucky you. Enjoy the 2nd part of your holiday.

Lost in Translation - The Good Angel of Death by Andrey Kurkov

I'd seen and almost picked up a previous book by this author as the back cover blurb had me intrigued. Unfortunately, as it was a sequel, I decided to give it a miss so I was delighted to find another of his titles going cheap. Hugely talented, truly very funny was the accompanying quote on the front so I was expecting more laugh out loud humour but was surprised by the understated satire on post-Soviet nationalism that this book provided. The story follows Kolya as he discovers the baby-milk powder he has been guarding for his job as night-watchman has some unexpected properties when he uses some in coffee to calm his nerves (He'd had a call from his boss warning him that someone might try and break in). After another warning phone call, Kolya decides it might be safer if he disappeared for a while so decides to follow up on a possible treasure hunt for something buried by the Ukranian literary hero Taras Shevchenko. We follow along as Kolya travels from Kiev across the Caspian Sea to Kazakhstan in search of the buried treasure.

At times the story meanders along passively but is still fascinating for the clash of cultures and thought processes of the differing people that Kolya interacts with on his journey. Half the time though you're not quite sure if what is transpiring in the narrative is not part of a baby-milk induced trip. The novel was written and set in the late 1990's but has only just been translated by Andrew Bromfield who seems to have done a pretty good job of it as far as I can tell. While the book didn't blow me away and was somewhat different to my expectations I still want to read more from the author which is always a good sign. 3½★'s

Starter for 10 - Burglars Can't Be Choosers by Lawrence Block

A light-hearted mystery where the sleuth is also a burglar. That's the scenario for this book (and rest of the series I believe). Bernie Rhodenbarr is a thief and doesn't try to justify his actions. It's not that he goes around advertising his profession but he's not looking for a new one. He makes a good living and enjoys what he does and doesn't have to work too often either so why should he? When he's offered $5000 for what sounds like an easy job he overcomes some initial misgivings and accepts. He breaks into the apartment but can't find the item he's been asked to collect where he was told it would be and before he can look around for it he's interrupted by the arrival of two cops on the scene. Negotiations for the cops to look the other way have been pretty much concluded when one of the boys in blue discovers a dead body which complicates matters somewhat.

Managing to flee the scene and find a bolt-hole to hide up in Bernie tries to find out if he was set up on the job or if his luck was particularly bad that night. He's helped out by a young lady who discovered his hiding place when she came in to water the plants. Can they discover the real murderer before Bernie gets caught?

This is a really quick read. Fast-paced without much superfluous action. It's a fun escapade but the characters aren't hugely developed but enjoyable nonetheless. 3½★'s

Some great books in your Lost in Translation category: The Feast of the Goat, The Windup Bird Chronicle, Alone in Berlin and The Castle popped off the page. I used to read The Castle every year when I returned to work after the holidays. It readjusts one's perspective.

Wish there were more Bernie Rhodenbarr books.

The problem with having so many options is of which to actually pick up next. At least I'm not scrambling and looking for books to fill them in I guess.

Have you read all the Bernie books? The plots seem as though they might be a bit too similar to be able to read too many all at once but I do want to continue the series at some point.

I think I've read them all. As you say, you wouldn't want to read them end on end, but for light relief they're great.

I haven't run into the Bernie books before. Predictable that a very well paid gig would include cops and a dead body, but it sounds like the how and why are amusing enough to satisfy.

31, I do have a couple of the other books in the series but not the 2nd so will be looking to pick that one up at some point. Thanks for the confirmation that they're still worth the read.

@32, The first in the series was a decent introduction. I read it in two sittings and don't really think that I'm that fast of a reader. Small chapters that want you to keep reading to find out what happens next help in that regard too.

I love thieves as main characters. ;)

What a Carry On - The Black Ice by Michael Connelly

Harry Bosch has his nose put out of joint for being on-call and not being contacted when the body of a fellow police officer is found in an apparent case of suicide so decides to check the scene out anyway. Contrary to everyone else's opinion, Harry feels that there's something not quite right about this being a suicide especially when paths cross with other cases he's currently looking into. Unfortunately, those handling the dead body don't agree with him and want to close the investigation with a minimum amount of fuss as rumours abound that the cop in question may have crossed over to the other team and was working for the bad guys. Can Harry find out what was really going on before he gets in really deep trouble with his superiors and why does everything seem to point to a Mexican drug lord called Zorrillo?

This is the 2nd in the series featuring the LA detective Harry Bosch but this time most of the action takes place between the US and Mexican border towns of Calexico and Mexicali. Harry is his usual confrontational self with just about everyone he meets and more details are fleshed out about his character and his way of living. I think the author was becoming more comfortable as a novelist with this book as the interactions between people flowed better than the previous. As the investigation deepens the atmosphere of the story becomes more tense and fraught with danger. A good 2nd book in the series and I'll definitely be picking up the next at some point. 4★'s

The Black Ice sounds good. Another one for the WL.

One of my coworkers recommended Harry Bosch to me, but I can't wrap my head around another long series - it's definitely on the potential-list, though, especially since it takes place in my current home town. :)

Yeah, it's a lot of books especially if you take into account the other series' which include characters that feature in the later Harry Bosch stories.

More of Elmore - Get Shorty

Chili Palmer is on a run of bad luck. He's just found out that one of his clients that owe him money isn't as dead as he was led to believe. He's also just got a new boss that has a grudge or two against him. Chili's new boss tells him to find the runner or make the payment himself so off he sets to Los Angeles via Las Vegas following the leads left behind. While he's in LA he gets mixed up in the movie business and hooks up with Harry Zimm, an independent film-maker, who seems to think he has a dynamite script that's just waiting to get made. He's trying to get A-List actor Michael Weir interested and then he can go to a major studio and get it into production as he doesn't have anywhere near the finances to do it himself. Chili agrees to help Harry out with his previous financiers, local gangsters that use Harry's films to launder their drug money, in exchange that Harry will show Chili his way around the movie business.

As with all of Elmore Leonard's books, the plot is not quite as straightforward as it seems, each character's involvement complicates things just that bit more. The dialogue is snappy and the leading man is cooler than ice. From what I can remember of the movie adaptation I'd say the book has a harder edge to it but a re-watch will be in order probably after I've read the sequel, Be Cool. 4★'s

I'm definitely going to have to read Elmore Leonard some day. It sounds like his mysteries range all over the world.

I think the majority of his crime books take place in either Miami or Detroit.

More of Elmore - Be Cool

Chili Palmer is once again on the lookout for an idea to turn into a film project. Having one success and a failure for the follow-up he needs another hit. Unfortunately, the hit is of a different kind as his lunch date gets gunned down right in front of his eyes. The meeting was to discuss a film being made of the indie record producer's life story. Chili knew Tommy Athens from back in the day and Tommy thought Chili would have a greater understanding of where he was coming from so set up the lunch date to discuss the idea.

After the shooting Chili decides the music business might provide him with inspiration for his film after all and so talks his way into being manager of a band and sets about getting them their big break. Once again it's the characters and dialogue that drive the story along with the plot just along for the ride. With pretty much a whole new cast list for this sequel you don't really need to have read Get Shorty to appreciate this one though you do understand Chili more if you do.

This is a fun, fast-paced, lightweight read and while nothing special still provides entertainment enough. 3½★'s

Two in One - The Castle Omnibus by Steph Swainston

A collection of three books in the Castle series for which I'll include separate comments for each. There will probably be spoilers along the way.

Book 1: The Year of Our War

This was the debut novel of an author aiming to fit in the New Weird movement that is hitting the Fantasy world at the moment and my second exposure since reading China Mieville's Bas-Lag books. I think I'm going to enjoy exploring more of this sub-genre.

The Year of Our War sets the action amidst a war of the human population against the invading insects of which there seems to be a never ending stream. 50 of these humans have been made immortal by the Emperor and to qualify as one of these you must be the best at what you do. Jant Shira is one of these immortals and is the Emperor's Messenger, being half Rhydanne makes him extremely quick and he's the only member of the winged races in the Fourlands that can actually fly which is an added benefit. We follow the story from Jant's viewpoint as the insects threaten to overwhelm the empire's forces and threaten them with imminent destruction. Can Jant and the rest of the immortals find out a way to stop them or will their own internal bickering and conflicts overtax an already dangerous situation?

There's a lot going on in this book. Not only do you have the war within and without of the immortal's circle but there's also Jant's battle with drug addiction which also allows him to Shift to another world, usually a one way crossing. Jant (and subsequently the reader) is not sure if this other world is real or just a construct of his drug-addled imagination. No-one that he talks to about it knows of its existence and nobody else has ever returned to confirm or deny its validity. Does it really exist and if so does it interact with Jant's real world or not?

Book 2: No Present Like Time

Picking up 5 years after the events of the previous book we get to see the workings of The Circle and how it affects the goings on of the Empire as a whole. The story opens with a challenge to the Swordsman and he's not too pleased to lose his immortality when he is defeated. He vows to regain his place and will stop at nothing to do so. Meanwhile, the emperor has sent Jant and Wrenn, the new Swordsman, along with the Sailor to the newly discovered island of Tris to try and bring them back into the empire. Tris turns out to be an idyllic island paradise that was founded by the remnants of what was the fifth land of the empire who sailed across the sea escaping from a governmental system that they didn't believe in. Things don't go well for the emissary's attempts to induce the islanders into joining the empire as a captive insect brought along to sow fear into the peaceful community escapes and with the Trisians already predisposed into wanting nothing to do with the empire will this prove the final straw?

How will the two conflicts resolve and will they cross over into one another? Can Jant see a way to overcome or will he be too distracted by marital problems and his (all to brief) trips into The Shift?

Book 3: The Modern World

Like the preceding two volumes, this story is once again related in the main by Jant but we do get to see others of the immortals come to the fore. The Architect thinks she has a way to inflict considerable damage to the insect population and has constructed a dam that will enable the flooding of the front lines and drown a great many of the hated enemy. A great war host is assembled by the emperor and he orders all of the immortals to be present for the campaign. When the bad things start happening, Jant is away from the scene looking for Lightning's daughter who has gone missing at an inopportune moment and the Messenger is the best equipped to find her. Can he locate the errant child and return to where he should be in time to be of use?

The third book shows more of the characters and their back-stories with Lightning, the Doctor and the Architect along with Jant being heavily featured. There is only one brief, harrowing trip into the Shift in this story and it seems a shame that this multiverse is not explored more in this trilogy. Though there is now a prequel available it might not be unreasonable to expect other volumes to appear in the future.

Conclusion

A thoroughly enjoyable read that takes epic fantasy and plays with it a little to bring it into New Weird territory. Very descriptive and seemingly well researched (I believe that the author took up hand-gliding to gain a greater understanding of her main character). I look forward to returning to the Fourlands with the aforementioned prequel at some point. 4★'s

Hi Wolfy, a great summing up of the trilogy. I really like Swainston's books, but my main beef seems to be the same as yours: it's a shame there's less and less Shift. That baroque and overloaded place was such a good counterpart to the more traditional Fourlands. The prequel is well worth reading, both as an exiting novel and a meditation on colonialism. gives a lot more insight into the mind of Rhydanne too.

Now I'm curious about the series. Wishlist!

44, I've read subsequently that Steph Swainston is taking a break from writing because the pressure of a book a year is just too much so there might not be another after all. You can read the interview here.

45, It doesn't stray too far away from normal fantasy tropes and may be a good introduction to New Weird if you haven't ventured there before.

Hi Wolfy - good review of the castle books - also I had the same feelings, the prequel is on my wish list also and I plan to read it next year in the 1212 will be interested to read your review if you get to it first...

Thanks psutto. I've no idea when it'll be for me. When I add the wishlist to the tbr shelves then that equates to about 5 years of reading already. I think I might have a clear out one of these days and get rid of those books that I'm never likely to pick up off that pile.

Weather Control - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

According to tradition, the first time someone visits the Cemetery of Forgotten Books they get to choose one to take away with them. Daniel selects The Shadow of the Wind and on reading it he is enthralled by the story and wants to find more by the author, Julian Carax. Daniel's father, a rare and second-hand bookseller, doesn't recognise the author either but together they ask a local expert if he can help. Gustavo Barcelo offers to buy the book outright but when Daniel refuses to sell he tells the story of how all of Carax's books are being collected and burned and that the copy Daniel has may be the only one left in existence. This tale sets Daniel off on a voyage of discovery where he meets terrible figures connected to the mystery one of which resembles the character of the Devil from the very book that Daniel found.

Not only do you get the historical mystery (post-war Spain) tied around the coming-of-age story of Daniel but you also get to learn of the city of Barcelona around that time as Daniel's story becomes increasingly linked to that of Carax. My copy of the book includes a walking guide for the locations used in the story which I'm sure would be a wonderful way to explore the city.

This was a book that I didn't really want to see the end of. It's beautifully written with what seems to be a well done translation. For those that still haven't read this book and are still pondering whether to or not, read the first half-dozen pages and that should make up your mind about it. 4½★'s

I read half of it on a plane ride last year and liked it enough to give to the friend I was visiting - I should really get another copy and finish! :) I do remember being really intrigued while I was reading. Which edition do you have with the walking guide included? Does it have maps as well?

It's the Phoenix edition that has this cover:



And yes, maps are included as are are some small photo's for some of the places of interest.

Thanks!!

Great review of The Shadow of The Wind! It is one of my favorite books.

Glad to see you enjoyed The Shadow of the Wind. I loved the overall atmosphere of the story and the plot when I read it, but have a friend that just could not get into it and could not understand what I thought was so great about it.

My wife thought Shadow of the wind was a bit of a letdown, but your review has resparked my interest. Thanks!

craso, thank you. Sometimes it's hard to kow what to say when a book has been reviewed so many times already.

lkernagh, I think I can understand why people don't like it but it seemed to fit well with my reading mood at the time. Glad you liked it too.

GingerbreadMan, Hope you enjoy it when you get to it.

Shadow of the Wind is definitely going on the wl. & in 12 12, I'll have a category for that!

cammykitty, I'll be watching to see what you think.

Absolute Zero - Rapture by David Sosnowski

What's it like to be different? That's the question that Zander Wiles finds an answer for when the disease he thinks he's caught from his recently ex-girlfriend turns him into what looks like an angel. Well, the wings he's sprouted certainly fit the bill. Never a model citizen before the change, Zander knows he's no angel and not wanting to become exhibit #1 in a laboratory he shuts himself off from the outside world but realises he can't stay cooped up forever. He calls an old friend from his drug dealing past and after the initial shock they devise a plan to make some money out of Zander's new found oddity by fleecing some gullible believers into parting with some of their cash. When one of their victims turns out to have a husband that has the same condition as Zander but didn't survive the change, Zander realises that it's time to put a stop to what they're doing and that he might not be as alone as he thought he was. Around the same time another body is discovered and the knowledge becomes public and so Zander decides to do the same. It's time to head to New York and get himself an agent.

The story then switches to describe Cassie's life. Cassie is a psychotherapist. One of only a few specialising in dysfunctional angels. She's written a book and even appeared on Oprah and met Zander in what looked like a failed suicide attempt. We learn her back-story and why she feels such a fraud at her job. Can Zander provide the means to prove to herself that she's not?

Part fantasy, part satirical social commentary and part love story, this book is a very clever debut offering. Very imaginative and easy to read. 4★'s

Good review and what seems like a fascinating read! Making note of it!

dysfunctional angels LOL! I'll be looking for that book.

David Sosnowski has one other book that seems to be well regarded as well which I'll be keeping an eye out for as he's certainly made the want more of list with that debut novel.

Overflow - Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman

This is a collection of short stories, poems and suchlike. The quality is as diverse as the subject with the only thing that each have in common being the darkness of tone that Neil Gaiman often brings to his work. This collection is not meant for the younger end of the age spectrum with many of the entries containing scenes of a sexual or horrific nature. There are almost 40 pieces of work in this book so I will not go through them all but just highlight a couple of favourites.

Chivalry is a tale about an old lady finding the Grail in a charity shop.

Troll Bridge has a troll under a bridge and there's a boy who doesn't want to be it's next meal.

The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch has the circus coming to town.

Murder Mysteries is a tale of angels and set around the time of Creation.

Snow, Glass, Apples is an alternate take on the story of Snow White. The original will never be looked at in the same light again if you read this.

I've read this collection, like I usually do with short stories, over the period of a few weeks. Never reading more than two or three at a time so I don't get bored of the style and feel this worked well in this instance. There is an introduction, which also contains a story, where the author describes how and why he wrote each of the entries. Also provided is a link to the author's website where you can download The Price, one of the stories, that's read by the author and there's a short interview also included at the back of the book. Overall an enjoyable collection. 3½★'s

Great review. Sounds like Smoke and Mirrors has had additions since I read it, still you have highlighted all my favourites; I love Murder Mysteries and always toy with trying the comic.

Thank you. I really do need to start paying attention to what's available in comic/graphic novel format. Had no idea that that one existed. Might be interesting to check out.

> 63 It's been hundreds of years since I read that one. I remember the one about Snow White too. But most of all I recall a very creepy story about a jack-in-the-box on an attic, fucking up children. What was that one called?

That one was called Don't Ask Jack.

Tickling the Funny Bone - Orpheus Rising by Colin Bateman

It starts with a surfer getting his feet bitten off by a shark and the tragic romance that starts between the two people that save his life. Michael is a writer and he intends to write his first novel but hasn't got around to it yet. Arriving in Brevard he meets Claire over the bloody feet of the aforementioned surfer. Instantly smitten, Michael decides to stick around and start on his book. There's a couple of people that don't want Michael to stick around for the same reason that, they too, are in love with Claire. One of these is a most unpleasant fellow and thinks Claire is his girl and won't take no for an answer. He's also the one who ends up killing her (don't worry, that's not a spoiler).

The way this book works is by being told in alternate chapters giving Michael's story from when he first met Claire in one and the other when he's returning to the scene 10 years later for a commemoration ceremony for those that died in a bank raid. Michael didn't want to attend but was pursuaded by drinking compatriot Ambrose that it would be a cathartic exercise and so reluctantly agreed. Ambrose, of course, tags along.

This is quite different to the other Bateman books I've read with the humour being more understated and with some quite bittersweet moments as well. I did like it though. 4★'s

Lost in Translation - The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa

From the age of 15 when Ricardo first meets the titular bad girl he falls utterly and hopelessly in love. Just when he's sure that she will acquiesce to his advances events transpire that she disappears from his life. Leaving Peruvian life behind, Ricardo pursues his other dream of living in Paris and working as a translator allows him to do this. He becomes friends with a fellow Peruvian who is helping potential revolutionaries on their way to train in Cuba. Ricardo occasionally assists in finding places to stay for those en route. He's surprised when one of these turns out to be the bad girl. Once again he starts to enjoy his romance but she soon disappears from his life without a backward glance.

Over the next few decades Ricardo manages to encounter his bad girl and each time he does he is powerless to stop her from treating him like a doormat. She takes advantage of his feelings and takes what she wants from him before deserting him to look for her newest sugar daddy. Some of their meetings stretch coincidence to breaking point but however contrived the outcome is always the same.

You never really feel for the characters but the story remains interesting throughout. There are some disturbing events detailed in this book so it's not one for the faint of heart. Quite difficult to put my finger on whether I liked this one or not. 3½★'s

Good review of The Bad Girl And how like Vargas Llosa that you don't know exactly what you feel about the book.

Starter for Ten - Garnethill by Denise Mina

Maureen O'Donnell has spent time in psychiatric care due to having a breakdown caused by the surfacing of suppressed memories of sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of her own father. She's also having an affair with a therapist which she manages to justify because she's not his patient. Nobody else can seem to recognise the fine distinction though so when she confirms suspicions that he's also a married man she decides to end it. When waking up after a particularly heavy night of drinking, when all she did after getting home was to fall into bed, Maureen discovers him tied to a chair with his throat cut she didn't think this was the kind of end that she meant. With no signs of forced entry and Maureen's mental illness history she and her drug dealer brother, Liam, quickly become the main suspects in the police investigation. Maureen manages to pick up on some clues that have eluded the police so sets about trying to find the real killer and the motive behind this brutal act.

This was such an accomplished story that I was surprised that it was the author's début novel. The characters are first rate and the pacing was spot on. It was very easy to read in large chunks so was quickly devoured. I'll look forward to picking up more of another tartan noir author. 4★'s

I'm in the middle of a Denise Mina book right now (Slip of the Knife) and am really enjoying her writing! Garnethill is on Mt. TBR and I'm hoping it gets a spot in my 12-in-12!

I'd noticed that you were reading Denise Mina's other trilogy. Glad you're enjoying it enough to want to read more. I may fit in Field of Blood for my movie/TV category as a two part adaptation has just been shown on the BBC here.

I've probably said this before, but I absolutely love Denise Mina's books. I especially loved the Garnethill trilogy. You are so right Wolfy, it sure doesn't read like a first novel.

This Paddy Meehan series is good, but doesn't start off great - although the writing is definitely a winner all the way through! The second part was better than the first and this third is much, much better than the second, so we're moving in the right direction! :)

ETA: Knowing BBC America, the Field of Blood adaptation will probably show up in a year or so if at all... :(

Thanks for the Denise Mina recommendation. I've just ordered Field of Blood.

The Garnethill trilogy is one of my favorites. It's really pitch perfect, isn't it?

@74, With the recent reads by bookoholic & jonesli of the Paddy Meehan series along with knowing that yourself and a few others liked her work gave me the incentive to finally pick up one of her books. I'm glad that I did.

@75, There are ways and means to watch it without waiting if you know how ;) I'll probably wait to watch it until after I've read the books but I have it ready and waiting.

76, Hope you enjoy it when you get it.

77, I have to say thank you for the recommendation as it was you that pointed Denise Mina out to me back in 2009 for my European challenge.

Ve have vays....... :)

I have a debut category for next year so I might pick up Garnethill since you all are liking her writing so much

What a Carry On - Common Murder by Val McDermid

Second book in the Lindsay Gordon investigative journalist series and once again she has a friend to help out of a spot of bother. It seems that the head of teh opposition to the peace camp at Brownlow (read Greenham) Common has gone and got himself murdered and one of the women at the camp is chief suspect having broken his nose a few days earlier. The suspect also happens to be one of Lindsay's former lovers whom she is now back in contact with since her move to London to live with Cordelia (love interest from the 1st book). Lindsay has been trying to get positive articles printed about the peace camp and has also been trying to help out occasionally as well and so reluctantly agrees to act as a kind of intermediary between the camp and the police investigating the murder. A deal is struck with the local Inspector and Lindsay sets about trying to find the real killer.

The book was written and set in the late 80's and has quickly become quite dated. It's quite easy to accustom yourself to the technology (or more specifically the lack thereof) of the time but the social mores not quite so much when the author rams the lesbian angle down the reader's throat every other chapter or so it seemed to me. The mystery element of the story was okay but seemed to be uncovered a little too easily by the protagonist with almost all suspects being too chatty for their own good. Not a bad book but not that great either but it is a quick and easy read. 3★'s

Weird, isn't it, how some books can be clearly set in the e.g. the 80s and still work very well (since I've just read Mina's Paddy Meehan-series, it springs to mind) and some just get irritating. Perhaps it's the "message" in McDermid that doesn't quite work? We don't need to be convinced (anymore) that lesbianism (is that a word?) is OK - I'd rather get a description of the then current social perception than a lecture. I haven't read Common Murder so I'm not sure that's how you meant that it reads, but I've read other books where I felt I was part of the choir being preached to.

I realise that when the book was written being gay was still stigmatised but I don't think that it was necessary to be reminded of this fact at almost every turn.

It probably would have become less dated had she not tried to convince the reader. But, as you said, the time must have made her feel it was necessary to write that way. My mum just finished Fear of Flying and she said it hadn't aged well either, although it was still interesting in an historical sense.

Well, the Paddy Meehan series was set in the eighties, but written not that long ago, so maybe it's not a fair comparison?

Oh, that's true - didn't even think of that! :) Hence, Mina did a fantastic job describing the 80s!

I did recently finish McDermid's The Mermaids Singing, which was written only a few years after Common Murder, and that one might as well have been published today - serial killers don't get outdated, I guess. :)

Weather Control - Snow is Silent by Benjamin Prado

One of three men narrates this noirish thriller and tells you that one of them is about to set out to kill a woman called Laura Salinas. You will not know which of the three is the narrator or if that man is also the killer-to-be until the final reveal at the end of the book. To avoid giving clues of the identity(ies) of either the narrator tells his tale in the third person. He then takes us back to the beginning and how events conspired to drive a man to murder.

The three men are Alcaen Sanchez, an unassuming insurance clerk, Iker Orbaiz, would-be novelist and obituary writer, and Angel Biedma, doctor and would-be patron to the writer. This trio meet regularly in a bar and when Angel advises Iker to use their other friend as a model for a character in his novel it seems to fit perfectly. So they try to dissect his life without Alcaen realising what they're trying to accomplish. This is where they here of Laura Salinas, an estate agent that showed Alcaen around a house that he couldn't afford. He admits that this is something he will do at times to amuse himself, dress and act as a rich man and view properties that are well beyond his means. Meeting Laura, Alcaen immediately falls in love and is overjoyed when she agrees to lunch on the pretext of discussing the house he's just visited. He's even more ecstatic when she agrees to a proper date but when he admits to the truth he is equally devastated when she walks away from him. He'd almost robbed the insurance firm where he works just to get the money to please her but in the end couldn't go through with his plan. Laura re-appears in his life once again and tells him that things might be different but that she is afraid of her abusive husband and if only he was out of the way then who knows what might happen between them. How far will Alcaen go for his obsession? Will Iker write his story now that his muse is treading a darker path and what have the promptings of Angel got to do with it all?

Although this is a short novel it starts out quite uninteresting and slow while the scene is set. Only from the middle onwards does this change and events head towards the ending and you rush through the rest of the story at break-neck speed. There are quite a few twists before the final word is written but I'll let you discover these for yourself should you decide to give this book a read. 3½★'s

8 Book Watch - A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick

A dark and disturbing tale of drug abuse made more so by the author's note featured at the end of this book. In the note he provides a list of people (including himself) that the novel is dedicated to and what became of each. It's not a pleasant reminder of the consequences involved.

Bob Arctor is an undercover narcotics agent reporting on his group of friends and trying to get a lead on Substance D, or Death as it's commonly referred to. Unfortunately for Bob, he's gotten in too deep and as his grip on reality starts to blur he turns increasingly paranoid and the line between his role as a nark and his undercover alter-ego becomes increasingly less distinct until finally believing they are separate identities completely.

This is a near-future dystopian tale which doesn't have a huge amount of science fiction attached to it (only the scramble suits which protect the identity of the agent really springs to mind) so can be easily read by non-SF readers as well if so inclined. It probably took a couple of chapters for me to get into the style of writing in this book but it was so worth sticking with until the end. It's not all darkness though as there are some entertaining conversations between the drug-addled friends that provide lighter relief. You can get much more insight to the characters by reading the book than you can from the movie but the film is not too bad either. 4★'s

Now I have seen the film, nearly bought the comic but I have never read A Scanner Darkly or in fact many Philip K Dick. Every year I promise myself I will. Where is a good place to start?

I'm not really good at reading Dick's books. I think it took me three readings of Ubik to figure out what was actually happening. I really like his short stories though.

5 great novels?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Five-Great-Novels-Gollancz-S-F/dp/0575084634/ref=sr_1_1?...

clfisha, I've not read that many myself but did find The Man in the High Castle very accessible. There are also a number of short story collections (I read one, Minority Report, earlier this year) which you could also try.

It's surprising how many of PKD's works we know from movie adaptations rather than his own work.

I like most of the films based on PKD works, with the exception of the original Total Recall. I wonder how the remake will come out. I saw The Adjustment Bureau recently but haven't yet read the story.

Dick's most read work is probably Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep that was retitled Blade Runner after the movie was released. It seems like there's a movement back to the original title now though. I haven't read a lot of Dick either, but Do Androids is great. Dick did suffer from mental illness, and from what I've heard, it influenced his subject and writing style especially in his later works. Do Androids seems to predate that time. It's less trippy than some of his other work sounds.

Thanks for the Philip K. Dick review. Despite not being much of a science fiction reader I enjoyed Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and The Man in the High Castle, so it's good to know that A Scanner Darkly is worth a try.

I still have 3 more of PKD's books on the tbr shelves but so far I've not read any of his really weird books. 1 of those 3 is pencilled in for next year but not sure when I'll get to the others.

Other titles that could work as good starting points: Counterclock world, Clans of the alphane moon (a lighter, more whimsical Dick) or Flow my tears, the policeman said. I like Ubik a lot too.

Very good review of A scanner darkly!

Clans of the Alphane Moon! I had forgotten about that one.

@97, Thank you. Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said is pencilled in for next year and I've just picked up another short stories collection which might make it as well.

Absolute Zero - Hope by Glen Duncan

Gabriel Jones is a man nearing 30 years of age and existing on life's lowest rung of the ladder. He once had it all. The love of a beautiful girl whom he loved wholly in return, a bright future looming before the two of them. But then he threw it all away for moments of lust. This book is written as a kind of confession with Gabriel telling of his life past and present. It's not a straight forward journey from A to B as we get the current interspersed with the major events in Gabriel's life that have led him to his current state of passing the time until he can afford another visit to Hope, a £150 an hour prostitute. These events are brought slowly to light while our narrator works up the courage to provide the gory details. A lot of this book deals with some quite unpleasant moments and the blows, when they come, hit home unerringly and hard.

If you want a linear plot or a light and fluffy read then this is not a book for you. If you don't mind a dark and broody look at the male psyche with graphically depicted acts of sex and pornography that is beautifully written then this book might just fit the bill. 4★'s

Overflow - Britten and Brülightly by Hannah Berry

Charlotte Maughton, daughter of the head of a successful publishing house, has just lost her fiancé to an apparent suicide. She doesn't believe it was but the police do, so she hires private investigator (or researcher as he prefers to be called) Fernandez Brtitten to look into things for her. Fern has a good reputation to go along with a nickname of the Heartbreaker from when he used to look into cases of cheating spouse's as no matter which way the case went there would always be someone that wouldn't be happy with the outcome. Nowadays, Fern only gets out of bed for a murder and Charlotte's case looks like it might have possibilities and so he begins his investigation along with his unconventional partner, a tea-bag called Stuart Brülightly. A couple of potential leads spring out readily enough so off the pair set to try and uncover the truth of the matter.

This graphic novel is written and drawn in classic noir style. Full of sepia tones and internal ruminations. The only fault I have with this is the cursive font used for Britten's thoughts, they're a bit hard to read at times and you have to go over them a couple of times to discern what's being said. Overall this is a very dark and atmospheric story with light-hearted interjections being provided by the teabag which I enjoyed immensely. Definitely recommended to fans of either noir or the darker shade of comic books. 4★'s

Brülightly is such a fun character - "unconventional" indeed! :) I agree about the font for Britten, I felt it broke the narrative to have to pay attention to it, rather than the actual words. Great story anyways!

I agree about the font for Britten, I felt it broke the narrative to have to pay attention to it, rather than the actual words.

I think it knocked a half ★ off from my final rating.

I enjoyed your review of A Scanner Darkly. It's been ages since I'd read Philip K. Dick, and the recent conversation here has made me think that it's high time I discover (or re-discover) some of his books.

Thank you. PKD is certainly someone I intend to read more of as well.

I really enoyed britten and brulightly too

101 I wish Hannah Berry would write another comic, Britten and Brülightly was so good. I loved the dialogue between them, them both made great characters

It's a shame that there's been nothing since Britten and Brülightly. Not much talk around for a follow piece of work either by the looks of things. Read an interview from 2008 where Hannah Berry mentions doing a graphic novel ghost story but that's about it.

Lost in Translation - Captain Alatriste by Arturo Pérez-Reverte

This is a starter book for a swashbuckling adventure series that features as the main protagonist Captain Diego Alatriste. A Spanish soldier currently forced to make ends meet as a sell-sword, hiring himself out for jobs where bared steel and the knowledge of how to use it is seen as a useful commodity to his employers. His current contract, to way-lay a couple of English travellers and retrieve whatever documents they are carrying, becomes more complicated when given the additional task of ending the lives of the English pair by none other than Fray Emilio Bocanegra, president of the Holy Tribunal of the Inquisition. When, during the act of ambush and assassination, Diego changes his mind due to the chivalry and nobleness of spirit of the man he is fighting and prevents his partner in crime, an Italian bravo named Gualterio Malatesta, from completing their assignment and saves the lives of the two Englishmen instead. The plot thickens when Alatriste discovers the true identities of the men whom he has just saved and realises the full extent of the trouble he has just found himself in.

The tale is narrated by a young page attached to the Captain, Inigo Balboa, the son of a former comrade killed on the field of battle whom Diego had said he would look after when his childhood ended. Because it is told after the event the narrative will wander to other escapades involving the hero of this tale and the narrator himself that occur much later than the current story being told. This can sometimes prove annoying and take the reader out of the moment. What I think I did enjoy most from this book though was the scene setting of early 17th century Madrid life where the arts were flourishing and the purses of officials were bulging though the lot of the common man was not to be envied. It is this rather than the action itself which raises my rating of the book as without it there really isn't that much meat on the bones of the story that will entice me to return to the adventures of Captain Alatriste at some point in the future. 3½★'s

As I don't think I'll even start another book tonight let alone finish one it's time for the 3rd Quarter Review:

Category Progress Report

1. Out for the Count (1 of 1)
2. Two in One (2 of 2)
3. Stop Bas-Lagging Behind (3 of 3)
4. More of Elmore (4 of 4)
5. Weather Control (5 of 5)
6. Absolute Zero (6 of 6)
7. Tickling the Funny Bone (6 of 7)
8. Book Watch (7 of 8)
9. Lost in Translation (8 of 9)
10. Starter for Ten (8 of 10)
11. What a Carry On (9 of 11)

It's been another fairly consistently good reading quarter again this year. No 5★ reviews again and the only one that came really close was The Shadow of the Wind which reached 4½★'s. There were a further 7 (8 if you include the Overflow) that reached 4★'s. The lowest rating was a 3★ so no real clunkers for the quarter. I managed to read 20 books over the last 3 months with 18 fitting into my allotted categories with a total for the year so far being 63 (59 for the challenge) leaving me with just 7 more until completion.

Favourite read for the quarter: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Least favourite: Common Murder by Val McDermid

Hi Dave - Glad to see you enjoyed Captain Alatriste. Swordplay and Spain in the 17th century that made me think of Dumas The Three Musketeers as I was reading this one. For some reason I stalled reading after book three in the series but will most likely continue with it next year for the 12 in 12 as I kept a 'next in series' category.

Thank you Lori. That next in series category is a must have for me to. Especially considering I also have another 10 series starters planned as a minimum for next year as well. I must be mad!

I think we are all a little mad when it comes to series! I keep trying to catch up but it appears to be a losing battle. And of course, I can't resist starting a new series when I see other Lter's mention them.

I'm wary of starting new series before I finish old ones. I think I need to feel on top of things when reading a book in a series. I'm just not comfortable with feelings of Wait, who was that again? and often find miyself having to go back flipping through earlier parts just to get things straight. Pretty silly, I know, as things tend to DO sort themselves out. Anyway, this prevents me from trying to juggle too many series at once. I prefer stand-alones anyways. Or the kind of series where the world/setting plays the main part, rather than a long story line.

109 nice review, I did find it a bit sparse on action too, hoping the next one picks up a bit, promising start though. I had the terrible misfortune of trying to watch the film the other day which tries to do all books in the series and fails badly, would avoid that one!

I agree with Anders with series but I get stuck as I try a series before it ends and then every year or so I try read the latest and end up confused. There are only so many times you cam reread a book! Curse my impatience.

Captain Alatriste does sound like fun, but oh, I so do not want to get sucked into a series.

@113-115, Thankfully LT helps keep track of current series otherwise I don't know where I'd be with some ongoing ones.

clfisha, thanks for the pointer on the movie. Didn't even know that there was one but not really surprised that there is.

cammykitty, The first book was only a small one and it looks like there's even an omnibus edition available to cover the first 5 books in the series ;)

If it's small, perhaps I can brave it in the original Spanish? That would be cool!

and I'm sure that the poetry would be better in the original too.

Starter for Ten - Whiskey Sour by J.A. Konrath

When Jacqueline Streng married Alan Daniels she became Jack Daniels. The name may have stuck but the marriage is long gone. Now a Lieutenant working in the Violent Crimes Unit of the Chicago Police Dept., she and her partner Herb pick up a new case when the body of a twenty-something woman is found with multiple stab-wounds with a note attached from the killer calling himself the Gingerbread Man. It's not long before a second body turns up and so they realise they may be dealing with a serial killer. Can they find him before he kills again?

This is no fluffy police procedural, the murder scenes are grisly as is the gallows-like humour of the banter between the investigating teams. Light relief comes in the shape of the two FBI agents who specialise in behavioural science. The profiles of the killer that they come up with are quite laughable and it's no wonder the police treat them with contempt. Every now and then the story will flip from Jack's investigation to the killer's perspective so it's not exactly a mystery as to who he is and what he's doing. The only thing that remains clouded are his motivations for selecting his victims. Jack's character is not of the fluffy variety either. She's not the flash her pretty green eyes and get a confession type of cop but one that's worked her ass off to get where she is and though it has cost her her marriage and pretty much any kind of social life as well as providing the cause of insomnia she suffers from she's far from discontent with her life and how it's turned out. But will she still be the same when the Gingerbread Man turns his attentions on her?

This is a fast paced thriller of a book that while quite gruesome in parts is also quite likeable in others and kept me turning the pages until the end. I'll certainly be on the lookout for the next book in the series. 3½★'s

Even though I need a new series like I need a hole in the head, I am going to add this one to my wishlist. You got me with the words "grisly" and "gallows-humor", sicko that I am!

Not necessarily my cuppa, but I like your review enough to make note of it. Thanks --- yet again!

I should add a warning for graphic violence. There are details of torture and animal killings involved and though it doesn't linger on these scenes they do exist. So if any of these things might put you off then it's probably best to avoid this one.

Tickling the Funny Bone - Don’t Point That Thing at Me by Kyril Bonfiglioli

Imagine if you will a book similar to The Thirty-Nine Steps being written by P.G. Wodehouse and you'll be somewhere in the region of how this one reads. Charlie Mortdecai is an art dealer who isn't too unfamiliar with the shady side of his profession. In fact, he's just come into possession of a hot little number that he needs to ship across the Atlantic to a wealthy American collector. Opportunity presents itself in the way of a blackmail case being handled by the secretest of secret police and a classic Rolls Royce that also needs to be shipped to said collector. Armed with a brand new diplomatic passport off he sets to deliver the painting, the Rolls and a nasty case of death to a client who's tried to blackmail the wrong kind of person.

You could probably drive several of those Rollers abreast of one another through the holes in the plot but that's not really what this book is about. The plot is just there for convenience sake and to allow a vehicle for Charlie to tell his story of these and subsequent events. The humour is of the unsubtle kind, if I tell you that the thuggish manservant's name is Jock Strapp then maybe you'll get what I mean, and often comes at you in acidic form. I did chuckle at the odd turn of phrase but there were no moments that caused me to laugh out loud. 3★'s

Book Watch - A Good Man in Africa by William Boyd

At the start of this novel the main protagonist, Morgan Leafy, is a loathsome creature. A British diplomat serving as First Secretary to the Commission in the fictional West African country of Kinjanja, he is pretty much a caricature of all the worst elements of the role. Racist, selfish, jealous and quite over-bearing. It's a wonder his local mistress can stand to stay with him or he with her after she gives him a nasty dose of gonorrhoea and just at the wrong time too as he's just started going out with Priscilla, the daughter of his boss.

Leafy is also involved with a local politician, Sam Adekunle, and his wife and with elections coming up his boss has charged him with overseeing the British interest for the most favoured party. So when he's found in a compromising position by Adekunle, he ends up getting it from both sides. Adekunle wants Leafy to bribe the head of the university as he needs a land deal to go through to help with funds for his election campaign and now he has a hold over Leafy he uses him as a go-between.

The first part of the book sets the scene before then travelling backwards in time to describe how these events came to pass with the whole kit and caboodle ending up in the hands of one Morgan Leafy and by the end of the book you're actually feeling quite sorry for the man. That's quite an achievement in itself by the author and when you throw in some highly amusing scenes as well as some cringe-worthy moments and it all adds up to a fairly decent read. 3½★'s

Such a shame you didn't much enjoy Kyril Bonfiglioli. I love Charlie Mortdecai - think he's evilly funny.

William Boyd writes such a range of fiction. My favourite is Any Human Heart.

What A Carry On - Last Tango in Aberystwyth by Malcolm Pryce

The 2nd in the series of humorous noir mysteries set in the Welsh town of Aberystwyth. A dean from the Faculty of Undertaking at Lampeter University paid a visit to Aberystwyth and hasn't been seen since. One of his students has hired Louie Knight, Aber's only PI, to find out what's happened to him. It seems there has been a case of mistaken identity as the Dean was given a bag containing details of the next contract meant for a Druid hitman. Not only does Louie and his partner Calamity have to put up with dead-end after dead-end in their investigation but there are also rumours of a Bigfoot type monster roaming the hills that might have connections to Louie's past for them to worry about as well. Perhaps a visit to Dai the Custard Pie can shed some light on the matter.

If you like your noir to be straight up and hard edged then you might want to consider looking elsewhere for your fix. If, however, you don't mind a little fun being poked into a few unusual places then this series might be worth your while. Those that have already tasted life in Aberystwyth with Aberystwyth Mon Amour will know what to expect from this second outing and it will definitely help to read that one first to help with character interactions that progress in Last Tango. 3½★'s

@ 127 -- Your description of these books has definitely piqued my interest!

I usually steer clear of noir but one with some fun added is more my speed! Thanks for the great review - I will keep an eye out for Pryce's books!

I wouldn't say they are laugh out loud moments and the books do have a harder edge than most spoof offerings. The characters don't come out unscathed from the situations they find themselves in. I'll definitely be returning to Aberystwyth in the future as I already have book 3 sat on the tbr shelves. Hope you both enjoy if/when you get to venture to deepest, darkest Wales.

I love the Aberystwyth series by Malcolm Pryce, the noir/comedy mash up is just brilliant & sure it veers from one to the other but the standard is always good. I have just picked up the latest The Day Aberystwyth Stood Still & I cant wait to read it.. just deciding whether a reread of past books is in order! I always tend to forget what's going on with an ongoing series.

Humorous noir set in "deepest, darkest Wales"? Yes, please, count me in. :) Loving the cover art as well.

This Aberystwyth series sounds intriguing, I am going to have to track these down.

Claire, it's good to know that the series hasn't lost its spark for you after all this time.

Eva & Judy, enjoy your trips when you get there.

Bouncing back to happily report my local library has the first three books in the Aberystwyth series so adding it to my 'fun' reading later this year when I finish my challenge reading!

Lost in Translation - The Chalk Circle Man by Fred Vargas

Someone is drawing blue circles in chalk around discarded items on the streets of Paris and only the recently arrived Commissaire, Jean-Baptiste Adamsberg, sees any significance in their appearance. Everyone else, including the officers he enlists to keep track of them, think that whoever is doing this is just a crackpot and it's not until a body is subsequently found inside a circle that they come around to Adamsberg's unconventional methods.

While the mystery isn't the all important factor of this book it was still good enough to keep my interest throughout. What really makes this story though are the characters involved. They are fresh, imaginative and extremely well written. The city of Paris is also well represented in this book with a real sense of place being generated as you read. A word for the translation as well, Sian Reynolds did a fantastic job. 4½★'s

I really do plan to read something by Fred Vargas soon.

She's certainly someone I could easily recommend just on her characters alone. This one had a better story to it than the other I've read which was The Three Evangelists but not all of the Adamsberg series has been translated into English as yet.

Interesting review of The Chalk Circle Man. I'll look into it.

Katie, hope you'll like it as much as I did.

Adding to the choir of happy squeals over the concept of Welsh noir.

Starter for 10 - Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

Just coming to the end of his time as a Probationary Constable and hoping not to be posted to the Case Progression Unit (paperwork), Peter Grant talks to his first ghost who describes the murder at the scene he's guarding. Not something you can tell your superiors so the next night he goes back hoping for another meeting but this time Peter runs into Inspector Nightingale and finds himself explaining about the ghost. When the Inspector seems to take his story at face value this is when Peter's career prospects take a turn for the unexpected and he finds himself apprenticed to the last wizard in England.

Can Peter learn enough magic to help solve what appears to be some kind of killer by possession case? Will his scientific mind be a help or hindrance? What kind of influence can he exert in a turf war between Father and Mother Thames and will he keep his hands off one of Mama's daughters or does he really want to? All of this is mixed into a very good police procedural and guide to London that is extremely readable. Peter Grant makes a good narrator for the investigation and the surrounding cast of characters fill out the scenery imaginatively. I certainly want to read the sequel sooner rather than later. 4½★'s

I quite like the of these "urban fantasy" books but I admit I become fed up with the Dresden Files series so how do they compare?

I think there are always going to be some similarities drawn when you have a wizard as the main protagonist and the story is set in the real world and while there are some here I think Rivers of London definitely has its own voice. There is more of a police procedural pervasiveness rather than a wham! bam! hit them as hard as you can approach that Dresden applies. The cover quote of "Harry Potter joins the fuzz" doesn't really do it justice either.

I read your review of Rivers of London with great interest as I have that book loaded onto my Kindle. Sounds like it's a good one.

I liked it enough to jump straight into the sequel, Moon Over Soho, which I picked up today. Will make a nice conclusion to my challenge.

Your last book of the challenge!! Congratulations. I'll be back when you finish your book with the confetti.

Weekend is slow reading time for me due to all the football being shown but thank you, I'll get there eventually.

What A Carry On - Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch

This book picks up almost directly after the conclusion to the last (see Msg142) and as such will be impossible to exclude at least minor spoilers for the first in the series. Jump to the end if you don't want to see.

Peter Grant, apprentice wizard and full-on police constable, is currently acting as the go to guy for weird cases while his boss, Chief Inspector Nightingale, recuperates from the ending of the last book. Dr Walid gets him to check the body of a Jazz musician who apparently died of natural causes straight after a gig. When traces of vestigia (a kind of magical resonance) is found, in the shape of a Jazz classic tune, Peter realises that enquiries will need to be made. When initial investigations find a number of similar cases his thoughts turn to possibilities of a jazz vampire being on the loose. Such is case #1.

Case #2 goes back to a scene that seemed quite jarring from Rivers of London. That was the bit at the end with the rugby player and his missing, distinctly male, appendage. It's up to Peter to track down whoever is biting off said appendages with her distinctly female parts.

The two cases seem to have some crossover. Are they linked in some way? Apart from characters mentioned there are others returning from the previous book and we get to learn more of Peter's past when he asks his dad about the jazz case. We also get to learn more of Nightingale and Molly and of course the City of London features just as much as it did in the first instalment. The police procedural element is still a strong part of the story as is the black humour that those who have to deal with crime scenes often use in such situations. While case #1 is fully solved by the end of this book, case #2 provides what appears to be the main series arc and will run into at least one more book, Whispers Under Ground, which is due out in March 2012 by the looks of things.

If you enjoyed Rivers of London/Midnight Riot then there is little doubt that you will enjoy this one and while you don't necessarily have to have read that one before Moon Over Soho it would certainly help with character development and understanding if you did. 4★'s

Okay, that’s it! I’ve completed my stepped version of the challenge. Thanks to all who stopped by and provided encouragement. It’s been a pleasure to again be a part of this challenge group. I will be sticking around of course and I’ll just add future reads to my overflow category from now on. Two whole months of free reading before starting all over again for next year. Woohoo!

Congrats on finishing! Glad to see you will be sticking around. Enjoy the two months of free reading!

Hooray! As promised, I've brought confetti and balloons. Congratulations.

Congrats on finishing. Will you be hanging around?

Congrats on finishing!! I'm definitely picking up the Aaronovitch books on your and Kerry's word! Are you going to keep filling your categories or do "free reading" the rest of the year?

Congrats! see you in the 12/12!

Thank you all. I'll just be adding books to the additional overflow category from now on. Otherwise there will be some very uneven steps in my challenge.

Congratulations!!

Congratulations, Wolfy!

Congrats!

@157-159, Thanks! Been a pretty good year, I should add a summary at some point I think.

Congratulation, looking forward to your summary. And happy to know you're joining us next year too!

Congrats on finishing, Wolfy! Looking forward to seeing you at the 12 in 12!

Congratulations! I've enjoyed reading your reviews!

@161-163, Thank you muchly!

Yes, a summary! Those are so much fun. (ok, even I can see how nerdy that statement is)

Summary (includes challenge books only)

Favourite book in each category:
1. Out for the Count: The Count of Monte Cristo (the one and only book in the category)
2. Two in One: The Absolute Sandman Vol.1 (a very close thing between the two)
3. Stop Bas-Lagging Behind: Perdido Street Station (the start of the series and my first encounter with China Miéville)
4. More of Elmore: Get Shorty (a harder edge than the movie version just wins the vote here)
5. Weather Control: The Shadow of the Wind (beautifully written and a godd translation to boot)
6. Absolute Zero: Rapture (a very clever debut offering which just edges out stern competition here)
7. Tickling the Funny Bone: All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye (a good character transition piece from a favourite author)
8. Book Watch: Watchmen (a great example of what can be achieved with graphic novels)
9. Lost in Translation: The Chalk Circle Man (fresh, imaginative and extremely well written characters)
10. Starter for Ten: Rivers of London (urban fantasy and police procedural made a good combination)
11. What a Carry On: The Magdalen Martyrs (another great instalment of a terrific series)

Average category rating: (5 or more books to qualify)
5. Weather Control: 3.7
6. Absolute Zero: 3.58
7. Tickling the Funny Bone: 3.71
8. Book Watch: 3.69
9. Lost in Translation: 3.33
10. Starter for Ten: 3.7
11. What a Carry On: 3.91

Least favourite books read for the challenge:
In Search of a Distant Voice
The Successor
The Devil's Graveyard

Overall favourites
The Count of Monte Cristo
Perdido Street Station
The Shadow of the Wind

Love all three of your overall favorites and off to figure out how I missed your review of All Fun and Games Until Somebody Loses an Eye - that looks like one I will enjoy!

I like the average count section, you can see if any categories failed! :)

Must keep an eye out for the The Shadow of the Wind, I admit its never been on my radar by it sounds intriguing.

Overflow - The Chrysalids by John Wyndham

What's it like to be different from the norm? That's the question that David, a young boy growing up in a post-apocalyptic community along with a few others like him, must answer and they must keep their difference secret from the rest of their families, friends and neighbours or risk banishment to the Fringes, a wild area where day-to-day living is more than hard and survival almost an impossibility. This community believes that they must stay pure and any deviance from that purity is harshly dealt with. Crops and animals are burnt while mutant humans are banished with the females firstly being sterilised to avoid spreading contamination. Outwardly, David and those like him appear no different to everyone else. They don't have six toes or an extra arm or other obvious signs of deviation and so are accepted within the community. Unlike the rest they can communicate non-verbally and as they grow up learning off each other they begin to question the rightness of the community's belief. How long can they keep the secret and what will they do if discovered?

Events come to a head when David's younger sister develops the same ability only much stronger than any of them. She even manages to communicate with others of their kind who live in a far away land which is not only free from persecution but their abilities are valued and seen as a progression on the evolutionary scale. Do they try to stay hidden within the community that they've grown up in or should they try somehow to reach this other place which will allow them to be who they really are?

An excellent post-apocalyptic story which highlights man's willingness to revert to intolerance of differences and to act brutally and with cruelty to those that threaten the status quo. 4★'s

I really must get down to reading Wyndham, especially this one. Have read so many excellent reviews for it!

Nice review, I haven't read any Wyndham for ages but when I was a kid and going through my dads shelves he was one of my favourite authors.

I've only read the two so far (this one & Triffids) and thought both were excellent reads. I certainly won't be averse to picking up more of his works.

Great review. I am looking forward to reading more of this author as well.

Overflow - Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Three by Bill Willingham

Waiting for these editions is hard work but made worthwhile when a new one turns up in the mail. Book 3 in the series contains the story arc of the March of the Wooden Soldiers but actually starts with an outing for Cinderella as she jets off to Paris for a secret rendezvous. As with everything connected to Cindy, is it really what it seems?

What then follows are the eight chapters which make up the main arc of this volume. Red Riding Hood has managed to escape The Adversary and made her way to our world where, not without some troubles, she makes her way to Fabletown and requests sanctuary, the first Fable to do so in more than a century. Unfortunately for her, Bigby smells a rat and goes off to investigate. Meanwhile, Prince Charming is setting his plans to become Mayor into motion and is trying to drum up support for his campaign with anyone who'll listen. Then there's three strange characters knocking about and Jack Horner comes a cropper when he runs into them but no-one believes him when he explains what's happened to him. They just write it up as just another one of his tall tales. But they all take notice when those three return Little Boy Blue in a lot less of a salubrious state than which they took him along with a message from The Adversary. The Fables are being given just a day to hand over all the magical items which they took from The Homelands or else...

Another beautifully packaged book in the deluxe series with artwork that really matches this type of story. Once again we have some extras at the back of the book which feature original pencil drawings of a statue released by DC Direct and also a two page spread that features in one of the chapters. Loving this series and I'm glad the release schedule seems to have upped a gear with the next book being due around February. 4½★'s

Such a great series! I kind of wish I had waited for the deluxe edition, but I was far too impatient!!

Well I cannot see myself getting into The Crysalids -another book all of my siblings have probably read and loved - but you have intrigued me with your review of Willingham's Fables: The Deluxe Edition Book Three. A quick search of my local library shows an entire collection of Willingham's works, expect for the Deluxe Edition your review pertains to, so I am now stuck with the "choices, choices" dilemma, and I am happy with that!

Lori, the series begins with Legends in Exile and would be a good starting point if you can find it. They are certainly not the Disney renditions of these characters. They are very much adult in nature and often feature scenes of sex, violence and death. So far I've contented myself with waiting for the deluxe editions so I can't say how the normal releases compare but I hope you enjoy them if you do decide to give them a go.

Congrats! I love your favorite reads list. I'll be bumping some of those up in the TBR pile.

Overflow - Zoo City by Lauren Beukes

A dark urban fantasy set in Johannesburg provides the setting for a missing persons case. For those that have got past that first sentence which only gives the tiniest of brief outlines that this book contains I'll add a bit more detail. Zinzi December has to carry around a Sloth everywhere she goes. Her companion gives her two things: A gift, in Zinzi's case this is the ability to find lost things, and also protection from the Undertow, a blackness that would literally swallow her up in a very unpleasant way. The downside to being animalled is that to get one you must have committed a murderous act. Zinzi also has to pay off huge debts that she ran up from her junkie days and to pay them off she is working for a 419 scammer sending out those e-mails that look so enticing but which first require you to pay a small fee in order to get your hands on a fortune. In the meantime, Zinzi also uses her gift to find those small things that everyone is always losing but when her latest client is murdered just prior to pay-day then she must take on a job that she never likes doing, find a missing person. In this case it's the female half of twins who are the latest music sensation who's disappeared just prior to finishing off their latest album and their producer hires Zinzi to locate her.

The story gives a fresh spin on an old tale with finely rendered locales and fully fleshed out characters which make reading this book an absolute pleasure even though the themes are on the seedier side of life. Throughout the story there are also articles detailing some of the themes of the book as well as faux reviews and extracts from books which add to the detail for the reader and don't interfere with the flow of the narrative at all. It's all very well done. Lauren Beukes will definitely be an author I look out for in future. 4½★'s

Glad you liked Zoo City, I think it was one of my favourite books this year, such fresh setting and I loved the hugely flawed character of Zinzi.

Great review of Zoo city! It rests fresh and unopened on my bookshelf, and I can't wait to pick it up for my 12 in 12!

Thank you both and for the thumbs too! Anders, I'm pretty sure you'll like it when you get to it.

Another thumb for you. Good review. I also have Zoo City planned for my 12 in 12. I've had it sitting on my Kindle since I read Claire's review.

Thank you. Hope you like it when you get to it.

Definitely going on my wishlist as well! Are the animals a punishment (if she "has to" carry it) or is it more of a familiar type relationship?

Hmm, Zoo City sounds very appealing. Will have to put it on my wishlist.

Eva, it's a kind of familiar type thing but it also carries with it a social stigma due to how you get one. It's why Zinzi is just basically ekeing out a living from her gift and living in the slums of Zoo City in the first place.

Paulina, hope you manage to pick it up and enjoy it when you do.

Congratulations on your Hot Review!

Well it's thanks to you lot that it's there so thanks for those thumbs.

Overflow - The Dramatist by Ken Bruen

The fourth book in the Jack Taylor series finds our favourite sometime Galway PI off the drink and drugs and even contemplating giving up the cigarettes too. His drug dealer, Stewart, has been banged up and Jack doesn't want the rigmarole of finding a new one so gave them up and thought he might as well do the same with the booze to get all the hurt out in one go. Six months go by and still clean and sober when Cathy asks him to go see Stewart and when he does he's asked to look into the death of Stewart's sister. She was found at the bottom of her stairs with a broken neck. The verdict pronounced accidental death but Stewart thinks not due to the book that was found under her body. His sister hated the author, J.M. Synge. It's only when a second body is found in similar circumstances that Jack actually believes there may be something to what Stewart has to say after all.

While this is going on, Jack also has to deal with his mother's worsening health along with a vigilante group called The Pikemen and the fact that former lover Ann Henderson's new husband doesn't seem to like him. This series is really brutal on Jack and it's a wonder he's survived until now. How much more can the guy take before he returns to his old ways to numb the pain again?

Once again my wishlist has grown due to the quotes that are included as chapter markers and marked off some music to check out as well. Thank you Mr. Bruen but I'm seriously wondering if you have a heart with the punishment you dole out to your characters. 4½★'s

The ending of The Dramatist is a shocker, that's for sure. Are you recovered?

Are you recovered?

No! I was planning to jump straight into the next one, Priest, but couldn't face it after that ending. Will have to pick up something lighter for my next read I think.

I somehow missed the first time you mentioned the Bruen series. Another one for me to binge on, perhaps?! :)

Eva, I read the first in the series, The Guards, for my 2010 category challenge and when I finished it I immediately went out and bought the next 3 reading the second one straight away. Waited until the beginning of this year to read #3 and now that's the 4th. They are very easy to read especially if you like your noir on the black side of dark. Be prepared though for your wishlist to grow as the main character has an excellent taste in literature and music.

You already know I'm an addict - I'll not need much persuasion to binge! :) And, yes, noir with some dark humor works very well for me. I just read Judy's (DeltaQueen50) review of The Guards and I think it'll be right up my alley.

Speaking of Ken Bruen, I need to get going on the next one as well!

Found Wanting by Robert Goddard

Richard Eusden is a bored civil servant working at the Foreign Office in London and desperately wants some excitement in his life. Along comes Gemma, his ex-wife, to provide him with some. She has been tasked by her other ex-husband and Richard's life-long friend, Marty Hewitson, to deliver an attaché case to him in Brussels. Seeing as he hasn't seen Marty since he skipped the country while on bail, which Richard put the money up for, and add in the fact that Marty now has an inoperable tumour, Richard agrees and sets off on the errand that will forever change his life.

Richard finds out that the case holds documents that may bring to light the fate of the last of the Romanovs and that they could be worth a fortune. Betrayals and double-crosses abound in this country hopping twist of a story, passing though Belgium and onto Germany, Denmark and Finland. The scenery is excellent and it's a shame the story and characters don't match it. Still fairly readable though and the last hundred pages do fly by. 3★'s

Dave, I just don't know what to say......You reel me in with an interesting premise for Found Wanting, come clean about how the story and characters don't match the excellent scenery, still give it a decent 3 star rating, decent enough to convince me to check to see if my local library has this 'new to me' author's book, only to discover the library has stacks - and I do mean stacks - of books by him.

Oh well, will check this one out as I do enjoy stories with a Romanov family tie-in.... and I mean really, what is one more prolific writer added to the author pile in the greater scheme of things?

;-P

Lori, my own personal rating system means that a 3★ review indicates that the book is just a decent to ok read. In this case you kind of get tired of how many knives end up in the main character's torso from being repeatedly stabbed in the back. Add in no emotional contact with any of the characters then it all seems a bit of a let down from what it could have been. Most of the other reviews on this book seem to also indicate that it's not one of the author's best efforts.

I find Robert Goddard to be a bit of hit and miss. When he's good he's very good. My favorites of his (so far) have been In Pale Battalions, Painting the Darkness, Caught In the Light and Beyond Recall.

I've only read one other of his books, Dying to Tell, which I rated ½★ higher than this one. I also have a couple of others sitting on the tbr shelves neither of which are any of the ones you listed.

The Last Werewolf by Glen Duncan

After the death of The Berliner, Jacob Marlowe finds himself the last of his kind. The Hunt will now turn its full attention to his extermination and after 200 years of life Jake believes he is ready for an end of things. Fate, however, has other ideas. WOCOP (World Organisation for the Control of Occult Phenomenon) want the last hunt to be memorable and set out to rile him up and make a fight of it. Then there are the Vampires that seem to have taken an unhealthy interest in Jake as well. What plans do they have for him?

This is a literary horror story that brings the werewolf trope bang up to date. It examines what it's like to have to kill a human being each time the full moon rises and how justification sits just as uneasily as the flesh he's devoured. It is written in the form of Jacob's journal so the reader gets up close and personal with the man and his thought processes. We learn of his making and of the woman he loved. He certainly doesn't shy away from the gory details of the bedroom or the kill scenes. The language is choice and colourful as well as often beautiful but those of delicate sensibilities need not apply to become a Glen Duncan devotee. Having now read three of his novels I'm happy to be known as such.

While the first half of the book is almost melancholic in its reverie the second shifts pace into top gear and doesn't let up until the final climax. I'm happy to report a sequel is due out next year and a third book apparently to follow the year after. 4½★'s

Your review makes me very glad that I am planning on reading The Last Werewolf for my challenge next year!

Great review. Is werewolves and vampires Duncan's regular fare?

Damn I got stuck without a book on a night away and had Snowdrops or Last Werewolf to choose from, looks like I chose the wrong book! Great review btw.

Thanks all.

Judy, hope you'll enjoy it when you get to it.

Anders, no, each of the ones I've read so far have been different topics. I read Hope earlier in the year and you can see my thoughts in Msg100. Sex usually finds a way in there though.

Claire, never mind, there's always next time ;)

I'm a bit behind! Your review on Zoo City is great. I still haven't gotten to it, but it sounds totally like Lauren Beukes. I'm going to look forward to her faux books and articles.

Thank you Katie. I see you've read her first novel, Moxyland, which I haven't yet. I'd be interested to see how you think it compares quality wise to Zoo City when you get to it.

Death of an Ordinary Man by Glen Duncan

Nathan Clark is dead. We know this because we're with him as he watches his family at his funeral. His father, his wife and two surviving kids, his best friend as well as a couple of other people he doesn't recognise and who inspire in him a feeling of utter dread if he gets too close. Nathan doesn't remember how he died and wonders if these two people had anything to do with it. Not, as his gravestone suggests, at rest will Nathan be able to find the cause of his own death and that of his youngest daughter which also seems to be eluding him from the thoughts and feelings of those he's left behind and finally find peace?

We follow Nathan as he picks out the thoughts and sensations that provide triggers to his memories that help him fill in the blanks. The relationships Nathan had with his family and friends are examined intimately and how when tragedy strikes it causes such upheaval in everything they do and makes the reader think how they would cope in such circumstances. As I've come to expect from the author the writing is superb and the pacing of the book exquisite. From the early confused tones to the almost unbearable heart-wrenching scenes of discovery that Nathan goes through this is another excellent entry in the body of work I'm discovering from Mr. Duncan. I've just ordered another couple as I do want to read more and probably eventually all of them. 4★'s

Death of an Ordinary man does sound interesting and adds another new author to my list to research further ;-)

I need to check out Glen Duncan dont I? Sigh. At least Xmas is just around the corner :)

That's now the 4th of his I've read and loved them all. He's not somebody I could recommend to everyone, his themes tend to be on the darker side and his language is often of the colourful variety.

Sounds great :-)

I tried his I, Lucifer but can't remember that I ever got through it. Weird. Anyways, this one sounds like it has a great premise - and my library has a copy :) - so on the wishlsit it goes!

Hope you all appreciate him as much as I seem to do.

I am planning on reading The Last Werewolf for my 12 in 12 next year, but I am also going to add Death of an Ordinary Man to my wishlist as well. Good review, Dave.

I agree, good review! Seems like a writer with an interesting range.

Thank you both.

I'm always surprised when I find an author like this with eight novels to his name that, of the four I've read so far, is as good as he is without being talked about that much on places like LT. I just hope that he's not too male-centric for everyone to be able to regard him as highly as I do.

A Day and a Night and a Day by Glen Duncan

Augustus Rose, mixed race American and member of an anti-terrorist terrorist cell, has been captured and is being tortured (mostly left undescribed, thankfully) to reveal all he knows about his accomplices and his targets. He was recruited by an organisation called Sentinel after he lost someone dear to him in a terrorist attack while he was in Barcelona. He was being used to infiltrate the group responsible to get the information that will lead to some kind of justice in a vigilante kind of way when he was taken. During the period of his torture the only thing he can hold on to to blot out the pain are the memories of the loves of his life. The greatest of these being Selina whom he was first captivated by when their love was still considered taboo. A black man could not get together with a white woman at the time no matter his own Italian blood. As well as the memories we also get to see the relationship that forms between Augustus and Harper, his interrogator, and the burgeoning respect of these two men.

The narrative is quite fragmented as you get the memories interspersed with the interrogation and also a look ahead to what happens afterwards but this doesn't make the story any less riveting. You can't help but ponder the moral implications involved in the events of this story and Mr. Duncan again shows what a talent he is and who doesn't shy away from the unpleasant questions that life throws up. 4★'s

Priest by Ken Bruen

This book is number five in the Jack Taylor series and the brutal ending of the previous instalment means the start of this one finds him in a mental asylum. Some words from a fellow inmate manage to penetrate the fog that his life has become and a shred of sanity manages to make an appearance in Jack's life once again. Returning to Galway he finds that almost everything has changed, not just locally but on a national scale. Not back long, Jack is surprised when he is asked for a favour by Father Malachy, one time companion to Jack's mother and certainly no friend to him. Another priest was recently killed, beheaded in his own confessional, and Father Malachy wants Jack to look into things. Rumours abound that the dead priest was involved in the sexual abuse of young boys and this provides Jack with the starting point of his investigation.

As usual with this series there are a number of side issues that go along with the main quest and this time around Jack is also helping out Ridge, his lesbian Garda acquaintance, as she seems to have picked up a stalker. There's also young Cody who manages to insinuate himself as a new apprentice despite Jack's initial misgivings. Then there are also the previous events in Jack's life that have to be dealt with and the fallout that entails as well as the day-to-day struggle that is the everyday life of Jack Taylor.

Another wonderful entry into a magnificent series and though the ending is predictable there really could have been no other. 4½★'s

Juliet Naked by Nick Hornby

Annie is concerned that the long-term relationship she has with Duncan is just an existence and not really sure she hasn't wasted the last 15 years of her life. Broody and still childless she is getting to a stage where she is asking herself some big questions. So when a disagreement over the merits of a release of a studio sessions and demos album by their favourite reclusive musician culminates in obsessive fan Duncan seeing someone else Annie thinks it's time for change, especially when Tucker Crowe, the artist, e-mails her and agrees with the review she wrote. Tucker himself is coming to the end of another in a long string of failed relationships, 5 kids by 4 different women (and 2 of those were twins) tells it's own story, and is also at a turning point in his life. No new music for twenty years and now living off the generosity of another soon to be ex-partner he doesn't know what to do with himself or his 6 year old son, Jackson. More or less pushed into it, he finds himself packed off to London to see one of his estranged daughters who has just lost a child of her own. As soon as he arrives though he has a mild heart attack and said daughter thinks the thing to do would be to get all his family together to help him recuperate. This is the last thing Tucker wants and so prevails on Annie for an escape route to her hometown of Gooleness, a faded Northern seaside resort that has certainly seen better days.

This book is a wry look at obsessive behaviour of fandom and the myths they create to idolise the artists they adore and how the internet has enabled their passion as much as it is about the relationships of the people involved. There are some very funny moments which caused more than just a smile though I think the audience for this novel is somewhere around the middle-aged rather than a younger crowd as we can resonate more with the characters involved. 4★'s

I've just enjoyed browsing through your thread, lots of books already on my tbr list and I've decided to try Ken Bruen next year.

Thanks Kerry. Ken Bruen is definitely someone I can't recommend enough if you like your crime stories on the hard-boiled side. I'm thinking of trying to finish the Jack Taylor series before the end of the year and then it will give me a chance to pick up something else by the author to see if I like those just as much.

3 books in 3 days enabled me to catch up with Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor series. They really are so good and easy to read (unless you hit an ending like the one in The Dramatist). Also working nights with not much to do certainly helped. Thought I might as well wait to review them all as a job lot.

Cross

A young man is crucified and the Guards have no leads whatsoever. Ridge thinks that Jack's nose for finding might be able to sniff something out and she badly wants the promotion that seems to be on offer to anyone who can crack the case. Jack agrees to help and soon finds himself in a whole heap of trouble (when is he not?). He's also agreed to investigate the disappearance of several dogs from the same neighbourhood but passes this on to someone else while he deals with the other case (and everything else that's going on in his life) but this end of things does not go well. We also find out how the ending of the previous book, Priest, transpires and also have Jack contemplating packing up and heading off to America as with the modernisation the old haunts of Galway are disappearing faster than his friends and acquaintances.

As hard hitting as a hurley to the kneecap. 4★'s

Sanctuary

His bags are packed and he's ready to go when Jack receives a phone call from Ridge asking for his help. She's just had the results back from some tests and her worst fears are confirmed a lump she found in her breast is malignant. Jack agrees to stick around to help her through the treatment. He's also been sent a list and at first Jack ignores the contents even when item 1, a priest, ends up dead after a hit and run accident Jack brushes this off as coincidence and no real concern of his. Only when item 2, a judge, also ends up dead does he raise his concerns with Superintendent Clancy who also dismisses the list outright so Jack decides to take matters into his own hands once again and attempts to discover who's responsible and why they involved him in their actions. Case #2 involves a threat to the daughter of one of Galway's high fliers and as Ridge needs something to do to prevent a descent into despondency, Jack passes this one on to her with unexpected consequences.

Probably the weakest book in the series but still a pretty good read. 3½★'s

The Devil

Refused entry to the US, Jack is back in Galway and is asked to look into the disappearance of a student. Initial investigations point to an occultist and when the student turns up dead with an inverted cross gouged into his skin this seems to confirm that belief. So who is this mysterious Mr. K and why does everyone who has a friendly conversation with Jack seem to be ending up dead all of a sudden? Is it all coincidence or has Jack finally met the worst adversary there is? 4★'s

This is a terrific series that has maintained a high consistency through the 8 books so far (a 9th has just been released) and I urge fans of the darker side of crime writing to check this one out if you have not already done so. Start with book #1, The Guards though as it really does need to be read in order.

Nice to see you are enjoying your Bruen-a-thon! I haven't read the series and not really a fan of hard-boiled crime stories but I do appreciate when an author produces a series that keeps the reader reaching for the next one.

Oh, having a binge-read then?! (As you may be aware,) I just love getting immersed in a fiction-world and characters like that.

Just stopping by to wish you the best for the holiday season, Dave. See you on the 12 in 12 Challenge in the new year!

I thought that those 3 books would take me through to the end of the series but I've now found out there was a new release that wasn't on the series page. That was probably one of the main factors in me reading them consecutively but never mind, at least I'm caught up now until Headstone gets a paperback release.

Judy, thank you and I hope you have a good one too.

Merry Christmas everyone and I hope Santa brings you all you're hoping for this year!

Merry Christmas Dave!

Merry Christmas to you too. I've enjoyed reading through your thread this year.

Merry Belated Xmas & a Happy New Year!

Merry Xmas and happy new year from me too

Thank you all. Hope that you all enjoyed your Christmases and that the new year is full of wonderful and exciting new reads for you.

Likewise Dave! Have a happy New Year, looking forward to see what you open with in 2012.

Vurt by Jeff Noon

What would happen if Philip K. Dick was around to discover the New Weird movement? It might end up something like this.

Scribble is a member of the Stash Riders who use the Vurt feathers to explore different levels of virtual reality. On one of their trips his sister, Desdemona, was left behind and was exchanged with a vurt alien and all Scrib wants is to get her back again. To do so, he'll have to find that rarest of feathers, the Curious Yellow. The yellow feathers are not for the weak though so there's going to be some casualties along the way that's presuming they make it out again if they get there, not everyone does.

Set around the Manchester area of the UK in some near/alternate future there is a lot of very strange things happening in this book and it took me a while before I decided if I was going to enjoy the ride or not but in the end I did. There are some fantastic characters in this book and my hometown setting helped a bit as well. This is a pretty good effort for a first novel and I'll certainly be on the lookout for more by the author. 4★'s

2011's last (?) book bullet, right there. I've seen this book a hundred times, but have never picked it up, or had any idea what it's about.

It was definitely one of those impulse buys from me. The cover is hardly of the buy me now type but the blurb on the back sold me on it along with being set around the Manchester area which happens to be my hometown.

I have picked it up a few times but never been inclined to buy it, may snaffle it if I see it 2nd hand now...

I always worried that it was going to be dated by the time I got round to reading it, it's good to see that isnt the case.

@238 You are banned from buying 2nd books remember until our TBR bookcase looks less likely to collapse any minute..

Claire, you do know that if you fill in the spaces between the shelves it stops them from sagging ;)

Hope you both enjoy it if you decide to pick it up anyway.

240 your assuming that there are any spaces between shelves....

There are always spaces somewhere. You just might have to re-organise for the 108,000,000th time to find one but it will be there.

Don't encourage him! ;)

You're certainly right about the cover to Vurt - not too enticing. Your description, though, much better! :)

Hope you're having a great holiday!

Thanks Eva. Unfortunately I'm in the middle of a 5 night stretch in work so not much fun. Hope yours is working out better than mine.

LOL - yes, I've had the whole week off and don't go back to work until Tuesday. Sorry, don't mean to rub it in... :)

Year End Stats

Total books read: 84

Primary Tag
Classics 1
Graphic Novels 4
Fantasy 11
Sci-Fi 9
Crime 20
Mystery 1
Adventure 1
Historical Fiction 2
Noir 8
Mystery 4
Fiction / Contemporary Fiction 8
Spy / Thriller 3
Horror / Supernatural 4
Humour 1
Urban Fantasy 7

Original Language
English 72
French 3
Spanish 4
Albanian 1
Japanese 2
Russian 2

Author
Male 76
Female 7
Unknown 1

Okay, I think I'm done now. Thanks to all who've had a hand in contributing in my chllenge threads this year. Hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have and I'll wish you all a very happy New Year and may 2012 bring you much joy. See you all next year.

Happy New Year Dave! I am looking forward to receiving more book bullets from you in 2012!

Happy new year, Dave! The primary tag stat was very clever, as was the original language bit. I'm curious: Peruvian? Who writes in Peruvian?

>239 clfisha:-242 Oh, how I relate... 2012 will be the year when we leave Stockholm to move to a smaller town and a bigger place. A room devoted to be library is high on our list. I'm thinking site-specific book-shelves...

Unstarring this thread now, Dave! See you over in 12in12!

Peruvian? Who writes in Peruvian?

Oops! Picked that up from the wrong place. Should have been another for the Spanish total instead. Edited.