I realised a few weeks ago that I haven't updated the list of books that I've read for forever... And I thought I'd post most of them as a list here, as I think I've read about 30 since I last did the job properly...
Full Circle - Pamela Freeman 5/5
I, Coriander - Sally Gardner 3/5
Need - Carrie Jones 3/5
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson 5/5
The Ghost - Robert Harris 3/5
The Girl Who Played With Fire - Stieg Larsson 4/5
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornets Nest - Stieg Larsson 4/5
Wintercraft - Jenna Burtenshaw 3/5
Lonely Werewolf Girl - Martin Millar 4/5
Already Dead - Charlie Huston 4/5
Fallen Grace - Mary Hooper 3/5
The Passage - Justin Cronin 10/5!!!
Horns - Joe Hill 4/5
Under The Dome - Stephen King 4/5
The Poison Diaries - Maryrose Wood 2/5
The Woman In Black - Susan Hill 4/5
The Black Prisim - Brent Weeks 4/5
The Dragon Keeper - Robin Hobb 4/5
The Discovery Of Witches - Deborah Harkness 4/5
The Suspicions Of Mr Whicher - Kate Summersdale 3/5
Killing Floor - Lee Child 4/5
Die Trying - Lee Child 4/5
Tripwire - Lee Child 4/5
The Visitor - Lee Child 3/5
Echo Burning - Lee Child 3/5
Monsters Of Men - Patrick Ness 4/5
Without Fail - Lee Child 4/5
One Day - David Nicholls 5/5
Toast - Nigel Slater 3/5
Persuader - Lee Child 3/5
Secrets of East Anglian Magic - Nigel Pennick 3/5
The ones of significance were of course Justin Cronin's The Passage, that I spouted and drooled about just before publication - and The Discovery Of Witches, which I had the pleasure of receiving a proof of well before publication this month.
Written by Deborah Harkness, (excellent name btw, how very Stoker), it offers us a modern universe of vampires, witches and daemons, an ancient treaty between the three races and a discovery of a book that may well destroy the peace and all the creation myths the races hold. It reminds me very much of the old school vampire tales, of Anne Rice especially, with its atmosphere, character description and progression, the way the relationships bloom slowly but passionately...
This is a book for horror-fantasy fans who remember Interview With A Vampire. It is the book for Meyer fans to read once they've left their teens... Not that it should be considered a work of an adult nature! More that it has a passion and maturity beyond the simpering crushes of your typical paranormal romance. If the relationships in The Discovery of Witches fail, it might actually be the end of the world, rather than just feeling like it and having to sulk in your room eating ice cream whilst listening to Paramore...
An excellent read, published 3rd February 2011 - but be warned, it is the start of a series. It wouldn't be a fantasy book if they could sum up the whole story in one volume!
Another title worthy of note is One Day by David Nicholls - and I'm guessing a lot of people have already read this... It is incredibly well written, full of the torments of aging over the course of 15 years, from graduation day to something approximating adulthood, full of the social anxieties, pressures, disappointments and hopes of both sexes, as the two lead characters Emma and Dexter fall in love, drift apart and spend their whole lives hoping to fall into each others arms again. This is a love story for all adults that will leave you wanting to live everyday to the full...
Well, I'm averaging at less than a book a week at the moment, so I'd better get back to the current papery chunk of wonder... I so need to get my reading speed up...
Oh, btw the cat is Marla Singer and she is appalled by my book choices - there's no Chuck Palahniuk...
