BOOK NEWS: 100 Books That Defined The Noughties

100 books that defined the noughties

Zadie, Nigella, Steig and, of course, the boy wizard. The decade has seen publishing phenomenons like no other, but which books, for better or worse, have summed up the noughties?

Never in the history of bookselling has there been such a phenomenon as Harry Potter; JK Rowling’s series sold in tens of millions and appealed to adults as well as children. The great success of the British book trade this decade was the Richard & Judy Book Club. It ran in the late afternoon on Channel 4, and made instant bestsellers of Victoria Hislop, Audrey Niffenegger and Zoë Heller, among others. The 100 titles they selected sold 30 million copies.

A decade defined in Britain by Tony Blair is represented in this list by two revealing books about the making of New Labour and the rivalries, quarrels and often poisonous relationships among the leading personalities – Cherie Blair’s memoir and Alastair Campbell’s diaries.

Across the world, it was a decade defined in blood by al-Qaeda and the 9/11 att

acks on America, which precipitated the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – see books by Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Ed Husain, Ahmed Rashid and Khaled Hosseini.

It was also the decade of often tawdry celebrities, such as Russell Brand and Ashley Cole, and those, such as Katie Price, who didn’t even pretend to write their own books. Alan Hollinghurst won the Man Booker Prize for an explicitly gay novel; Ian McEwan rose above his rivals as the country’s pre-eminent literary novelist; and a black man became president of the United States – and wrote two bestsellers.

For the full list of 100 books see this article at
www.telegraph.co.uk

In the Post Today: THE COST OF DREAMS BY GARY STELZER

THE COST OF DREAMS BY GARY STELZER

Synopsis:

Flora Enriquez trusts that she has found safe haven for her young family in the remote U.S. Southwest, after fleeing the murderous environs of Central America where her parents were slain in a civil war. Only to find that all of her life's greatest challenges, by far, still lie before her.

I'm looking forward to reading this thriller.

Special Thanks to Gary Stelzer and Robyn at Carol Fass Publicity & Public Relations, Inc.

Review Coming Soon .....................

BOOKS READ IN OCTOBER 2009

Another great month of mixed books, the favourite of which was Desperate Highway -- the memoirs of a 'criminal genius' Jack Alexander -- written by Jesse Stretch

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson 8.5/10

Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse 5/10

Sassy by Gloria Mallette 7/10

It Happened in Italy by Elizabeth Bettina 8/10

Desperate Highway by Jesse Stretch 9.5/10

The Accidental by Ali Smith (AudioBook) 3/10

Book Review: ACROSS THE POND BY STORYHEART

Genre: Young Adult Fiction

Pages: 117 (Paperback)

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation (2008)

My Rating: 7/10






ACROSS THE POND BY STORYHEART

First Line:

Burrrdonk! The wheels locked as the plane descended toward the airport.

This is such a lovely, feel good short story which starts as 14 year old Fred arrives in America (across the pond) to stay for two weeks with his father's best friend's family -- Phil, wife Julie and daughter Brittney -- as his parents have won a holiday of a lifetime to Australia and couldn't take him with them.

A romance soon develops between Fred and Brittney and Fred's time in America is full of ups and downs, including getting into trouble on more than one occasion by the difference in the meaning of words, a misunderstanding with Brittney's flirtatious friend, protecting her honour and how attending a baseball game has unexpected repercussions!

My only problem with this book is how quickly Brit and Fred 'fell in love' which I thought was a little bit unreal.

But, overall, a quick, easy read with some funny moments and one that I would recommend for teens.

Book Review: AN EXPERT IN MURDER BY NICOLA UPSON

Genre: Historical Crime Fiction

Published by: Faber and Faber (Feb 2009)

Pages: 292 (Paperback)

ISBN-10: 0571237711
ISBN-13: 978-0571237715

My Rating: 8/10



AN EXPERT IN MURDER BY NICOLA UPSON

Synopsis:

"An Expert in Murder" is the first in a new series which features Golden Age crime writer Josephine Tey as its lead character, placing her in the richly-peopled world of 1930s theatre which formed the other half of her writing life. It's March, 1934, and Tey is travelling from Scotland to London to celebrate what should be the triumphant final week of her celebrated play, Richard of Bordeaux. However, a seemingly senseless murder puts her reputation, and even her life, under threat. Cleverly blending fact and fiction, "An Expert in Murder" is both a tribute to one of the most enduringly popular writers of crime and an atmospheric detective novel in its own right.

First Line:

Had she been superstitious, Josephine Tey might have realised the odds were against her when she found that her train, the early-morning express from the Highlands, was running an hour and a half late.

This is a very clever and unusual idea, using a real life writer (Josephine Tey) to help in solving a fictional crime set in the theatre world of the 1930's. It was full of believable characters with depth and richness and I was constantly changing my mind as to 'whodunnit'!

A very entertaining read which I would recommend for fans of Agatha Christie type novels.

Nicola Upson's website

BOOK NEWS: Chick lit offers fully rounded heroines for fully rounded women

Chick lit offers fully rounded heroines for fully rounded women

US publishing trend, 'bigger chick lit', booms as women respond to more realistic take on weight

"Chick lit" has relied for years on repetitive plot lines with heroines who agonise about their weight as they swig chardonnay, smoke cigarettes and have sex with their boss.

But the latest publishing phenomenon to sweep America, which has just arrived over here, features a new heroine: the young woman who is seriously overweight – and doesn't care.

"This is a completely new genre of chick lit and it's a breath of fresh air," said Mink Elliott, author of The Pi**ed Off Parents Club, which will be published next month by Little Brown. "These books are spearheading the revolution towards a more realistic perception of real women in easy-reading literature.

"Women are getting sick of the bullshit that has been perpetrated in chick lit until now. Bridget Jones, for all her agonising over her weight, was never heavier than nine-and-a-half stone, whereas the average weight of British women is well over 10 stone.

"This new genre is proof that women are finally learning to love each other and themselves – warts and all. Chick lit is finally holding a real mirror up to its readers, and they can't get enough of it."

A slew of books in which the protagonist is not just "curvy" or "voluptuous" but is actually "fat" are about to hit the bookshops. As well as The Pi**ed Off Parents Club, there is The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens, bestselling author of The Girls, which was the Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year in 2006 and a finalist for the Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction.

"It's classic wish-fulfilment: readers want to read about women learning to love themselves whatever their weight, because then they don't have to go through that pesky world of dieting themselves. There's a big market of people who want to hear that message," said Julia Llewellyn, author of Love Nest, to be published in February by Penguin, in which one of the central characters is overweight.

"Serious weight issues are a far bigger problem than they were in Bridget Jones's day," she added. "It's the most overwhelming issue in the life of many women. Which is precisely why it's something readers and authors are wanting to explore."

To read the whole article click here

AUDIO BOOK REVIEW: THE ACCIDENTAL BY ALI SMITH

THE ACCIDENTAL BY ALI SMITH

Synopsis:

The Smart family's lacklustre holiday in Norwich is turned upside down when a beguiling stranger called Amber appears, bringing with her love, joy, pain and upheaval. The Smarts try to make sense of their bewildering emotions as Amber tramples over family boundaries and forces them to think about their world and themselves in an entirely new way. The Accidental is at once a mysterious web of secret identities and a ruthlessly honest look at the silent cracks that can develop unnoticed in relationships over time.

I thought I'd do this review in a question and answer format.

Did You Enjoy This Audiobook? Not really

Why Not? I thought the overall story was quite boring, all the characters had a turn in the 1st person to talk about themselves and sometimes I couldn't understand which era they were talking about, whether it was past or present.

What Did You Think About The Characters? I didn't like or empathise with any of them, probably the only one I did like a little bit was the young girl Astrid.

What Did You Think The Author Was Trying To Say? I have no idea! I wondered if the story was too intelligent for me and I was too thick to understand it or whether the whole novel was just not very good.

How Did You Feel At The End? Apart from feeling glad that I'd finished it, I felt utterly confused.

Would You Recommend It? No. For me, too much was left unexplained, for example, who was Amber and where did she come from?

My Rating? 3/10

Book Review: DESPERATE HIGHWAY BY JESSE STRETCH

Genre: Non-Fiction Memoir

Published by: Booksurge (April 2009)

Pages: 290 (Paperback)

ISBN-10: 1439223947
ISBN-13: 978-1439223949

My Rating: 9.5/10





DESPERATE HIGHWAY: THE TRUE STORY OF A CRIMINAL BY JESSE STRETCH

Jack Alexander changed his name so many names as he ran away from one con to another that I'm surprised that he could remember who he was most of the time!

He dropped out of College in the late 1960's and married one of his fellow students who was extremely wealthy, they lived in a large house, Jack had a good job so why did he go down the criminal route? This book tells the whole amazing story of his criminal life.

From San Quentin prison -- where he was diagnosed as a 'criminal genius' -- to living the high life with beautiful women, fancy houses, drugs, alcohol -- mixing with drug dealers -- at one time holding down a job where he travelled the world -- and all the while not caring about who he scammed and hurt in the process.

I'm Jack Alexander, the notorious stolen jewelry salesman, airplane thief, trickster ... a professional con artist. ........ It's the same guy who three years ago blew 50 grand a month on whatever he wanted, usually **** he used only once.

As Jack relied more and more on drink and drugs to get him through the day, his life slowly descends to hell and he realises that "I could always get more money; it was the years that a guy could never buy back".

I don't want to spoil the ending but I thought this was such an inspirational book while Jesse Stretch brought this whole fascinating account of one man's rise and fall to life. I was absolutely engrossed from start to finish.




Special Thanks to Jeff Andrews and Bostick Communications.

In the Post Today: LETTERS TO ROSY BY C. ELLENE BARTLETT

LETTERS TO ROSY BY C. ELLENE BARTLETT

Synopsis:

An ocean apart, two elderly women, Rene Dubois, in Germany and Roselee Payton in America spent time in the late 50's and early 60's as teens in the town of Bartsville, Georgia, a small town outside the city of Atlanta. Mendy completed the terrible three. Bound together by love for each other once again became a trio.

Rene's urge to write letters to Rosy and reveal the story of Ken Mitchell who lost his wife to insanity and the disappearance of his little girl Sasha. He was teetering on the brink of destruction. A year of grieving brought him back to his normal state of health. He took a cruise to Germany. At the Captain's Dinner, an unexpected meeting enhanced his obsession to find his daughter. Another unusual meeting in the park, in Berlin, ignited Ken's imagination. Bridget was elated with the turn of events when tragedy struck, driving her into the arms of a trusted friend.

Rosy was intrigued and relieved by Rene's letter and was encouraged to tell her own story of Mendy's abduction and rape witnessed by her six year old daughter Misty. Mendy Arnold and Misty vanished from a busy Street in Atlanta, Georgia. At the same time Trevor, Mendy's husband was engaged in a torrid affair with an Auburn-haired beauty he met the same morning. The first letter to Rosy started a downhill avalanche. There was no stopping now; the horrors of yesteryear became a reality once again.

About the Author:

Born Charlotte Ellene Bartlett in Clarkston, Georgia. After WWII moved to Stockbridge, Georgia. Divorced with two children was hard. Met Air Force Sergeant and spent 34 years traveling the U.S and four years in Berlin, Germany. Husband passed away in 1996 and met Donald Blatchford in 1999. Now resides in New Port Richey, Fl. Took up painting again after 40 years and started writing. "Letters To Rosy" is a first novel.

Thanks to Scott Lorenz at Westwind Communications and C. Ellene Bartlett for sending me this book.

Review coming soon ...........

BOOK NEWS: New Film 'Where the Wild Things Are' sends parents into a 'rumpus'

The screen adaptation of Maurice Sendak's 1963 morality tale has sparked a debate about the merits of frightening our children

Max (Max Records) encounters the monster Carol (James Gandolfini) in Where The Wild Things Are.

When Jess Hyde picked a copy of Where the Wild Things Are from the bedroom shelf last week, her seven-year-old son, Arthur, pointed to it and said: "That gives me nightmares."

"He had never mentioned it before," says the mother of three from Frome, Somerset. "But it is a tricky one because the monsters are quite scary. They are not friendly pictures. It is something about the colour – they are brown and grey and not very endearing." Arthur's mother, who was given the book by friends, asked her son if he wanted her to read it. "He still said yes," she laughs.

The spooky palm tree fronds and twisting vines that invade the bedroom of naughty Max in this nursery classic will soon be invading the imaginations of young children anew, as a film version of Maurice Sendak's book heads for the cinema. A modern morality tale, Sendak's story sees little Max reject his parental home for a world where he can become "king of all wild things". It has been brought to the screen this autumn by director Spike Jonze and writer Dave Eggers, who adapted the screenplay. Their film has won plaudits from many critics, but some parents have been troubled by the ferocity of the story, and by the power of Jonze's new interpretation. As a result, they are advising other families to stay away.

The protest, or "wild rumpus" to borrow a phrase from the book, that has greeted the release of the film echoes disquiet about the bleak message embedded in Disney/Pixar's latest animated release. Entitled Up, it has been viewed by many parents as anything but.

A handful of American educationalists, including Professor Holly Willett, of Rowan University in New Jersey, have rushed to defend Sendak's 1963 book, but the new film stands accused of presenting unsettling images that, although popular, are likely to breed nightmares. A public debate about whether or not a child's appetite for being frightened should be indulged is now in full swing.

"This is a classic hero's story in which the protagonist undertakes a journey and returns a wiser person," Willett, an expert on children's literature, has argued in the American press. And Sendak's original tale has certainly stood the test of time: it is a reliable classic on the shelves of middle-class toddlers on both sides of the Atlantic and in 1983 composer Oliver Knussen turned it into a one-act opera that has joined the modern repertoire.

"I remember reading the Sendak book to my children and it frightened the pyjamas off them," Roger McGough, the poet, said this weekend. "But they went back to it. It is a scariness that you can control and that ends happily."

To read the full article in The Guardian click here

In the Post Today: Hoodoo Sea by Rolf Hitzer

HOODOO SEA BY ROLF HITZER

Synopsis:

The government of the United States of America is on the verge of startling the world. Billions of dollars had been invested in its space program . And now, the moment of truth had arrived… Scott Reed is the man for the historic mission. He is the Wing Commander chosen by the elite brass at NASA. The assignment to test flight the first speed of light craft, held top secret, was about to shock the world. The risk? Utter and complete failure. The reward? Being a part of the greatest human accomplishment ever known to mankind.

Major James Harrow, second in command of the four person crew, despised his Wing Commander. Harrow was a proud and patriotic American. What was NASA thinking when they selected a Canadian to pilot the voyage? There was no comparison as to who was the better skilled aviator. This was his time, his moment. Major James Harrow was about to prove to everybody they were wrong to bypass him as Commander. The weather conditions were perfect and lift-off for the test flight was text book. The triumphant cheers from Mission Control in Houston were echoed all the way to Cape Canaveral. The silent fear of the first hurdle of the flight had been succumbed. All systems were go! That is, until the crew and SOLT-X1 entered the Bermuda Triangle…

Sounds scary ........ I wonder what happens next. Well, I will just have to read it and find out.

Thanks to Tracee Gleichner at Pumpupyourbookpromotion.com.

Book Review: IT HAPPENED IN ITALY BY ELIZABETH BETTINA

Genre: Non-Fiction

Published by: Thomas Nelson (April 2009)

Pages: 380 (Hardback)

ISBN-10: 1595551026
ISBN-13: 978-1595551023

My Rating: 8/10



IT HAPPENED IN ITALY: UNTOLD STORIES OF HOW THE PEOPLE OF ITALY DEFIED THE HORRORS OF THE HOLOCAUST BY ELIZABETH BETTINA

1st Paragraph:

"I always told Fred that he had a picnic in Italy. I said to him, 'You complained that sometimes you had too much soup, while I was lucky to get a few spoons of some dirty water,' " recalled Edith Moskovitch Birns. Edith is a survivor of Auschwitz, while the man who would become her husband, Alfred (Fred) Birns, survived the Holocaust in Italy.

For me, these opening lines sum up the theme of this amazing and almost unheard of story. Compared to the millions of Jews who perished in the Concentration Camps in Germany and Poland, many more thousands would live a life of luxury (almost) in Italy in Internment Camps.

Elizabeth Bettina's life was changed when she was give a book by a relative when she visited Italy a few years ago. In it was a picture of a rabbi standing next to various people, including a bishop, on the steps of the Catholic Church in the small Italian village called Campagna where her grandparents were married. The year was 1940. Elizabeth, who had no idea that any Jews were in her village during the War, resolved to find out what happened and this book is what she discovered.

It is made up of peoples stories of their lives in the Camps, how they got there, how they lived, some even got married there! The book contains so many fascinating pictures - they do say that pictures speak a thousand words! It tells the story of how they were helped by Italian people who risked their lives to keep them from the hands of the Nazis.

Somehow she even arranged for some of the survivors to re-visit the small towns where they were interred all those years ago, which was lovely to read.

Though it was incredibly interesting reading about something that was so little known, I just wish the author didn't keep repeating how wonderful the Italian people were, I'm afraid it got quite annoying reading it for the umpteenth time.

Having said that I think this is definitely recommended reading for anyone interested in the Holocaust and the role of Italians in WWII.



Special Thanks to Thoma Nelson Publishers for sending me this book to review

In the Post Today: SAVAGE DAYS HAUNTED NIGHTS BY BENNETT KREMEN

SAVAGE DAYS HAUNTED NIGHTS BY BENNETT KREMEN

Synopsis:

Savage Days Haunted Nights by Bennett Kremen portrays Dorian, a man trapped in a harrowing struggle between good and evil, striving now perilously day after day to conquer this. It's an arresting tale, suspenseful and driven by forceful action from the first page to the last. Criminals, professors, socialites, prostitutes, poets and ordinary people animate every chapter of this saga, revealing some of the darkest secrets of the back streets of Chicago and New York and, in one chapter, a breathtaking adventure on a bleak, forbidding tundra in the wilds of Alaska. Revealed here also are the very deepest recesses of human character and the agonies of love amidst the moral challenges of our age.

I think the synopsis seems quite vague, it doesn't mention a storyline to follow, however it still sounds intriguing.

Thanks to Cyber PR Books and Bennett Kremen for sending me the book.

Review coming soon .............

BOOKS READ IN SEPTEMBER 2009

In the Land of Cotton by Martha A Taylor 7/10

Too Close to Home by Linwood Barclay 9/10

Billy the Kid by Michael Wallis 8/10

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield (AudioBook) 7/10


I didn't read a large amount of books this month but I certainly enjoyed them all. I think my favourite book this month was Too Close to Home.

Book Review: SASSY BY GLORIA MALLETTE

Genre: Crime Thriller

Published by: Gemini Press (May 2009)

Pages: 314 (Paperback)

ISBN-10: 0967878934
ISBN-13: 978-0967878935





SASSY BY GLORIA MALLETTE

1st Lines:

LOUD! The music was loud! The bass thunderous! The singing exhilarating! The catchy, finger-popping, toe-tapping music was heart pounding; but there was no party.

The Prologue is spoken by Myra Barrett, who is lying on the floor of her apartment, and in terrible pain due to the many stab wounds inflicted by her boss, Norris Yoshito, who she has been dating in secrecy. As she is lying there wondering why he's tried to murder her and hoping that someone will help her, her room-mate is lying dead near her.

So, from the beginning of the story we know who did it ............. or do we?

In the next chapter and from then on the story is told in the 3rd person and we meet Sassy, a popular romantic novelist, who is busy signing copies of her new book. She looks up and meets the eyes of Norris Yoshito and Sassy believes she has met the man of her dreams. After meeting for a drink, they start dating and gradually fall in love. Can this wonderful, charming, polite man really be the same person who stabbed Myra?

This sets the premise for the rest of the novel. The suspense was maintained throughout as we discover that other people who knew Norris are murdered, and when the police started closing in the last quarter of the book was incredibly gripping.

But I felt that it did slow down a little in the middle due to a long conversation in the bedroom of Sassy's cousin, Bernard who was dying of AIDS; it just dragged on and on and on, which drove me mad.

However, I do think this is a decent crime thriller. The character of Sassy was very likeable and the other people in her life seemed real enough for me to care about what happened to them.

For more on Gloria Mallette her website can be found here.

Special Thanks to Gloria Mallette and Bostick Communications for sending me this book.

In the Post Today: MURDER IN THE MAGICK CLUB BY BYRON A LORRIER

MURDER IN THE MAGICK CLUB BY BYRON A LORRIER

Synopsis:

Murder in the Magick Club, a novel by attorney Byron A. Lorrier, is an occult-themed murder mystery set in a pagan-themed night club, which follows a cast of rundown characters who live on the outskirts of society.

The last thing beleaguered nightclub owner Bryn Thomas needed was a dead body out back. After all, he already deals with annoying psychic flashes of his infinitely unfulfilling past and future lives, a worsening drinking problem, a disabling load of debt and running his ratty yet inexplicably popular club. But when he discovers the body of an old man by the dumpster behind the club, it soon becomes apparent that someone he knows is more than a make-believe witch or warlock.

"The book is a down-and-dirty stab at black humor wrapped around a mystery," Lorrier says. "Readers will relate to the need for delusional, magical escape from their day-to-day encounters with vile villains and financial stress."

The Magick Club mystery is complicated by Thomas' incompetent staff, including Cal, the thuggish hustler, Robert, the clumsy, catty instigator, and Magdeline, the oblivious, battered, drug-addled butt of everyone's jokes. Everyone who frequents the club becomes a suspect and the truth may be impossible to find in the midst of séances, witchcraft and enlightening effects of mugwort tea.

Sounds a fun read, something a bit different from usual murder mysteries!

Thanks to Byron A Lorrier and Bostick Communications for this review book.

BOOK NEWS: Hilary Mantel named Booker Prize Winner for Wolf Hall

Author Hilary Mantel has been named 2009 Man Booker Prize winner for her historical novel Wolf Hall.

Mantel, 57, beat five other shortlisted authors, including Sarah Waters and JM Coetzee, with her book based on Henry VIII's adviser Thomas Cromwell.

Judges praised the "extraordinary story-telling" of Mantel.

The author, who received the £50,000 prize at a ceremony at London's Guildhall, said it had taken her about 20 years to decide to write the book.

"I couldn't begin until I felt secure enough to say to my publisher - just what a publisher always wants to hear - 'this will take me several years you know'. But they took it on the chin," she said.

Mantel, who is now working on a sequel, also beat AS Byatt with the novel The Children's Book, Adam Foulds for The Quickening Maze and Simon Mawer for The Glass Room.

Waters was shortlisted for her book, The Little Stranger, and Coetzee had been in the running for his fictionalised memoir, Summertime.

"When I began the book I knew I had to do something very difficult, I had to interest the historians, I had to amuse the jaded palate of the critical establishment and most of all I had to capture the imagination of the general reader," Mantel said.

Chairman of judges James Naughtie said: "Our decision was based on the sheer bigness of the book. The boldness of its narrative, its scene setting."

"The extraordinary way that Hilary Mantel has created what one of the judges has said was a contemporary novel, a modern novel, which happens to be set in the 16th Century.

"We thought it was an extraordinary piece of story-telling."

Despite that, he revealed it had not been an "unanimous decision, but it was a decision with which we were all content".

For full article see bbc.co.uk

Book Review: THE WINTER GHOSTS BY KATE MOSSE

Genre: Historical Fiction

Published by: Orion (October 2009)

Pages: 272 (Hardback)

ISBN-10: 1409112276
ISBN-13: 978-1409112273





Do you believe in ghosts? Yes, that age old question is asked once more in Kate Mosse's re-working of her recent Quick Reads release, The Cave, and if you've read that then I wouldn't recommend you read this as it is so similar.

The year is 1928 when Frederick Watson crashes his car in a snowstorm in the foothills of the Pyrenees. He thinks he hears a woman's voice: 'The Winter Ghosts'. He abandons his car and walks down the hillside path to the small village of Nulle, which seems to have a sadness hanging over it, and where he finds a friendly hostelry to spend the night.

He is invited to a yearly feast in the local Ostal where he meets the beautiful Fabrissa and tells her of his unhappiness at losing his brother in WWII. She too has a terrible tale to tell...........

This was an okay book, but it wasn't gripping enough for me, the characters were sympathetic without me caring too much about them, the storyline was a little predictable, it left me thinking "Is that it?" On the positive side, Kate Mosse's usual wonderful descriptions, especially of the snowy mountainside and deserted villages were a joy to read.

Book Review; THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO BY STIEG LARSSON

Genre: Crime, Thriller, Mystery

Published by: Quercus (2008)

Pages: 542 (Paperback)

ISBN-10: 1847245455
ISBN-13: 978-1847245458





THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO BY STIEG LARSSON

This intelligent mystery centres around the disappearance of 14 year old Harriet Langer nearly 40 years ago. Her elderly uncle wants to discover once and for all exactly what really happened to her and he employs disgraced journalist Mikael Blomqvist, together with his unusual sidekick Lisbeth Salander to try and find out.

The story started incredibly slowly building up the characters back stories and the events leading up to Harriet's disappearance. But once these were established and Blomqvist delved deeper and deeper into the family's dirty secrets the story was gripping, and the complex character of the under-estimated Salander was the main reason this story has such a clever ending.

I will definitely be reading the other books in the trilogy.

In the Post Today: Precession by Abigail Arrington

PRECESSION BY ABIGAIL ARRINGTON

Synopsis:

Precession, the first novel from exciting new author, Abby Arrington, takes the reader on a thrilling ride when attorney Riley Morgan accepts the challenge of trying to help a handsome young musician, Evan Cole, unwind himself from an unscrupulous business manager. Along the way, Riley must contend with a shrewd opposing counsel who is more interested in the bedroom than the courtroom, and the threat of an armed and dangerous stalker intent on making Riley pay for providing legal aid to a victim of domestic violence. The plot thickens with the introduction of highly skilled federal agent, Kent Donovan, who is working behind the scenes to uncover a fraudulent enterprise that spans continents.

I really like the sound of this book, I love court room novels.

Special Thanks to Abigail Arrington and Bostick for sending me this book.