The Library of the Dead by Glenn Cooper

At first I thought - yet another conspiracy theory novel. 

However, having said that this book kept me engrossed, in part because it was quite complicated.  The various time settings meant you had to stay alert, because Cooper has you jumping from one century to another, one decade to another.  If you put the book down for more than a couple of days I suspect you would struggle to pick up the various threads.  There are actually several stories running at once, all leading up to the final chapters when the whole thing comes together.  The whole tale is very cleverly and intricately woven together.

The characters were well written and believable, and there were scenes in the book when you could really empathise with their emotions. As a British reader I cringed with embarrassment at the scene with the drunken Brits on a plane – is that really how others perceive us?

There is a sequel to this novel which I will definitely read, and he has written more books after that, so I will have to see if his books become as predictable as those of Dan Brown.  Read one – you’ve read them all.

Heart of the Mirage – by  Glenda Lake

Another Fantasy Fiction series, so my kind of books. Having said that this didn't keep me completely gripped, and at first I wasn't quite sure why.

The characters were varied and the plot had enough twists, turns and undercurrents to be interesting without being too complicated.

However, when I think about the book as a whole I realise my attention wandered when the magic elements became too contrived.  I know magic doesn't really need explaining, and is unbeleivable by its very nature, but this magic did not convince me. When I'm reading about magic I want to be left thinking 'Wouldn't it be great if that was real?'

Reading the blurb for the next book, I don't think I will be searching it out to read.  I'm not that interested in Ligea's and Brand's future.  If it turns up on a shelf in charity shop I might pick it up for want of something better one day, but otherwise I’m moving on to something else.

Wolf Hall – Hilary Mantell

Finally! After several stuttering attempts to get into this book I have finished it.  Did I enjoy it? Well, yes actually, I did. Would I read it again?  Not sure.  Do I want to read the sequel? Quite possibly.

So why was it such a challenge?  It certainly met one of my criteria for a good read:  an historical period that fascinates me.  I think the reason it took so long to get into it was that almost like a journal, from the viewpoint of Thomas Cromwell.  And yet, it was not written in the first person, nor was it written in the past tense.  It felt a bit like a journal because it was so caught up in the minutiae of everyday life.  In the end, that was what made it so fascinating;  it was like opening a window into a Tudor world.

It certainly wasn’t what I would call an easy read, which may be further grounds for the length of time it took me to complete.  I have to confess to being a rather a lazy reader; I have tendency to skim text rather than read every word.  In this book every word mattered.  There were places you could feel how the author had carefully chosen particular phrases or specific words to create exactly the right mood or picture.  The plot did not move on at a great pace, but I don’t think that was the intention.  As a reader you were being lead through the situations and emotions of the main characters.  A very clever book, but not necessarily one I would recommend to everyone.

Game of Thrones – George R Martin

I appear to be behind the times on this ‘cult’ offering, probably because I do not subscribe to Sky TV.  However, having been brought up to speed by watching some of the TV episodes, I decided I wanted to read the book.

As a fantasy fiction reader, I am quite surprised that these books haven’t come my way before, I wish they had.  I am not a great fan of reading books that have been made into movies or TV series, after watching them.  Somehow it takes the edge off building my own pictures.  To me, part of the enjoyment of reading is that escapism into the world you create with the author.  Once you have seen the characters, heard their voices, seen the settings, that special relationship is skewed.

I watched half of the episodes before reading the book, and I must say the TV does seem quite true to the text – I could hear the words in my head as Sean Bean said them!  Inevitably there are comparisons to be made between the two, but I definitely want to read the next book before watching the next series.

So, taking the first book in the series, which is actually called A Song of Fire and Ice: Game of Thrones.  This is the kind of book that is often described as a huge, sweeping novel. There are lots of interesting characters with quite complex relationships.  The way that each chapter is written from the perspective of one of those characters makes it engrossing, and often has the effect of changing your perception about those characters as you read on.  First you don’t like them, then you do.  The setting is one of fantasy, although a lot of it seems to be based in a fairly medieval society, with castles, knights, tournaments and battles on horseback. 

If you enjoy fantasy fiction, and are prepared to settle into a long series of books, then I would definitely recommend it.  I can’t wait to get stuck into the next book: A Clash of Kings.

The Eyre Affair  by Jasper Fforde 

I’m always delighted to discover a new author who has already written a few books so I don’t have to wait to read the next one!  My latest discovery is Jasper Fforde – why I have I not found his work before?

I have always had a soft spot for the surreal (which is probably why I enjoy Terry Pratchett so much) and this is very surreal.  The word that sprang to mind while I was reading was ‘quirky’, and I noticed that word in the many pages of rave reviews at the front of the book.

The storyline is really too complicated to begin to explain; the Amazon review sums it up fairly accurately, whilst describing it as ‘outrageous’ and ‘inventive’, sentiments I agree with wholeheartedly.  Despite the bizarreness of the plot, the characters are very believable and the main character, Thursday, is superb.  Definitely high on my recommended list!

Half term this week, with two flights and two train journeys, so I am finding a lot of time for reading. 

I have found a new author, or to be strictly accurate it is two new authors.  A mother and daughter team who write under the pseudonym of PJ Tracy.  They have actually been around for a while, the book I read, Dead Run, was published in 2005 and is one of a series.

The main characters are a group of ‘societal rejects’ who run a software company producing computer games.  As a sideline they use their computer skills to help the police solve crimes.  Alongside the main plot run the sub stories of the ongoing and complicated romances of the female characters.

Despite being part of a series this was an easy book to pick up and read.  However, although I enjoyed the book, and would probably read another if I was at a loose end, I feel no burning desire to go back and find the first book in the series.  The back story does not appear to be that compelling.  The main characters are so extreme they are almost caricatures, or perhaps they could be characters in one of the computer games the company produces; a gun-toting woman, a lycra wearing giant, an obsessively wealthy collector and a larger than life woman with a penchant for high heels and floating dresses.

If you want an easy read, with amusing characters and a rather thin plot, then this will do nicely.

Caught by Harlen Coben

Another classic Coben story.  Twist follows twist; another piece of the puzzle follows yet another piece.  Yet somehow, Coben always seems to surprise me at the end.  I have read a lot of his books now, and usually once you get the hang of an author you can work out the final story, but with Harlen Coben I am always hooked right through to the last page.

His writing style is so easy to read, it almost feels like a friend is telling you their story.  He also seems to be able to narrate the story equally well from a woman’s viewpoint or a man’s.  Quite a talent!

Briefly then, Caught tells the story of a group of people whose lives fall apart through actions of one person.  The time span of the actual story is quite short, but much of the build up happened many years ago, and we are taken meticulously through each phase.

If you want a gripping, interesting thriller, then try this one.  If you haven’t read Hareln Coben before, it’s an excellent starter novel.

Book Blog

I'm new to blogging, but I often finish a book and want to reflect on it.  So a blog seemed like a good idea; a way to share my thoughts and opinions on a particular novel.  It might be a new release, an old favourite or just a random book I picked up somewhere.

So here goes with my first review  - although that sounds rather grand, and implies a judgement of some kind.  That is not what I intend at all. The book I have just finished is 'Sacred Hearts' by Sarah Dunant.  I absolutely loved this book. 

So what made it so enjoyable?  Firstly it was an historical novel and I have always been drawn to historical novels.  Secondly it was set in Italy, just after the Renaissance, a time of great political turbulence.  That turbulence is reflected in the storyline, that of a reluctant novice entering a convent to take her vows. I don't want to give away any of the plot, so I won't go into too much detail.

The writing is so powerful that I was completely caught up in the story; I could hardly bear to put it down, yet I did not actually want to finish it either. The story is written in the present tense, which is something I often find unsettling, but in this book the style just flowed through. The characters were very well drawn and I really warmed to them.

I have not read anything else by her, but will certainly be looking forward to another of her novels.