Here’s the summary of the last 2 months or reading
- Crowd Surfing, Martin Thomas, David Brain. Good book on how brand should approach “surviving in the age of consumer empowerment”
- Nation Terry Pratchett. He’s one of my favourite authors and this is one of his best. Not a Discworld novel, just a wonderful example of growing up and what it is to be civilised.
- Shopholic Abroad, Sophie Kinsella. This is like a snack, a book that gets read in a day. I like it, I think, because I spend most of my time slightly amazed at the lead character who is completely alien to me. The plot was pretty predictable and I could see the ‘twists’ coming very early, but strangely enjoyable in a frothy way.
- Azur Like It, Wendy Holden. Light, silly chicklit that has over the top writing and a predictable plot. But I keep reading her books for that entertainment value. They’re fun and fluffy, perfect for a bit of escapism.
- Hostage to Murder, VL McDermid. One of her Lindsay Gordon novels, OK, but got a little frustrated at some of the angst and the jumps in plot. I prefer her character Tony Hill
- Ghost, Robert Harris. I’ve enjoyed his previous books and this was the same. A well crafted novel with a bit of a mystery. This was a lot closer to current world than some of his previous books, I kept expecting the revelation to show how different the alternate reality was but never took that route, keeping it within current possibilities.
- Let it Bleed; Black and Blue, Dead Souls. All by Ian Rankin. I decided to sart a re-read of the Rankin Rebus novels, well some of them, planning on reading through to the end. I’ve got all of the Rebus books, liking the Scottish detective despite his moroseness.
- Bringing Nothing to the Party, Paul Carr. A biography by someone I know (or at least I keep bumping into at parties). It’s all about the London tech scene and Paul’s attempts to be part of it. A lot of it covers the time I was not in London, so it’s an interesting insight into what was going on. I also know many of the people mentioned and have heard different versions of some of the stories! I liked this tale.
- The Devil You Know Mike Carey. A fantasy novel, about an exorcist. Good tale, a good read.
- The Iron Hand of Mars. Lindsey Davis. One of the Didius Falco novels, about an investigator in Roman times. I like the books as they usually give you enough of a start to explore the history whilst being a good detective novel.
- The Cup of Ghosts, Paul Docherty. Yet another historical fiction, this time telling the tale of Isabella and Edward II through the tales of household member Mathilde, a physician who has to hide the secret of being from a Templar family. The first in a series, so far, it’s good.
- Scarpetta, Patricia Cornwall. I was getting really frustrated with this character, Scarpette the forensic Medical Examiner as she was getting really whiny and annoying. It feels like Cornwall has taken a fresh look at the stories with this book, with it being told through multiple character viewpoints and I felt a lot less like wanting to just shoot the main protagonist. The author therefore stays on the hardback list.
