Books read 2010
January:
'Demon Seed' by Dean Koontz.
Enjoyed it, nice idea, well-written, bit hard on men, but possible to ignore the misandry if one doesn't read the Afterword ;) Certainly the main male characters were an effective representation of a particular type of sadistic psychopath; the only thing I was the implication that this sort of person is invariably male.
'The Dark Half', by Stephen King (re-read).
One of my favourites of his. I love the characters of Stark and Thad, and how they're perfectly complementary, and how Thad is kind of lifeless without Stark. Basically, I love how King puts himself into his characters; it makes for a very interesting commentary on writing, and how the creative process works. Well, how it works for him, anyway.
'The Stand', by Stephen King (re-read)
Some of the attitudes espoused by the characters make me cringe, as does the fact that most of the female characters are whiny and useless; there are a few unpleasant tropes in there, and the religious stuff doesn't really agree with me. Nonetheless, there are some quite superb characters in the book - Harold, Trashcan Man and The Kid are probably my favourites (how messed up is that, lol), after the man himself, of course. Flagg is <3, in any of his incarnations.
'Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man', by James Joyce.
I've had it for ages and only just got to reading it. Lovely book written in an engaging style, with plenty of sly humour. Nowhere near as hard-going as it looks.
'Watership Down', by Richard Adams (re-read).
Been wanting to re-traumatise myself with this book for a while now. It freaked me out as a child; I was convinced that the Black Rabbit of Inle lived in my parents' upstairs toilet. Sure, it's not exactly a perfect novel, but I'm not sure I agree with the criticisms of sexism that have been levelled against it. The main characters are *rabbits*, ffs. How can a bunny champion sexual equality? Adams tried to keep the rabbit's society consistent with what he knew of their real behaviour in the wild. Well, except for the fact that they could talk, obviously. And the level of strategic planning they were capable of is pretty unlikely. And I don't think there's a rabbit God, for that matter. Still, you see my point, right?
'Five Are All Together Again', by Enid Blyton (re-read).
I know, I know. I rescued it from my parents' house and read it on the can.
'The Plague Dogs', by Richard Adams.
Bit strange, not as depressing as the film version I saw years ago. Bit heavy-handed on the morality, but the concept of the nature of wild animals - their 'attitude', or lack of it, towards their own deaths - inspired some interesting conversation.
'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban', by J.K. Rowling (re-read).
I read it in the bath...
'Darkly Dreaming Dexter', by Jeff Lindsay.
Wow :) So glad I have the rest of them to read, courtesy of Nic. The ending was in some ways a bit...quaint, but in other ways quite nicely done. The best part, by a long way, is the main character. Delightfully depicted Dexter. I love his narrative voice, the dramatic irony, the presentation of him - the author has done some real research (either that or he's a psychopath himself), which is nice and quite refreshing. I was hoping Dexter would be Ripley-esque, and he's exceeded my expectations. So far, Ripley is still my favourite fictional psychopath, but Dexter is certainly in the running. I'll be starting the next book right away. It amuses me a little now that at one time, I didn't think Lecter could be beaten. Lindsay owes something to Thomas Harris, perhaps, but Highsmith knocks Harris into a cocked hat in terms of creating a believable character, and she came first. :)
'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire', by J.K. Rowling (re-read)
Another in-the-bath/on-the-can book.
'Dearly Devoted Dexter' by Jeff Lindsay.
Enjoyed it as much as the first one! Thought the chief 'bad guy' was very cool. And that's it for January!
February:
'Dexter in the Dark' by Jeff Lindsay.
Definitely the weirdest of the three so far, but I liked it very much. I cheered at the end :)
'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' by J.K. Rowling (re-read)
I'm going through that sort of phase at the moment. Hiding, reading. These are good hiding books.
'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' by J.K. Rowling (re-read)
I really liked many aspects of it, but all the romance gluck made me vomit (I'm not saying it was unrealistic, just gross). It was rather like reading fanfic. Also, I really wish JKR had managed to keep those little touches of bigotry out of her writing. Just because she's championing a fictional minority doesn't mean it's okay to take the piss out of the French and other 'foreigners', stereotype ethnic minorities, or fortify outdated stereotypes in the minds of young people. That silly generalisation with the boy characters all being insensitive morons (except Dumbledore, who is of course gay and therefore must be a power-house of sensitivity and metrosexual fashion...*eyeroll*) and the girls all having genius-level EQs is really. Really. Annoying.
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' by J.K. Rowling (re-read)
Have to say I enjoyed it more this time than the first or second. I guess it's growing on me. It still feels like she just stuck a pin in a list in picking the characters who get killed off, though.
'Third Year at Malory Towers' by Enid Blyton (re-read)
See Blyton books above.
'Tales of Beedle the Bard' by J.K. Rowling (re-read)
It's cute ;) Thought I might as well finish off my re-read of the series with this.
'Watership Down' by Richard Adams (re-read)
I know I only read it in January, but I had the sudden desire to do so again.
'Dexter by Design' by Jeff Lindsay
As superb as the others!
'Knots and Crosses' by Ian Rankin
My first, belated foray into the world of Rebus. I honestly didn't think I'd like it after the first couple of chapters - I like to read about a main character I can identify with, and Rebus is sexist, religious, and a father, stuff that doesn't appeal to me. However...somehow, he wormed his way into my brain and I ended up genuinely caring about what happened to him. He's such a hapless, pathetic prat in many ways. Refreshing compared to all the usual hero characters. And I enjoyed Rankin's intro to the book, where he admitted all his first-time mistakes, including the use of pretentious and unlikely language and references in characters who wouldn't think or talk that way, a pet peeve of mine (and one I repeatedly rant about in the context of James Herbert). tl;dr by the end I was hooked, and have already ordered the second book in the series.
'Upper Fourth at Malory Towers' by Enid Blyton (re-read)
See above re other Blyton books ;)
'Second Form at Malory Towers' by Enid Blyton (re-read)
See above!
'Last Term at Malory Towers' by Enid Blyton (re-read)
And again.
'First Term at Malory Towers' by Enid Blyton (re-read)
Yet again.
'Hide and Seek' by Ian Rankin.
Enjoyed it at least as much as the first one; slightly missed the presence of Jack Morton, but enjoyed the McCalls.
[A bunch of short stories and partial re-reads]
March:
'In the Fifth at Malory Towers', by Enid Blyton (re-read).
See above ;)
'Master and Commander' by Patrick O'Brian (re-read).
Loved it even more this time :D I've read it a couple of times before, but I always forget how incredibly detailed and immersive it is, and how amazing the characters are.
'Post Captain', by Patrick O'Brian (re-read).
I don't like the second book *quite* as much as the first, but it's still terrific. I have this tremendous urge to shoot Diana Villiers.
'Knots and Crosses' by Ian Rankin (re-read).
Still can't decide if I can stand the main character enough to read the rest of the series.
'Fifth Formers at St. Clare's' by Enid Blyton (re-read).
See above.
'Second Form at St. Clare's' by Enid Blyton (re-read).
And again.
'Five on a Secret Trail' by Enid Blyton (re-read)
q.v.
'H.M.S. Surprise' by Patrick O'Brian.
Squee. Possibly my favourite so far. *hugs Stephen*
'Hound of the Baskervilles' by Arthur Conan Doyle (re-read)
Need I say anything?
'Tooth and Nail' by Ian Rankin
Didn't turn out to be quite as unpleasant as I thought, though I stand by my discomfort at the wince-making misogyny in the first two books. At least the female in this one was a bit sneaky. She was also rather useless, requiring hugs and tranquilisers just because somebody sent her a rude letter, but still. Eh. I might keep reading after all!
'Five on a Treasure Island' by Enid Blyton (re-read)
Well yes.
April:
'The Mauritius command' by Patrick O'Brien
Loved this one too - not quite as much as the third one, but still absolutely brilliant.
'Return of Sherlock Holmes' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Because not reading Holmes is...bad.
'The Ghosts of Sleath' by James Herbert (re-read)
I don't know why I keep subjecting myself to Herbert's absurdly pretentious writing and unrealistic dialogue, but something about his Gary Stu main character in this book fascinates me.
'Five Have Plenty of Fun' by Enid Blyton (re-read)
Legitimate reason this time - I was ill.
'Look Me in the Eye' by John Elder Robinson.
Fascinating perspective on Asperger Syndrome from someone who had no idea what was different about him until he was forty. I read out chunks of this book to Nic, because I could relate to it so strongly, include several behaviours I've always done, which I hadn't even been aware were common in autistic spectrum folks. Definitely a book I would recommend, for the guy's interesting life if not for the Asperger's itself.
'Strip Jack' by Ian Rankin.
I liked the first Rebus novel, wasn't so thrilled with the second and third, but I really liked the fourth! Great characters, much better writing.
'The Black Book' by Ian Rankin.
The fifth Rebus novel is far and away my favourite; I actually loved it, and on the basis of this will continue to read the series despite my earlier reservations about the third book. Fantastic characters, new and old; lovely setting, and the character of Rebus has improved almost unrecognisably from the awkwardly and inconsistently portrayed old fart depicted in the earlier books. Rankin seems to have hit his stride by this point; in his intro he described the fourth book onwards as 'grown up Rebus', and he's right.
'Desolation Island' by Patrick O'Brian.
:D :D Adored it, especially the last chapter.
May:
'Mortal Causes' by Ian Rankin.
Liked it very much. Not quite as much as the fifth one, but still, certainly enough to keep reading. It amuses me to note that Rebus, despite his hardliner/loner behaviour, is a total sponge. When he was still influenced by his cerebral ex-wife, he read a lot and listened to highbrow music. Now he's living with a doctor, he watches what he eats and has cut down on smoking. When he lived with a houseful of students, they quickly turned him vegetarian. It's entertaining to watch the character evolve.
'Casebook of Sherlock Holmes' by Arthur Conan Doyle (re-read)
Need I explain? :) Casebook contains some of the direst examples of the canon, but it also has a few crackers.
'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' by J.K. Rowling (re-read)
I don't know why I keep re-reading these! They're just so...relaxing, I guess. Well, the first few are.
'Eleven' by Patricia Highsmith.
It's weird - I thought I got into Highsmith's work in the last few years because of Ripley, without realising that as a kid I picked up one of my mum's library books to read - and it was this one. I'm not billing this as a re-read because it was *years* ago when I was a little childer, and I didn't read the whole thing anyway. However, what's weird is that there was this short story I remember reading as a small child, one which distressed me horribly and made me feel sick and ill and sad. I knew it was a about somebody boiling a terrapin alive while their child watched - but I had no idea that it was by Patricia Highsmith. Reading it again last night, I felt the same horror for the child whose mother was so utterly, irredeemably revolting. The way she mocked her son, calling him a crybaby, was especially distressing. I cheered with utter glee at the ending, however. It felt almost like therapy, lol. Anyway, it's a fantastic collection of stories which I would heartily recommend.
'Darkly Dreaming Dexter' by Jeff Lindsay (re-read)
Enjoyed it just as much the second time!
'In the Fifth at Malory Towers' by Enid Blyton (re-read)
...for about the millionth time. This is probably my favourite Blyton book.
'Hide and Seek' by Ian Rankin (re-read)
Fancied reading a Rebus novel and my new ones hadn't arrived yet, so...this one is my favourite of the first three, I think.
'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' by J.K. Rowling (re-read)
I've nearly finished some new books, I swear ;)
'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' by J.K. Rowling (re-read)
I told myself I wouldn't, but HP is oddly addictive.
'Let It Bleed' by Ian Rankin.
Another excellent tour of duty for Inspector Rebus :) The more dilapidated he gets, the more I love him.
'Fortune of War' by Patrick O'Brian.
Loved it, naturally; not my absolute favourite so far, but still some wonderful scenes, characters, and environments. And the essay about the author at the back was brilliant. I want his life!
June:
'World of Jeeves' by P.G. Wodehouse (re-read)
There is nothing I could say which would be sufficient :) I wish I'd brought some of the novels back with me from my parents' house, as well. I got through all the stories in a couple of days :( It's just so maddeningly readable!
'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' by J.K. Rowling (re-read)
Yes, well...
'True Ghost Stories of the British Isles' - compilation
I think the 'true' in the title is rather generous, but still; I knew many of these already, but there were a few that were totally new to me. A much better book than any recent anthology of its type I've seen before, filled with first and secondhand accounts in their original form, many of them at least fifty years old, and therefore not taken from the Daily Mail. A good read. Badly edited in places, but a good read, which I'd recommend to any casual fan of supernatural stuff, and to any burgeoning survival scholars, or parapsychologists who don't take themselves or their field overly seriously.
'Black and Blue' by Ian Rankin.
Another decent one. Not my absolute favourite; I like Jack Morton very much, but I missed Holmes and Sioban having a more active role. Rebus' sponge-like behaviour is still amusing, quitting drinking and smoking just because his friend tells him to. I'm sure once Morton's out of the picture he'll be back to his old ways. At least I hope so; a cleaned-up Rebus would be far less interesting.
'Death Is Now My Neighbour' by Colin Dexter.
I've been meaning to read Morse for a while, so I pounced on this when I saw it for two quid in a charity shop. Thoroughly enjoyed it and intend to read the rest of the books. It was very sad, though, largely becaus I know what happens to Morse in the end, but also because, as with Rebus, there's something pathetic about the character. It's as though no matter what they do (or who with) there will always be something missing. Morse's first name is inspired. My grandma loves the TV version of Morse because John Thaw reminded her strongly of her brother, who was also a police inspector, and who looked quite a bit like a younger version of Thaw. Sadly he died at only 44. On a different note, I loved the book because of the Oxford setting, the intense familiarity. I've quaffed pints in many of the mentioned pubs, though I didn't understand why the Eagle and Child was euphemistically referred to as the 'Bird and Baby' when so many of the others kept their real names!
'Five Run Away Together' by Enid Blyton (re-read).
Why not - I've been 'suffering from my nerves' a bit lately and this is one of my favourites.
'The Secret of Annexe 3' by Colin Dexter.
I admit I found this one a bit bewildering, and it took me a few minutes to work out what had actually happened even after I finished the book, lol. I don't usually work too hard to try to figure out the solution in a detective story - I'd rather just appreciate the author's skill in directing me to think this or that - and in this case I amused myself by figuring out the same solution as Morse - which then turned out to be at least partially wrong, lol. It was a deceptively simple story that looked more complicated than it was, with real Rastafarians and fake Rastafarians and husbands and lovers all getting mixed up with each other. Still, good fun.
'Last Bus to Woodstock' by Colin Dexter.
Having got the box set of Morse novels very cheaply, I'm starting from the beginning. Liked this first foray very much; not as dated as I feared, bar the occasional remark about women being unable to service cars.
'The Hanging Garden' by Ian Rankin.
Another excellent political-and-gang-warfare driven plot, and once again lots of angst for poor old Rebus. One of my favourite guest characters was killed :( But another one of my favourites appeared again, unexpectedly, which was nice. Still - Jack! Who's going to keep Rebus off the booze now? And paint his living room, and cuddle him when he cries...;-;
'Hodd' by Adam Thorpe
Strange, clever, surreal, oddly engaging story of the 'real' Robin Hood, who in this text is considerably more interesting that the romantic version. Not really possible to describe it - the sort of thing that has to be experienced for itself.
'Last Seen Wearing' by Colin Dexter
Another excellent outing for Morse! I'm increasingly falling in love with this guy, largely because of the degree to which I find myself identifying with him - working class background, flights of fancy, his frustration with himself and the fact that nothing he ever does seems to be enough, the fondness for ale...
'Second Form at St Clare's' by Enid Blyton (re-read)
My favourite of these. The pairing of Mirabel and Gladys fascinates me.
July:
'Haunted' by James Herbert (re-read)
Again!
'The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn' by Colin Dexter
Liked this one. Felt sorry for the guy. I always enjoy the academic/college based ones!
'Service of all the Dead' by Colin Dexter
Not so sure about this one, it all seemed a bit...unlikely. And a bit derivative of Agatha Christie. Enjoyed it though!
'Watership Down' by Richard Adams (re-read)
It does me good to re-read this occasionally - though it also invariably gives me the creeps.
'Engima' by Robert Harris (re-read)
Enjoyed it even more the second time, because of the opportunity to see how Harris has developed as an author since this book.
'Her Fearful Symmetry' by Audrey Niffenegger
Um. It was a gift. I can do no better than quote various reviews: "beautifully written if incoherent",
"weakly foreshadowed and confusing twists that take the plot from dull to silly", "she sustains a mood, but it is vaguely repellent, rather than enjoyably disquieting."
'Dead Souls' by Ian Rankin
Good one again - perhaps one of the best in terms of 'villain of the week', and poor old Rebus isn't getting any more psychologically healthy. I was sad that Rankin chose to kill off yet another of my favourite characters, grr. :)
'The Dead of Jericho' by Colin Dexter.
While I'm still enjoying Morse, I'm starting to find the books a bit...samey. I love the characters, and the plots are often quite intricate, but there's not much variety in terms of the nature of the crimes, etc. Like Midsomer Murders or Sherlock Holmes, it makes for a nice, relaxing, but profoundly old-fashioned read. I might have a bit of a break before reading another one.
'The Mystery of Cloomber' by Arthur Conan Doyle (re-read)
I first read this book on a ferry to Ireland. I don't think I've ever managed to recreate the pleasure of that first experience, but I enjoy having a go every so often :)
August:
'Insomnia' by Stephen King (re-read)
This one freaked me out when I first read it; I slept with my head under the covers for ages in case the doctors got me. King seems uniquely able to bother me with his writing - not scare, exactly, but profoundly disturb. And yet I keep coming back.
'Hound of the Baskervilles' by Arthur Conan Doyle (re-read)
Needs no comment :)
'Everything's Eventual' by Stephen King (re-read).
I like his short stories. 1408 is my favourite.
'The Riddle of the Third Mile' by Colin Dexter.
The last one must have been a lapse, because this one was one of my favourites!
'The Surgeon's Mate' by Patrick O'Brian.
Oh Stephen. At last <3 Possibly my favourite so far.
'Knights of the Black Earth' by Margaret Weis and Don Perrin.
Delightful crack :) Like reading a children's book for adults.
'Bag of Bones' by Stephen King (re-read).
I don't think the critics liked this one, and there are certainly elements which made me wince, but I like reading about a writer. It makes me want to write myself.
'Set in Darkness' by Ian Rankin.
Another good outing for Rebus. And he's resurrected one of my favourites, so it's a bit of recompense for killing off two of them in the last couple of books :)
'Neuromancer' by William Gibson (re-read).
The archetype. Excellent inspiration.
'The Secret of Annexe 3' by Colin Dexter (re-read).
First Morse I read, now reading it in sequence with the others. Still good.
'Tick Tock' by Dean Koontz.
Bwuh. I...have no words, it was bizarre. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd known to expect a comedy; as it was, the smushed genres totally threw me, and I thought the book had nuked the fridge for ages until realising the absurdly illogical events were meant to be funny!
September:
'A Study in Scarlet' by Arthur Conan Doyle (re-read).
For the Baker St. Readers canon readalong!
'Dearly Devoted Dexter' by Jeff Lindsay (re-read)
Probably my favourite of the first four!
'The Wench is Dead' by Colin Dexter.
Another good outing for Morse! Cleverly written, this one.
'The Falls' by Ian Rankin.
Lovely one - weird, and with a bit of a bizarre ending, but Rebus is always enjoyable and I'm getting very attached to many of the supporting characters. I have a horrible feeling I know which one of them is going to get killed off next...
'Cell' by Stephen King.
Basically a rehash of some of his older works spliced with what appears to be his version of every zombie film ever made, but especially '28 Days Later', which was itself cheery, good-natured and occasionally surprisingly affecting rubbish. At least one half-interesting twist, the use of the mobile phone based brainwipe, which he probably wisely left unexplained, since any explanation would have been ridiculous. I enjoyed reading it, though, and as usual there were some very engaging characters. Nice to see a gay MC - I don't remember King ever using one before - but were all those stereotype jokes absolutely necessary? And did the guy have to be a tiny bachelor in love with his cat?
'The Jewel that was Ours' by Colin Dexter.
Clever, surprisingly touching, and with a terrific ending, this is definitely my favourite of the novels so far. Interesting that it's the first to be based on one of the TV shows' scripts.
'The Sign of Four' by Arthur Conan Doyle (re-read).
For the LJ readalong!
'Mindstar Rising' by Peter Hamilton (re-read).
Love Mandel. Love all the other characters too.
'The Catalans' by Patrick O'Brian.
Very interesting read - like all his books, immersive and beautiful wrought, with intriguing characters. I prefer his Aubrey-Maturin books because that sort of thing is more to my taste, but this is still a well-constructed and enjoyable novel.
'The Way Through the Woods' by Colin Dexter.
Not an absolute favourite of the Morse series; it had a few interesting character developments, but I wasn't terribly taken with the plot. The main even of the book for me was the loss of a much-loved supporting character :(
'A Quantum Murder' by Peter Hamilton (re-read).
Friendly potboiler, amusing detective story plot, nice to see all the characters again, but I thought the first book was better.
October:
'The Nano Flower' by Peter Hamilton.
Um. The longest, most detailed, best written of the three Mindstar books, but - well, it's the weakest in terms of plot. Hamilton seems to have swapped his enviable, almost unparalled level of realistic futurism for some weird crap about aliens. Basically - it got silly. And while I liked what he did with some of the characters (and obviously they were his to dispense with) I wasn't desperately keen on some of the decisions. Did Eleanor, who was so cool she kept up with a bunch of super-tough hardliners in the first novel, really have to end up hovering in the background minding their enormous brood of kids? And Julia was so much more engaging as a brilliant but sweet and sometimes naive teenager - her grown-up self was a bit over the top, bordering on the absurd. And while I enjoyed the inclusion of Suzi - she and Victor Tyo became my favourites in this book - I painfully missed the presence of my favourite character, Morgan. He was cool if you like that sort of thing - stern father/tender-hearted badass trope. I would've enjoyed the idea of this book more if it hadn't been set so much later. I can see elements of the aliens in 'Fallen Dragon' here, but that book did it so much better, and the character of Lawrence made the whole thing utterly charming even when it was at its least believable. 'The Nano Flower', sadly, fell between the cracks: it was neither one thing nor the other, neither sufficiently original or believable in plot, nor a satisfactory resolution for the characters. 'Fallen Dragon' is his best book, IMO. You get both, in spades. Plus I love the military hardline focus; all the squaddie characters are fun, especially the strangely lovable, ill-fated Hal, and Lawrence as a character is a work of genius, IMO. Might have to read it again. Actually - I can see a lot of SAAB in it, particularly in terms of the characters. There are elements of Lawrence's (younger) character which remind me of Nathan West - his idealistic childish dream which somehow turns into him being a badass corporate soldier, his initial romantic heartbreak, his ultimate focus on getting the girl. Heck, he even wears her picture on a tag around his neck! Plus Hal is very Cooper-esque in some ways. Hm.
'Resurrection Men' by Ian Rankin.
Another good one, a favourite; loved the supporting characters. Poor old Rebus, he does get knocked around.
'Daughters of Cain' by Colin Dexter.
Good one. Rather sad.
'Lustrum' by Robert Harris.
Wow. Just...wow. I didn't think Imperium could be bettered, but this - this is possibly the best book I've ever read.
'In the Fifth at Malory Towers' by Enid Blyton (re-read)
Yes, well.
'The Ionian Mission' by Patrick O'Brian.
Another terrific Aubrey-Maturin, with some engaging guest characters.
'Next of Kin' by Eric Frank Russell (re-read).
Absolutely hilarious. Occasionally wince-worthy illiberal content, but it's an old book. Main character - well, kind of the only real character - is extremely amusing.
'Cell' by Stephen King (re-read).
Perfect for Halloween morning!
November:
'A Question of Blood' by Ian Rankin.
Another good Rebus book. Particularly enjoying the increasingly large role given to Siobhan.
'Five Go Adventuring Again' by Enid Blyton (re-read).
Just had the urge.
'The Gunslinger' by Stephen King (re-read)
Had forgotten how good the early Dark Tower books were.
'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' by J.K. Rowling (re-read)
With all the talk about the film, I just sort of got the urge. Nice and relaxing book for a Sunday.
'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' by J.K. Rowling (re-read)
Film came out, what can I say?
December:
'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban' by J.K. Rowling (re-read)
Once I start, I have to do the whole lot, even if I don't plan to.
'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' by J.K. Rowling (re-read)
I originally typed Giblet of Fire. Guess I'm thinking of Christmas.
'Fleshmarket Close' by Ian Rankin.
Just get Rebus and Siobhan together, already!
'The Sicilian' by Mario Puzo (re-read)
The measure of a good book is the extent to which it makes you cry. The epic and tragic friendship of Turi and Aspanu gets me every time.
'The Historian' by Elizabeth Kostova (re-read)
I like to read this one again periodically. Lovely winter read, with hot tea and biscuits...
'The Drawing of the Three' by Stephen King (re-read)
I love this one. They kept getting better and better up till the fifth, IMO.
'Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix' by JK Rowling (re-read)
Was very comforting while I've been ill.
'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' by JK Rowling (re-read)
This one's my favourite of the later books, dunno why. Maybe because Harry's a bit less soppy than usual.
'The Straw Men' by Michael Marshall.
Courtesy of Nic, who read it to me. Terrific book! Some intriguing and original concepts, tightly written, great characters. Looking forward to hearing the sequels.
'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' by JK Rowling (re-read)
Wanted to read it again after seeing the film.
'Treason's Harbour' by Patrick O'Brian
Working my way slowly through these...another very enjoyable read. O'Brian's grasp of history is fantastic; the details of life at sea are wonderful, and his sly wit is even better.
'The Godfather' by Mario Puzo (re-read)
One of my top ten favourite books, I think.