Title: | Flat Earth News |
Author: | Nick Davies |
Genre: | Non-Fiction/Exposé |
Synopsis: | Examines the changes in modern media and how they have led to inaccurate, incomplete and dangerous reporting, misleading and misguiding us. |
Verdict: | Illuminating but very depressing, especially its highlighting of how little information we somehow manage to share and/or distribute despite the fact we’re more connected than ever. |
Pages: | 397 |
Read: | August 2009 – January 2010 |
30 August 2009
#12. Flat Earth News by Nick Davies
#11. Death Message by Mark Billingham
Title: | Death Message |
Author: | Mark Billingham |
Genre: | Crime/Thriller |
Synopsis: | A serial killer sends photos of his victims and intended victims to the police as a challenge as he goes about his work. |
Verdict: | Characters stay complex and lines are crossed which you always assume cops might but are rarely shown doing in fiction. |
Pages: | 376 |
Read: | August 2009 |
#10. Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
Title: | Ivanhoe |
Author: | Sir Walter Scott |
Genre: | Historical Fiction |
Synopsis: | A disinherited knight returns to England from the crusades and is caught up in the conflict of the times. |
Verdict: | The language made it slow going but gave it a certain beauty. The sociological issues explored are still relevant today and very bold for the times. |
Pages: | 477 |
Read: | August – September 2009 |
#9. Bonk: The Curious Coupling Of Sex And Science
Title: | Bonk: The Curious Coupling Of Sex And Science |
Author: | Mary Roach |
Genre: | Humorous Research/Non-Fiction |
Synopsis: | A study of the scientific investigation into the nature, function and physiological effects of sex. |
Verdict: | A return to form after the let down of ‘Spook’. Interesting, informative and amusing. |
Pages: | 306 |
Read: | August 2009. |
#8. The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko
Title: | The Night Watch |
Author: | Sergei Lukyanenko |
Genre: | Russian Supernatural/Horror/Thriller/Drama |
Synopsis: | Supernatural law-keeping and intrigue in Russia. Conspiracy and power plays abound as different magical creatures and beings called The Others face each other and try to keep or destroy the balance of Light and Dark which holds the world in check. |
Verdict: | Surprising, engaging and excellent. The foreignness of the Russian setting and mindset give the fantastic events a strange reality and grounding. |
Pages: | 489 |
Read: | August 2009 |
#7. Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Title: | Let The Right One In |
Author: | John Ajvide Lindqvist |
Genre: | Horror/Fiction/Drama |
Synopsis: | A bullied young boy befriends an outcast girl during a time of personal drama whilst a murderer roams the streets. |
Verdict: | Excellent. I can’t work out if I would have liked it more or less if I read it before ‘Undead’ but I wasn’t as shocked as I might have been since I had some experience of Lindqvist’s style. |
Pages: | 513 |
Read: | August 2009 |
#6. The Preacher by Camilla Läckberg
Title: | The Preacher |
Author: | Camilla Läckberg |
Genre: | Crime/Thriller |
Synopsis: | The body of a tourist discovered near the remains of an older body lead the police to a family whose connection to an old travelling faith healer hides stranger secrets than anyone could anticipate. |
Verdict: | Similar feel to ‘Ice Princess’, good characters, a bit less focused but still strong. Themes and long running stories continue to develop. |
Pages: | 419 |
Read: | July – August 2009 |
#5. Spook: Science Tackles The Afterlife
Title: | Spook: Science Tackles The Afterlife |
Author: | Mary Roach |
Genre: | Humorous Research/Non-Fiction |
Synopsis: | An examination of the scientific studies done in an attempt to work out what happens to us after death, whether the soul can be measured and other such ideas. |
Verdict: | I enjoyed it but not as much as ‘Stiff’. It felt a little vague and forced at times, no doubt because you can’t form proper scientific conclusions about something so philosophical which can’t be answered by the living and the dead have yet to comment. |
Pages: | 277 |
Read: | July – August 2009 |
#4. Handling The Undead by John Ajvide Lindqvist
Title: | Handling The Undead |
Author: | John Ajvide Lindqvist |
Genre: | Horror/Fiction/Drama |
Synopsis: | People in Stockholm begin to return from the dead and the living must deal with the ramifications. |
Verdict: | Amazing. Well-drawn characters, interesting look at grief, mortality and human nature. |
Pages: | 364 |
Read: | July – August 2009 |