#25. Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Title:	Heart-Shaped Box
Author:	Joe Hill
Genre:	Horror/Supernatural/Thriller
Synopsis:	An aging rock star buys a ghost off the internet and finds himself actually haunted by a vengeful spirit, punishing him for his past, intent on ensuring he hasn’t got a future and none too careful of those around him.
Verdict:	This was a lot darker and more emotional than I expected, raw and honest and harsh. Lots of fun to read, real gut twisting reactions. One of those books you can’t put down until you’ve finished it because you won’t be able to sleep with the events it describes unresolved. Also I really, really appreciate owning dogs after reading this. Read it, you’ll understand.
Pages:	309
Read:	November – December 2009

#24. The Complete Polysyllabic Spree by Nick Hornby

Title:	The Complete Polysyllabic Spree
Author:	Nick Hornby
Genre:	Book Reviews/Humour
Synopsis:	The author reviews other writers’ books and documents his purchases, his own reading habits and his complete failure to ever get around to certain books.
Verdict:	Entertaining but not hilarious, gave me some reading ideas. I’ve never liked Nick Hornby’s novels but found his reviews decent reading.
Pages:	273
Read:	November – December 2009

#23. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

Title:	The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
Author:	Stieg Larsson
Genre:	Scandinavian Murder/Crime Fiction/Thriller
Synopsis:	A disgraced journalist is asked to investigate the 40 year old disappearance of a young girl and finds himself joining forces with a dysfunctional hacker in order to uncover a much more shocking chain of events than anyone anticipated.
Verdict:	Harsh, confronting but balanced and enjoyable. Fresh characters that exceed expectations with their actions and depth. The first part of the book is heavily taken up with establishing the characters’ back stories and personalities but I felt it was time well spent which paid off later on.
Pages:	533
Read:	October 2009

#22. The Death Of A Mafia Don by Michele Giuttari

Title:	The Death Of A Mafia Don
Author:	Michele Giuttari
Genre:	Italian Crime Fiction/Police Procedural
Synopsis:	There is an attempt on a policeman’s life that leads back to a mafia power struggle and political corruption.
Verdict:	It felt very forced and the action one-step removed, I didn’t really care what happened to the main character and only really felt sorry his for enthusiastic but underappreciated assistant. Either it was a bad translation or a decent plot badly written.
Pages:	371
Read:	October 2009

#21. A Mind To Murder by P. D. James

Title:	A Mind to Murder
Author:	P. D. James
Genre:	Murder/Crime Fiction/Police Procedural
Synopsis:	An unpopular nurse at a psychiatrist’s clinic is murdered in a thoroughly unexplainable fashion. Though surrounded by mental patients and disgruntled co-workers in a secure environment a culprit is no easier to find than an explanation.
Verdict:	P. D. James books always feel a bit cold and formal but this one felt particularly clumsy and old-fashioned as it was written in the 1960s/1970s by an upper-class author who made plenty of references to girls completing typing courses and getting jobs in order to pass the time until they met a nice gent. Mostly I read P. D. James for the descriptions of clothes and food, odd I know.
Pages:	225
Read:	October 2009

#20. Nation by Terry Pratchett

Title:	Nation
Author:	Terry Pratchett
Genre:	Fiction/Drama/Humour/Alternate History
Synopsis:	A young girl is shipwrecked on an island during a hurricane that wiped out almost the entire island’s population bar one young man. As survivors from surrounding islands join them they must each overcome their alienness to each other in order to communicate, survive and try make sense of the world they now find themselves in.
Verdict:	A touching, engaging look at cultural divides and how hard it can be to find a common ground that allows each side to recognise the shared humanity that truly underlies it. Pratchett’s strongest female character yet. This is a masterpiece.
Pages:	404
Read:	October 2009

#19. Last Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

Title:	Last Watch
Author:	Sergei Lukyanenko
Genre:	Russian Supernatural/Horror/Thriller/Drama
Synopsis:	Ordinary humans are being mobilised against Others as part of the ongoing centuries old intrigue for power which is rapidly spiralling out of control and spilling out onto the streets (woo! clichéd terms!)
Verdict:	I will never stop being amazed by how the elements of all four novels were drawn together and how almost every little thing was referred to again highlighting that they were all part of a comprehensive whole, with nothing left to chance or incidental to the story as a whole. Awesome.
Pages:	394
Read:	October 2009