105 - Mark Milian - Letters to Steve: Inside the E-mail Inbox of Apple's Steve Jobs
106 - Michael Ray Taylor - The Cat Manual: Advice For Cats, By Cats
107 - William Murray - Serial Killers
108 - TJ Klune - Tell Me It's Real
9. The Kindest Thing by Cath Staincliffe - very good, moving. I really enjoyed it.
10. Witness by Cath Staincliffe - also a good read, but i didn't like it as much as the previous one. I'll still check out her other stuff though
11. The Spider Truces by Tom Connolly. I LOVED this book. It's beautifully written, about a boy's relationship with his father and his thoughts on the world. Very moving and one I will definitely read again. I highly recommend it.
12. Copycat by Erica Spindler. A run of the mill whodunnit, I read this a while ago and forgot to put it on my list - so can't have left much of an impression!!!
<snip> 53. New Frontier - Darwyn Cooke 9/10
D C Comics, 441 pages
<Graphic Novel> Eisner, Harvey and Schuster Award winning limited series. On so many levels a great series, from linking Golden and Silver Age heroes; mostly set in the paranoid anti-Communist USA of the 1950s; including the 1960s Civil Rights cause; incorporating McCarthy's witch hunts; and like Dark Knight having a great Batman V Superman confrontation. The beuaty of incorporating so many origins in the stroryline is superb. An absolute must read for graphic novel lovers.
54. Amazing Spider-Man 2012 - Dan Slott, Chris Gage etc.
Marvel Entertainment Group, 754 pages
<Graphic Novel> Amazing Spider-Man # 673 - 700 and Annual #39. The final run on the original series comes to an end with a number of very good arcs by Dan Slott culminatring in Marvel's biggest and most outrageous gamble - 'The Superior Spider-Man'.. 'Nuff Said!
55. Sensational She-Hulk 1992-1994 - John Byrne, Michael Eury etc 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 474 pages
<Graphic Novel> Sensational She-Hulk #41-60.. Includes some of Byrne's best ever work on She-Hulk, even now, nearly 20 years later, this complete fourth wall breaking style is yet to be matched... where characters are aware they are in a comic book!
56. The Victories - Michael Avon Oeming 7/10
Dark Horse Comics, 119 pages
<Graphic Novel> Collects Michael Avon Oeming's The Victories limited series. Oeming conjures up a dark world of authoritarian government control, riddled with rampant corruption, crime and a drug epidemic. This is the setting for his tale of one of the Victories, Faustus, whom alongside vigilante The Jackal begin to find something really wrong and dark about his and other heroes' pasts. Quite good, but definitely needs more stories set in this world.
57. The New Teen Titans 1980-1982 - Marv Wolfman and George Perez 5/10
D C Comics, 719 pages
<Graphic Novel> The New Teen Titans #1-26 and Annual #1. Re-imagined to compete with the 'all new all different' X-men, Wolfman and Perez introduce Starfire, Raven and Cyborg to a core team of Robin, Wonder Girl and Kid Flash, using the X-Men like core theme of multi story arcs alongside personal issues and character romances.
58. Crossed Badlands - stories 1-4 - Garth Ennis, David Lapham, David Hine, Jamie Belano, Jacen Burrows etc. 8/10
Avatar Press, 424 pages
<Graphic Novel> Crossed Badlands #0-12. Garth Ennis 'Crossed' world becomes the setting for 4-6 book stories by various creators, with David Lapham's tale being the best. Adults only apocalyptic mayhen aplenty with some seriously dark and twisted humour.
59. Morse's Greatest Mystery And Other Stories - Colin Dexter 4/10
Pan Books (Pan MacMillan), 282 pages
<Short Stories / Crime>
Eleven Morse and Morse related shorts… proving Dexter should have stuck to novels!
60. Bright Young Things - Scarlett Thomas 7/10
Canongate Books, 342 pages
<Mystery> Thomas uses a well thought out plot device to strand six young people on an undisclosed remote island to have them philosiphise about their lives and the way the world is/was in 1999. Entertaining read, with the core mystery of how and why they are stranded being a prime driver alongside the thought provoking diatribes and conversations. Zeitgeist? Maybe. Good read.
61. The Torment Of Others - Val McDermid 9/10
Harper Collins, 466 pages
<Crime> The fourth case in 'Wire In The Blood' series is meant to be focussed on a serial prostitute killer and a paedophile killer… but McDermid weaves a driven and well crafted thriller focussed on Carol's return to work post-serious trauma in the last book, superb office dynamics with a new team and a humdinger series of believable yet brilliant twists to reach the conclusion of both cases. One of the best cop thrillers I have ever read... recommended series to those new to crime fiction.
11. Iqbal by Francesco D’Adamo (26th -27th February) I read this to see if it was suitable text for year 7 study. It's based on a real life story of a boy who leads a group of child labourers out of slavery in modern Pakistan. I found it a little tedious in places and really didn't like the presentation of Iqbal. However, it may still end up on our curriculum due to what could be done with it.
16. Crooked House - Agatha Christie
17. 1127 QI Facts to Blow Your Socks Off - John Lloyd
18. Cat Among the Pigeons - Agatha Christie
19. Swimming Home - Deborah Levy
20. Murder on the Links - Agatha Christie
Not sure why I've been so inclined to read Christie over the last few weeks, perhaps it's because they're so easily readable which makes a change from all the reports I've had to suffer at work!
21. Death Comes as the End - Agatha Christie
22. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
23. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
24. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
25. Person - Sam Pink
6. The Outside Man ~ Richard North Patterson
7. The Killing Place ~ Tess Gerritsen
8. Cold in Hand ~ John Harvey
9. Buried ~ Mark Billingham
10. Fallen ~ Karin Slaughter
11. Life Support ~ Tess Gerritsen
12. Death Message ~ Mark Billingham
13. Sister ~ Rosamund Lupton ( Highly recommended debut novel )
14. The Devil's Teardrop ~ Jeffrey Deaver
15. A Dark Matter ~ Peter Straub ... truly awful, I couldn't wait to finish it and shame on Stephen King for recommending it.
16. In the Dark ~ Mark Billingham. I enjoyed this one.
17. Girl Missing ~ Tess Gerritsen. Early novel, not too great to be honest, but an easy read.
18. The Drop ~ Michael Connelly. I love Harry Bosch.
111 - Leni Matlin - Dick Rich P.I. Humor-Mystery Series 02 - The Case Of The Miffed Mistress
112 - Leni Matlin - Dick Rich P.I. Humor-Mystery Series 04 - The Case Of The Comatose Kleptomaniac
113 - Ariel Tachna - The Inventor's Companion
114 - Kurt Isaacson - Who Says You Shouldn't Smile Today?
115 - Harold Schecter - Psycho USA: Famous American Killers You Never Heard Of
116 - Michael Rupured - Until Thanksgiving
117 - Sophie Monroe - Second Chance Romance
118 - Steve Reynolds - Tattoo: A Poorly Reseached History
45. Just a Mo: My Story by Laila Morse 4/5
46. Starting Over by Denise Welch 4/5
47. From Coal Dust to Stardust by Gary Cockerill 2/5
48. The Trap by Kimberley Chambers 5/5
49. 12th of Never (Womens Murder Club 12) by James Patterson 4/5
50. Dark Blood (Logan McRae, #6) by Stuart MacBride 4/5
51. My James: The Heartrending Story of James Bulger by His Father by Ralph Bulger 5/5 Please please read this book if you can. My review can be read here but cannot possibly do this book justice. An absolutely heartbreaking read but inspirational at the same time.
12. Lizzy Harrison Loses Control by Pippa Wright (28th February-3rd March) – chick-lit that tried to be self-aware and postmodern by denying being chick-lit. Despite that, and the fact the story was completely predictable, it was quite enjoyable as the characters were reasonably entertaining. It won’t win any awards but it was readable.
119 - Andrew Grey - An Isolated Range
120 - Kathleen McKenna - Family Matters
121 - Jen Ashton - A Story of No Ordinary Friendship
122 - Peter Vronsky - Serial Killers: The Method And Madness Of Monsters
123 - Harold Schechter - Fiend: The Shocking True Story Of America's Youngest Serial Killer
124 - Dev Bentham - Sacred Hearts
17. Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn. I can see why this is a runaway bestseller, but I have knocked off a point for a couple of plot developments. As this is a completely plot driven novel, I won't say why. Golden couple are forced to move from Manhatten to Missouri, when life falls apart. Kind of murder mystery, kind of whydunnit and who really did what, this is a real page turner. 3.5/5
18. The Devotion of Suspect X, by Keigo Higashino. Not a plot spoiler, as this is flagged up from the start, woman kills her ex husband and is then drawn into a conspiracy with her neighbour who is, unknowingly to the woman, devoted to her. Very Japanese in its morality, this is excellent. 4/5
19. Beware of Pity, by Stefan Zweig. On the cusp of WWI, young soldier is drawn into the lives of the local bigwig and his disabled daughter. Interesting take on Austria/Hungary at that time, this is very good and a salient point of view of the dangers of pity. 4/5
20. The Winter King, by Thomas Penn. The life of that most enigmatic King, Henry VII, laid bare. Deservedly history book of the year 2011 by several notable critics, this was a terrific read. 5/5
Comments
9. Remember Me - Lesley Pearse
10. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
106 - Michael Ray Taylor - The Cat Manual: Advice For Cats, By Cats
107 - William Murray - Serial Killers
108 - TJ Klune - Tell Me It's Real
76) The Possessions of Dr Forrest - Richard T Kelly
12. Copycat by Erica Spindler. A run of the mill whodunnit, I read this a while ago and forgot to put it on my list - so can't have left much of an impression!!!
54. The Party by Katie Ashley (novella)
55. The Devil's Metal by Karina Halle
110 - Amy Lane - The Knitter In His Natural Habitat
54. Amazing Spider-Man 2012 - Dan Slott, Chris Gage etc.
Marvel Entertainment Group, 754 pages
<Graphic Novel> Amazing Spider-Man # 673 - 700 and Annual #39. The final run on the original series comes to an end with a number of very good arcs by Dan Slott culminatring in Marvel's biggest and most outrageous gamble - 'The Superior Spider-Man'.. 'Nuff Said!
55. Sensational She-Hulk 1992-1994 - John Byrne, Michael Eury etc 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 474 pages
<Graphic Novel> Sensational She-Hulk #41-60.. Includes some of Byrne's best ever work on She-Hulk, even now, nearly 20 years later, this complete fourth wall breaking style is yet to be matched... where characters are aware they are in a comic book!
56. The Victories - Michael Avon Oeming 7/10
Dark Horse Comics, 119 pages
<Graphic Novel> Collects Michael Avon Oeming's The Victories limited series. Oeming conjures up a dark world of authoritarian government control, riddled with rampant corruption, crime and a drug epidemic. This is the setting for his tale of one of the Victories, Faustus, whom alongside vigilante The Jackal begin to find something really wrong and dark about his and other heroes' pasts. Quite good, but definitely needs more stories set in this world.
57. The New Teen Titans 1980-1982 - Marv Wolfman and George Perez 5/10
D C Comics, 719 pages
<Graphic Novel> The New Teen Titans #1-26 and Annual #1. Re-imagined to compete with the 'all new all different' X-men, Wolfman and Perez introduce Starfire, Raven and Cyborg to a core team of Robin, Wonder Girl and Kid Flash, using the X-Men like core theme of multi story arcs alongside personal issues and character romances.
58. Crossed Badlands - stories 1-4 - Garth Ennis, David Lapham, David Hine, Jamie Belano, Jacen Burrows etc. 8/10
Avatar Press, 424 pages
<Graphic Novel> Crossed Badlands #0-12. Garth Ennis 'Crossed' world becomes the setting for 4-6 book stories by various creators, with David Lapham's tale being the best. Adults only apocalyptic mayhen aplenty with some seriously dark and twisted humour.
59. Morse's Greatest Mystery And Other Stories - Colin Dexter 4/10
Pan Books (Pan MacMillan), 282 pages
<Short Stories / Crime>
Eleven Morse and Morse related shorts… proving Dexter should have stuck to novels!
60. Bright Young Things - Scarlett Thomas 7/10
Canongate Books, 342 pages
<Mystery> Thomas uses a well thought out plot device to strand six young people on an undisclosed remote island to have them philosiphise about their lives and the way the world is/was in 1999. Entertaining read, with the core mystery of how and why they are stranded being a prime driver alongside the thought provoking diatribes and conversations. Zeitgeist? Maybe. Good read.
61. The Torment Of Others - Val McDermid 9/10
Harper Collins, 466 pages
<Crime> The fourth case in 'Wire In The Blood' series is meant to be focussed on a serial prostitute killer and a paedophile killer… but McDermid weaves a driven and well crafted thriller focussed on Carol's return to work post-serious trauma in the last book, superb office dynamics with a new team and a humdinger series of believable yet brilliant twists to reach the conclusion of both cases. One of the best cop thrillers I have ever read... recommended series to those new to crime fiction.
8. Never Buried - Edie Claire.
9. Welsh Fairy Tales - William Elliot Griffis
10. Assassin's Creed: Forsaken - Oliver Bowden.
14. Faefever - Karen Marie Moning
Really enjoyed all three of first three books in the series, with the minimum of eye rolling too.
21. Death Comes as the End - Agatha Christie
22. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
23. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins
24. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins
25. Person - Sam Pink
15. A Dark Matter ~ Peter Straub ... truly awful, I couldn't wait to finish it and shame on Stephen King for recommending it.
16. In the Dark ~ Mark Billingham. I enjoyed this one.
17. Girl Missing ~ Tess Gerritsen. Early novel, not too great to be honest, but an easy read.
18. The Drop ~ Michael Connelly. I love Harry Bosch.
112 - Leni Matlin - Dick Rich P.I. Humor-Mystery Series 04 - The Case Of The Comatose Kleptomaniac
113 - Ariel Tachna - The Inventor's Companion
114 - Kurt Isaacson - Who Says You Shouldn't Smile Today?
115 - Harold Schecter - Psycho USA: Famous American Killers You Never Heard Of
116 - Michael Rupured - Until Thanksgiving
117 - Sophie Monroe - Second Chance Romance
118 - Steve Reynolds - Tattoo: A Poorly Reseached History
46. Starting Over by Denise Welch 4/5
47. From Coal Dust to Stardust by Gary Cockerill 2/5
48. The Trap by Kimberley Chambers 5/5
49. 12th of Never (Womens Murder Club 12) by James Patterson 4/5
50. Dark Blood (Logan McRae, #6) by Stuart MacBride 4/5
51. My James: The Heartrending Story of James Bulger by His Father by Ralph Bulger 5/5 Please please read this book if you can. My review can be read here but cannot possibly do this book justice. An absolutely heartbreaking read but inspirational at the same time.
120 - Kathleen McKenna - Family Matters
121 - Jen Ashton - A Story of No Ordinary Friendship
122 - Peter Vronsky - Serial Killers: The Method And Madness Of Monsters
123 - Harold Schechter - Fiend: The Shocking True Story Of America's Youngest Serial Killer
124 - Dev Bentham - Sacred Hearts
18. The Devotion of Suspect X, by Keigo Higashino. Not a plot spoiler, as this is flagged up from the start, woman kills her ex husband and is then drawn into a conspiracy with her neighbour who is, unknowingly to the woman, devoted to her. Very Japanese in its morality, this is excellent. 4/5
19. Beware of Pity, by Stefan Zweig. On the cusp of WWI, young soldier is drawn into the lives of the local bigwig and his disabled daughter. Interesting take on Austria/Hungary at that time, this is very good and a salient point of view of the dangers of pity. 4/5
20. The Winter King, by Thomas Penn. The life of that most enigmatic King, Henry VII, laid bare. Deservedly history book of the year 2011 by several notable critics, this was a terrific read. 5/5
57. Futures and Frosting by Tara Sivec
58. Wait For You by J. Lynn
2 - How To Save A Life by Sara Zarr
3 - Twisted by Sara Shepard