27/ Fat Land by Greg Critser

A bit out of date (the author is full of praise for BMI which most people now would see as more of a blunt tool) but the essence of his argument is good.

Quite sobering reading.

13) The Hangmans Song by James Oswald

8/10

3rd Inspector McLean. Best of the series so far.

10) The Ballroom Cafe by Ann O'Laughlin

16. Fingersmith by Sarah Waters narrated by Juanita McMahon.

The audio equivalent of unputdownable, a really good book. I've spent far too much time listening this week when I should have been doing other things. I did see the tv adaptation years ago but had no recollection of the storyline. Very good narration with a good range of voices for the various characters.

Twists and turns abound in Victorian London and Buckinghamshire when a family of petty criminals conspire to steal a wealthy heiress's fortune.

35) Red Bones by Ann Cleeves

28/ Beneath These Stones by Ann Granger

Undemanding crime novel. I've read several in the Mitchell & Markby series and they're usually straightforward and diverting reads.
This one isn't one of the best. The main characters are still engaging but the supporting cast all behave in such a ridiculous manner that it's hard to be interested in what happens.

29/ Thunderbirds - The Vault by Marcus Hearn

Interesting overview of how Thunderbirds came to be created and how the show was brought to the screen. Also touches on other Anderson productions.
While the writing is a bit superficial the main draw is the huge amount of photos detailing production and a whole range of associated merchandise.
My only niggle about the book is that the author's friendship with Gerry Anderson (which he mentions in the introduction) means that he is never criticised for any misguided decision but Anderson's wife Sylvia doesn't fare so well - an unfortunate bias in an otherwise enjoyable book.

14) Titanic Survivor - The Memoirs of Violet Jessop, Stewardess edited by John Maxtone-Graham

7/10

The memoirs of a stewardess who served on both the Titanic and Britannic.

30/ The Art of Smallfilms by Jonny Trunk & Richard Embray

Absolutely beautiful book full of detailed photographs of the puppets and artwork used in the making of Bagpuss, Ivor The Engine, Noggin The Nog and The Clangers.

The writing is sparse - mainly an introductory piece for each series and some additional notes where necessary. The images are left to speak for themselves.

11. At my mother's knee and other low joints - Paul O'Grady
6/10 - I was disappointed that his autobiography ended at the end of 18, there are obviously further instalments to come. I wanted to read about his career, not his grandparents, parents and aunties. My fault, I suppose, for not checking. On a positive note, I am reasonably local to where he was brought up and enjoyed reading about the local area.

31/ The Double Comfort Safari Club by Alexander McCall Smith

Another installment of the No1 Ladies Detective Agency.

As with previous stories it's more about people and how they treat each other rather than any actual detecting but it is a relaxing comfortable read.

36) Blue Lightning by Ann Cleeves

7) The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith

37) Dead Water by Ann Cleeves

11. Finders Keepers by Stephen King. Went off and wandered about a bit in the middle but good beginning and ending.

17. Grave of Hummingbirds by Jennifer Skutelsky.

A murder takes place in a small village high in the Andean mountains during the run up to a controversial festival. The local doctor is called in to investigate and discovers that the murdered woman bears a strong resemblance to his dead wife (apart from the wings attached to her back). A year later strange happenings ensue involving a mother and son from the U.S.

Atmospheric writing but there are too many themes thrown into the mix and the book became very muddled. 2.5/5.

32/ 1215 The Year of Magna Carta by Danny Danzinger & John Gillingham

Not so much a history of Magna Carta more a look at what life was like at the time to see the what caused it to come about.

Interesting and written in an accessible manner.

36. Deadpool - Joe Kelly run part one - Joe Kelly, Ed McGuinness, Walter Daniel, Pete Woods etc. 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 548 pages
<Graphic Novel> Deadpool volume one: #1-17, #-1, Annual #1, Wizard special. The true start of the legend that is Deadpool in his first ongoing title, bringing on the likes of Weasel, Blind Al, Ajax, Illaney, Mercedes and more. Joe Kelly kills it, with the expansion of Wade and his universe.
37. Deadpool - Joe Kelly run part two - Joe Kelly, Walter Daniel, Pete Woods etc. 7/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 491 pages
<Graphic Novel> Deadpool volume one: #18-33, Deadpool & Death #1, Deadpool Team-Up #1. The core arcs are Dead Reckoning and the final arc where we get to see where Wade's insanity came from! A truly classis phase of the franchise that is now rocking the cinematic world.
38. Deadpool 1999 - 2000 -Chris Priest, Paco Diaz, Jim Calafiore etc. 6/10
Marvel Entertainment Group, 328 pages
<Graphic Novel> Deadpool volume one: #34-45, Deadpool Almost Destroys the Marvel Universe. Priest really revs up the fourth wall banter, and the general all round humour with great guest spots, but the lack of Kelly style angst and tragedy takes a little something from the series?

39. Witchblade 2013-2015 - Ron Marz, Laura Braga 6/10
Top Cow (Image Comics), 369 pages
<Graphic Novel> The final fun of Witchblade, after 21 years! A pretty solid series, and the final run, slow to start does indeed have a solid finish

40. Fables - The Wolf Among Us part one - Matthew Sturges, Dave Justus, Shawn McManus, Steve Sadowski, Travis Moore etc. 7/10
Vertigo (DC Comics), 504 pages
<Graphic Novel> The Wolf Among Us #1-#24… cool weekly book, set in the past sees a gruesome suspicious murder being investigated, when another occurs. Bigby and Snow have to delve deep in the fantasy, magical and underworlds, as well as Bigby's own past to find out what's really going on. Another superb Fables read!
41. Fables - The Wolf Among Us part two Matthew Sturges, Dave Justus, Shawn McManus, Eric Nguyen, Travis Moore etc. 8/10
Vertigo (DC Comics), 504 pages <Graphic Novel> The Wolf Among Us #25-#48… the plot thicken, and thickens more. Overall a superb story that also manages to include the essential moments laid the foundations for the Fables world back in Fables #1. Great stuff!

42. The Tipping Point - Malcolm Gladwell 9/10
Abacus Books (Little Brown), 279 pages
<Social Science>
The tipping point' - when a trend 'tips' over and becomes mainstream. An interesting theory…On second read a even more thought provoking and stimulating read.

43. Insomnia - Stephen King 8/10
New English Library (H & S), 760 pages
<Fantasy> Stephen King wields a great tale around an older Derry man, Ralph Roberts starts to get a rare type of Insomnia, that leads to a hyper reality and much more! A Dark Tower prologue.

38) Thin Air by Ann Cleeves

I have been very slow for me this month

60) The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries - various
61) Silenced - Kristina Ohlsson
62) Happyish - Cara Trautman
63) My Mother's Secret - Sheila O'Flanagan

39) Bricking it by Nick Spalding. Really enjoyed this, some light reading with quite a few laugh out loud moments.

40 The Man Who Can't Be Moved by Tilly Tennant.

15) Murder on the Links (Poirot) by Agatha Christie

7/10

The second Poirot book. Good, if standard, fare from Agatha Christie. Most of the ingredients for a classic murder/mystery are present but Christie hasn't quite perfected the formula of her later books.

11) The Rose Petal Beach by Dorothy Koomson

33/ Money Shot by Christa Faust

Excellent thriller from Hard Case Crime. As with all their releases it's very much in the tradition of pulp crime novels.

Well written, pacy and also funny, I loved this.
I only picked it up after it was recommended by Goodreads based on my previous reading and I'm glad I did. Shall definitely be reading the next to feature the same lead character Angel Dare.

34/ Doctor Who - The Vault by Marcus Hearn

Much like the Thunderbirds Vault this is an overview of the making of the series covering various behind the scenes elements.
Nothing new is revealed but the wealth of imagery is good.

12. The Mud Sisters - Edie Claire
4/10 - the story sounded good - a woman is found in a park having been brutally attacked and has lost her memory. It gradually comes back over the book with the help of her social worker/former friend. It was badly written and predictable - the only saving grace is that it was only a couple of hundred pages long.