Books

My favourite books of 2004 were:

 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon. Unlike any book you’ve probably ever read. The ‘author’ is a fifteen-year old boy who has Asperger’s Syndrome. He finds a neighbour’s dog murdered and sets out to find the culprit. A remarkable and uplifting book.

Star of the Sea - Joseph O’Connor. This is a gripping book set in 1847 on the ship ‘Star of the Sea’ as it sails from Ireland to New York. This book has everything - funny, heartbreaking, frightening, moving, mysterious...just read it!

 

 

 

My  2 best reads of 2005 were:

 

The American Boy - Andrew Taylor

A winner of the CWA Historical Dagger for Fiction, this is a mystery set in Regency England with lots of twists and turns and beautifully written.

The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Set in Barcelona in the middle of the twentieth century this is a brilliant book which combines mystery, murder, love, humour, twists and turns - a real page turner.

 

 

2006

 

The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova

A brilliant read - an historical mystery in the search for Dracula

The Conjuror’s Bird - Martin Davies

Excellent - ‘a pacy confection of history, mystery and romance’ (The Times)

 

 

 

2007

 

Historical novels:

Brethren - Robyn Young

Set at the time of the Crusades in the 13th century, a young man starts his apprenticeship in the Knights Templar. Full of mystery and action that spans England, France and the Middle East.

Dissolution - CJ Sansom

Set in 1537, during the reign of Henry VIII, Matthew Shardlake is sent by Thomas Cromwell to investigate a murder at a monastery set for dissolution.

Crime novels:

Looking Good Dead - Peter James

A man picks up a CD that had been left behind on the train seat next to him - big mistake.

The Interpretation of Murder - Jed Rubenfeld

A murder mystery set in New York in 1909, involving Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung.

Political thriller:

First Lady - Michael Dobbs

Politics is a dirty game - I think we knew that already. “Barbed, breakneck, very funny and hugely entertaining” (The Times)

 

 

19/2/10

© 2004 GDB & LDC

2008

 

Not Dead Enough - Peter James

Three murders. One suspect. No proof. Another baffling case for Detective Superintendent Grace.

 

Savage Garden - Mark Mills

‘Full of mysteries and menace........captivating’ (The Times)

‘An intriguing historical thriller which confirms him as a first-class and unusual crime writer’ (DailyMail)

 

Shakespeare - Bill Bryson

A brilliantly readable biography of our greatest dramatist and poet William Shakespeare.

‘A warm and funny guide through the whole complicated morass of Shakespearean scholarship’ (Financial Times)

Am currently (April ‘09) reading An Utterly Impartial History of Britain or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots In Charge - John O’Farrell

Very, very funny. History lessons at Grange with Mr Humphrey and Mr DG Wright were never quite like this !