Series Saturday: Marcus Didius Falco

A new weekly theme in which I discuss series that are either on my wish list or that I am currently reading. This week, a series on my wish list.

This series by Lindsey Davis is set in Ancient Rome. That’s basically enough to sell it to me, as I love Ancient Rome. The fact that it’s a mystery series is an added bonus. It’s centered around Marcus Didius Falco, a Roman ‘informer’, which is basically the ancient version of a private detective.


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The series is epic in length, containing twenty novels, the last of which was published in 2010. I’m sure there will be more.

What I am most curious about is the historical accuracy. How well will this series hold up to all the knowledge I have about Ancient Rome? Will I 'buy' it? If I do, this will be a great series to read, I'm sure. Mystery and intruige in Ancient Rome, what's not to like?

Bookreview: The Lost Hero

Author: Rick Riordan
Genre: young adult, adventure
Published: 2010
Personal rating: 4/5
Yearly count: 5
Off The Shelf Challenge: 2/15


In this first book of Rick Riordan’s new series The Heroes of Olympus we return to Percy Jackson’s world. Three new heroes are introduced to us. First there’s Leo, who has a way with tools and a dark past. Then we have Piper, whose father is missing and in terrible danger, at least, according to her nightmares. And last, there’s Jason, who had no idea who he is or why he knows certain things. And what’s up with all the Latin?

These three are whisked away to Camp Half-Blood after they are attacked and learn more about their past and their destiny. Together, they are trust into a quest that signals the beginning of the next Great Prophecy. They have four days to complete the quest or the world is doomed. The clock is ticking…

I had hard time getting into the book. Perhaps it is because it’s not the much beloved Percy Jackson series but still feels the same, causing a bit of weirdness. Or it is because the main character in the first chapter is suffering from memory loss, since I have a record of not liking amnesia in a story. But as soon as I got past the first chapter I was drawn into the book just as surely as I was in the Percy Jackson series. From there on out it was a great adventure story with the same humor and excitement as I have come to expect from Rick Riordan.

There were times when as a reader of the Percy Jackson books I knew more than the characters. Especially in the first few chapters, allusions to events in the Percy Jackson books are made that I understood more than the characters. Still, I do not think that someone who hasn’t read the Percy Jackson books will be lost.

In contrast to the Percy Jackson series this book is written in the third person POV instead of the first person POV. This is probably done so that the story can be told from multiple POV, but even like this each character has their own distinct voice. It doesn’t take long at all to fall in love with these characters.

Something I dearly missed in this book were the clever chapter titles from the Percy Jackson books. Roman numerals depict the chapter number and the ‘title’ is the name of the protagonist you’re sharing the viewpoint with that chapter. There’s no set schedule for this, Rick Riordan has chosen to pick the best person to tell that part of the story instead of sticking to rigid schedule. Still, protagonists are equally important to the story, so it balances out pretty well seen over the whole book.

Overall, the thing I liked most in The Lost Hero was the fact that Roman mythology now comes into play as well. This book is very much about the likeness and differences between Greek and Roman culture and mythology. In the words of Clovis, one of the characters: “But even the major Greek gods – it’s not just their names that changed when they moved to Rome. Their appearances changed. Their attributes changed. They even had slightly different personalities.” (p. 102)

The Heroes of Olympus series has grabbed my attention. I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series. The Son of Neptune will be out this autumn and I am already speculating over its contents, something I rarely do.

Wish List Books Wednesday

As much as I try to read from my TBR pile, somehow, new books always find their way there. Here are the new additions to my list:

Sisters of the Sinai by Janet Soskice



This book is one recommended in the discussion thread of the LT Reading Globally group, where our quarterly theme read is Journeys. This tale of two sisters is certainly a travelling tale and as far as I've understood also a true story, fictionalized though it is. I always love stories where women break the conventions of their time, especially acidemical ones. So on my TBR list it goes.

Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami



I've heard talk of Murakami numerous times already, but was always too scared of him being too literary to put him on my TBR list. When his name came up once again in the LT Reading Globally group, this time in the theme read thread, I asked for a recommendation. This book was tipped the most, so I've decided to put it on my TBR list and see what I think.

City of Refuge by Tom Piazza



Recently I posed a question in my Sunday Salon post about a recent setting still feeling historical. But I didn't just pose the question here, I also posed the question on the Historical Fiction group over at LT and the Historical Fiction group associated with the Historical Tour de Genre group. In that last thread, I used a completely made up example of a book set during Hurricane Katrina. You can guess how surprised I was that such a book actually existed! So naturally, it's now on my TBR list, as one of the group members read it and said it was very good.


The Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen



Becky of Becky's Book Reviews wrote about this book here and I liked the sound of the plot. Not to mention that the main character once again breaks conventions by writing (gasp!) novels to get money!

Books reviewed that belong in a finished series, sorted by series

A lot of books belong to a series. It's nice to read them in order, and for your convenience, I've listed all the books of the series I'm currently reading, or have read in the past, with reviews for the books I've reviewed. This page only contains series that are stated to have been completed by the author, as well as series of which the last book was published more than four years ago (i.e. a publication date of 2007 or before). For on-going series, see this page.


Series written by Susan Wittig Albert (also Robin Paige), Annette Blair, Ken Follett, Juan Gomez-Jurado, Nicole Jordan, Michelle Moran, Rick Riordan, and Julia Quinn can be found on the respective author pages. See the Author's I Read (Almost) Everything From post for links to these pages.

Diamonds and Daddies series by multiple authors

Platinum Cowboy by Rita Herron review
Desert Ice Daddy by Dana Marton review
Baby Bling by Elle James review
Priceless Newborn Prince by Ann Voss Peterson review


Joe Leaphorn/Jimmy Chee series by Tony Hillerman

The Blessing Way review
Dance Hall of the Death
Listening Woman
People of Darkness
The Dark Wind
The Ghostway
Skinwalkers
A Thief of Time
Talking God
Coyote Waits
Sacred Clowns
The Fallen Man
The First Eagle
Hunting Badger
The Wailing Wind
The Sinister Pig
Skeleton Man
The Shape Shifter


Masters of Rome by Colleen McCullough

The First Man in Rome review
The Grass Crown
Fortune's Favourites
Caesar's Women
Caesar
The October Horse
Antony and Cleopatra


Mrs. Pollifax series by Dorothy Gilman

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax review
The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax review
The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax review
A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax
Mrs. Pollifax on Safari
Mrs. Pollifax on the China Station
Mrs. Pollifax and the Hong Kong Buddha
Mrs. Pollifax and the Golden Triangle
Mrs. Pollifax and the Whirling Dervish
Mrs. Pollifax and the Second Thief
Mrs. Pollifax Pursued
Mrs. Pollifax and the Lion Killer
Mrs. Pollifax, Innocent Tourist
Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled


Precinct: Brotherhood of the Badge series by Julie Miller

Protective Instincts
Armed and Devastating review
Private S.W.A.T. Takeover
Kansas City Christmas


Study Trilogy by Maria V. Snyder

Poison Study review
Magic Study
Fire Study


Tall, Dark and Dangerous series by Suzanne Brockmann

Prince Joe review
Forever Blue review
Frisco's Kid review
Everyday, Average Jones review
Harvard's Education review
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear review
The Admiral's Bride review
Identity, Unknown review
Get Lucky review
Taylor's Temptation review
Night Watch review


Texas Paternity series by Delores Fossen

Security Blanket review
Branded by the Sheriff
Christmas Guardian
Expecting Trouble
Secret Delivery


Women of the Bible by Ann Burton

Abigail's Story review
Rahab's Story review
Jael's Story
Deborah's Story

Books reviewed that belong in a series, sorted by series

A lot of books belong to a series. It's nice to read them in order, and for your convenience, I've listed all the books of the series I'm currently reading, with reviews for the books I've reviewed. This page only contains series that are still on-going. Series that are stated to have been completed by the author, as well as series of which the last book was published more than four years ago (i.e. a publication date of 2007 or before) can be found on this page.

Series written by Susan Wittig Albert (also Robin Paige), Annette Blair, Ken Follett, Juan Gomez-Jurado, Nicole Jordan, Michelle Moran, Rick Riordan, and Julia Quinn can be found on the respective author pages. See the Author's I Read (Almost) Everything From post for links to these pages.


Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl
Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident
Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code
Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception review
Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony review
Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox review
Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex review
Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian (July 2012)


Benni Harper Mysteries by Earlene Fowler

Fool's Puzzle review
Irish Chain
Kansas Troubles
Goose in the Pond
Dove in the Window
Mariner's Compass
Seven Sisters
Arkansas Traveler
Steps to the Altar
Sunshine and Shadow
Broken Dishes
Delectable Mountains
Tumbling Blocks
State Fair
Spider Web


Bibliophile Mysteries by Kate Carlisle

Homicide in Hardcover review
If Books Could Kill
The Lies That Bind
Murder Under Cover
One Book in the Grave (2012)
Peril in Paperback (2012)


Daphne Reynolds Cake Mysteries by Gayle Trent

Murder Takes the Cake review
Dead Pan
Killer Sweet Tooth


Detective Joe Sandilands series by Barbara Cleverly

The Last Kashmiri Rose review
Ragtime in Simla
The Damascened Blade
The Palace Tiger
The Bee's Kiss
Tug of War
Folly Du Jour
Strange Images of Death
The Blood Royal


Elm Creek Quilts series by Jennifer Chiaverini

The Quilter's Apprentice review
Round Robin review
The Cross-Country Quilters review
The Runaway Quilt review
The Quilter's Legacy
The Master Quilt
The Sugar Camp Quilt
The Christmas Quilt
Circle of Quilters
The Quilter's Homecoming
The New Year's Quilt
The Winding Ways Quilt
The Quilter's Kitchen
The Lost Quilter
A Quilter's Holiday
The Aloha Quilt
The Union Quilters
The Wedding Quilt
Sonoma Rose (February 2012)


Earth's Children series by Jean M. Auel

The Clan of the Cave Bear review
The Valley of Horses review
The Mammoth Hunters review
The Plains of Passage
The Shelters of Stone
The Land of Painted Caves


Finding Anna series by Sherri Hayes

Slave review


Jack Howard series by David Gibbins

Atlantis review
Crusader Gold
The Last Gospel
The Tiger Warrior
The Mask of Troy
The Gods of Atlantis


Jane Austen Books series by Beth Pattillo

Jane Austen Ruined My Life review
Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart
The Dashwood Sisters Tell All


Kamil Pasha series by Jenny White

The Sultan's Seal review
The Abyssinian Proof review
The Winter Thief


Kate Shugak Mystery series by Dana Stabenow

A Cold Day for Murder review
A Fatal Thaw
Dead in the Water
A Cold-blooded Business
Play With Fire
Blood Will Tell
Breakup
Killing Grounds
Hunter's Moon
Midnight Come Again
The Singing of the Dead
A Fine and Bitter Snow
A Grave Denied
A Taint in the Blood
A Deeper Sleep
Whisper to the Blood
A Night Too Dark
Though Not Dead
Restless in the Grave (2012)

Mary Russel series by Laurie R. King

The Beekeeper's Apprentice review
A Monstrous Regiment of Women
A Letter of Mary
The Moor
O Jerusalem
Justice Hall
The Game
Locked Rooms
The Language of Bees
The God of the Hive
Pirate King


Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs

Moon Called review
Blood Bound review
Iron Kissed review
Bone Crossed review
Silver Borne review
River Marked


Mitch Rapp series by Vince Flynn

Term Limits (prequel to the Mitch Rapp series) review
Transfer of Power review
The Third Option review
Seperation of Power
Executive Power
Memorial Day
Consent to Kill
Act of Treason
Protect and Defend
Extreme Measures
Persuit of Honor
American Assasin
Kill Shot


Precinct series by Julie Miller

Partner-Protector
Police Business
Search and Seizure
Baby Jane Doe
Beauty and the Badge
Takedown


Professor Simon Shaw series by Sarah Shaber

Simon Said review
Snipe Hunt
The Fugitive King
The Bug Funeral
Shell Game


Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs

Death by Darjeeling review
Gunpowder Green review
Shades of Earl Grey
English Breakfast Murder
The Jasmine Moon Murder
Chamomile Mourning
Blood Orange Brewing
Dragonwell Dead
The Silver Needle Murder
Oolong Dead
The Teaberry Strangler
Scones & Bones
Agony of the Leaves (2012)


Thomas Pitt series by Anne Perry

The Cater Street Hangman review
Callander Square
Paragon Walk
Resurrection Row
Rutland Place
Bluegate Fields
Death in the Devil's Acre
Cardington Crescent
Silence in Hanover Close
Bethlehem Road
Highgate Rise
Belgrave Square
Farriers' Lane
The Hyde Park Headsman
Traitors' Gate
Pentecost Alley
Ashworth Hall
Brunswick Gardens
Bedford Square
Half Moon Street
The Whitechapel Conspiracy
Southampton Row
Seven Dials
Long Spoon Lane
Buckingham Palace Gardens
Betrayal at Lisson Grove
Dorchester Terrace


Thóra Gudmundsdóttir series by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Last Rituals review
My Soul to Take
Ashes to Dust
The Day is Dark


Troubleshooters series by Suzanne Brockmann

The Unsung Hero
The Defiant Hero
Over the Edge
Out of Control
Into the Night
Gone Too Far
Flashpoint
Hot Target
Breaking Point
Into the Storm
Force of Nature
All Through the Night
Into the Fire
Dark of Night
Hot Persuit
Breaking the Rules

Headed for Trouble (December 2012 - collection of short stories)
When Tony Met Adam - short story - review


Victorian San Fransisco Mysteries by M. Louisa Locke

Maids of Misfortune
Dandy Detects (short story) review
Uneasy Spirits


White House Chef Mysteries by Julie Hyzy

State of the Onion review
Hail to the Chef review
Eggsecutive Orders review
Buffalo West Wing review
Affairs of Stake review


Wyman Ford series by Douglas Preston

Tyrannosaur Canyon review
Blasphemy
Impact

Sunday Salon: On Why I Hate Characters With Amnesia

I can summarily say that I hate characters who have amnesia. I hate having to guess alongside the character at what is in the past. Most of the times, enough is happening in the present that I don’t want to worry about the past as well.

I like a firm foundation in my novel, most often found by clinging to a character I like. But how can I like a character that does not have any idea of who he or she is? It is very rare that a plot requires (truly requires) the character to have amnesia in order for it to work. Nine out of ten times, a story can just as well be told without the amnesia.

Is it then the hallmark of a lazy writer to have a character with amnesia? Often, I feel like it’s just an easy excuse to put some mystery in the story. A cheap hook for the reader, who has to keep reading to get an answer to the question: “who is this character really?” Or it’s thrown in as an easy plot device to give just one more hurdle, like in a romance where the couple’s all ready to get married, but then, oh no! One of the characters gets injured and wakes up with amnesia! Nothing causes me to put a book down faster than that.

I can usually tolerate an amnesiac character if it’s not the main character, not the character whose eyes I’m viewing the story through. A character who knows who he is trying to find out who the mysterious girl with amnesia is? I’ve got no problems with that, provided the rest of the plot is good.


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So why, then, am I reading a book where one of the main characters has amnesia and liking it? The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan has not been put to the side yet, even though Jason, one of the main characters, has amnesia. Perhaps it is because he shares the point of view with two other characters who do know who they are? Perhaps it is because the world is familiar, since I’ve read (and loved) the Percy Jackson series? Perhaps it is because the plot itself seems to require Jason to have amnesia, it’s not just a random extra plot point? Or perhaps it is because Rick Riordan is just that good of a writer?

I don’t know yet. I don’t know why I am making an exception in this case. But I do know other authors shouldn’t count on the same mercy!

So, what about you? How do you feel about characters with amnesia?

Series Saturdays: Mrs. Pollifax

The Mrs. Pollifax series is about – who else – Mrs. Emily Pollifax. She’s a retired grandmother in her sixties and also a spy for the CIA. The premise alone is enough to make me want to read it!

The first two books, The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax and The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax, were absolutely great. Humor is mixed with excitement and tension. Adventures are to be had all over the globe during the Cold War, with communists lying in wait at every corner. And even though the premise sounds a bit far-fetched, the author manages to make it all seem so believable you don’t even doubt for a second it could’ve happened.


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This series consists of fourteen books, written between 1966 and 2000 by Dorothy Gilman. She’s a US author of mystery and spy fiction with a penchant for unlikely heroines. This is the series she’s most famous for. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like there will be any more books about Mrs. Pollifax. There’s no indication at all that she’ll write another one and the last book in the series carriers the title Mrs. Pollifax Unveiled, which seems to indicate that Mrs. Pollifax’s spy career might just come to an end in that book. Ah well, only one way to find out: keep on reading!

Wish List Books Wednesday

As much as I try to read from my TBR pile, somehow, new books always find their way there. January is always a dangerous month for my TBR list. All over the blogs I follow top ten reads, best reads of last year and most anticipated reads for the new year are popping up. So here the rather long list of additions to my never ending TBR wish list for the first full week of January:

The Baby Bond by Linda Goodnight



I actually stumbled upon this book when I was browsing the Harlequin site. The title drew my attention first, since I love romance books with kids, babies especially. And then I read that one of the main characters is a firefighter who saves the baby, then doesn’t want to let either the baby or the babies aunt, who’s now the infant’s guardian. A baby and a firefighter? I’m sold!

They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group by Susan Campbell Bartoletti




This book was reviewed here by Becky of Becky’s Book Reviews and caught my attention in her Year In Review list. Back in 2008 I read In Hitler’s Shadow and chilling though that non-fiction book was, it was also something I enjoyed reading. Although enjoyed is probably the wrong word for it. Necessary, perhaps, to know of such groups as Neo-Nazi’s, and interesting as well, from an academic standpoint. This book looks to be a bit like that one, only about the KKK, an organization that has always intrigued me. So on my TBR list it goes.

The next list of books were all taken from ‘best of 2010’ lists or ‘anticipated 2011’ lists over at Historical Tapestry, either directly or because they were mentioned. All of them caught my attention because of either the subject, title or cover at first, but in the end the whole package of all three of these things sold them to me. Along with the raving reviews of course.

The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick




The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
The Devil’s Club by Georgette Heyer
I Serve, A Novel of the Black Prince by Rosanne Lortz
To Shield the Queen by Fiona Buckley
The Twentieth Wife by Indu Sundarsen




The Queen’s Dollmaker by Christine Trent
The Royal Likeness by Christine Trent
Revolution by Jennifer Donnely
The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

Bookreview: The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax

Author: Dorothy Gilman
Genre: Spy novel
Published: 1970
Personal rating: 5/5
Yearly count: 4
Book Around the World Challenge: Western Europe 10/31


A couple of months after her first mission as a spy, the CIA call Mrs. Pollifax again. She’s sent to the Middle East posthaste to retrieve Magda Ferenci-Sabo, a fellow spy. But once she’s in Turkey and has made contact with Magda, the matter turns out to be much more complicated than anyone at the CIA predicted. Mrs. Pollifax can’t trust anybody, least of all the emergency contact Mr. Carstairs gave her before she left Washington. She will have to rely on acquaintances just made in order for Magda and her to survive.

This book was great. Just as humorous and tension filled as the previous one, but with a little more action. The characters make a harrowing trip through Turkey, which shows us almost all facets of this fascinating country, from big cities to small villages and all manners of landscapes. I love it when a book shows me a country just by telling a great plot.

One thing I was a little worried about was how the author was going to come up with a truly good reason for Mrs. Pollifax to get another assignment. For the first assignment, they needed an amateur; but how often could they use that same excuse? Well, at least twice, apparently! An amateur was needed in this case as well and the explanation as to why was very clearly thought out and realistic.

The surprise twist at the end came as a complete surprise to me. In the previous one, one of the surprise twists didn’t came as a surprise at all, so I was happy this time it did. It was very well done and once again explained some puzzling things. I also liked that in this book there was more movement than in the last one, making it feel a little more fast-paced.

I highly recommend this book, but recommend reading The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax first. Some decisions, especially a big one made by Carstairs, Mrs. Pollifax’s boss, only makes sense if you know what happened in the first book.

Bookreview: The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax

Author: Dorothy Gilman
Genre: Spy novel
Published: 1966
Personal rating: 4.5/5
Yearly count: 3


Mrs. Pollifax, a grandmother in her sixties, is feeling depressed. Her doctor recommends she finds a hobby, something fun to fill her life with. She has always wanted to be a spy, so she sets out to the CIA headquarters to enlist.

Due to a bit of luck, she’s hired for a simple job where they are in need for an amateur to courier a package. Unfortunately, the simple job turns out much more dangerous than expected. Mrs. Pollifax is kidnapped and must use all her creativity to escape and get back to the USA safely.

Set during the Cold War when the communists were considered a real threat against the USA, this book was simply delightful. It was humorous, but also tension filled. I’d classify this book as a cozy spy novel which is not something I thought I’d ever get to say.

One of the things I most liked about the book was that we also got to see Mr. Carstairs, one of the higher CIA operatives and Mrs. Pollifax’s boss. Gilman managed to make him and the position he was in seem very real. He was prepared to accept losses of life without being callous, a very fine balance to create.

A downside to the book at first was that Mrs. Pollifax had a little bit too much luck. This was explained satisfactorily with a surprising twist near the end. It ended up being one of the better points of the book. In the end, the only real downside to the book for me was that I figured out where the microfilm was practically the Mrs. Pollifax got kidnapped, so that bit of the ending was not very surprising to me.

All in all, I thought this book was absolutely brilliant. I’m very eager to read the rest of the series.

Sunday Salon: Recent Setting, Yet Still Historical?

After reading God’s Spy (review here), I was faced with an interesting conundrum. It's set in 2005 during the papal election, so it's very recent. Yet, at the same time, the setting is so distinct for that very narrow time period, that it felt distinctly historical to me. Which of course gets into the ago-old discussion, when is a book historical?

The historical novel society has this to say:

"To be deemed historical a novel must have been written at least fifty years after the events described, or have been written by someone who was not alive at the time of those events (who therefore approaches them only by research).”


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I threw the question out into two reading groups I am part of. The answers as to what constitutes a historical fiction book were widely varied:

- set fifty years or more in the past (making the cut-off date around 1961)

- set in World War 2 or before (making the cut-off date around 1945)

- set before the author lived (making Jane Austen's books not historical, while making a series set in the same time period but written in the past ten years would be)

- pertaining to a specific period in history

For me, it's not so much that I would file every book written in the time period 2005 as historical. Just sometimes, a book will be set during a very specific historic event, in this case the election of the new Pope. Normal books written set in 2005 could have just as easily been set in 2004, or 2008, or another close by year. But because this book gives such a narrow, limited period such an important role, I would actually class it as historical.

How about you? What do you think of this interesting dilemma?

Series Saturday: Father Anthony Fowler

A new weekly theme in which I discuss series that are either on my wish list or that I am currently reading. This week, a series I am currently reading.

The Father Anthony Fowler series is all about, you guessed it, Father Anthony Fowler. This Catholic priest’s past is shrouded in mystery. He’s a former (or not) CIA operative and member of the Vatican's secret service, the Holy Alliance. In the first book of the series, that I reviewed here, some pieces of the puzzle of his past are given, but several questions are left glaringly open, wetting the appetite for more.


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In this series, there are currently two books out in English: God's Spy (2007) and Contract With God (2009), with The Traitor's Emblem to be released in July 2011. A fourth book is in the works.

The author Juan Gomez Jurado is a journalist who has worked on radio and television. He has also been a director of several large corporations and has won several prizes for his journalism. The fact that he is a journalist comes through in the amazing details of his books and the great accuracy of the facts he used in building the setting.

The first book of this series was a fast-paced thriller that has me wanting to read the second book as soon as possible. If it’s even half as good as the first book, I’d still highly recommend this series.

Books Reviewed in 2011 by Author

A

Albert, Susan Wittig - A Dilly of a Death - review
Anonymous - Ferguut - review


B

Bakker, Sandra - Khap Djaai - review
Bakker, Sandra - Zijdezacht zand (Silky Sand) - review
Blair, Annette - Vampire Dragon - review
Blokker Jr., Jan - Alle wegen naar Rome (All Roads To Rome) - review
Briggs, Patricia - Blood Bound - review
Briggs, Patricia - Bones Crossed - review
Briggs, Patricia - Iron Kissed - review
Briggs, Patricia - Silver Borne - review
Brockmann, Susan - The Admiral's Bride - review
Brockmann, Susan - Everyday, Average Jones - review
Brockmann, Susan - Forever Blue - review
Brockmann, Susan - Frisco's Kid - review
Brockmann, Susan - Get Lucky - review
Brockmann, Susan - Harvard's Education - review
Brockmann, Susan - Identity Unknown - review
Brockmann, Susan - It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - review
Brockmann, Susan - Night Watch - review
Brockmann, Susan - Prince Joe - review
Brockmann, Susan - Taylor's Temptation - review



C

Carlisle, Kate - Homicide in Hardcover - review
Childs, Laura - Death by Darjeeling - review
Childs, Laura - Gunpowder Green - review
Christie, Agatha - Hercule Poirot's Christmas - review
Cleverly, Barbara - The Last Kashmiri Rose - review
Colfer, Eoin - Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex - review
Colfer, Eoin - Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox - review


E

Editors, Charles River - London: A Brief History - review


F

Flynn, Vince - Term Limits - review
Flynn, Vince - The Third Option - review
Flynn, Vince - Transfer of Power - review
Follett, Ken - Eye of the Needle - review
Fossen, Delores - Security Blanket - review
Fowler, Earlene - Fool's Puzzle - review
Franzero, Carlo Maria - Cleopatra - review


G

Gibbins, David - Atlantis - review
Gilman, Dorothy - The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax - review
Gilman, Dorothy - The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax - review
Gilman, Dorothy - The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax - review
Gomez-Jurado, Juan - God's Spy - review
Gomez-Jurado, Juan - Contract With God - review


H

Haley, Alex - A Different Kind of Christmas - review
Hayes, Sherri - Slave - review
Herron, Rita - Platinum Cowboy - review
Hillerman, Tony - The Blessing Way - review
Hyzy, Julie - Buffalo West Wing - review
Hyzy, Julie - Eggsecutive Orders - review
Hyzy, Julie - Hail to the Chef - review
Hyzy, Julie - State of the Onion - review


J

James, Elle - Baby Bling - review
Jordan, Nicole - To Desire a Wicked Duke - review


K

Kiernan, Caitlin - Beowulf - review
Kilby, Sarah - Experience the Tower of London - review
Kingsolver, Barbara - The Poisonwood Bible - review


L

L'Engle, Madeleine - A Wrinkle in Time - review


M

Manning, Philip - Dinomummy - review
Marciano, Francesca - Rules of the Wild - review
Marton, Dana - Desert Ice Daddy - review
Meulen, Dik van der and Soeting, Monica - Hoe schrijf ik een biografie? (How to write a biography) - review
Miller, Julie - Armed and Devastating - review


P

Paige, Robin - Death at Daisy's Folly - review
Patillo, Beth - Jane Austen Ruined My Life - review
Perry, Anne - The Cater Street Hangman - review
Peterson, Ann Voss - Priceless Newborn Prince - review
Preston, Douglas - Tyrannosaur Canyon - review


R

Renfrew, Jane - Prehistoric Cookery - review
Riordan, Rick - The Lost Hero - review
Robinson, David - Luxembourg and the Jenisch Connection - review


S

Savage, Annastaysia - Any Witch Way - review
Schmidt, Jennifer - Last Call - review
Shaber, Sarah - Simon Said - review
Sheppard, Stephen - Monte Carlo - review
Stabenow, Dana - A Cold Day For Murder - review
Straalen, Nico van & Roelofs, Dick - Introduction to Ecological Genomics - review


T

Trent, Gayle - Murder Takes the Cake - review


V

Verne, Jules - Around the World in Eighty Days - review


W

Weston, Tom - The Elf of Luxembourg - review
White, Jenny - The Abyssinian Proof - review
Wilde, Oscar - The Importance of Being Earnest (play) - review
Willem - Van den vos Reynaerde (Reynard the Fox) - review

Books Reviewed in 2011 by Title

This is a list of all the books I've reviewed in 2011, sorted by title. Titles beginning with 'A', 'An', 'To' or 'The' will be sorted like those words weren't in the title. So you can find 'The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax' under the U.


A

The Abyssinian Proof by Jenny White - review
The Admiral's Bride by Suzanne Brockmann - review
Alle wegen naar Rome by Jan Blokker Jr. - review
The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman - review
Any Witch Way by Annastaysia Savage - review
Armed and Devastating by Julie Miller - review
Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne - review
Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex by Eoin Colfer - review
Artemis Fowl: The Time Paradox by Eoin Colfer - review
Atlantis by David Gibbins - review


B

Baby Bling by Elle James - review
Beowulf by Caitlin Kiernan - review
The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman - review
Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs - review
Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs - review
Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy - review


C

The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry - review
Cleopatra by Carlo Maria Franzero - review
A Cold Day For Murder by Dana Stabenow - review
Contract With God by Juan Gomez-Jurado - review


D

Death at Daisy's Folly by Robin Paige - review
Death by Darjeeling by Laura Childs - review
Desert Ice Daddy by Dana Marton - review
To Desire a Wicked Duke by Nicole Jordan - review
A Different Kind of Christmas by Alex Haley - review
A Dilly of a Death by Susan Wittig Albert - review
Dinomummy by Philip Manning - review


E

Eggsecutive Orders by Julie Hyzy - review
The Elf of Luxembourg by Tom Weston - review
The Elusive Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman - review
Everyday, Average Jones by Suzanne Brockmann - review
Experience the Tower of London by Sarah Kilby - review
Eye of the Needle by Ken Follett - review


F

Ferguut by Anonymous - review
Fool's Puzzle by Earlene Fowler - review
Forever Blue by Suzanne Brockmann - review
Frisco's Kid by Suzanne Brockmann - review


G

Get Lukcy by Suzanne Brockmann - review
God's Spy by Juan Gomez-Jurado - review
Gunpowder Green by Laura Childs - review


H

Hail to the Chef by Julie Hyzy - review
Harvard's Education by Suzanne Brockmann - review
Hercule Poirot's Christmas by Agatha Christie - review
Hoe schrijf ik een biografie? (How to write a biography) by Dik van der Meulen and Monica Soeting - review
Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle - review


I

Identity, Unknown by Suzanne Brockmann - review
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (play) - review
Introduction to Ecological Genomics by Nico van Straalen & Dick Roelofs - review
Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs - review
It Came Upon a Midnight Clear by Suzanne Brockmann - review


J

Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Patillo - review


K

Khap Djaai by Sandra Bakker - review


L

Last Call by Jennifer Schmidt - review
The Last Kashmiri Rose by Barbara Cleverly - review
London: A Brief History by Charles River Editors - review
Luxembourg and the Jenisch Connection by David Robinson - review
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan - review


M

Monte Carlo by Stephen Sheppard - review
Murder Takes the Caky by Gayle Trent - review


N

Night Watch by Suzanne Brockmann - review


P

Platinum Cowboy by Rita Herron - review
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - review
Prehistoric Cookery by Jane Renfrew - review
Priceless Newborn Prince by Ann Voss Peterson - review
Prince Joe by Suzanne Brockmann - review


R

Rules of the Wild by Francesca Marciano - review


S

Security Blanket by Delores Fossen - review
Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs - review
Simon Said by Sarah Shaber - review
Slave by Sherri Hayes - review
State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy - review


T

Taylor's Temptation by Suzanne Brockmann - review
Term Limits by Vince Flynn - review
The Third Option by Vince Flynn - review
Transfer of Power by Vince Flynn - review
Tyrannosaur Canyon by Douglas Preston - review


U

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman - review


V

Vampire Dragon by Annette Blair - review
Van den vos Reynaerde (Reynard the Fox) by Willem - review


W

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle - review


Z

Zijdezacht zand (Silky Sand) by Sandra Bakker - review

Bookreview: God's Spy

Author: Juan Gomez-Jurado
Genre: Thriller
Published: 2007
Personal rating: 5/5
Yearly count: 2
Book Around the World Challenge: Western Europe 10/31


It’s April 2005 and Pope John Paul II has just died. Rome is a madhouse with all the world’s leaders showing up for the funeral and many thousands of believers coming to pay their last respects. 115 cardinals come to Rome and Vatican City to say their last farewells to John Paul and elect a new Pope. But then a serial killer starts picking them off one by one.

The Vigilanza, the Vatican’s small police force, recognize they cannot catch the killer on their own and call in the help of Italy’s only profiler, Police Inspector Paola Dicanti. Together with her friend and colleague Maurizo Pontiera, inspector Dante of the Vigilanza and Father Anthony Fowler, a priest with a shady background, she needs to find the murderer before he kills again. At the same time, the Vigilanze requires the murders be kept a secret, which complicates everything greatly.

This book was great. It was everything a thriller should be. Fast-paced, never boring, lots of suspense even though the identity of the killer is known almost from the beginning. It’s really more of a cat-and-mouse game between the small team and the killer than about who is committing the murders. I also loved the fact that we got small glimpses into the past of the serial killer, which made everything come together in a very unique way. It’s a complex story that misleads in a good way and had me slapping myself on the head at the end saying: ‘why didn’t I see that!’

I loved that the setting was so real and vivid. I’ve been to Rome and Vatican City several times now and reading the book was like being there again. The book showed the tension between Vatican City as a country with its own rules and customs and Italy as a whole, Rome in particular. Life in Vatican City is not closed off from life in Rome, but there are enormous differences between the two. This is highlighted by the cast of characters who embody the different elements and forces at play in this book.

Speaking about characters, there are really two lead characters in this book. At first, Paola Dicanti takes center stage and we live the case through her experiences. Because of this, we get to know pretty much everything about her and there are no great mysteries to solve. This is comforting as she is the only thing making any sense during the case and the only character you feel you can completely trust. However, the focus gradually shifts away from Dicanti once Father Anthony Fowler is introduced to the storyline.

Father Anthony Fowler’s past is shrouded in mystery. Some pieces of the puzzle are given in this book, but several questions about his past are left glaringly open, whetting the appetite for more. It is therefore not surprising that he is the main character in the rest of the series. This book finished with very satisfactory end, so there is no need to read the rest of the books, but I certainly will because the book was just that good! Highly recommended.

Bookreview: Luxembourg and the Jenisch Connection

Author: David Robinson
Genre: Mystery
Published: 2005
Personal rating: 1.5/5
Yearly count: 1
Off The Shelf Challenge: 1/15
Book Around the World Challenge: Western Europe 9/31


Jason Evans is on holiday in Luxembourg visiting his brother Shaun, when he witnesses a young, blond woman committing suicide. His need to know why she did it and a telephone number on a pink piece of paper get him involved, which turns out to be more than a simple suicide.

Meanwhile, Detective Ernie Meyer is looking into the suicide as well. He made a mistake on a case years ago, effectively derailing his career. Neatly wrapping up this investigation could get it back on track, but what starts out as a seemingly simple suicide turns into a complex web of crimes that crosses borders. The stakes turn out to be much higher than just saving his career.

Have you ever read a story that had so much potential, but could use a lot of editing? This is such a story. The writing was awful at times, with very stilted prose and a lot of telling instead of showing. What annoyed me the most was the random shifting between viewpoints. Often you were in the head of one character, then suddenly for a sentence or two in the head of another character. This was confusing and weird.

One of the good things about the book was David Robinson’s descriptions of Luxembourg. They are great, which is understandable as he lived there for a couple of years. The plot was intriguing, with each clue providing more questions than answers and several things going on at the same time. As a reader you know more than each of the characters do, because you know the information Meyers and Jason found, which overlaps sometimes, but they also hold separate pieces of the puzzle. I thought the two different viewpoints complimented each other. However, the switches between scenes with Meyer and Jason were frequent, even within relatively short chapters, which I didn’t like. It made for a choppy story, that sometimes felt more like a collection of scenes than a continuous story.

This feeling of choppiness was exacerbated by the fact that there were a lot of pointless scenes. An example of this is the fact that seemingly every time the scenes switched to Meyer, he began checking his e-mails. There was also a lot of realistic, but pointless conversation about weather and traffic that I could have done without.

All of this combined made for a lot of frustration during reading, but the plot was intriguing enough for me to continue. The ending, where all threads came together, could have made up for a lot. The whole book you’re building towards something big, only to be let down in the end. There are at least three different plot threads that are left hanging, with only one minor one being dealt with at the end. The book ends with the words “and the story continues…”, but David Robinson has not written a sequel to this. So as a reader, I am highly dissatisfied with this book and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.

Wish List Books Wednesday

As much as I try to read from my TBR pile, somehow, new books always find their way there. Here are the last of my December additions to my never ending TBR wish list:

A Rogue's Pleasure by Hope Tarr



A review on Bitsy Bling Books made me put this on my TBR list. This book have several plot elements that inevitably draw me in, like a woman who's blackmailed and does something creative about it and an emotionally damaged man just returned from war. With sentences in this review like: "I quite enjoyed the dirty side of London.", "Viscount Grenville is the ultimate historical bad boy of London and if I had a time machine I'd jump in it and likely throw myself on his doorstep." and "What I adored about Tarr's writing was that she mingles historical adventure and period setting with romantic sensuality." it was inevitable that this book ended up on my TBR list.


The Bride Assignment by Leigh Michaels



There was a blurb on this book at the back of The Baby Bonding and the plot sounded intersting and just my thing. Beginning as a matchmaker for someone and ending up being the best candidate is a plot which is one of my guilty pleasures.



Their Accidental Baby by Hannah Bernard



Another guilty pleasure plot of mine is romance novels where children play a role. So when the blurb on this book at the back of The Baby Bonding told me a woman gets a baby dropped into her lap unexpected and without explanation and her handsome neighbour helps her take care of him, off course I'm going to add it to my TBR list!

Bookreview: The Baby Bonding

Author: Caroline Anderson
Genre: Romance
Published: 2003
Personal rating: 3.5/5
Yearly count: 25

Three years ago, midwife Molly Hammond carried a baby for surgeon Sam Gregory and his wife. She fell in love with him back then, but knew it could never be. Now, he’s back in her life and a single father. But starting a relationship with him could jeopardize her newly established contact with her son.

My last review for 2010 is for this Harlequin Romance novel. I liked this book a lot. There’s attraction from both sides, but a real life problem keeping them from taking the chance. Both Molly and Sam are likeable, the story is believable and the attraction is sizzling. I’d have loved to have seen a bit more interaction with the kids, both Molly’s own daughter as the son she shares with Sam. But still, recommended for an enjoyable read.