8) The Ghost Riders of Ordebec by Fred Vargas I haven't read a Fred Vargas novel for quite some time, but was fortunate to see this at our local station's free community bookshelf, and grabbed it. Vargas is an excellent writer of quirky, original and often slightly mystical French crime thrillers - featuring the wonderful… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 8: The Ghost Riders of Ordebec
Author: nicktemple1
Year 2 / Book 7: March Violets
7) March Violets by Philip Kerr It seemed like a strangely appropriate moment to read a novel set in mid 1930s Germany - can't imagine why. So I returned to Philip Kerr's great set of Bernie Gunther novels, a detective who is like Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe with a heavy side-dose of British sarcasm and quick-wittedness.… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 7: March Violets
Year 2 / Book 5 & 6 – Bird in a Cage & The Last Temptation
After the heavy but brilliant non-fiction of The Unwinding, I've retrenched to a bit of escapist crime & police fiction.... 5) Bird in a Cage by Frederic Dard This is a short, atmospheric, slightly gothic tale which packs a lot of plot complexity and character exposition into a slim number of pages. It follows a… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 5 & 6 – Bird in a Cage & The Last Temptation
Year 2 / Book 4: The Unwinding
4) The Unwinding by George Packer. The subtitle of this book gives you an insight into what it is about: An Inner History of the New America. I downloaded it when on offer probably 2 years or more ago, and had largely forgotten it was languishing on my Kindle. Which was a mistake. This is an… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 4: The Unwinding
Year 2 / Book 3: Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone
3) Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling. Yes, I know what you're thinking. Either a) how have you not read this already? or b) why are you, an adult, reading a children's book? I very much come from the latter camp, and have read this largely because I became so vitriolic… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 3: Harry Potter & the Philosopher’s Stone
Year 2 / Book 2: Redemption
Another week and another Danish read, but this time back into crime-thriller territory. 2) Redemption by Jussi Adler-Olsen. I read the first and second of this bestselling series many moons ago and found it fun but a little far-fetched, and a touch try-hard. But being in Copenhagen for a week meant that I searched out the next… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 2: Redemption
Year 2 / Book 1: The Year of Living Danishly
So I've decided to continue the Book-A-Week thing, and this year started off in Copenhagen, so what better book to read than: 1) The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell. It's a fairly undemanding tale of a London-based couple in their 30s leaving to go and live in Denmark for a year, after the… Continue reading Year 2 / Book 1: The Year of Living Danishly
Book 52: Die of Shame
52) Die of Shame by Mark Billingham I finished this on December 31st, so managed to complete my New Year's Resolution Book-A-Week-A-Thon, which has been great. And I've resolved to do the same again this year. Given probably about half my reading material it seems appropriate to be ending with a police procedural. Mark Billingham… Continue reading Book 52: Die of Shame
Book 51: Real Tigers
51) Real Tigers by Mick Herron As might be expected, I've got a load of books for Xmas ranging from the massive Japanese thriller Six-Four (terrifyingly huge) to the radical politics of Postcapitalism (terrifyingly clever). So, in classic fashion, I ignored the faintly terrifying options and went for a spy thriller - and I've been enjoying this… Continue reading Book 51: Real Tigers
Book 50: Slade House
50) Slade House by David Mitchell I've been a big David Mitchell fan for a while, particularly hooked by his early Japan-based books Ghostwritten & number9dream. I loved Cloud Atlas and Black Swan Green too. So I approached this with high expectations and it didn't disappoint. It's one of his most purely readable, fun and inventive books, with a… Continue reading Book 50: Slade House
Dog-eared Man: a book a week 