Favourite Books of 2011 - Part 3

Well, it's now Dec 3, 2011 and I'm winding down my reading for the year. I imagine I'll be able to get in 3 or 4 more books, especially if we travel a bit as planned, because I usually manage to get a bit of reading in then. At the moment, I'm reading two mysteries;



Inspector Frost # 2

 R.D. Wingfield's A Touch of Frost. This is the second book in the series; Wingfield only wrote 6, but from the books came a wonderful, long-lasting TV mystery series, starring David Jason as Frost. I'm sure I'm missing some aspects of Frost's life by starting with Number 2, such as the issues with his wife's health, but I'm almost half way through at the moment and I don't feel like the story is lacking any interest without my having read the first. I do recall the basic plot from one of the TV episodes; there are at least 3 ongoing investigations, a serial rapist who targets young girls, a hit-and-run driver and the murder of a hard luck drug addict who is found dead in a public toilet. There are some minor aspects of Frost's character that differ from the book to the TV show, but even that doesn't take away from the story. I can accept either. At any rate, I'm enjoying very much at the moment and it's been interesting enough that I will search out the rest of the series to read.



Cadfael # 5

The second book I'm working on at the moment (my downstairs book) is Ellis Peters' 5th Cadfael mystery, The Leper of Saint Giles. It's a favourite series of mine (among many, you can never have too many!). I also enjoyed the TV mini-series, or at least the episodes that I have seen. I can pick up one of the books anytime and find myself drawn into the life and times of Cadfael, the Benedictine monk who lives in the time of the wars of succession between Empress Maud and King Stephen. In this episode, a wedding is to take place in Shrewsbury Abbey, between a middle-aged royal and a young 18 year old girl, Iveta, whose aunt and uncle are basically selling her so they can gain her properties. The lord is murdered and Cadfael finds himself trying to solve the murder, in order to prevent the execution of one of the lord's squires, a young man who also loves Iveta and wants to protect her interests. I'm enjoying the story very much so far and find myself about half way through it. As always, the descriptions of the times, the character of Cadfael and the mystery always draw me in.



John Wyndham short stories

One last book mention before I finish off my final list of 2011 favourites. When I finish one or other of the two that I am currently reading, the next on my list. One of my book clubs, the UK Book Club on goodreads has an ongoing genre challenge, which I've mentioned previously. In December, the challenge is short stories. I conveniently purchased John Wyndham's The Seeds of Time at a book fair held locally each November by the Rotary Club of Comox.  Wyndham is one of my all-time favourite writers, having written two of my favourite Sci-Fi novels, The Day of the Triffids and The Chrysalids. I have read the Seeds of Time previously, back in my high school days, but I think it's time to read it once again. Plus it'll satisfy my Dec challenge. :0). The book features 10 short stories covering subjects as varied as time travel, body snatching and mind snatching. I'm looking forward to it..

OK, now on to my final selections for my favourite reads of 2011. (Remember, they weren't necessarily written in 2011, just read this year.)



Brighton Rock

 In Mar, I read Graham Greene's Brighton Rock. I have read a few Graham Greene novels, a particular favourite of mine is Our Man in Havana. But I had never read Brighton Rock; I think one reason I dusted it off to read this past spring was because of the movie remake that came out starring Helen Mirren. Mind you, I still haven't seen the movie, either the original or the remake, but I'm glad I read the book. It was a fascinating tense thriller. The characters were interesting; Pinkie was a ruthless, sociopath, prepared to kill anyone who stood in his way. He readily used Rose, courting her and even marrying her to prevent her telling what she had witnessed. And then there is Ida Arnold, bigger than life, but ready to risk anything to get the truth for her murdered friend. It is a tense story, well-written, well-paced and a must read for anyone who likes that genre, or just likes an excellent story.



Night of the Generals

 I had seen the movie, Night of the Generals, starring Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole, many years ago. It was an interesting movie, a war movie and a murder mystery. Insane generals and an intrepid German military police officer trying to solve the murders of prostitutes in both war-torn Poland and Paris. I had been interested in H.H. Kirst's writing for awhile; while I was stationed in Victoria in 2007, I had purchased a few of his books and read Hero in the Tower, a very sardonic look at the war, from German eyes. Kirst also wrote Night of the Generals and I read it in Feb of this year. The plot moves from Poland to Paris; in both cities prostitutes are brutally murdered. In each city, the same three generals are stationed and considered as suspects. The cases are investigated, the generals characters are developed nicely. The story is interesting, the plot has nice twists and turns and the final scenes are surprising and complete the story nicely. A different perspective of the war and, along with a good mystery, one you might find very interesting and well worth reading.



Inspector John Madden

 One of the very first books I read this year was a mystery from a new writer for me, Rennie Airth's River of Darkness. It is set after WWI in the peaceful countryside area of Sussex in South England. The peace is rent asunder by the brutal murder of 5 members of a family; four with a bayonet and the lady of the house, by having her throat slit with a razor. Tragically a young girl, the daughter of the household, is found alive under her bed, terrifyingly having heard the slaughter in the house. Into this tragedy comes Scotland Yard Inspector John Madden, who must sort through this violent murder to find the killer. Madden deals with his own issues, psychological baggage from the War, while he works steadily to find out who committed the vile murders. The search takes him along many paths, to other areas of Southern England as he tries to find the person responsible. It is a tense well-developed story and I highly recommend it. I now have the second book in the series, The Blood-Dimmed Tide, ready to be read in 2012.



Spook Country

 William Gibson is a Sci-Fi writer, but one who produces interesting different views of the future. I've read many of his books and only was disappointed with one, The Difference Engine; I just didn't get it. But Spook Country follows along with many of his series; Pattern Recognition and Zero History are set in the same period. it's a future of computers, holograms, spies, invention. The story is more of a spy thriller than futuristic Sci-Fi; there are no aliens, just strange and interesting people. The plot revolves around 3 story lines which ultimately are linked into one thread. The main characters of each plot line are Hollis Henry, ex rocker, turned investigative journalist on assignment for a new secretive magazine, The Node; Milgrim, the junkie, inextricably tied to the secretive spy Brown, involved in trying to get something for someone; and, Tito, the Cuban - Russian, who is helping his family on a mission to who knows what. The story moves along very nicely, keeps you guessing and ultimately links everyone and everything up very nicely for a satisfying conclusion. Great story.



Her Fearful Symmetry

 A book that resonated with me so very much was The Time-Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffnegger. I loved it; the whole concept was fascinating and the story so well-written. I even liked the movie, even though it seemed to be panned by the critics. I don't know why, as I thought it represented the story very well. When I saw Audrey's next book, Her Fearful Symmetry, at the store, I had to buy it. It has sat on my shelf for awhile, but in September I took it down and sat down to read it. And I loved it too. It was different from the first, but as enjoyable. The story involves twin sister Valentina and Julia who inherit there aunt's flat beside Highgate Cemetery when she dies. The aunt is the twin of their mother, sisters who haven't spoken for years. To inherit the flat or be able to sell it, they must stay there for a year, and their mother isn't allowed to enter. Residents on other floors of the flat are their aunt's lover, Robert Fanshawe, who works as a tour guide at the cemetery and Martin Wells, the agoraphobic shut-in who lives upstairs and never leaves. Throw in the ghost of their aunt and you have the makings of a fantastical, interesting story which will take you down some paths you don't expect. It was different from the first, but all the same, it was an excellent story. I loved it!



Harry Hole mystery

 I was introduced to Norwegian writer, Jo Nesbo, by chance. I like to frequent the mystery section of one of my local book stores, The Laughing Oyster, to see if any of my favourite series have new additions or just to see if anybody else might grab my fancy. I found Jo Nesbo in Jun, read the back of some of the copies the store had on the shelf, asked the clerk if she had read any, and from both the synopses and her recommendation, found myself with two books. The Redbreast is the third of the series which has 8 stories in it, but the first translated. I sat down to read in in Jun and finished it in 3 days. Great story, fast paced; I really find Harry Hole interesting and I like his partner, Ellen, as well. The story moves between the present where Harry finds himself promoted to Inspector and monitoring neo-Nazi activities and the Russian Front during WWII where Norwegian Nazis find themselves fighting with the Germans. It was a very different story for me, gritty, interesting mystery and I liked the Norwegian setting. I'm finding many excellent mystery writers from Scandinavia and Nesbo ranks up there with the best. I have Nemesis on my shelf, which follows The Redbreast so that will be a must read for 2012. I'm looking forward to it already.

Water for Elephants

The final book from 2011 that I want to mention is Water for Elephants, from Sara Gruen. In February I found myself in Winnipeg, Manitoba, waiting out a snow storm at the airport as all flights were delayed, including my flight back home to Comox. So I saw at the airport bookstore and following normal procedure, I bought it. I had just finished a book of short stories as I lounged around. So in need of something new I started to read this and found that it drew me in so successfully that I had finished it by the time I got home later that night. It's a simple story in its way, man joins circus, man falls in love with lovely female circus star and they live happily ever after.. Well, maybe not quite. But the basic premise is there. There are many tragedies and adventures throughout this journey as told by Jacob Jankowski, the veterinary student who loses his parents in a car crash, which causes his life to come tumbling down, and who joins a circus. The story follows Jacob until we meet him as a ninety-plus year old man living in a nursing home. It's a fascinating, interesting, emotional story, told with feeling and skill. Another of my favourites of 2011.

So there you have it, over the last 3 Blogs, the books I enjoyed most reading them in 2011. I hope that by reading this you might find some interesting enough to pick up yourself and see what they are like.

At any rate, go to a book store in your neighbourhood and check them out. Keep on reading in 2012!

Favourite Reads of 2011

I've very much enjoyed my reading this past year. It's been a nice mix of old and new, some rereads of old favourites, continued work on favourite series and also introducing myself to some new authors. Looking back at my reading from this year, I thought I'd start with some of my favourite rereads.



On the Beach - Nevil Shute

I've very much enjoyed finding some of my old favourites, dusting them off and reading them again this past year. Nevil Shute is one of my favourite authors. I particularly have enjoyed Pied Piper and one of my Top Ten favourites, On the Beach. I have previously blogged about this book; it's number 2 on my all-time favourite books.
I've read this story many times and also have enjoyed the movie with Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner. The subject matter, while depressing, is treated with delicacy and respect by Nevil Shute. The plot is very understated considering the fact that he is discussing the end of the world. I read this first as a youngster, in junior high or high school and I was very much taken with this story. I followed up with other stories on similar topics; Alas Babylon, by Pat Frank and Fail Safe by Eugene Burdick, come to mind. Since that time, I've read On The Beach a few times and I still find myself drawn to similar stories. I particularly have enjoyed War Day by Whitley Streiber and James Kunetka (one I'll have to dig out again and reread) and, most recently, The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.

All that to say, I'm so glad to have reread this novel and even once again talking about, even briefly, it has reminded me of what a classic story it is and I heartily recommend to anyone if you've not ever read it.



Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

 It had been a very long time since I'd read Fahrenheit 451. I think I may have seen the movie first, but it had been a very long time. I bought this special 50th anniversary edition in 2007 and decided this past spring that it was time to reread. In May one of my Goodreads book clubs decided to read a story in the Dystopia genre, so I chose this novel as my read.

It was an excellent choice as rereading it refreshed my memories on how excellent a story it is. Basically, it is the story of Guy Montag, a fireman, whose role in the future is to burn books. Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which paper burns. Unfortunately for Guy, he begins to doubt his role, finds himself collecting books and hiding them. He then becomes an enemy of the state and is forced on the run. The story and the movie are both excellent; both somewhat different as well. Fahrenheit 451 ranks up there with other classics of this genre, especially 1984 by George Orwell, which also happens to be a favourite of mine.

I do highly recommend either novel if you are interested in exploring this genre.



The Outsiders - SE Hinton

 Another genre that was chosen this past year in my book club was Young Adult. I dusted off another old favourite for this one. I've had my copy of The Outsiders since the early '80s. I believe I bought it after I'd seen the movie by Francis Ford Coppola.

Both the movie and the book are excellent, touching, thoughtful and well-presented. The story follows three brothers, Ponyboy, Darrel and Sodapop Curtis, and their friends in a small town in Texas as they interact with each other, fight with the rich 'Soc's' on the good side of the tracks and ultimately deal with tragic and life changing events.

SE Hinton presents this story in a manner that draws you in, even if you've never experienced what Ponyboy and his brothers experience. They are well-developed and you feel for them, understand what motivates and moves them.

I strongly recommend this story, it reaches all ages. The movie is also a must-see, it has such a fantastic cast and they all work together to bring you a fantastic movie.



To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

 I reread my all-time favourite book again in September. I have blogged about it previously when I was discussing my Top Ten favourite books. To Kill A Mockingbird ranks as Number 1 on my list. It also ranks as number 1 on my Top Ten movies of all-times.

The story is a timeless classic. It's a simple story in its way, telling of the growing up of one Scout Finch, a young Southern girl and of her older brother, Jem. They live during the Depression, must deal with school, have fun with their friend Dill Harris, who visits each summer, and try to solve the mystery of one Boo Radley, the never-seen neighbour, who seems to leave secret messages for the two of them.

The main event of this excellent novel is a trial that their father, Atticus, becomes involved with, the trial of a Negro man, Tom Robinson, accused of raping a white woman. This trial will forever change their lives and it, along with all the events that take place, are presented wondrously, in a touching, intelligent manner by Harper Lee. Even writing about it now and thinking of the story again, I feel the emotions welling up inside me. It is a rare story, one that everyone should read and one that will draw you in so you are sharing everything with Scout, Jem and Atticus. (Watch the movie too.. excellent!)

The Return of Hyman Kaplan - Leo Rosten

During my high school years, I read a humorous set of stories featuring a fascinating US immigrant who attends English classes along with other immigrants. The story was told from the perspective of the embattled, frazzled teacher of the class, Mr Parkhill, or as named by Hyman, Meester Pockheel.

The first in the series was The Education of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N, the follow-on being, The Return of H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N. I had been looking for copies of these stories for a considerable time and luckily, while the missus and I were in Ottawa this past summer, I found one of them.

I reread the story with pleasant anticipation, hoping that the humour would still strike a chord with me. Luckily it did. The story is really a series of incidents, set in the classroom of Mr Parkhill, as he tries to get his students to understand the intricacies of the English language. The humour is gentle, the characters are colourful, the story is a pleasure to read. There are often laugh out loud moments, most often you find yourself chuckling or shaking your head as you finally figure out what the students are trying to present to Mr Parkhill. Hyman Kaplan, himself, is a larger than life character, full of energy, love for his new country and this language that he remakes into his own image.

I will continue to search for the other books, the stories are a pleasure to read.


Casino Royale - Ian Fleming

 I have slowly been acquiring and rereading a series of spy novels that I had enjoyed as a kid. The James Bond stories were exciting to a youngster like me, full of adventure, intrigue, sex.. The books were dark and gritty, much more like the Sean Connery movies, or the more recent Daniel Craig attempts.

I reread Casino Royale recently, this is the first of the Bond stories. The recent movie did it justice, providing the same dark, grittiness that the book had. Of course, the story, which was written in 1953 didn't have the special effects that the movies have. But it introduced Bond nicely, his love of cars, the whole 'shaken not stirred', the glamour of the casino, all of that providing a hint of the life he leads as a double-0 spy. I have thoroughly enjoyed reliving my earlier adventures with James Bond and look forward to continuing to do so this coming year.



The Thirty-nine Steps - John Buchan

 My final reread this year was another spy thriller, John Buchan's, The Thirty-nine Steps. I think I've seen the Alfred Hitchcock movie from 1939 more times than I've read the book, but both stand the test of time. I think in many ways I relate this classic more to the movie, but the story is also excellent, and fairly different from the movie.

The premise remains the same in both though. Richard Hannay, a mining engineer, currently living in London, gets caught up in a mystery that threatens the safety of the United Kingdom. To bide time while he tries to solve the mystery, he travels the length of the British Isles, to the north in Scotland and during this journey, he must try to avoid arrest by the police and murder by the agents trying to find him.

The book was written in 1915 and as I mentioned above, the movie released in 1939, but they hold their own today. I can watch the movie and having reread the book, find them as interesting and as exciting as the first time I did either. What more can you ask from a story; that even almost 100 years on, it still manages to hold your interest and draw you in. The Thirty-nine Steps does that.

So there you have it for today, some of my favourite rereads of 2011. Next time I'll highlight some of my favourite new authors.

Keep on reading!

Reading Group Challenge 2012

It's that time of year to start looking at what I want to read in 2012 and what books were hits with me this past year. In one of my Goodreads website reading groups, we've been setting up our reading goals for 2012. The Group Reading Goal is a 12 + 2 challenge; twelve books plus 2 alternates that you pick to read over the course of the year. Of course this has lead to much discussion as we look at each others choices and comment on them. For interest sake, my tentative 12  + 2 list is -

My Group Reading Goals for 2012 -

1. Susanna Clarke - Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell. At the dawn of the 19th century, two very different magicians emerge to change England's history. In the year 1806, with the Napoleonic Wars raging on land and sea, most people believe magic to be long dead in England - until the reclusive Mr Norrell reveals his powers, and becomes a celebrity overnight. Soon, another practicing magician comes forth: the young, handsome, and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell's student, and they join forces in the war against France. But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic, straining his partnership with Norrell, and putting at risk everything else he holds dear.

2. Sergei Lukyanenko - The Night Watch. Walking the Streets of Moscow, indistinguishable from the rest of its population, are the Others. Each owes allegiance to either the Dark or the Light, two powerful forces that long ago forged an uneasy truce in order to avert chaos and disaster. They watch each other closely, carefully maintaining the world's precarious balance between good and evil. Anton, a young Other of the Light, is a Night Watch agent who patrols the streets and subways of the city, protecting ordinary people from the agents - including vampires - of the Dark. On his rounds, Anton comes across a young woman, Svetlana, who is under a powerful curse that threatens to destroy the city, and a boy, Egor, an Other still unaware of his powers, whom Anton narrowly saves from the vampires of the Dark. Anton and his partner, Olga, a powerful female Other who has been turned into an owl as punishment, work frantically with their Night Watch colleagues - each gifted with their own particular powers - to deflect Svetlana's curse and to protect Egot from the creatures that pursue him.

3. Scott Westerfield - Leviathan. It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. Their Leviathan is a whale airship, and the most masterful beast in the British fleet. Aleksandar Ferdinand, prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, is on the run. his own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battle-torn Stormwalker and a loyal crew of men. Deryn Sharp is a commoner, a girl disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She's a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered. with the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way....

4. Bill Bryson - At Home - A Short History of Private Life. Bill Bryson and his family live in a Victorian parsonage in a part of England where nothing of any great significance has happened since the Romans decamped. Yet one day, he began to consider how very little he knew about the ordinary things of life as he found it in that comfortable home. To remedy this, he formed the idea of journeying about his house from room to room to “write a history of the world without leaving home.” The bathroom provides the occasion for a history of hygiene; the bedroom, sex, death, and sleep; the kitchen, nutrition and the spice trade; and so on, as Bryson shows how each has fig­ured in the evolution of private life. Whatever happens in the world, he demonstrates, ends up in our house, in the paint and the pipes and the pillows and every item of furniture.

5. Deborah Cadbury - Chocolate Wars. With a cast of characters that wouldn’t be out of place in a Victorian novel, Chocolate Wars tells the story of the great chocolatier dynasties, through the prism of the Cadburys. Chocolate was consumed unrefined and unprocessed as a rather bitter, fatty drink for the wealthy elite until the late 19th century, when the Swiss discovered a way to blend it with milk and unleashed a product that would conquer every market in the world. Thereafter, one of the great global business rivalries unfolded as each chocolate maker attempted to dominate its domestic market and innovate new recipes for chocolate that would set it apart from its rivals. The contest was full of dramatic contradictions: The Cadburys were austere Quakers who found themselves making millions from an indulgent product; Kitty Hershey could hardly have been more flamboyant yet her husband was moved by the Cadburys tradition of philanthropy. Each was a product of their unique time and place yet they shared one thing: they want to make the best chocolate in the world.

6. Barbara Tuchman - The Zimmerman Telegram. Barbara Tuchman's novel tells the  story of certain events leading up to America's entry into World War I and of the intercepted message that triggered the dramatic climax. It involves a tale of espionage, secret diplomacy, international politics and personal drama probably unparalleled in history.

7. Jack Whyte - Knights of the Black and White. It is 1088. Whole many French nobles continue their occupation of a violently hostile England, one young knight, Hugh de Payens, is inducted into the Order, a powerful secret society. When the new Pope calls for knights to join his Crusade to redeem the Holy Land, Hugh is commanded by the Order to go along and quickly finds himself in hellish battle in Jerusalem. Sickened by the slaughter of innocents and civilians, Hugh decides to follow a different path, forming the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ, a unique brotherhood of fighting monks who use the skills honed in battle to defend and protect pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem. But the Order has a different plan, and soon the brethren find themselves charged with an outlandish and dangerous task - a seemingly impossible mission to uncover a hidden treasure that could not only destroy the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem but threaten the fabric of the Church itself.

8. Iain Banks - The Wasp Factory. Two years after I murdered my younger brother Paul, for quite different reasons that I'd disposed of Blyth, and then a year after that I did for my young cousin, Esmerelda, more or less on a whim. That' my score to date. Three. I haven't killed anybody for years, and don't intend to ever again. It was just a stage I was going through.

Enter - if you can bear it - the extraordinary private world of Frank, just sixteen, and unconventional, to say the least.

9. Anthony Burgess - A Clockwork Orange.  Fifteen-year old Alex doesn't just like ultra-violence - he also enjoys rape, drugs and Beethoven's Ninth. he and his gang rampage through a dystopian future, hunting for terrible thrills. But when Alex finds himself at the mercy of the state and subject to the ministrations of Dr Brodsky, the government psychologist, he discovers that fun is no longer the order of the day..

The basis for one of the most notorious films ever made. A Clockwork Orange is both a virtuoso performance from an electrifying prose stylist and a serious exploration of the morality of free will.

10. Robertson Davies - The Rebel Angels.  The Rebel Angels revolves around the execution of a difficult will. In this case, the estate is of one Francis Cornish, a fantastically rich patron and collector of Canadian art and a noted antiquarian bibliophile. A lost Rabelais manuscript is rumoured to be among his possessions, and his executors include the deliciously revolting Renaissance scholar Urquhart McVarish; Professor Clement Hollier, a classically middle-aged inhabitant of the ivory tower; and the Reverend Simon Darcourt, Davies's obligatory humanist clergyman. A heroine is provided in the form of Maria Theotoky, a beautiful Ph.D. student of Professor Hollier's. A rich, funny, and slightly ribald campus novel results.

11. Ken Follett - Pillars of the Earth. As a new age dawns in England's twelfth century, the building of a might Gothic cathedral sets the stage for a story of intrigue and power, revenge and betrayal. It is in this rich tapestry, where kings and queens are corrupt, that the common man shows eternal promise - and one majestic creation will bond them forever.

12. Barbara Kingsolver - The Poisonwood Bible. This is the story of Nathan Price, a fierce, evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959. They carry  with them everything they believe they will need from home, but soon find that all of it - is calamitously transformed on African soil. What follows is a suspenseful epic of one family's tragic undoing and remarkable reconstruction over the course of three decades in post colonial Africa. The novel is set against one of the most dramatic political chronicles of the twentieth century: the Congo's fight for independence from Belgium, the murder of its first elected prime minister, the CIA coup to install his replacement, and the insidious progress of a world economic order that robs the fledgling African nation of its autonomy.

Alt 1. Vikas Swarup - Six Suspects.  Seven years ago, Vivek "Vicky" Rai, the playboy son of the Home Minister of Uttar Pradesh,murdered Ruby Gill at a trendy restaurant in New Delhi simply because she refused to serve him a drink. Now Vicky Rai is dead, killed at a farmhouse at a party he had thrown to celebrate his acquittal. The police cordon off the venue and search each and every guest. Six of them are discovered with guns in their possession and are taken in for questioning. Who are these six suspects? And what were they doing in the farmhouse that night? Both a riveting page - turner and a richly textured tale of human frailties, Six Suspects is the work of a master storyteller.

Alt 2. Elleston Trevor - The Flight of the Phoenix . Two men die when Frank Towns crash-lands his Skytruck passenger-freighter in the storm - whipped Libyan desert. From the broken hull dazed survivors stagger - twelve men and a monkey - to face a gruesome, near-waterless ordeal, hundreds of miles from help. Then one man conceives an apparently fantastic idea, to build a new plane from the wreckage of the old....





So there you have it, my main Group Reading Challenge for next year. I'm already looking forward to it. Next couple of Blogs I'll highlight some of my favourite reads of 2011.. Betcha can't wait, eh?

Keep on reading!!