I loved Sadie Jones’ first two books. OUTCAST was an amazing debut that rivaled Ian McEwan’s brilliance. It was about a young boy whose father has been away during the war, he grows a strong attachment to his mother that his father can’t understand and when his mother dies he is emotionally rejected by his father. It is quite simply brilliant and could easily have scooped a number of literary awards.

There was a lot to live up to, not to mention the usual pressure of the second novel, but SMALL WARS lived up to expectations. Set in the 1950s it follows a newly married couple who go to Cyprus as the husband, an army officer, is posted there. The novel expertly looks at the pressure this situation puts on the couple individually and as a couple as well as the complicated situation of Cyprus and the end of British imperialism.

But….

When I asked for a reading copy of THE UNINVITED GUESTS I was told twice that her new book was “very different”. I never like it when an author writes the same book twice so I took the comments optimistically, unfortunately it was code. The book is set in 1912 and centers on a family who might lose their house as their money and income is running out. The eldest daughter is about to celebrate her twentieth birthday and is throwing a party that evening. However a horrific train accident changes everything. You never connect with any of the family members or the invited party guests and the story jumps between the cast of characters too quickly. The actual plot is supposed to be a ghost story which doesn’t work in the slightest and the ‘happy’ ending is lumpy icing on a bitter cake.

I was bitterly disappointed with this book. OUTCAST and SMALL WARS are brilliant books and Sadie Jones is a talented writer. This just didn’t work for me. Not in the slightest.

The novel opens in Vienna, 1913. Lysander Rief, an English actor, is seeking psychoanalysis for an unusual problem. His therapy sets of a chain of events that sees him embark on a passionate love affair that has far-reaching consequences. Consequences that see Rief’s acting talents being put to use by the British army a few years later when the world goes to war. The novel is told in a very interesting way. We get journal entries from Rief, that he starts as part of his therapy but the novel is also told from the third person and the interchanging works perfectly. Boyd combines elements of conspiracy and family connections with quirky, witty humour to create an odd sense of innocence and naivety that is being shaken awake by world events. There are chance meetings and odd coincidences that all work perfectly to keep you guessing right up until the end. This is a perfect blend of entertaining storytelling, intriguing plotting and masterful writing.

PS

I don’t think it has screened in Australia yet but you must check out the TV mini-series of ANY HUMAN HEART. The screenplay is by William Boyd and it is from the producers of DOWNTON ABBEY. A miniseries of RESTLESS is coming at the end of the year

Any Human Heart Trailer

WOLF HALL has sat in my ‘to read’ pile for at least two years, if not longer. I finally got around to it because the sequel, BRING UP THE BODIES, is being released in May this year. After reading The Game of Throne series last year I instantly related to WOLF HALL as there are many parallels. Both stories deal with power and those who lust after it. The novel is essentially the rise of Thomas Cromwell and what power does to a man who has risen from a blacksmith’s son to King’s courtier. An unheard of rise in a land of lordships and hereditary rights with distinct class delineation.

I haven’t read anything about Thomas Cromwell but what I have picked up along the way he has never been painted in a good light. He and Thomas More are always seen as power hungry zealots and More is painted no differently in WOLF HALL. In fact every time More features in the book I am reminded of a cold-blooded reptilian. However I very much warm to Mantel’s Cromwell. Mantel has rendered him in a very empathetic way and captures his voice and a dry, almost but not quite callous sense of humour. He resents nearly everyone around him, he is persuasive, a master manipulator and his view of the world is cynical, blunt and realistic. But power always corrupts nit matter who you are or where you come from. In a time when the Church wielded power and money over Kings, Queens and countries his faith (and lack of faith) was in people and the law (which ultimately was his downfall).

What I loved most about WOLF HALL is that Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn are almost background characters. Their story is so familiar but Mantel ensures she doesn’t tread on any sodden ground. Henry especially is rarely featured and Anne Boleyn flits in and out of the book. Cromwell is the central figure and his views permeate Mantel’s recreation of Tudor England. The story is one of political intrigue, moral corruption and the machinations of power and it is enthralling, entertaining, enlightening and deserving of all the accolades heaped upon it.

GOOD BAIT by John Harvey

John Harvey is the British Peter Temple. I’m not going to go into a synopsis of this novel because while the story is brilliant what makes this book stand out is the writing and the characters. The story unfolds for the reader just as is does for the two main characters: DCI Karen Shields (a city homicide detective) and DI Trevor Cordon (a small town policeman); piece by piece, somewhat unrelated but as dots start to connect things begin to become clearer while other things remain elusive. Read full review

STOLEN SOULS by Stuart Neville

Stuart Neville is fast becoming one of my favourite crime writers. Galya has just killed a ‘client’. Unfortunately the ‘client’ is the brother of a very important and ruthless man. She must now out run his revenge but ends up jumping out of the fry pan into a very vicious fire. Get on the Stuart Neville bandwagon now because this guy is going to be huge. Read full review

THE COLD, COLD GROUND by Adrian McKinty

I think this is quite possibly McKinty’s best book to date. Set in Belfast, 1981 at the height of the troubles, amid riots and hunger strikes a killer is on the loose. McKinty brilliantly evokes the war zone feel of Belfast but at the a same time cuts through the bleakness with perfect humour. This is the start of a superb new trilogy set and is one of the best crime books I’ve read. Read full review

Set in Belfast, 1981 McKinty immerses you completely in the time and place. Right from the opening pages you are put smack in the middle of the riots and the hunger strikes. Belfast is a war zone where law and order aren’t worth the bricks they’re graffiti’d on. Sean Duffy is a Catholic detective in the Protestant Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). This and his ‘charm’ make him a magnet for trouble and he is posted to relatively quite Carrickfergus (relative to Belfast not anywhere else).

Through Duffy, McKinty explores the absurdity of ‘The Troubles’, the hypocrisy on both sides, the ignorant hatred and the politics of self-interest from Irish and British alike.

In the midst of all this a killer on the loose targeting homosexuals. The media isn’t focused on the murders and in a country where homosexuality is illegal and the paramilitaries on both sides have a zero-tolerance attitude there is nothing but apathy to the case. Except of course from Sean Duffy.

This all sounds very bleak but the novel is littered with brilliant humour. Duffy is a real smart-arse particularly when he shouldn’t be and the banter amongst the cops and between the various paramilitary groups is highly entertaining and stops you falling into a well of despair. The ending, as always with McKinty, is an absolute cracker with a wee taste of things to come.

This book is what crime writing is all about. A mystery to keep you guessing, plotted to make you turn the pages as fast as you can but the heart of the story is the place the characters inhabit and the complicated mess in which they must exist and by the end you’re not concerned with who did it or if justice is done because your mind has been opened up to a much bigger picture which can never be black and white. Bravo Adrian McKinty.

I was a little unsure of what to expect with Jamie’s Great Britain. On my first look through the book it all looked a bit too traditional British fare, which is not the kind of food I like. However once the accompanying TV series started I realized there might be a bit more worth exploring.

The series is fascinating because Jamie travels through different regions of Britain and looks and what migration has influenced each area. He then looks at what is considered the classic British food of that region and shows how immigrants over time have shaped it.

The first recipes I dived into was Empire Chicken with Bombay potatoes and Indian Gravy. It is a cross between a roast chicken and a chicken curry. You marinate the whole chicken in an yoghurt paste and roast in the oven with your beautifully Indian seasoned potates. Under your chicken is your gravy which is also full of beautiful Indian spices. Unfortunately my gravy completely dried out butt he chicken and potatoes were delicious. I think I’ll try more stock for the gravy next time.

I’ve got a list of other recipes to try including a Mighty Mulligatawny, a Beef & Beer Pie, Creamy Crunchy Leeks (I LOVE leeks) and the Retro Arctic Roll. Yum!!

I am still greatly enjoying the series and cannot even fathom to guess how the series will finish in three books time (but I do have a couple of theories which I’m sure are too predicable for them to be right). I am fascinated by how Martin has made me not only feel sorry for some of the series vile characters but now even like them. I think that is a truly great accomplishment for a writer. To establish a character as a true villain only to slowly turn you around is quite a feat.

I have also read and heard some criticism about how the series is misogynistic. The world Martin has created is certainly a misogynistic world with many parallels to the medieval world. Males are the only heirs of lands and titles and females are in the most part treated abdominally. However I do not think the actual series nor George R. R. Martin are misogynistic. There are some very strong female characters from Arya Stark to Brienne and even Cersei Lannister to some extent who are all trying to survive in an extremely brutal world which doesn’t discriminate based on gender, it is a nightmare for everyone.

Can’t wait to dive into the next book but as always will read a few other things before first!

My reading hasn’t changed in the six months since I wrote the blog post. In fact my reading count for 2011 is 38 books read, of which 5 were by female writers, 2 of which were Australian. (NOTE: 2 out of my Top 5 Picks for 2011 are by female authors including my number one pick and one Australian female author).

I’m not one for New Year Resolutions and I’m really not one for reading challenges. In fact I am quite hostile whenever it comes to forced reading which is why is disliked English when I was at school. However I am prepared to take the Australian Women Writers 2012 Reading and Reviewing Challenge.

I am going to take the Franklin-fantastic Challenge and read 10 books in 2012 by a female author with at least 4 of them by an Australian writer and I will review all 10 of them. I know I am going to discover some great new books and great new authors and I am also excited to see how it affects some of my reading pile decisions throughout the year. I may even read more than 10!

We revisit a favourite character, Private Investigator Derek Strange, who is recounting an incident from his past to another favourite character from past books, Nick Stefanos. Strange tells the story of the crime spree of Red ‘Fury’ Jones and his own involvement in the case trying to get back a ring that is stolen by Red in one of his daring stick up jobs. Red is determined to make a name for himself, whatever the cost to him or to others. Strange must walk a dangerous tightrope along with a Homicide Detective ‘Hound Dog’ Vaughn who has been assigned the case and has a history with Strange. Added to the mix are two New York hit men who have been sent down to DC to get back some of their money back that Red has inadvertently ripped off.

This is a tightly plotted novel packed with fascinating characters, rich in atmosphere that you’ll find hard not to finish in one sitting.

PS

You don’t need to read any of the previous Derek Strange novels (RIGHT AS RAIN, HELL TO PAY, SOUL CIRCUS, HARD REVOLUTION).but you will definitely want to after reading this.

The series follows the adventures of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third who we meet as an 11-year-old (and who turns 13 in book 9). Hiccup is learning how to be a Viking, which he is not very god at. His training involves having a dragon as your obedient companion which he must train for hunting and other essential Viking activities such as being a pirate. Hiccup also has to deal with the fact that he is the heir to the Hooligan Tribe as his father, Stoick the Vast, is the chief which puts considerably pressure on Hiccup to be the best possible Viking.

The adventures Hiccup has are truly fantastic and a deeper, larger mystery slowly emerges over the course of the books as bits and pieces Hiccup picks up along the way slowly come together. Cowell combines well-balanced humour (silly and clever) with truly great original stories that even I am addicted to. Hiccup must overcome the odds in a number of different ways usually with the help of his two best friends; Fishlegs, an even more unlikely Viking and Camicazi, a girl from a neighbouring tribe who is the best burglar in the archipelago in which the Vikings inhabit. The best way I can think of to describe the series is that it is like Asterix goes to Hogwarts.

The books are great for reading aloud for a 5-7 year old and suitable for an 8-12 year old reader. And despite the movie baring no resemblance to the books it is pretty good too!

The series in order:

1. How to Train Your Dragon
2. How to Be a Pirate
3. How to Speak Dragonese
4. How to Cheat a Dragon’s Curse
5. How to Twist a Dragon’s Tale
6. A Hero’s Guide to Deadly Dragons
7. How to Ride a Dragon’s Storm
8. How to Break a Dragon’s Heart
9. How to Steal a Dragon’s Sword