The Last - W.D. McKay

Searching the universe for signs of intelligent life, world-renowned astrobiologist David Mace is about to realize his dream. But not even Mace could have predicted the magnitude of the changes descending upon the Earth. It's not until he teams up with Bobbi-Lynne Allen that he discovers the unimaginable truth.

Absolutely amazing!

This book will make you question all your preconceptions about...well...everything! It has changed how I look at the world. What if McKay has stumbled upon the truth? Could we handle it?

The characters are wonderful. Bobbi is brilliant and terrifying, yet sweet and fiercely protective. Absolutely love her.

The story moves along well with, surprisingly, no dry spells whatsoever. And it keeps you glued to it; I had a hard time going to sleep at night knowing The Last was out there waiting for me to continue it.

A spectactular science fiction adventure. I can't wait for book two of the trilogy!

Tigers in Red Weather - Liza Klaussmann

Nick and her cousin, Helena, have grown up sharing sultry summer heat, sunbleached boat docks, and midnight gin parties on Martha's Vineyard in a glorious old family estate known as Tiger House. In the days following the end of the Second World War, the world seems to offer itself up, and the two women are on the cusp of their "real lives": Helena is off to Hollywood and a new marriage, while Nick is heading for a reunion with her own young husband, Hughes, who is about to return from the war.

Soon the gilt begins to crack. Helena's husband is not the man he seemed to be, and Hughes has returned from the war distant, his inner light curtained over. On the brink of the 1960s, back at Tiger House, Nick and Helena - with their children, Daisy and Ed - try to recapture that sense of possibility. But when Daisy and Ed discover the victim of a brutal murder, the intrusion of violence causes everything to unravel. The members of the family spin out of their prescribed orbits, secrets come to light, and nothing about their lives will ever be the same. Brilliantly told from five points of view, with a magical elegance and suspenseful dark longing, Tigers in Red Weather is an unforgettable debut novel from a writer of extraordinary insight.

Whoa.

This story is amazing. Klaussman does an amazing job revealing the mental processes of each of her characters. They're all so unique and their voices really shine through the writing.

I love how real, how normal all the characters are. Well, normal in the sense that we all have secrets, we've all lied and cheated, done things we shouldn't have, have unfulfilled desires and a need to protect those we love... Normal.

This is definitely a book I'll be reading again and again. I fully recommend it to everyone.

Battle Royale - Koushun Takami

Koushun Takami's notorious high-octane thriller envisions a nightmare scenario: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill until only one survivor is left standing. Criticized as violent exploitation when first published in Japan - where it became a runaway best seller - Battle Royale is a Lord of the Flies for the 21st century, a potent allegory of what it means to be young and (barely) alive in a dog-eat-dog world.

Oh. My. Gosh!

What an ending! I kind of saw it coming, and then I didn't, and then I was completely blindsided!

This book is incredible. Brutal, but incredible. I loved the detail it went into with each death; it truly added to the horror.

Introducing so many characters right off the bat can often cause confusion for readers, especially with such similar names, but Takami handled it perfectly. We spent enough time with each person or group, in their own unique set of circumstances, to be able to easily discern them from their fellow classmates. This made it really easy to follow.

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. I just hope you have a strong stomach because mine did churn once or twice.

The Black Conspiracy - Ken Magee

Ancient magic has infected the Internet… is this the end for civilisation?

Previously - Ancient magic has transported Tung, a young thief, and Madrick, a has-been wizard, across a millennium. The powerful magic they brought with them was unwittingly spread over the Internet by Michael, a hacker whose good intentions far outstripped his common sense.

Problem - Civilisation simply can’t handle the unforeseen consequences of the magic and the only people who can prevent the ensuing catastrophe are the same three who created the mess in the first place.

Now - To make matters even worse, evil wizards have followed Tung and Madrick through time. They’re determined to hunt down and destroy the pair, and with them, our modern way of life. Saving the world has just got a whole lot harder.

Yet another amazing tale from Magee.

This book is so fun and amusing. It keeps you drawn in and just won't let you go. It is filled with a plethora of idioms, and Tung's attempts to use them correctly is just hilarious.

The introduction of the Universe was really well done. She is definitely a new favourite character. The way she related to things was clever and intriguing, and I might just have to start referring to Lady Luck as Lord Luck from now now on.

This book was wonderful and I would definitely recommend it. But read Dark Tidings first, just to increase the level of awesome.

The Watchers - Jon Steele

Meet Marc Rochat, a man-child who has devoted his life to being the bell ringer at the Gothic Lausanne Cathedral, one of the greatest architectural structures in the world. Eerie things have been going on in and around his church, including tremblings in the underground crypt and a variety of gruesomely murdered bodies showing up in nearby streets. Across the square from the cathedral lives Katherine Taylor, a beautiful young American woman who is making phenomenal money as one of the highest-priced call girls in Switzerland; she's a bit too introspective for her own good and, unfortunately for her, much too observant of her clients' peccadilloes. Rochat's and Taylor's lives collide with Jay Harper, a British private eye who has been sent to investigate the killings and other strange doings; alas, he has no memory of who hired him or precisely why he was chosen for the job. And now all the clues are pointing skyward, where fallen angels are said to haunt Lausanne.

Incredible!

I'm not one for re-reading books, you know how it's going to end so what's the point? However, with this book I can see myself reading it time and again because I am so in love with the characters that I just want to be engulfed in their world again, forever.

This book had me so captivated that I found myself reading it in lectures, on the bus, even at work (ssh don't tell my boss!). I wish I had a rating higher than "Loved it!" because this book has far surpassed anything on this blog thus far.

The storyline, the characters, the world were written so well. Tiny threads you think insignificant, come flying back to smack you in the face with their importance. Everything weaved together in a stunning tapestry.

I would recommend this book to everyone. This is one read that you will definitely not regret.

Tough Cookie - Diane Mott Davidson

When caterer Gold Shulz is offered a temporary stint hosting a cooking show for PBS, she jumps at the chance. After all, she could use the money - not to mention the great exposure. Plus taping the shows at Colorado's posh Killdeer Ski Resort will be fun. A little cooking, a little chitchat. What could go wrong?

The answer: everything! When Goldy has to do one of her shows live for a PBS telethon, the broadcast is riddled with culinary catastrophes - from the Chesapeake Crab Cakes right down to the Ice-Capped Gingersnaps. But the deadliest dish of all comes after the cameras go off - and a baffling accident claims a life. Then a series of suspicious mishaps places Goldy's own life in jeopardy, and she knows she'd better whip up her own crime-solving recipe, and fast - before a deadly dash of danger ends her cooking career once and for all.

A definite page-turner!

Goldy is a favourite character of mine, and the intense things that happen in her life always keep me coming back for more.

Tough Cookie is very well written, and the ending took me by surprise. I had my own theories about "whodunnit" and, as per usual, I was wrong.

The book speeds along at a pace that doesn't allow any "dry spells". It keeps you thinking "Just one more page then I'll go to bed" until it's 5am and you realise you have to be up soon.

My only issue with the book was that sometimes I couldn't remember the connections between certain individuals. However, within moments of me starting to get confused, Davidson quickly tossed out a tidbit that helped me to re-connect the dots.

Overall, a fantastic book.

Dark Tidings - Ken Magee

What happens when ancient magic meets the internet? One thing is certain, modern life will never be the same again.

A thousand years ago, a young thief, Tung, and a disgraced wizard, Madrick, are thrust together in an executioner’s dungeon.

In the darkness, Madrick reveals an incredible secret about a legendary spell. The great spell helps them escape their prison cell... and eventually their century.

Catapulted into the present day, their lives collide with Michael, a computer hacker who plans to destroy the world’s largest bank. But sinister people are tracking their every move and they will stop at nothing to steal their spell.

How refreshing! Light and fun, but it keeps you hooked from page one until the very end.

This is definitely a perfect book for this time of year: a beach read. It doesn't take itself too seriously, which is exactly what the summer calls for.

The "alien-ness" of being thrust into an new century was described perfectly. I enjoyed watching the development of the time travellers as they slowly came to grasp some "basic" concepts, including some of our stranger phrases.

Magee's writing style could initially be seen as slightly repetitive. However, the further the plot progressed, the more you realise that this repetition actually adds to the story and the characters. It makes you realise just how connected they are.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can't wait for the sequel!

Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn

'What are you thinking, Amy? The question I've asked most often during our marriage, if not out loud, if not to the person who could answer. I suppose these questions stormcloud over every marriage: What are you thinking? How are you feeling? Who are you? What have we done to each other? What will we do?'

Just how well can you ever know the person you love? This is the question that Nick Dunne must ask himself on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary, when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police immediately suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they aren't his. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone. So what really did happen to Nick's beautiful wife? And what was in that half-wrapped box left so casually on their marital bed?

Vicious! The resentment and hatred that fills these pages is absolutely vicious! Shocking! Wonderful!

This book is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a true mind fuck (pardon the expression). The twists and turns and loop-de-loops; it blew my mind.

The characters are so real, frighteningly real. Believable characters of this degree of excellence is difficult in the best of times, but to interweave them into such a labyrinth, Gillian Flynn I must applaud you. Amy made me laugh right from the start (her very first paragraph sounds exactly like a younger me). She may actually be my new favourite fictional female.

The alternation of perspectives was intriguing and amusing, seeing both sides of the story. However, I did find it occasionally difficult to follow the timeline when characters began reminiscing. I would flip back and try to see if another had mentioned it in a memory yet, and where it fit in their overall history.

I wish this book hadn't ended. I could have continued reading it for forever and a day. It was just too fascinating to stop; but then it did. I would have liked to glimpse a further six months or a year ahead, just to see if all went according to plan. I guess we will just have to assume everything worked out the way it was intended. But I still want more!

This is a book I am definitely going to read over and over.

A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson

Bill Bryson describes himself as a reluctant traveller, but even when he stays safely at home he can't contain his curiosity about the world around him. A Short History of Nearly Everything is his quest to understand everything that has happened from the Big Bang to the rise of civilization - how we got from there, being nothing at all, to here, being us. The ultimate eye-opening journey through time and space, it reveals the world in a way most of us have never seen it before.

This book is fascinating. So well written. A friend recommended it because I have very little scientific knowledge and he thought I should broaden my mind a bit, and boy did it ever!

This book is everything that intrigues us about science without the dry-as-dust teachers droning on about it and making us abhor its very existence.

Bryson has a way of writing that immediately draws you in and keeps you connected to him the whole way through. You feel as though you're simply talking to a friend who is explaining the plot of a movie you missed. He doesn't assume any prior knowledge on the subjects he discusses, yet he doesn't talk down to his readers either.

There were the occasional dry patches that were a struggle to get through, although these were more likely due to my predisposition to dislike the particular topics of the section (blame my science teachers). However, I pushed through because I wanted to keep learning more.

If you're uncertain about reading 500-plus pages on all things science, then just read the introduction. It's less than ten pages but it hooks you and gives you a taste of the style in which the entire book is written.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science (even just a tiny bit), but was turned off it because of school teachers.

A Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin

The first book of A Song of Ice and Fire.

Summers span decades. Winters can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honour weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must...and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty.

The old gods have no power in the south, Stark's family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.

This book was incredible! I couldn't put it down.

I'll admit, I first discovered this series as a direct result of the TV show, which I also love. I decided to check out the book to see just how far the show strayed from the original story. Conclusion: not far at all.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy, royal intrigue, and, of course, dragons. Even if you have seen the show, I'd still recommend reading the book. You will not be disappointed.

The characters were so diverse and evolving. Refreshing, considering many authors have only a handful of developing characters, the rest just remain static. Tyrion, Arya, and Jon are my favourites.

The moral dilemmas were wonderful. At times it was hard to say who was in the right because Martin shows so many perspectives. It makes you stop and really think about what is going on and put yourself in their shoes.

My only issue with this novel was that it ended. I just wanted to keep reading! However, I'll be getting my hands on the next installment very shortly. Can't wait!