by Ian Rankin 'The face was turned away from him, the body twisted and still. Rebus knew a corpse when he saw one - and knew a likely crime scene, too.' Rankin's John Rebus stories are always fun to read, and this one is no exception. Of course, Rebus is now officially retired, but he …
Category: series fiction
Hogwarts #7#
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling Harry Potter Hogwarts House Editions I think I may have written previously that I am collecting these special editions of the Harry Potter novels for my two granddaughters. Although they are still too young to read them, I am happy to announce that the collection of …
Hogwarts #6#
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling Harry Potter Hogwarts House Editions The sixth Harry Potter novel introduces some new characters and some new - and very dark - magical concepts. It also immerses us in the teen world of romantic attachments, jealousies and rebellion. The Ministry of Magic now knows that Lord …
Hogwarts #5#
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix By JK Rowling Harry Potter Special Hogwarts Editions Following the encounter with Voldermort in which Cedric Diggory lost his life, Harry Potter is back in Muggleland with his aunt and uncle. Now, forced to use magic to save himself and his cousin Dudley from the Dementors, he …
The Daemon’s in all of us!
The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman A Review Like many other fans of the original trilogy - and already well into The Secret Commonwealth - I sat down three weeks ago to watch the BBC's production of His Dark Materials. At lunchtime on the following day, I discussed it with a friend. Of course, it …
Millennium No.6
The Girl Who Lived Twice by David Lagercrantz (trans. George Goulding) 'She laid a hand on the Beretta in its holster and felt herself pitched into the same icy cold as when she threw the petrol-filled milk carton at her father.' This is David Lagercrantz's third excursion into the world of Larsson's zany heroine, Lisbeth …
Goodbye to Barcelona
Next Tuesday, September 18, sees the publication (at last) of the Lucia Graves English translation of Carlos Ruiz Zafon's El Laberinto de los Espiritus. The novel, The Labyrinth of Spirits in English, is the final part of the author's cycle of stories set in Barcelona, sometimes referred to as the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series. …
Magic by any other Name
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss 'I opened my mouth to howl, to cry, to curse him. But something other tore from my throat, a word I did not know and could not remember.' I received this book as a Christmas present. It's a new edition of the novel, first published in 2007. …
It's That Girl Again!
The Girl Who Takes An Eye For An Eye by David Lagercrantz (trans. George Goulding) 'A wave of hatred rippled through the cell and Benito lunged towards Salander, knife raised. Faria never understood what happened next. A punch was thrown, an elbow jabbed, and it was as if Benito had run into a wall …
For King and Country
by Karen Gray 'History' - it's not what you think! This novel came to my attention through a recommendation by Anne on WordPress. I don't usually read high fantasy these days but the book's description - swords and castles, mythological beasts and twenty-seventh century Scotland - was irresistible, so I bought it and promised to …