#50Books2013 - January Reads

BOOK ONE

The Blind Man of Seville - Robert Wilson

★★★★

The man is bound, gagged and dead in front of his television. The terrible self-inflicted wounds tell of his violent struggle to avoid some unseen horror. On the screen? In his head? What could make a man do that to himself? It's Easter week in Seville, a time of passion and processions. But Detective Javier Falcon is not celebrating. Appalled by the victim's staring eyes he is inexorably drawn into this disturbing, mystifying case. And when the investigation into the dead man's life sends Javier trawling through his own past and into the shocking journals of his late father, a famous artist, his unreliable memory begins to churn. Then there are more killings and Falcon finds himself pushed to the edge of a terrifying truth...

My first book of the year..and what a way to start! I really enjoyed this book and found myself completely involved in the storyline and the life of the main character, Javier Falcon. Robert Wilson cleverly pulls two story-lines and eras together to create a rather wonderful crime novel that has a great amount of mystery running through it. Within the first half of the book I thought I'd figured out the ending but to my surprise and delight I was totally wrong and the ending was better than I could have imagined. A definite recommendation to anyone who enjoys crime, mystery novels.

_________________________________

BOOK TWO

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon

★★★

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a murder mystery novel like no other. The detective, and narrator, is Christopher Boone. Christopher is fifteen and has Asperger's Syndrome. He knows a very great deal about maths and very little about human beings. He loves lists, patterns and the truth. He hates the colours yellow and brown and being touched. He has never gone further than the end of the road on his own, but when he finds a neighbour's dog murdered he sets out on a terrifying journey which will turn his whole world upside down.

I must admit I really struggled with this book at the beginning. I found it difficult to 'get into it' because it was written in a rather unusual way. I stuck with it and as I continued to read I found myself really connecting with the main character, Christopher Boone. It's very different to most of the books I've read and I rather enjoyed it..it was like being given an insight into an alternative mind. I have no experience of Asperger's so I can't comment on how accurately it is described within the book but I feel like I've learnt a little which is always good. I found that once I'd been suckered into the book I really began to care about Christopher and his well-being. It wasn't one of my favourite reads but it was different; I enjoyed it and it's definitely a book that I'll remember. I would recommend it but only if you're after a book that is very different to anything else you had read.

_________________________________

BOOK THREE

Life of Pi - Yann Martel

★★★★★

After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship, on solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild, blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen-year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orangutan...and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger.

This book has been added to my rather exclusive list of 'favourite books'. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone, it truly is a fantastic and inspiring read. I found myself hooked in on the first page and it didn't loose my attention the entire way through. The story-line is brilliant and the main character is inspiring. I really enjoyed it.

_________________________________

BOOK FOUR

Tan Lines - J. J. Salem
★★★★★



During one unforgettable season at a Hamptons summer share, three women's journeys unfold thrill by thrill and shock by shock, in this addictive story about the illusions of glamour, the dark side of success and the elusiveness of love. Tan Lines portrays the passions, triumphs, and heartbreaks of modern women with a sly intelligence and wickedly sharp prose that will hook you to the last page.

The story is told through three main characters; Liza (a sucessful and fearless feminist), Kellyanne (an aspiring actress) and Billie (a rock b*tch with a drug issue). I found the story compelling and the character's endearing - they provoked emotional reactions in me to the major events in their lives...there have been very few books that have able to reach out to me as a reader like that and it was wonderful to be suckered into the story in such a way. I fell in love with this book. It was a real page-turner and if you're looking for a great chick-lit book with plenty of sex, drama and surprises I'd definitely recommend it.