Harbour - John Ajvide Lindquist

I have The First Tuesday Book Club Show on ABC to thank for my latest reading success. The host of the show, Jennifer Byrne, mentioned the book on the final show for the year stating it was one of the books she was looking forward to reading over the Christmas holidays and the way she described it made it sound intriguing.

Harbour is set in a small Swedish Island community called Domaro. The book starts with a day trip across the snow to the lighthouse at Gavasten by Anders, his wife Cecilia and their 6 year old daughter, Maja. While the family is visiting the lighthouse Maja disappears completely - one moment she is there and the next there is absolutely no sign on her.

The rest of the book focuses on Anders search for Maja and in the process the unravelling and discovery of the secrets of Domaro and the people who live there.

It is difficult to place this book in one hard and fast genre - there are certainly elements of mystery within it, it is dramatic and contains many scenes highlighting the impact of relationships on our lives and yet there is also a sense of the paranormal about it as well.

I was hooked by this story - it is not a book I would normally choose to read but I loved it and became completely absorbed in it, so much so that even when events occurred that would normally require me to suspend my beliefs about certain things I was able to run with it easily.

At times I did feel that the author was trying to possibly tell too many stories and introduce too many different characters but to his credit he did seem to bring them all together by the end.

I loved this one so much I am now going to start on the author's earlier book, Let The Right One In, although I have heard it is a lot scarier...

Started Early, Took My Dog - Kate Atkinson

Kate Atkinson is an author I discovered quite late - so when I finally found her I went about reading almost everything of hers I could get my hands on - then I had to wait for what felt like ages for her new book, Started Early, Took My Dog, to be released.

Started Early, Took My Dog is Atkinson's latest book with ex-police officer, current private detective Jackson Brodie as one of the main characters. Each of these books could really be read exclusively in any order but I think you would miss out on so much of the back story and character development if you did this - reading these books "in order" would be the best way to go.

This latest story finds Brodie on the hunt in the UK for the true story and parentage of a woman now living with her own young family in New Zealand. It's a job he is not particularly keen on but in true Jackson Brodie style he finds himself in the midst of it anyway - along with some other complications and characters.

Brodie's story and work becomes intertwined with middle aged security chief (also an ex-police officer) Tracy Waterhouse who, finding herself with an almost unheard of opportunity in the middle of a shopping centre one day, takes the opportunity and changes the whole course of her life and the story to come. There is also Tilly, an elderly and flailing actress whose own story and memories give life and direction to the outcome of Started Early, Took My Dog.

Atkinson is a brilliant writer but I think her biggest talent is being able to weave and build a particular story (or stories) to breaking point in a way that just makes you want to keep reading and reading. Each character is full and rich but it is the way their stories combine that makes this a special read. My only sadness is that I will now have to wait an age for her next book to be released!

The Weed That Strings The Hangman's Bag - Alan Bradley

The Weed That Strings The Hangman's Bag is the second book (and another great title!) in the Flavia de Luce mystery series that started with The Sweetness At The Bottom Of The Pie.

The Sweetness was one of my favourite reads from 2009 so I was expecting big things from the sequel - and I have to say that it didn't quite deliver for me. Don't get me wrong - I am still totally in love with Flavia and her "Flavia-isms" which are still dotted through the novel in regular spaces;

I have never much cared for flippant remarks, especially when others make them, and in particular, I don't give a frog's fundament for them when they come from an adult.

Flavia is still very much Flavia - bright, intelligent, curious and certainly obnoxious when the occasion calls for it. I felt that Bradley has continued to set up Flavia's family history and back story well (particularly in relation to her mother Harriet and her untimely death - an event I am sure we will learn more of in coming books) but I felt that other aspects of the book were lacking a little spark that the first book had. I don't read a lot of mystery novels so it would be interesting to hear from more experienced mystery readers than myself about what they thought of that aspect of the novel - there were certainly mystery elements but I felt the author was concentrating on other issues much of the time which confused the reading for me a little.

Maybe I was just expecting a little too much - other reviews of this one seem to be mainly favourable - some even claiming it was better than the first book in the series - so maybe I have just missed the magic with this one. I will still be following Flavia's adventures - she's too engaging not to!

The Legacy - Kirsten Tranter

Don't you hate it when you read a fantastic book and it is the author's only or first novel?? All you want to do is go straight out and pick up another book by the same author to keep the magic going but you just can't!! It drives my reading mind mad! This is the exact feeling I had after finishing The Legacy.

I picked this book up a couple of weeks ago based on the wonderful cover which caught my attention and a combination of the description of the book and the praise on the book from another author I have enjoyed reading, Debra Adelaide. I was then pleased to see some really positive reviews about the book in our local media. But even with all of this I was not prepared for how much I would love this book and the writing displayed by Tranter.

The description of the book focuses on the character of Ingrid, a beautiful young Australian woman who moves to New York after marrying her art collector/businessman American husband, Gil Grey. From this description I was expecting Ingrid to be the real focus of the book - and she is in many ways - but the main character focus for me was Ingrid's friend, and the narrator of the book, Julia. Julia and Ingrid are introduced through Ingrid's cousin and Julia's friend, Ralph and the three become close friends during their university studies in Sydney.

The main action in the book takes place after September 11, 2001 when Ingrid is believed killed in the World Trade Tower attacks and Julia travels to New York a year after this event to discover more about the life Ingrid was leading once she had moved from Australia to marry and become a step mother to a child prodigy artist.

I found the writing and character development in this book brilliant. Tranter seems to move the plot and the characters without you really being aware of it as a reader - you just suddenly realise what has happened and the transition has been so smooth you were oblivious in a way. To me this is a sign of a great writer - I become so immersed in the world of the story I don't notice what the writer is trying to do - the action is seamless. The worlds of Sydney, New York and Paris were also beautifully written and described - the cities were clearly characters themselves and contributed so much to the way the human characters developed.

The characters felt solid and believable - they were rounded and full of flaws which always makes for a great story. The story itself could be read on so many different levels I think - for me it was a mystery, a love story, a narrative on the role that art, friendship and family play in our lives and a story of grief and loss but also hope.

I absolutely loved the experience of reading this book - I just hope Tranter is already writing her second!

A Study in Scarlet - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

After recently watching the new Sherlock Holmes movie I was motivated to start reading some of the books. The movie whetted my appetite for the characters of Holmes and Watson but I had a feeling that the literature versions would suit me even more. So many of you gave me good advice about where to start with the Holmes books and I followed along and chose the first book, A Study in Scarlet to begin my Holmes reading. My partner and I were lucky enough to receive a Borders gift voucher for Christmas from a very clever relative so we splurged and bought The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes - a gorgeous hard cover book although a little heavy to carry around on a daily basis so I did my reading of A Study in Scarlet at night in bed.

The book introduces not only the characters of Holmes and Watson but also their relationship with each other - I admit it was hard to get Robert Downey Jnr and Jude Law's faces out of my head while reading but I think I did manage to create my own versions of these very famous characters.

As someone who is extremely dense when it comes to mystery novels I am always amazed by authors in this genre and the imagination and intelligence they display in creating their plots. I am thankful for the work of the author in this case as he has Watson and Holmes clearly explain their thoughts and actions at the end of the mystery for the benefit of the reader. I realise that some people might find this extremely annoying but I found it helpful and it increased my enjoyment of the book. Is this a style that occurs all through the Holmes books and stories??

I really enjoyed this short book - I thought it was a great introduction to the characters and the world of Sherlock Holmes. I am so glad I have purchased the whole collection because I know I will be reading more of these.

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

It took me a while to pick up The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo - I was really intrigued by all the wonderful reviews I was reading but the genre of crime/mystery is not usually one that I enter into - too close to my work and just not something that tends to relax me. Part of the buzz of reading for me is being taken to another world - and this type of world just isn't really the kind of world I want to visit!

However, I bit the bullet with this one when I was in Borders with my partner a couple of weeks ago and he had two books in the "Buy 3 Get one Free" deal but just couldn't find a third - Dragon Girl called out to me so I brought her home with me.

Am I glad that I did? Well, yes and no...

Yes because this was a really great book in so many ways. Not being a big crime/mystery reader I'm probably not really able to compare this book with others in its field but I thought this was one of the best character novels in this genre that I have read. The main characters seemed solid and well developed and not without their flaws - definitely multidimensional. The character of Lisbeth Salander was a particular favourite - so vulnerable but such a tough ass at the same time - I loved her!

I thought the mystery element of the novel was well built - the premise of disgraced finance journalist, Mikael Blomkvist being called upon by ageing Industrialist Henrik Vanger to solve a decades old family mystery was combined well with Blomkvist's own personal and professional dramas with a high rolling Swedish businessman. The interactions between the different story lines and characters was written quite well - I sometimes felt the narrative was a little stilted or strange but I am wondering if this was a result of the translation process??

This book captured my reading time from the moment I picked it up but unfortunately it also captured my non-reading time - particularly my sleep! I soon discovered that for me this was not a book I could read before going to sleep - the violence depicted in the novel - particularly personal violence against women - was brutal and graphic. I have worked with women who have had violence perpetrated against them and this book reminded me of many of their stories. To be honest, if I had known this was the context of the book I probably would not have read it - so in many ways I am glad I was in the dark about this content as this is a book I am glad to have read. I will also be looking forward to reading the other two books in the series - after I have a little bit of a break from the violence and mystery.

The Spellman Files - Lisa Lutz

The Spellman Files was not a book I had ever intended to read - not that I had ever intended not to read it either - it just wasn't really on my reading radar at all. That was until I stepped into a bookshop in Sydney last weekend that had a very clever promotional stand for The Spellman Files and Lutz's other books in this series. As you have probably heard me say before - I am a marketer's dream - anything set up to attract customers and I will fall for it - particularly when it comes to books.

In the case of this book though, I am happy to say, I feel comfortable with the fact that I was drawn in to handing over my hard earned cash.

The Spellman Files is the first book in a series focusing on the Spellman family - and in particular the eldest daughter in the family, 28 year old Izzy. Izzy's family run their own private detective agency with all the family except for Izzy's older brother David joining in to solve the mysteries that come their way - some more exciting than others.

I loved the fact that although this book could probably come under the category of "chick lit" there was nothing really saccharine sweet about it - the writing was sharp and the author has utilised several different narrative techniques which I found kept me interested in the plot and the character development.

I found this book clever and witty - I'm not sure if I will move on to the other books in the series at this stage but I would definitely keep them in mind when I was looking for a fun, light read in the future.

Drood - Dan Simmons

I was not intending to include this book in any challenges but as I have just finished the 775 page chunkster I think it is only appropriate (and fair to me!) that I list it as my first completed book for The Chunkster Challenge - because it certainly fits into this category!
Drood by American author Dan Simmons was a book that was recommended to me (I am so sorry but I can't remember who by!) after I started to get into a bit of a Dickens phase after reading Wanting and Girl in a Blue Dress earlier this year. I must admit I was a little put off after I collected the book from my library and saw it's size but all of that doubt disappeared after reading the first few pages - I was hooked.

The narrator of Drood is the author Wilkie Collins - I have to be honest and say that I have never read any of Collin's work before and (if I am being completely honest) I had not even really heard of him before joining the blogging world and hearing so many of you praise his novels. This was all quite funny for me as I started reading this book as the narrator Collins seems to feel he will not be remembered by many in the years following his death;

Some say that I am a gambling man and those that say so are correct, so my wager with you, Dear Reader, would be that you have neither read nor heard of any of my books or plays"(page 3).

The context of the book is that Collins has written a memoir (the book we are reading) about his friendship with Charles Dickens and the events following a serious train accident at Staplehurst involving the author in June 1865 in which many people are killed and injured. Dickens himself is uninjured physically but the emotional and psychological impact of the accident means that he never returns to his prolific writing career afterwards. When speaking to Collins after the accident Dickens talks about a strange character named Drood whom he met while attending to the dead and injured - the exact nature of who (or what) is Drood become the focus for this novel as well as the actual novel Dickens was writing at the time of his death in 1870, just 5 years after the Staplehurst accident.

Collins is an extremely unreliable narrator - he is addicted to opium and takes it in ever increasing doses as the book goes on. His love-hate relationship with Dickens also makes us wonder at his real motivation behind the writing of this "memoir". But these are techniques that really only add to the effect and impact of the book - you want to see if the real motivations ever become clear - and even if they don't, you are really enjoying the story too much to care! There are many mysteries buried within the narration - Who is Drood? What role does he play in the lives and writings of Collins and Dickens? Is Drood real? Is Dickens a murderer?

This book is quite frightening in places - I rarely become scared when reading a book but it was a testament to Simmons writing that this book certainly evoked that reaction in me many times - it probably took me a lot longer than it should have to finish this because there were times when I couldn't read it before going to sleep!

As I said, this book hooked me in from the very beginning and easily kept my interest for all of its 700 plus pages. A great character novel, a great mystery and a really, really great read.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice - Laurie R King

I have to say I am really starting to enjoy my mystery novels! I have picked up some great ideas from my fellow bloggers, particularly Eva and Danielle and they both recommended The Beekeeper's Apprentice by Laurie R King (I'm sure there are others out there that have loved this book too so please let me know if I have forgotten you!). I am fairly new to the mystery genre so recommendations are really the only way I can enter this reading world safely - there are just too many mystery novels out there to wade through.

The Beekeeper's Apprentice is the first novel in Laurie R King's series which brings together the famous detective Sherlock Holmes and a budding young investigator, Mary Russell. I have to admit I have never read any of the Sherlock Holmes writings so I really knew nothing about the character - this didn't impact negatively on my reading of this book at all. King sets up the character and the setting perfectly - the first half of the book where this is all done was by far my favourite - I enjoyed it more than when the actual mysteries and cases started to occur!

Sixteen year old Mary runs into Holmes in the English countryside near her farming home in Sussex Downs - they recognise a similar intellect in each other (although the two characters are not without their considerable differences which leads to some great tension throughout the book) and Holmes becomes a mentor for the orphan Mary.

The relationship between the two characters was the real joy in the reading of this book for me - the mysteries and cases were really only a vehicle for learning more about their relationship and their personalities - I'm not sure if this is supposed to happen when reading a mystery though??

I have to say I'm hooked now - I'll definitely be looking out for the rest of the books in this series.

Maisie Dobbs - Jacqueline Winspear

I have never really been much of a mystery reader - I'm not really sure why, just haven't been drawn to them in the past. But I have been reading some wonderful recommendations in the blogging world for various mysteries and in particular Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear. I have been reading a little differently this year, trying different genres and styles of books I have previously avoided or just simply not gotten to - so I have decided to give the mystery novel a go.

I love reading books set in England - particularly around the times of WW1 and WW2 - so in that regard Maisie Dobbs was a great choice for me.

Maisie is a woman who started life as a member of the working class, she began working as a maid for Lady Rowan Compton and her family in the early 1900's. Her natural instincts for reading and learning drew her to the attention of her employer in another way and Maisie began to be mentored by Dr Maurice Blanche, with the support of Lady Rowan, in the ways of the intellectual world. Maisie eventually won herself a place at Cambridge University but this was interrupted by the arrival of WW1 where Maisie went to serve as a nurse in France.

The book starts in 1929 where Maisie is beginning to set up her own personal investigation business and it sweeps back and forth between 1929 and the past where we learn of Maisie's introduction to the world of investigation and her involvement and personal losses in WW1.

I did enjoy reading this book, and I will continue to read the others in the series, but I did have some problems with the plot development (which I thought was pretty predictable and simplistic) and Maisie herself.

Things just seemed to jump into place in terms of the plot - people were where they needed to be when they needed to be, people were conveniently met when they needed to be met etc... I found this a little contrived but I was able to see past it to still enjoy the story.

As for Maisie, she did annoy me at times! I was trying to work out what it was when Maisie herself seemed to describe the reason for me:

She knew she was out of bounds. But this was not new for her. She spent much of her life out of bounds, living and speaking where, according to some, she had no business.

This is normally a trait that would endear me to a character, particularly a female one, I love to read about strong female characters, but for some reason I found Maisie overbearing and bossy at times - particularly with her clients who she felt it was quite ok to order around!

I realise I am probably being a little harsh - and I need to place the character in the context of her times.

I also struggled with Maurice - jumping into Maisie's mind constantly with his little philosophical mantras!

But for all of these complaints I did enjoy the story - the setting in particular. So, I will give Maisie Dobbs another go but would also love to hear of any other suggestions for mystery books as I feel a little addicted now!