Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Adam Maxwell

I am assembling the Ultimate Library. I began this project back in January 2021 and the plan is to curate the best collection of books for readers. I only want the Library to feature the “best” reading sections, books that someone loves and would recommend any library visitor should read.

I could not possibly do this alone so I invite guests to join me and ai ask them to nominate which books get added to the Library shelves. I refer to my Library as the Decades Library and that’s because of the two rules I ask my guests to follow when making their selections:

1 – Choose ANY five books

2 – You can only select one book per decade from five consecutive decades

Sounds simple – until you try to make your own selections, finding five books from five consecutive decades does cause some angst apparently.

Now we know why we are here it’s time to pass control over to my guest curator – Adam Maxwell. I’m a huge fan of Adam’s Kilchester novels, good heist stories seem so rare these days but he’s delivering some belters – check out The Dali Deception and you’ll see what I mean.

Over to Adam…

What can you say about Adam Maxwell that he hasn’t already said about himself?

Crime writer – certainly.

Idiot – without doubt.

Genius – unlikely.

Liar – absolutely.

Having written is a variety of genres in the murky past, the days he dedicates himself to writing crime-comedy in his Kilchester series of books. Set in a fictional city in the North of England, Kilchester is a wretched hive of scum and villainy, the denizens of which he’ll have you cheering for by the end of the books…

Described variously as ‘Oceans 11 meets Lock, Stock & 2 Smoking Barrels… in book form’, ‘Glorious fun’ ‘If Hunter S Thompson wrote an Ealing comedy’ and ‘Joyous’ (the latter by the owner of this very blog). In Kilchester, Maxwell creates a fast-paced, darkly funny & effortlessly cool series of heist thrillers that you won’t be able to put down.

According to his LinkedIn profile Adam previously worked as a Private Detective and has spent many years hiding from the consequences of his actions in the wilds of Northumberland where he now lives with his wife and daughter.

If you want to find out more about him:

Amazon is a good place to start https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adam-Maxwell/e/B00EUAZN2Q

Or you can check out his website and get yourself a free ebook https://adammaxwell.com/

DECADES

Can I just start by saying aaaargh! Choosing books for Decades was a seemingly simple task that quickly descended into being dangerous overthunk by yours truly. I nearly started in the 1930’s just to ensure I could get Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse. But that meant I would have missed out on too many others so… a balance was struck. And that balance starts in the decade of my birth.

1970s

The Hot Rock – Donald Westlake

Crime and comedy. In the cinema audiences can’t get enough. In the book world… it’s readers who can’t get enough. Since it’s the genre I write in, it felt appropriate to include some of the cream of the crop of humorous crime and The Hot Rock doesn’t disappoint.

After Dortmunder is released from prison with nothing but ten dollars to his name he quickly becomes embroiled in a plan to steal a priceless emerald. The book somehow manages to achieve a perfect balance between hard-boiled and farce and, reader, that is no mean feat. As talented as the crew are, they just can’t seem to keep the damned rock in their dishonest mits without their plans unravelling in front of their eyes.

The book spawned a slew of sequels and was adapted for the big screen by none other than William Goldman in an adaptation that starred Robert Redford.

1980s

The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul – Douglas Adams

Douglas Adams is remembered by most as having written the clatteringly marvellous ‘Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy’. This is not that book.

Featuring ‘holistic private detective’ Dirk Gently, this series inadvertently convinced me that not only was it possible to meld comedy and crime fiction but to make it a work of utter genius. The genius part is something I have yet to achieve but… crime and comedy… tick!

The story whirls around Thor (not the Marvel one), a supernatural deal with a green bug-eyed monster with a scythe, a Coca-Cola vending machine and a very, very angry eagle.

To say more would ruin it but if you’ve not dipped your reading toe into Adams’ Dirk Gently series then you really should remedy that. Quickly.

1990s

Get Shorty – Elmore Leonard

No… not the movie based on it with Danny DeVito. Not the TV show either… This is a library and we have no space for such frivolities.

Another hugely influential author for me, Elmore Leonard is the King of Criminals like Agatha Christie is the Queen of Crime. Only American. And more modern. Never mind, that’s a rubbish comparison. What was I talking about?

Yes! Elmore Leonard more often than not makes the criminal the protagonist and has you rooting for the bad guys from the outset. Get Shorty features Chili Palmer, a small-time loan shark from Miami who finds himself in Los Angeles. He soon comes to realise that the movie business is very much like the loan-sharking business and decides he wants a piece of the action.

The result is a laugh-out-loud explosion of petulant stars, terrified producers and drug deals gone bad all told with Leonard’s laconic style.

2000s

The Truth – Terry Pratchett

‘A lie can run around the world quicker than the truth can get its boots on…’

Any writer who puts humour in their books aspires to be as good as Terry Pratchett. And we all fail to be as good as he was. The Truth is the 25^th Discworld novel and a standalone making it all the more accessible.

It charts the Discworld’s first newspaper’s rise and fall and lights a fire in your belly about the importance of a free press while mixing it up with threats to life, a recovering vampire’s suicidal fascination for flash photography and a man who keeps begging the editor to publish pictures of his humorously-shaped potatoes.

One of the hardest things about choosing books for Decades is balancing which book from which decade but with Pratchett’s writing spanning four decades it was more ‘which Pratchett decade am I in love with currently?’

2010s

The Sacred Art of Stealing – Chris Brookmyre

I’ve talked about funny/crime books quite a bit so far but frankly, the biggest crime here is that no-one has chosen one of Chris Brookmyre’s books in any Decades selection so far. It is my utter pleasure to remedy that.

The Sacred Art of Stealing feels in the tradition of Elmore Leonard’s Out Of Sight as it features a burgeoning romance between a thief and a police officer. Brookmyre’s take on the situation is all his own and the black humour that courses through the novel’s veins balances perfectly with the violence while nodding to more literary fare along the way.

Since writing this I’ve discovered that The Sacred Art of Stealing was actually published in 2003… it was the audiobook that appeared in 2013 but such is my belief that it should be included in the Decades library that I will personally kill anyone who disagrees with my inclusion of this phenomenal tome*

*Killing will likely be in print rather than in person. Apologies to the suicidal, deranged and/or violent readers out there.

Pratchett and Douglas Adams in a single week with the added joy of Elmore Leonard and Chris Brookmyre – what a cracking mix! Huge thanks to Adam for making time to pick his five Decades selections.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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March 31

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Alice Bell

Welcome back to the Decades Library. This is my ongoing quest to assemble a Library which features only the very best reading recommendations, the books recommended by authors, bloggers, publishers and journalists – booklovers all.

I started this challenge back in January 2021. Each week a guest joins me and I ask them to help curate my new Library. I want them to recommend some of their favourite books, the unmissable ones which they believe everyone should read. But I ask each of my guests to follow two simple rules when making their choices. Gotta have rules, without rules there is anarchy and if you have anarchy and books in the same place then someone may fold down the corner of a page. *shudders*

The two rules are thus:

1 – You Can Select Any Five Books
2 – You May Only Select One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades.

This week (spoiler) we are kicking off in the 1940’s and we end up with one of my favourite books of the 1980’s (it’s actually one of my favourite books EVER, but it was published in the 80’s)

This week I am delighted to be joined by Alice Bell, author of the upcoming new release: Grave Expectations. When I saw Alice was a deputy editor at Rock Paper Shotgun I gave serious consideration to making the library a multi-media experience and ask her to nominate her five decades selections for videogames too, but if Manic Miner didn’t represent the 1980s then I’d have a sad-face day.

So lets stick with books and hand over to Alice so we can see her selections:

Alice Bell grew up in South West England, in the sort of middle-of-nowhere where teenagers spend their weekends drinking Smirnoff Ice in a field that also has at least one horse in it.

She is the deputy editor of Rock Paper Shotgun, a popular PC gaming website, and in 2019 she was named one of the 100 most influential women in the UK games industry.

After spending several years in London, Alice now lives in Cork in Ireland. She has probably read more detective fiction and watched more episodes of Midsomer Murders than you.

Alice is on Twitter as @ABeeWords.
Grave Expectations publishes on 4 May 2023 and you can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0BLRKD54J/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

DECADES

1940s – I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith

This pick hamstrung me a little, because it set, to within a few degrees, the other decades I could work with. But I couldn’t not choose it! It was the first book I thought of, and is always one of the answers I give to the ‘what is your favourite book ever?’ sort of questions. It’s the diary of a young girl who lives in a falling-down castle with her poor and eccentric family, and their lives are thrown into turmoil when some Americans who are a) handsome b) youngish and c) rich turn up – which is all anyone can hope from an American, isn’t it? It’s a wonderful book full of humour and pathos, and there was a decent film adaptation years back as well. I suppose if it came out now it would be classed as YA, but I really think of I Capture The Castle as timeless and ageless.

1950s – A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie

I had to get Agatha on my list somewhere, and luckily she’s prolific enough I could have got here in any of my decades or more. A Murder Is Announced really is one of her best, though. I’ve always favoured Marple over Poirot (which might be an unpopular opinion), partly because her adventures always seem that little bit more whimsical and strange. In this one a murder is, indeed, announced in a local paper, which confuses Letitia Blacklock, the owner of the house named in the appointment. Several of her friends turn up to see if one happens – who wouldn’t? I’d be there with great big bloody bells on – and, indeed, it does. It’s a real showcase of Christie’s wit as well as her prowess at crafting fiendishly difficult mysteries. The Queen of Crime indeed!

1960s – In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

True crime is an unstoppable monolith these days, and there’s a good argument that Capote’s In Cold Blood was the template for its modern incarnation (including, I should say, probable editorialising on the part of the creator when the facts didn’t work quite well enough for a good story). I have the morbid fascination with ‘orrible murderers that a lot of women my age have, and In Cold Blood is remarkable in how it chronicles the personality and psychology of two family annihilators who killed the Clutter family of Western Kansas, creating a holistic picture of them and their crime – most especially Perry Smith. But Capote also gives great detail on the victims themselves and the wider community. It’s a sad story told in great and elegant detail.

1970s – The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The Bluest Eye was Morrison’s first novel, and it’s an extraordinary one, about the young life of Pecola Breedlove, an African American girl regarded as ugly because of the darkness of her skin – though it’s obviously about much more than that, too. It’s a short book, and largely told from the point of view of Claudia MacTeer, whose parents foster Pecola for a short time. I think it’s the book of Morrison’s that sticks out most to me because I read it when I wasn’t much older than the characters in it, so it really stuck with me. Although I think it sticks with anyone when you read it. The writing is so emotive, the story so artfully constructed – right down to the chapter titles.

1980s – Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

This is not, technically, the first of The Witches books in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, but in my heart it is, because it’s the first to feature the whole coven. It’s also, quite possibly, my favourite Discworld book, although that changes based on the time of year, how warm my toes are, etc. and so on. I think I get a lot of my own writing style and sense of humour from reading so much Pratchett in my formative years (she says, hopefully), and the witches were always the ones I enjoyed most. Wyrd Sisters is a version of Shakespear’s Macbeth from a sideways point of view and with extra magic, and it has what I think is the best opening of a Pratchett book. Right away he sets the scene and the tone in fantastic style. He’s an inimitable writer, really.

Any time I get to add a new Terry Pratchett book to my Decades Library it’s a great day, factor in the very welcome addition of Jane Marple too and Alice has absoultely smashed this out of the park. Huge thanks to Alice for making such great selections. All five books will be added to the Library shelves immediately.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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November 25

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with James Oswald

If you have visited this blog on a Friday over the last two years there is a better than high chance you have met one of my many amazing guest curators of my Decades Library. Each week I am joined by a new guest who has agreed to help me assemble a new library of amazing books. My Ultimate Library – the Decades Library.

I explain to my guests that I hope my Library will offer the very best selections of books to its visitors. I ask them to nominate their favourite books or books which they consider unmissable. But when making those selections I ask that they follow two rules:

1 – You Can Select ANY Five Books
2 – You May Only Select One Book Per Decade From Five Consecutive Decades

Sounds easy? I am told narrowing down five books is tricky. I am then told choosing one per decade makes it vexing. I won’t repeat what I am told when I enforce the five “consecutive” decades part of the rules. But we DO get some wonderful reading recommendations.

This week it is my very great pleasure to welcome James Oswald to Grab This Book. My blog began in 2014 and the very first book I chose to review was James’s Natural Causes. I have reviewed quite a few more of his books since then and they always delight, I couldn’t wait to see what titles he may recommend I add to my Library shelves.

DECADES

Who am I to be recommending books for such an illustrious library? Well, the dull stuff is that I am the author of some twenty books to date, including twelve Inspector McLean and three Con Fairchild crime fiction novels. I’ve also written the five part epic fantasy series, The Ballad of Sir Benfro, inspired by a decade living in mid Wales and learning about its history, mythology, language and culture. I self-published the first two Inspector McLean books because publishers didn’t like the mixing of Police Procedural with more supernatural overtones. They changed their minds when Natural Causes shifted a quarter of a million copies in eight months. The Penguin edition went on to be a Richard and Judy Book Club pick, and made the National Book Awards debut novel shortlist.

The less dull stuff is that when not writing, I run a 350 acre livestock farm in North East Fife, where I raise pedigree Highland cattle. You’ll find regular updates and videos of the coos on my twitter feed – @SirBenfro. Everything else is on my website – jamesoswald.co.uk – when I remember to update it.

And so to my recommendations…

50s – Paul Gallico – Jennie (1950)

I was loaned a copy of this book when I was about ten, while bored on a family holiday in Sutherland. I remember my mother being very insistent that I give it back once I was finished, so it’s slightly embarrassing to admit that forty-five years later I still have that very same copy. I can’t remember a lot of the details, save that it concerns a young boy who wakes up to find he has turned into a cat and is guided through the necessary learning of how to deal with this transformation by the eponymous Jennie. What I remember quite vividly is the feeling of being taken off to another world, such is the brilliance of Paul Gallico’s writing. The ending, which I won’t give away, was a painful return to dull reality. Perhaps my keeping a hold of the book was my subconscious not willing to completely let go of the fantasy, something I don’t think I ever really have done.

60s – Robert A Heinlein – Stranger in a Strange Land (1961)

Like most boys as they hit their teens, my reading dropped off a cliff. There were far too many more interesting things to do, and reading became tainted by the whiff of schoolwork, robbing it of much in the way of pleasure. Fortunately for me, I stumbled into reading comics, first with 2000AD and then what American comics I could lay my hands on. I also discovered SF novels, devouring the works of EE Doc Smith, Philip K Dick, Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert and, of course, Robert A Heinlein. There are many books I could have chosen for the 60s, but Stranger in a Strange Land is such a masterpiece it really had to be the one.

70s – Various Authors – 2000AD (1977)

Does this count for the library? I hope so. I can remember when 2000AD first came out, back in 1977 (oddly enough, around about the same time I read Jennie). I wasn’t allowed to buy it very often, and didn’t have much pocket money to spare for such things anyway, but I did buy that first issue, and still have it (although the space spinner is long gone). It wasn’t until the early 80s that I managed to catch up with it properly. Judge Dredd, Strontium Dogs, Rogue Trooper, Tharg’s Future Shocks, what’s not to like about a weekly SF anthology that’s still going strong 45 years later?

And if I can’t have 2000AD, then my alternative choice for the 70s has to be James Herbert’s brilliant 1975 book, The Fog. Deeply disturbing to read as a 12 year old (a few years after it came out, if you’re worried about my maths), Herbert’s books were passed around at school like some kind of illicit currency. I recall how if you held them carefully by the spine, they would naturally drop open at the steamy sex scene. Some might criticize Herbert’s books for being a bit formulaic, but he was a master at bringing characters to life (and then often killing them in horribly inventive ways).

80s – Terry Pratchett – Guards! Guards! (1989)

I stumbled upon the works of the late, great PTerry when at university in Aberdeen in the late 80s. John Menzies newsagents in the St Nicholas centre had a large bookshop upstairs where, looking for something to feed my SF addiction, I found a copy of his early novel Strata. Not the best Pratchett book, but still good enough to send me scurrying back for everything else he had in print at the time. It’s a toss-up between the Sam Vimes books and the Witches books as to which are my favourite of the Discworld novels, but frankly they are all brilliant.

90s – Robin Hobb – Assassin’s Apprentice (1995)

My partner picked this up when we were living in Wales in the early oughts, read it very swiftly and handed it straight to me. The first in what would turn out to be a long saga concerning Fitzchivalry Farseer (Fitz) and the Fool, it’s a brilliantly dark slice of medieval-style fantasy. Game of Thrones might have got everyone interested in the genre again, but it was Robin Hobb who inspired me to write my own epic fantasy series. It has much better dragons, too.

As you can see I have allowed James the opporunty to add both of his 1970’s selections to the Library shelves. He didn’t try to flex the rules but made two selections on the chance his first choice didn’t meet the rules. That kind consideration means he gets to include an extra book. Also, I am a huge fan of comic books and of James Herbert books (except Ash which is still the worst book I have ever read) and I am not keen to remove either of the choices from my Library.

Sam Vimes is my favourite fictional officer of the law – my thanks to James for his time, his terrific selections and for bringing Ankh Morpork’s finest into my Decades Library.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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March 11

Decades: Compiling the Ultimate Library with Margaret Kirk

Seven days seem to fly past so quickly at the moment and already I find I am rolling out the red carpet to welcome a new guest curator to the Decades Library.

Have you visited the Decades Library before? Let me quickly explain what’s happening.

Back in January 2021 I asked myself the question: If I were to build a new library from the ground up which books would I put on the shelves to make sure only the best books were represented? I quickly realised this was not a question I could answer alone so I have been inviting guests to join me here at Grab This Book and asking them to nominate five of their favourite books which they feel deserve a place in my Decades Library.

Why is it a Decades Library? Well there are two rules governing the choices my guests can make.

1 – Pick ANY five books
2 – You may only select one book per decade from five consecutive decades.

Easy. In theory. But when it comes to making those selections and narrowing down which decades to represent I am told it can get a bit more challenging than you may believe.

Today I am delighted to pass the Curator’s Hat to Margaret Kirk who (before you scroll down) has selected five brilliant books which I will add to the shelves of the Decades Library.

Margaret Kirk writes ‘Highland Noir’ Scottish crime fiction with a gothic twist, set in and around her home town of Inverness.

Her debut novel, Shadow Man, won the Good Housekeeping First Novel Competition in 2016. Described as ‘a harrowing and horrific game of consequences’ by Val McDermid, it was published in 2017 by Orion. Book 2 in the DI Lukas Mahler series, What Lies Buried, was published in June 2019. Book 3, In The Blood, is set in Inverness and Orkney and is available from all good book stores.

Margaret is also the writer of several award-winning short stories, including The Seal Singers, which has been published in translation in Germany and Switzerland.

You can find Margaret here:

Website: https://margaretmortonkirk.wordpress.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MargaretKirkAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/HighlandWriter

And Margaret’s books are here:

Amazon: Shadow Man https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shadow-Man-Margaret-Kirk-ebook/dp/B06VVS5P1H/ref

What Lies Buried https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Lies-Buried-Margaret-Kirk-ebook/dp/B07N6DRL4K/ref

In The Blood https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blood-Margaret-Kirk-ebook/dp/B07ZK9CMXN/ref

Hive https://www.hive.co.uk/

(supports local independent bookshops)

DECADES

Thank you for inviting me to contribute to Decades ! I changed my mind several times about which decade would be my starting point – I very nearly picked the 1890s, because I wanted to include a certain iconic horror novel. But how would it be fair to include Dracula and leave out Frankenstein, Mary Shelley’s more nuanced and arguably much more disturbing creation of 1818? And then I couldn’t have had one of my great heroes of the classic mystery genre, Dorothy L Sayers.

In the end, I’ve gone all modern, which allows me to genre-hop as I please, something I was also keen to do. My picks are all fairly well-known, but hopefully there’s something for everyone here – and I thoroughly recommend each and every one of them!

1970s – ‘Salem’s Lot (Stephen King)

Very early Stephen King, and no, it’s not his best. It shows its age in places, and his protagonist, Ben Mears, is not a particularly compelling character. But King’s portrayal of small-town American life and attitudes always fascinates me, and this novel was the first I’d read which grabbed vampires by their mouldering, cobwebby capes and chucked them out into the contemporary world. Where, it seems to me, they have the potential to be infinitely more terrifying than confined to their Transylvanian homeland …

https://www.waterstones.com/book/salems-lot/stephen-king/9781444708141

1980s – Silence of the Lambs (Thomas Harris)

What can I say about this one that hasn’t been said? It’s a masterful study in suspense, in drama, in character creation and development – there’s a reason so many books and courses on crime-writing pick this one apart to analyse the brilliance of its construction. (And let’s not forget, spawner of a million internet memes … 😉

https://www.waterstones.com/book/silence-of-the-lambs/thomas-harris/9780099532927

1990s – Good Omens (Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman)

The book which my husband and I bonded over, pretty much at our first meeting. I love fantasy, and I love clever, witty writing with a bit of bite. Is there any wonder this is one of my favourite books? (No, not another vampire reference). Pratchett is a huge loss to the writing world, and we’re all the poorer for not having him around to skewer the cruel and the vainglorious and the stupid in his own inimitable way.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/good-omens/neil-gaiman/terry-pratchett/9780552171892

2000s – On Writing (Stephen King)

Seriously, another Stephen King? Hey, my list, my rules. And this is his brutally honest and hugely influential non-fiction memoir and look back over his writing life. I read it initially just as a huge King fan, but now I think it was what gave me that initial nudge to think maybe I could try my hand at this writing thing (so if you were looking for someone to blame …)

Seriously, it’s one of the best books on writing I’ve read, mainly because it’s so honest and down-to-earth. And the final section on editing, where he actually shows how he does it? So, so good.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/on-writing/stephen-king/9781444723250

2010s – Just One Damned Thing After Another (Jodi Taylor)

‘St Mary’s – a group of tea-soaked disaster magnets who hurtle their way around History.’ Yep, that pretty much describes the protagonists of Jodi Taylor’s brilliantly irreverent take on the whole time travel concept (sorry, Dr Bairstow). But beneath the historical mayhem, there’s a subtle but growing darkness that hooked me from the outset. Another firm favourite!

https://www.waterstones.com/book/just-one-damned-thing-after-another/jodi-taylor/9781472264268

Boom – that’s how you do a Decades selection. King (twice) and Pratchett/Gaimen. Although I have never tried to nail down my personal five selections (I will save that for the very last Decades post) I would bet the farm on Good Omens making it into my five – no book has ever matched it for me. My thanks to Margaret for taking on the Decades Challenge, as ever, my apologies to your TBR.

DECADES WILL RETURN

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July 18

The Carpet People (audiobook) – Terry Pratchett

‘In the beginning, there was nothing but endless flatness. Then came the Carpet . . .’

That’s the old story everyone knows and loves (even if they don’t really believe it). But now the Carpet is home to many different tribes and peoples and there’s a new story in the making.

The story of Fray, sweeping a trail of destruction across the Carpet, and two brothers, who set out on an adventure to end all adventures.

I received a review copy of the audiobook from the publishers through Netgalley.

If you ask who my favourite author is then I will tell you (without pause) that Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books are my most loved reading experiences. If I had a shortlist of audiobook narrators then you can bet the house on David Tennant being in the mix. So here we are at The Carpet People. It’s not a Discworld but it IS Pratchett and with David Tennant taking the words and giving them voice we are in dream team territory.

Confession time – I hadn’t read The Carpet People until I started this audiobook. Despite having read “most” of Terry’s books multiple times, I haven’t been so dilligent with the non-Discworld titles so there was extra anticipation for me as I fired up a new book. I was also aware of the background to The Carpet Poeple, written by Pratchett when he was very young and this edition released to mark the 50th anniversary of publication.

There were many elements to the story which made it identifiably Pratchett, the clever word plays on names and incidents. The humour was very much in evidence throughout the story and when you are telling an advanture tale humour so often loses out. It was a real treat to be listening to a “new” Terry Pratchett book after all this time.

But it took me a little while to get into the story and that took the shine off it a little. Initially I struggled to get my head around the key characters and their respective backgrounds. I found some of the gags had slipped by as I was trying to work out who was speaking and I think that, more than once, some of the Pratchett clever word play was lost as I was listening and not seeing the words on a page. I think it took about an hour of listening before it all started to click for me – as the book is aimed at children I am not sure all the kids I know would afford it an hour of their time to decide if they were seeing it through.

Which would be a shame as by the end of The Carpet People I was hooked on the story and enjoying seeing the payoff on the various plot threads the author wove into the tale (poor pun there but I couldn’t resist).

A huge part of my enjoyment did come from the fact David Tennant’s narration was pitched perfectly. Plus you can’t go wrong with a group of argumentative characters who all have Scottish accents, it sounds “right”. As you may expect from a multi-award winning actor the delivery and the emotion was spot on and each new listening session would begin with a big smile on my face as his familiar accent started to feed into my ears.

In brief, a slightly rocky start but those niggles soon left me and I enjoyed the wit, humour and devine story-telling of one of my favourite writers.

One final note – the very last words spoken by David Tennant after the book had ended and the credits had been read out were “Thank You For Listening”. Perfect. Why do all Audiobooks not thank you for listening? Audible just hope you “enjoyed this production”. Can we please have David Tennant thanking us for listening to all audiobooks?

The Carpet People (50th anniversary) is published by Penguin Random House UK Audio

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October 6

Ten To Try

Regular visitors will know that I love crime novels and action thrillers. You may also have realised that I particularly enjoy when authors write an ongoing series with recurring characters. As it has been a while since I wrote a blog post that didn’t just focus on a single title, I thought it would be fun to bring together a list of ten series which I particularly enjoy/enjoyed and maybe help introduce some great new stories to your TBR piles!

Sarah Hilary

Marnie Rome is one of my favourite recurring characters. She is a London based DI, normally partnered with DS Noah Jake and Sarah Hilary seems quite happy to put both her lead characters through some significant traumas.

The latest book in the series, Come and Find Me, has just released in paperback and is my favourite of the series so far.

Sarah’s Amazon Page https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sarah-Hilary/e/B009X3U5BE/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1538845664&sr=8-1

Michael Wood

DCI Matilda Darke is a Sheffield based cop. We first meet her in For Reasons Unknown and learn that she is trying to rebuild her life and her career after personal tragedy impacted on the case she was working on. Michael Wood has created a great character in Darke but the supporting characters in her team make these stories even more enjoyable.

Michael’s Amazon page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Michael-Wood/e/B015CWYVFA/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1538845727&sr=1-1

John Sandford

I have been reading Lucas Davenport “Prey” thrillers by John Sandford since the early 1990’s. Each new book is eagerly anticipated and there are now over 25 titles in the series. Sandford has also created a spin-off series which focuses on one of Davenport’s colleagues, Virgil Flowers, which frequently has cameo appearances for characters from the Prey novels.

Simon and Schuster are soon to bring the first book in the series Rules of Prey back into print in the UK for the first time in a number of years. Seek it out! https://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Sandford/e/B000AQ8P4W/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Douglas Skelton

I couldn’t have a list of books without a Scottish author. I could easily mention Ian Rankin, Val McDermid or Stuart MacBride but I am going to recommend Douglas Skelton’s Davie McColl series. As much of my list will focus on police procedurals I love that Skelton’s recurring character, McColl, is not one of the good guys but a Glasgow gangster.

These are great stories on the darker side of crime fiction and how refreshing to have a recurring anti-hero.

Douglas’s Amazon page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Douglas-Skelton/e/B001K7TR10/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1538846474&sr=1-1

J D Robb

Futuristic thrillers from JD Robb sees Detective Eve Dallas tracking down killers in New York City. There are over 50 books in the “In Death” series and I am hooked. The supporting cast are brilliantly defined and the crimes are wonderfully varied from book to book. I could read each of these books multiple times.

The JD Robb Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/J.-D.-Robb/e/B000APT7Y0/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1538846055&sr=1-2-ent

Marnie Riches

To surprise that Marnie Riches makes this list. Her George Mackenzie thrillers have consistently received 5* reviews from me. These are dark and engaging stories with a strong, no-nonsense lead character. Previously only available a digital releases the books are all now available in paperback and have just received a US release too.

Marnie’s Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Marnie-Riches/e/B00WBJZ364/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Paul Finch

The Mark Heckenburg series is a particular favourite of mine. Paul Finch pulls no punches and his stories are as far from “cozy” as you could expect to find. If you were to look up “page-turner” in the dictionary I am quite sure there would simply be a picture of a Paul Finch book. If you like your crime fiction on the darker side then these are for you.

Paul’s Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Paul-Finch/e/B0034PPAH6/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1538846181&sr=1-1

Terry Pratchett

If you think Terry Pratchett has no place on a list of crime story recommendations then you have clearly never heard of the Ankh Morpork City Watch. Samuel Vimes is the ultimate “copper” and his officers include a 6 foot tall dwarf, a werewolf, a troll and a Nobby Nobbs (who has a note to confirm he his human). The Watch are first introduced in Guards! Guards! – just because there are dragons does not mean these are not crime stories!

Terry’s Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Terry-Pratchett/e/B000AQ0NN8/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

Angela Marsons

How do you know an author is doing something right? Watch the reaction in the book blogging community when their new book is announced. When an Angela Marsons book is announced the buzz in incredible, TBR lists are abandoned to get the new Kim Stone thriller read as quickly as possible. It is hard to disagree with an army of readers who place these books at the top of their wishlists!

Angela’s Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Angela-Marsons/e/B00J6D3914/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1538846309&sr=1-1

Helen Fields

The “Perfect” series by Helen Fields is very well named. These Edinburgh based police thrillers see Luc Callanach leaving Interpol to come and work for Police Scotland. The timing of his arrival in Perfect Remains seems fortuitous as there are some very nasty things happening in Edinburgh. Another series which favours a darker tons as Helen Fields seems to have a particularly vivid imagination and devises some gruesome crime scenes for her characters to investigate.

Helen’s Amazon Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Helen-Fields/e/B006M3SPSS/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1538846357&sr=1-1

By no means an exhaustive list but I limited myself to ten authors and everyone included has written books that have brought me hours of entertainment and reading escapism.

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September 8

Raising Steam – Terry Pratchett (Audiobook)

To the consternation of the patrician, Lord Vetinari, a new invention has arrived in Ankh-Morpork – a great clanging monster of a machine that harnesses the power of all of the elements: earth, air, fire and water. This being Ankh-Morpork, it’s soon drawing astonished crowds, some of whom caught the zeitgeist early and arrive armed with notepads and very sensible rainwear.

Moist von Lipwig is not a man who enjoys hard work – as master of the Post Office, the Mint and the Royal Bank his input is, of course, vital…but largely dependent on words, which are fortunately not very heavy and don’t always need greasing. However, he does enjoy being alive, which makes a new job offer from Vetinari hard to refuse….

Steam is rising over Discworld, driven by Mister Simnel, the man wi’ t’flat cap and sliding rule who has an interesting arrangement with the sine and cosine. Moist will have to grapple with gallons of grease, goblins, a fat controller with a history of throwing employees down the stairs and some very angry dwarfs if he’s going to stop it all going off the rails….

Still doing the very long daily commute so it was time to bring some Terry Pratchett into my journey. I have been a fan of the Discworld books since the late 1980’s, I have read and re-read each title multiple times – mostly.

Even my favourite authors (and Sir Terry has been my favourite for many a long year) do not always hit the mark with their books. Although Mort, Wyrd Sisters and Nightwatch are virtually imprinted onto my brain – I am less fond of Pyramids, Eric and Monstrous Regiment. Raising Steam had fallen into the latter category, I bought the book on first release but never really got into it and it remained unfinished (a state previously unheard of for a Discworld novel). So when I wanted a Discworld book for my car journey – Raising Steam was getting a second chance.

Happy I am to report that I got much more involved with the story this time around and I enjoyed it a lot more as an audio experience than I had when I tried to read it.

Raising Steam sees the return of Moist von Lipwig, saviour of the Post Office and Vice-Chairman of the bank (with a small snuffly dog as the actual Chairman). I have loved both the previous Moist novels and this time around we see him coming to the fore as an industrial revolution blooms and the railways spring up.

Once again Pratchett has perfectly captured the best bits of our history and lampooned it perfectly. We have the luddites (represented by Deep Down Dwarves) and the innovators – an engineer who gets a cracking Yorkshire accent from the narrator, the Patrician oversees the development using Moist as his conduit. But Raising Steam is much more than an industrial revolution as there is a Political Revolution going on too. Dwarf’s are revolting (as in rising against their King) but stability and progress is the more desirable outcome for The Patrician, the King, The City Watch and also the Trolls (long time enemy of all Dwarf people). Tensions will rise and it will take a cast of many of our favourite characters to sort this mess out.

Raising Steam highlights again that there are few that can hold a torch to Terry Pratchett – his work is the stuff of legend and I sorely miss having the opportunity to enjoy new adventures with characters I have loved for all my adult life.

As for the audio – well Stephen Briggs does an admirable job and brings life to the whole cast. He gives accents to all the races (and characters) and Yorkshire, Wales, South-West and Cockney all shine through. My only quibble is that the bad dwarf was Scottish and so was one of my most loved characters – “Spike”. My mental image of Ms Dearheart were slightly tarnished by Mr Briggs making her sound like Supergran.

All in it was a great few hours of listening – with minor quibbles over Scottish accents – but only a Scot would pick up on that I feel!

Raising Steam is available in paperback, digital and audiobook. Terry Pratchett remains a legend.

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May 11

My A-Z of Books

Having seen a few of these posts I thought I would have a stab at my own A-Z of books. Seems like a great way to let a few of my favourite books get a little bit of love.

I have pinched the questions from my blogger buddy Kate at Bibliophile Book Club. Fingers crossed I get them all!

Author you’ve read the most books from:

Probably Agatha Christie if you count individual titles. Then Terry Pratchett. Though if you count re-reads then I have read most of the Discworld books 4 or 5 times (at least) which puts Pratchett on top.

Best Sequel Ever:

Men At Arms (Terry Pratchett). I love the City Watch books, Vimes and Carrot first appeared in Guards! Guards! and returned in Men At Arms. Am cheating a little but it is my A-Z!

Currently reading:

Doctor Who: In The Blood (Jenny T Colgan), Baby Doll (Holly Overton), Nomad (James Swallow), The Wolf Trial (Neil MacKay)

Drink of choice while reading:

Coffee (strong), no sugar.

E-reader or physical book:

One of my pet hate questions. It is all about the story…book, e-reader, audio book, my phone’s Kindle App…I care not as I am happy with them all.

Fictional character you probably would have actually dated in high school:

I was a painfully shy teen – lets just go for having a major crush on Nancy Drew.

Glad you gave this book a chance:

Many years ago I picked up a new release called Killing Floor by a chap called Lee Child. He wrote about a character called Jack Reacher – glad I took a chance on an author I hadn’t heard of – been a fan ever since.

Hidden Gem book:

Haterz (James Goss).

Important moment in your reading life:

Deciding to write that first blog post about the book I had just finished? (James Oswald – Natural Causes) OR at age 14(ish) making the full transition to reading ‘grown up’ books and purchasing Pet Sematary.

Just finished:

Long Time Lost (Chris Ewan)

Kind of books you won’t read:

Romance and Non Fiction.

Longest book you’ve ever read:

Probably The Stand (Stephen King) but I don’t really stop to count the number of pages.

Major book hangover:

In a good or bad way? In the Cold Dark Ground by Stuart MacBride was MAGNIFICENT and I felt bad for the books that followed.

On the flip-side I read a thriller recently which had a plot twist that I really didn’t enjoy (book had been cruising to a 5*score) – I have yet to decide if I will review that one.

Number of bookcases you own:

Less than I once had! One, Two, Many…LOTS. Last year we removed our bannister at the top of the stairs and replaced the spindles with a new fitted bookcase.

One book you’ve read multiple times:

Just one? IT (Stephen King). Most of the Terry Pratchett books and ALL of the Mr Men books!

Preferred place to read:

On the train (guilt free reading time).

Quote that inspired you/ Gives you all the feels from a book you’ve read:

“At last Ben drops his hands. He starts to say something, shakes his head, and walks away. Ritchie follows him, then Beverly and Mike, walking together. No one talks; they climb the embankment to Kansas Street and simply take leave of one another. And when Bill thinks it over twenty-seven years later, he realizes that they really never did all get together again. Four of them quite often, sometimes five, and maybe six once or twice. But never all seven.” – IT, Stephen King.

Reading regret:

Lord of the Rings. Absolute dross – not sure why I stuck with it.

Series you started and need to finish:

John Sandford’s ‘Prey’ novels. I have missed the last couple of releases.

Three of your all time favourite books:

IT (Stephen King), Night Watch (Terry Pratchett), Belgarath The Sorcerer (David and Leigh Eddings)

Unapologetic fangirl for:

“fangirl” perhaps this challenge was not written with me in mind!

Doctor Who – been reading these books for over 35 years and have easily read over 400 unique Doctor Who titles.

Very excited for this release more than all others:

I never know what is coming up. I always look forward to the new Lee Child. I used to count down to the publication date of the new Terry Pratchett *sobs*.

Now that I have given it some thought…one of my favourite books last year was Tenacity by J.S. Law – am watching eagerly for the next from Mr Law.

Worst bookish habit:

Starting too many books at one time.

X marks the spot- start on the top left of your bookshelf and pick the 27th book:

The Defence – Steve Cavanagh. A signed copy I picked up at the Edinburgh Festival in Summer of 2015 – not realising that I would have the opportunity to meet Steve at Bloody Scotland just 3 weeks later where I could have asked him to personally sign it. This reveals quite a lot about how my life seems to pan out!!!

Your latest purchase:

Two: Exclusion Zone (J.M. Hewitt) and The Amber Shadows (Lucy Ribchester)

Zzzzz Snatcher book (the book that kept you up way too late):

A Quiet Belief In Angels (RJ Ellory). I bloody loved that one.

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October 14

The Shepherd’s Crown – Terry Pratchett

A SHIVERING OF WORLDS

Deep in the Chalk, something is stirring. The owls and the foxes can sense it, and Tiffany Aching feels it in her boots. An old enemy is gathering strength.

This is a time of endings and beginnings, old friends and new, a blurring of edges and a shifting of power. Now Tiffany stands between the light and the dark, the good and the bad.

As the fairy horde prepares for invasion, Tiffany must summon all the witches to stand with her. To protect the land. Her land.

There will be a reckoning . . .

THE FINAL DISCWORLD NOVEL

So much has already been written about The Shepherd’s Crown, Terry Pratchett’s final Discworld novel, that it is hard to know where to take this review where I may cover new ground. So this review is a little different..you don’t need me to summarise the plot: it is a Pratchett Witches story. You don’t need me to introduce the characters (it is Tiffany and the Witches). You don’t even need me to tell you if it is a good story: it is the last ever Discworld book written by Terry Pratchett and – having read all the previous books – I am not going to be unhappy with it.

Except it did make me unhappy.

Well I should clarify…it made me sad. It made me so sad that I sat in a café with tears streaming down my face. Proper big wet dripping tears.

I loved the Discworld books. I have invested many hours of my life reading, re-reading and taking about the characters from the Disc. I have my favourites…favourite characters, favourite books and even favourite jokes. Other than my single read of The Shepherd’s Crown I have read each of the Discworld books at least 3/4 times. In the case of Nightwatch that rises to over a dozen times. Let there be no doubt that since I was in High School (and I am now past my 40th birthday) I have been a fan of Terry Pratchett. Reading The Shepherd’s Crown and knowing there were no more titles to follow was harrowing.

My personal reading trauma should not take away from the fact that The Shepherd’s Crown is a GOOD Terry Pratchett story. While previous novels featuring Tiffany Aching have been more aligned to a slightly younger reader this is very much a read with a darker tone. The primary reason of the darker tone is death. Not DEATH (the blue eyed, cat loving skeleton that Pratchett fans love so much) but actual end of life death – the final reckoning. Perhaps it is appropriate that in his final Discworld novel Mr Pratchett casts his attention to death in the way he has previously lampooned trains, the post office and Christmas. Except death is not such a light-hearted topic and the story of The Shepherd’s Crown is more brutal at times than may have previously been the case in earlier books.

Had I considered it, I would not have wanted it to be a Tiffany story which was the last ever Discworld book, I felt that her tale reached a natural conclusion in I Shall Wear Midnight. However, I will confess that Tiffany and the Witches give the series a great send off – the story seemed right as I read it and I feel it brought the Discworld to an acceptable place for us to leave it on its journey. I would have loved one last chance to see the Watch in action, travel with Death to his realm and see Albert and the Death of Rats, have the Luggage stamp through the background and see Rincewind running in the other direction…but it was not to be. But what we do get from The Shepherd’s Crown is a poignant send off from one of the nations most loved authors and a series finale that builds upon the legacy of all the books that came before it.

You would not start reading the Harry Potter books with the 7th title in the collection. Nor should you consider picking up The Shepherd’s Crown as your first introduction to Discworld, this is a story which has been years in the making – the sum of many parts – and for this reason it is a magnificent addition to the collection.

For this reader the Discworld has been a place of escape; a world of dragons and assassins, trolls, dwarves and wizards – it has been an ever present through my adult life and will continue to be my refuge when this world gets too much for me. Thank you Sir Terry.

Now if you will excuse me I think I must have some grit in my eyes….

The Shepherd’s Crown is published by Doubleday and is available in Hardback and digital formats.

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