Category Archives: 2009 New Reads

On Her Majesty’s Secret Service – Ian Fleming

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Ela

(Penguin 2008, originally published 1963) Like many of Fleming’s novels featuring James Bond, the book is good deal more reflective and less gung-ho than the filmed versions – though the film of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service is a good … Continue reading →

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The books of Mary Stewart – part 3

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Ela

Apologies for the delay in posting the last of these three posts about Mary Stewart’s novels – the first two parts are here and here. Last in the current tranche of books read was Touch Not The Cat (1976), which … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009 New Reads, 2011 New Reads, Fiction, Re-read, Read on my Kindle, Reviews, Romance, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bear Island – Alistair MacLean

Posted on May 22, 2011 by Ela

(HarperCollins 2009, originally published 1971) Bear Island begins on board a ship, the Morning Rose, battering her way through the rough seas north of Shetland in late October. Apart from its crew (and ship’s doctor – and narrator – Christopher … Continue reading →

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Untimely Death – Cyril Hare

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Ela

(Faber 2008, originally published in the UK as ‘He Should Have Died Hereafter’ in 1957) Cyril Hare was the pseudonym of a distinguished lawyer, Alfred A. G. Clark, barrister and later judge, who used his knowledge of the law to … Continue reading →

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The Red House Mystery – A. A. Milne

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Ela

(Vintage 2009, originally published 1922) It’s rather a surprise to realise that Milne, now known best for his Winnie-the-Pooh books, poetry for children and dramatization of The Wind in the Willows, Toad of Toad Hall, wrote a detective novel. In … Continue reading →

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The Hunt for Red October – Tom Clancy

Posted on September 17, 2010 by Ela

This was Tom Clancy’s first published novel, set during the Cold War amid high tensions between the USA and the Soviet Union, and the first of many books to feature Jack Ryan. The book begins in Russia, with the departure … Continue reading →

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Carpe Jugulum – Terry Pratchett

Posted on September 15, 2010 by Ela

This, the twenty-third Discworld novel, has Pratchett having fun with the vampire novel, though particularly with Stoker’s Dracula rather than any modern updates. There are three main plot strands: the preparations for the christening of the baby daughter of King … Continue reading →

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Wolves Eat Dogs – Martin Cruz Smith

Posted on September 14, 2010 by Ela

In this fifth novel (published in 2004) featuring Russian investigator Arkady Renko (following Gorky Park, Polar Star, Red Square and Havana Bay), Cruz Smith returns Renko to Moscow, where he is investigating the mysterious death of Pasha Ivanov in a … Continue reading →

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Restoree – Anne McCaffrey

Posted on September 2, 2010 by Ela

McCaffrey is well known for her series of books set on Pern (Dragonsong, The White Dragon, and so on) as well as several other series of science fiction books (the Crystal Singer books, The Ship Who Sang books, and many … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009 New Reads, Fiction, Science fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

One hundred new books in 2009

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Ela

Last year, I set myself a challenge to read one new book per week – the challenge was in not doing overly much re-reading, rather than the quantity of books read. I managed just over 100, as listed on the … Continue reading →

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