Here's what I've been reading. You can change the order of the list by clicking on the column title you'd like to list by, click the same column to change direction (the default column is date). The title link takes you to that book at amazon.co.uk.

Date Title,  Author Rating
Aug '10 Stamping Butterflies,  Jon Courtenay Grimwood 0/5
None yet
 
Jul '10 The Afghan,  Frederick Forsyth 0/5
None yet
 
Feb '10 Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China,  Jung Chang 0/5
None yet
 
Feb '10 Hostile Witness,  William Lashner /5
None yet
 
Feb '10 Split Second,  David Baldacci 0/5
None yet
 
Feb '10 Codex,  Lev Grossman 0/5
No idea yet.
 
Feb '10 The Book Thief,  Markus Zusak 5/5
This novel is narrated by death. It's a small story, about: a girl + an accordianist + some fanatical Germans + a Jewish fist fighter + quite a lot of thievery.
 
Jan '10 Unseen Academicals,  Terry Pratchett 4/5
Loved it. Hopefully not his last...
 
Dec '09 Milk and Honey,  Faye Kellerman 3/5
Bees. Murder. Cops. Is keeping me entertained on the train.
 
Dec '09 Rage of Angels,  Sidney Sheldon 3.5/5
Surprisingly good. I say surprisingly because the cover is crap hence I thought the book would be. So, what's it about? Female lawyer falls in love with a senator and a mafia boss. Guess what? All kinda shit happens!
 
Dec '09 Killing Pablo: The Hunt for the Richest, Most Powerful Criminal in History,  Mark Bowden 5/5
Bloody Fucking Excellent! The story of Pablo Escabar - the richest and biggest drug dealer in the world. Fascinating. Read it. Then read it again. And again.
 
Nov '09 Shadows on the Mirror,  Frances Fyfield 3/5
Sarah Fortune is bored to death. Blah blah can't be arsed to write more.
 
Nov '09 The Woods,  Harlan Coben 3/5
"Paul Copeland,county prosecutor,is made to re-encounter his past traumas and learn about the truths buried from 20 years ago"
 
Nov '09 Just One Look,  Harlan Coben 5/5
"When a mysterious photo appears in Grace Lawson's holiday snaps she is completely unprepared for the effect it will have on her life. It's an old photo and one of the people in it looks a lot like her husband, even though he denies it's him. However, when her husband disappears, the only thing she can think of that may be related is the photo." A surprisingly (why?) great read - with a twist to die for at the end.
 
Oct '09 The Seventh Son,  Reay Tannahill /5
A medieval Royal family saga in the grand tradition, a tale of brother against brother, cousin against cousin, of love, hate and intrigue. Richard III, a king whose reign is darkened by the murder of the young Princes in the Tower, but who also found a touching love with the woman he married, and possessed immense courage. Here, brought vividly to life in this most moving novel, is a man who inspired loyalty and hatred in almost equal measure, until at last the implacable enmity of one woman brought about his downfall... UPDATE: I can't bloody find the book to finish it????
 
Oct '09 Eucalyptus,  Murray Bail 5/5
A love story - strangely involving Eucalyptus trees! Sounds bizarre - it's not. A great bit of story telling.
 
Oct '09 Four Blind Mice,  James Patterson 3/5
"Now the Mastermind is in prison, Alex Cross is ready to leave the Washington Police Force. And, finally, Alex has met a woman, Jamilla Hughes. With Nana and the kids, he is talking about the future. Until John Sampson arrives and begs him to take on one last case - his best friend has been accused of a horrific triple murder. Three women were knifed at an Army base. His fingerprints and DNA have been found - but Sampson's friend swears he has been framed, and that Alex is his only hope..." - a fun (!) holiday read (even though I wasn't on holiday).
 
Oct '09 Steel Rain,  Tom Neale 3/5
"Special agent Vincent Piper of the London FBI Field Office rushes to the scene of a terrorist bomb attack. His daughter is one of the victims. She dies in his arms." - so then he goes out and kicks butt! A good read.
 
Sep '09 Red Dragon,  Thomas Harris 5/5
"Sexual hunger; demonic violence; sinister logic - the lethal components of a deadly formula driving a psychopath in the grip of an unimaginable delusion; a boastful killer who sends the police tormenting notes; a tortured, torturing monster who finds ultimate pleasure in viciously murdering happy families, and calls himself...The Red Dragon. Special agent Will Graham had been assigned to similar cases before, cases where he was able to see and feel with the madmen, anticipate their moves and, most terrifying of all, be vulnerable to their horrifying brutality. Now Graham is reluctantly lured out of retirement, to find an opening to the evil mind of the Red Dragon. Red Dragon is quite probably the most suspenseful, utterly compelling thriller ever written." By the guy who wrote Silence Of The Lambs.
 
Sep '09 Bloody London (Artie Cohen),  Reggie Nadelson 2/5
"As New York basks in the finest Indian summer of the century, Cohen, quitting his contented new life as a low-risk private investigator, finds himself in London, where the plot uncoils with a series of murders and a heartbreaking encounter with his long-time girlfriend." - Prrrrpt! A load of crap. Too much made of too little.
 
Sep '09 Hideaway,  Dean Koontz 4/5
Only started it the other day. Can't put it down. "Hatch dies en-route to hospital, a brilliant physician saves him... When people who have wronged Hatch begin to die violently..." and then shit happens (my words).
 
Sep '09 Warning Signs,  Stephen White 2/5
My first book by this guy - the end was better than the start and middle. As the character was a phycologist - he'd probably have somthing to say about that. As the end was better (I was just glad to get there) I'm downgrading it to a 2. (Oooh - hark at me)
 
Aug '09 Holding the Key: My Year as a Guard at Sing Sing,  Ted Conover 5/5
Not sure where this came from but I bloody loved it!. "Journalist, Ted Conover's compelling account of his year undercover as a guard at the maximum security US jail, Sing Sing." Think about this - a journalist goes under-cover to one of the nastiest jails in New York! How can it not be interesting? A big five outta five.
 
Aug '09 Warlock,  Wilbur Smith 5/5
More Egyptian adventures with Taita & the Pharoes. BLOODY BRILLIANT! Loved it.
 
Jul '09 Slick,  Daniel Price 4/5
"A satirical odyssey into the media and music industries, rogue public relations and toxic information" - loving it!
 
Jun '09 Gai-Jin,  James Clavell 5/5
Fan-bloody-tastic! Japan in 1846 meets the might of the British Empire. Ninjas, Samurais, Empirical nobs. Great! READ IT (all 1578 pages)
 
May '09 Whirlwind,  James Clavell 3/5
My stepmum, Jill, gave me a load of books and this guy (James Clavell) was one of my dad's favourites so I thought I'd give it a go... Iran in the 70's - a load of helicopter pilots had to escape. Was OK but not great.
 
Mar '09 The Road to Gandolfo,  Robert Ludlum 3/5
From the guy who wrote "The Bourne Identity" - you know - the films (Bourne Ultimatem etc). Well, I think he'd been hanging out with Terry Pratchett - this is very Pratchett-esque. A venerated General decides to kidnap the pope and involves his hapless lawyer. Hell, I don't even know if 'hapless' is the right word - I'm just trying to write a comment too long after I've read the book. Once you realise it's tongue-in-cheek it is quite enjoyable.
 
Feb '09 Rising Sun,  Michael Crichton 3/5
Finished this a while ago so can't remember what it's about [quick read of the back cover] - oh yeah - how nasty the Japanese are in business. Girl gets murdered in a corporate HQ - the Japs cover it up. If I remember correctly it was OK so I'll give it a 3. Nothing special.
 
Feb '09 A Thousand Splendid Suns,  Khaled Hosseini 4/5
I thourougly enjoyed it. As the Daily Mail said "A gripping tale... a powerful portrait of female suffering and endurance under the Taliban"
 
Jan '09 Cat and Mouse,  James Patterson 3/5
Another Alex Cross novel involving Soneji and Mr. Smith. Halfway through the book changed from the Alex Cross perspective to someone elses - quite off-putting...
 
Jan '09 The Watchman,  Chris Ryan 3/5
Another SAS book by an ex-SAS member. It was a surprisingly fun holiday period read.
 
Dec '08 The Innocent Man,  John Grisham 3/5
A true story but not as good as I was expecting.
 
Nov '08 Stop the Ride, I Want to Get Off ,  Dave Courtney 5/5
Brilliant book. This is so hot that it should come with a bag of ice cubes. A page turning entertaining romp throught the London Underworld (Amazon review - need own comment). The Autobiography of London gangster Dave Courtney.
 
Nov '08 Ride a Tiger ,  Harold Livingston 5/5
A 600 page gangster epic which tells the story of Leo Gorodetsky, a Jewish criminal mastermind and his rise within the world of organised crime. (Amazon review - need own comment)
 
Oct '08 The Last Juror ,  John Grisham 4/5
In 1970, one of Mississipi's more colourful weekly newspapers, The Ford County Times, went bankrupt. To the surprise and dismay of many, ownership was assumed by a 23-year-old college drop-out, named Willie Traynor. The future of the paper looked grim until a young mother was brutally raped and murdered by a member of the notorious Padgittt family. Willie Traynor reported all the gruesome details, and his newspaper began to prosper. (from the back cover)
 
Sep '08 The 5th Horseman,  James Peterson (with Maxine Paetro) 1/5
Oh, pur-lease. A cop, a lawyer, a journalist and a pathologist all happen to be best mates. A load of friggin' crap.
 
Sep' 08 Knees Up Mother Earth,  Robert Rankin 4/5
"It's football Jim, but not as we know it". Magic, time-travel and football in Brentford. "Rankin's prose is like a mind-expanding drug, but it's a real rush. Beware, lest you find yourself addicted". When I started reading it I was like WTF? Thoroughly enjoyable.
 
Aug '08 The Mayor of Lexington Avenue ,  James Sheehan 4/5
"The Courtroom Thriller of the Year" says the cover. Another book I've read before and this was worth the re-read. People you don't expect to die - die. The characters aren't too real - the good guys are rich and attractive, the women they meet sexy and the bad guys are ugly. I must be a bad guy ;) I'd recommend it - it is a courtroom thriller and a real page turner too. (Just realised that I'd commented on this book in Jan '07 - gave it the same score so it must be ok).
 
Aug '08 The Big Bad Wolf,  James Patterson 3/5
The prequel to the one I've just read - this one goes to Chapter 119 (it's not a big book). Same old decent holiday read. Read it before - might read it again in 5 years if I'm desperate for a read. Oh yeah, involves lots of kidnappings.
 
Aug '08 London Bridges,  James Patterson 3/5
A typical Patterson - this one went to 'Chapter 124'. Dr. Alex Cross chasing The Wolf (again) - involved cities being blown up. No point being snobby - I enjoyed it and I'd read it before. A holiday book!
 
Aug '08 Nostradamus Ate My Hamster ,  Robert Rankin 3/5
Be confused. Be very confused! A fun read. Quite bizarre. Bit of a modern Pratchett maybe? I'm running out of books that I haven't read...
 
Jul '08 The Crime Trade,  Simon Kernick 2/5
Undercover cop drama - I'd read it before but was desperate for a book. Take it on holiday. Maybe. If you're bored. And have read everything else.
 
Jul '08 All Quiet on the Western Front,  Erich Maria Remarque 5/5
"I am young, I am twenty years old; yet I know nothing of life but despair, death, fear and fatuous superficiality cast over an abyss of sorrow..." A World War I story by someone who was there - this is supposed to be "The Greatest War Novel Of All Time". I agree.
 
June '08 The Kite Runner,  Khaled Hosseini 5/5
I was transported to a happy 1970 Iraq and then cruelly dragged away. Brilliant.
 
June '08 Star of the Sea,  Joseph O'Conner 4/5
An Atlantic boat trip from Ireland to America during the bitter potato blight in 1847. I enjoyed it - unlike the passengers on the boat. Great book.
 
Apr '08 Fast Company,  Jon Bradshaw 4/5
Six stories about gamblers. Poker, Craps, Golf, Tennis - it's all here. Think 1910 till 1940. An awesome book.
 
Mar '08 Thief of Time,  Terry Pratchett 4/5
I've Pratchett fever. This is one for the horologists. There's a character called "Clockson", first name "Jeremy". Go figure.
 
Feb '08 Making Money,  Terry Pratchett 4/5
It's been a long time since I've read a Discworld novel - I enjoyed this one.
 
Nov '07 A Riot Of Our Own ,  Johnny Green & Garry Barker 3/5
The story of The Clash. I fought the law and the law won. Etc. Not bad so far.
 
Nov '07 Winter in Madrid ,  C. J. Sansom 3/5
It says on the cover "If you like Sebastian Faulks and Carlos Ruiz Zafon, you'll love this". Well, I've just read Sebastian Faulks and Carlos Ruiz Zafon so I guess I'll like it! ... I didn't. Too depressing. NEXT!
 
Oct '07 A Man in Full ,  Tom Wolfe 4/5
A bankrupt property developer, rape, prison and other stuff. "You only have to read the first sentence to be totally gripped" (says the Sunday Telegraph)... The first sentence is "Charlie Croker, astride his favourite Tennessee walking horse, pulled his shoulders back to make sure he was erect in the saddle and took a deep breath... Ahhhh, that was the ticket...". Gotcha. Or maybe not... ;)
 
Aug 07 Half of a Yellow Sun ,  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie 4/5
The Biafran war. Well written - listen to some Hugh Masekela whilst reading it and you're *there*.
 
Aug 07 Marching Powder ,  Rusty Young 5/5
A true prison story. Extraordinary. Read it. NOW!
 
Jul 07 The Woods ,  Harlen Coben 3/5
Thriller. Good enough holiday read.
 
Jul 07 A Question of Blood ,  Ian Rankin 3/5
A decent enough YARN (Yet Another Rebus Novel).
 
Jul 07 Birdsong ,  Sebastian Faulks 5/5
A love story set around WW1. Sounds boring? It's fantastic!
 
Jul 07 The Shadow Of The Wind ,  Carlos Ruiz Zafon 5/5
Words can't really describe this book. It's wonderful. Just read it.
 
Feb 07 The Interpretation of Murder ,  Jed Rubenfeld 4/5
A period murder mystery involving Sigmund Freud during his 1909 visit to America. Some reviews on Amazon trashed it - I thoroughly enjoyed it.
 
Jan 07 The Husband ,  Dean Koontz 3/5
A humble gardner gets a phone call demanding a $2,000,000 ransom for his wife.
 
Jan 07 The Colour of Law ,  Mark Giminez 4/5
A rich corporate lawyer throws his perfect life away to save a black heroin addicted prostitute.
 
Jan 07 The Mayor of Lexington Avenue ,  James Sheenan 4/5
Courtroom thriller - lots of of people die.
 
Jan 07 Dying Light ,  Stuart Macbride 3/5
Cop thriller based in Aberdeen.
 
2006 One Shot ,  Lee Child 3/5
Cop thriller - 'the thinking reader's action hero' says the back cover. Fun & trashy.
 
2006 Panic ,  Jeff Abbott 3/5
Fun thriller about a movie maker - gets naff at the end. Good holiday read.
 
2006 The Lincoln Lawyer ,  Michael Connely 3/5
Courtroom drama involving a skint lawyer and a rich, nasty client.
 
2006 Rage ,  Jonathan Kellerman 3/5
Psycological thriller with Alex Delaware. People die as usual.
 
2006 Dead Simple ,  Peter James 3/5
Thriller - a stag night ends in a horrible way. Someone is buried alive.
 
2006 Looking Good Dead ,  Peter James 3/5
Thriller - starts with finding a CD on a train...
 
2006 Rat Run ,  Gerald Seymour 3/5
Thriller - ex Iraqi Intelligence officer ends up on the streets.
 
...Years Ago Wonderland Avenue ,  Danny Sugarman 5/5
True tales of glamour and excess. Oh, and drugs. Read the first page and you'll be 100% hooked. To the book - not drugs.
 
Also long ago Mr. Nice ,  Howard Marks 5/5
Drug dealing. An IRA contact. Money. Drugs. Oxford Uni. Politicians. And more. A great true story.