Just Listen

Just Listen
Sarah Dessen

'Just Listen' is my favourite of Sarah Dessen's books. Like her other books it is well written with convincing characters and an involving storyline. 'Just Listen' tells the tale of Annabel, the girl with a seemingly perfect life; she's beautiful, bright, with a bustling social life and a supportive family.

Except her best friend has spent the summer spreading rumours about her and turning her friends against her. Except her sister has just been diagnosed with a serious eating disorder. Except that her mother is pushing her into continuing her modelling career, when right now, all Annabel wants to do is hide.

'Just Listen' is a great book for teenage girls. It tackles adolescent issues in a tactful and respectful manner without being pious and preachy. Annabel is a wonderful character, and is easily relatable to. The message of the novel is encapsulated by the title and, in the end, Annabel is saved from having to hide by someone who is willing to listen.

Buy it for your daughters and read it for yourself from www.waterstones.com or your local bookshop.

(Plus the covers of Sarah Dessen's books are totally awesome.)

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins

'The Hunger Games' is a young adult novel set in a dystopian world. Katniss Everdeen is our heroine, and she's just been propelled into the deadliest reality TV show to ever exist. The narritive is fast-paced and tense, portraying the inhumanities of a totalitarian society in graphic detail.

Katniss lives in District 12 where the inhabitants work in the coal mines and spend their free time preoccupied with the sordid business of staying alive. Life is tough, and it is made even tougher by the annual event of the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a sport devised by the Capitol where two children are chosen at random from each of the 12 Districts which comprise Panem. Only one tribute from the chosen 24 will leave the Hunger Games alive. The 23 who don't escape will have their deaths, and the last of their lives, televised for the amusement of the Capitol. Katniss is one of the chosen 24....

'The Hunger Games' is an absorbing thriller which is great for getting teens reading. (It's great for adults too!) The characters are well drawn, the writing is solid and the plot is brilliant. You will be left wanting more.

Buy it here from www.waterstones.com or from your local bookshop.

PS. It's the first of a trilogy!
PPS. The sequels have already been published and are 'Catching Fire' and 'Mockingjay'. It's probably worth buying them all at once, rather than suffer from the suspense of waiting for the next installment.

The Crimson Petal and the White

The Crimson Petal and the White
Michel Faber

This hefty tome tells the tale of Sugar, a Victorian prostitute. Although the novels principal protagonist is Sugar the narration touches upon the lives of the characters who appear on the peripheries of Sugar's life. The narration is intrusive, with our omniscient, yet absent, narrator frequently referring to us as "Dear Reader". 'The Crimson Petal and the White' has been called the novel that Dickens would have written if he could... high praise indeed.

Sugar is labelled as the prostitute who would do *anything* her clients may request. Yet she is not an uneducated woman, and is only a fallen woman due to her mother pushing her over the precipice into prostitution at the tender age of thirteen. Sugar dreams of improving her status in the world, and is the authoress of a vicious novel consisting of several gory man-slaughters (man being the key word). She believes the only way she will escape the whorehouse is by her own intelligence, until she meets William Rackham....

This is a wonderfully involving book, and includes a fantastic portrayal of the various versions of the Victorian female- pious and hysterical (Agnes Rackham), worthy yet blasphemous (Emmeline Fox), and of course, the whore (Sugar). The page count and the sheer weight of the book is intimidating, but don't be afraid to give it a go, for I'm almost sure you'll enjoy it.

Buy it here from www.waterstones.com or from your local bookshop.

(Thanks to Mel for recommending and purchasing a copy for me, I owe you one.)

Thirteen Hours

Thirteen Hours
Deon Meyer

A South African crime novel which greatly impressed me! 'Thirteen Hours' is set in Cape Town, on the western coast of South Africa and the area is described impeccably. Police Detective Benny Griessel is trying to save an American tourist's life- her friend has already been murdered. Except he doesn't know where the girl is, or who her attackers are. Benny needs to find the girl before they do, otherwise the police force will be searching for a corpse. And this is a corpse which could greatly damage the South African tourism industry.

'Thirteen Hours' is a brilliant, gripping novel. It touches upon larger issues of bureaucracy and corruption while still containing the minutiae of everyday police life. The time frame of the novel means the plot races along and keeps you eagerly turning the pages right up until the dramatic climax. Griessel is a wonderful character, and again, a typical detective with a drinking problem and emotional baggage. The novel is a fantastic and accurate portrayal of the rainbow nation. If you're looking for a new crime writer, give Deon Meyer a go- you won't be disappointed.

Buy it from your local bookstore or here from www.waterstones.com

Case Histories

Case Histories
Kate Atkinson

'Case Histories' is Kate Atkinson's first crime novel. It is excellent; well written and absorbing. 'Case Histories' is the story of three seemingly unconnected crimes but as the plot unweaves it becomes more apparent that everything in this world is truly interlinked. The cunning private eye is a typical detective; ex-policeman with baggage (an ex-wife and murdered sister), a slight drinking problem, and a strong moral compass.

This is an involving novel and a fine example of "literary crime" (that's fine as in good, not as in okay). It's a detective story with an excellent, likeable, detective, and the other characters are correspondingly strong and well drawn. 'Case Histories' doesn't lose any of the thrill factor due it's distinctly high-brow origins, rather, it's enhanced by them.

I really enjoyed this book and have gone on to read others in the series and been similarly amused. I'd definitely recommend it for crime fiends who fancy something a little bit different!

Buy it from your local bookstore or here on www.waterstones.com

(Case Histories has just been adapted into a drama on the BBC. Check it out on iplayer!)

The Wasp Factory

The Wasp Factory
Iain Banks

Mr Iain Banks' debut novel exploded onto the scene when it was first published. Critics condemned it as "vile" "repellent" "unpleasant" "sadistic" and as "a silly gloatingly sadistic and grisly yarn". (Interested yet?) 'The Wasp Factory' is also brilliantly written and utterly absorbing. And it's just had it's twenty-five year anniversary- it's certainly stood the test of time.

'The Wasp Factory' tells the tale of murderous teenager Frank, who is deeply superstitious with a bizarre and overactive imagination. Frank is almost a serial killer, with three murders under his belt at just sixteen. This is a deeply addictive story which shows the inner workings of his macabre mind. 'Ware the twists and turns of the novel, it will shock and surprise you.

Give it a go.... You'll (probably) enjoy it!

Buy it here from www.waterstones.com or from your local bookshop.

(Plus, I've met Iain Banks (when he was being Iain M Banks) and he was very sweet! And patient with my gushing about how awesome his books are.)

Dracula

Dracula
Bram Stoker

'Dracula' signified the dawning of the vampire novel. 'Dracula' was first published in 1897 and became an instant hit. It has been shaping the vampire story ever since. Pretty much anything which is vamp related has been formed by the original vampire myth of 'Dracula'. But, a warning is attached, this isn't 'Twilight'. It's far better.

'Dracula' tells the tale of Jonathan Harker who unwittingly ends up working for Count Dracula himself. Harker eventually discovers Dracula's true identity as a murdering, blood-sucking fiend. He manages to escape the vampire's lair, but immediately falls into feverish delirium. Meanwhile, in England, Dracula has made his way into the homeland, and is preying on the beautiful Lucy and enslaving madmen. The plot thickens.

'Dracula' is definitely one of the easiest classics to read. It is also one of the classics that should be read. A decidedly Gothic story which is sure to thrill and excite.

Buy it here from www.waterstones.com or from your local bookshop.