Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett

Death is missing - presumed... er... gone

Which leads to the kind of chaos you always get when an important public service is withdrawn.

Meanwhile, on a little farm far, far away, a tall dark stranger is turning out to be really good with a scythe. There's a harvest to be gathered in... 


The usual Terry Pratchett comic genius. My favourite parts were the bits following Death's adventures on the farm. 


I loved when the shopping trolleys became living, thinking things.  Some tried to escape and hide so groups of hunters were employed to find them and re-train them.  Very clever.  Put me in mind of the shopping trolley thing on Australia All Over many years ago.

Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James

When literature student Anastasia Steele goes to interview young entrepreneur Christian Grey, she encounters a man who is beautiful, brilliant, and intimidating. The unworldly, innocent Ana is startled to realize she wants this man and, despite his enigmatic reserve, finds she is desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her, too—but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey’s singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success—his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving family—Grey is a man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a daring, passionately physical affair, Ana discovers Christian Grey’s secrets and explores her own dark desires. 


Some awkward phrasing early in the book, and Ana blushed way too much for the first few chapters but the writing improved (or I got used to the style) as the story progressed.

Loved the flogger scene. I like the touches of humour and the e-mail exchanges.

Seduce The Darkness by Gena Showalter

The war between otherworlders and humans changed Earth beyond recognition. It also saved Bride McKells's life. Before, the gorgeous vampire was a target for every fanatic with a stake and a crucifix. Now, she's free to roam the streets -- and desperate to find others of her kind. One man claims to have the answers she seeks. Devyn, King of the Targons, is a warrior and a womanizer, and he makes no secret of how much he wants Bride -- and how dangerous he could be to her in every way.

An avid collector of women, Devyn easily seduces human and otherworlder alike. Until now. Not only does Bride resist him, but she leaves Devyn feeling something entirely new...a bone-deep need bordering on obsession. Her blood is the key to curing a vicious alien disease, but helping Bride uncover her origins will compel her to choose between electrifying passion and a destiny that could tear her from Devyn's side forever. 


 A bit slow. It took a while for me to feel the attraction between Bride and Devyn.   Others in this series have been much better and very much hotter.

A Local Habitation by Seanan McGuire

Toby Daye-a half-human, half-fae changeling-has been an outsider from birth. After getting burned by both sides of her heritage, Toby has denied the fae world, retreating to a "normal" life. Unfortunately for her, the Faerie world had other ideas...

Now her liege, the Duke of the Shadowed Hills, has asked Toby to go to the Country of Tamed Lightening to make sure all is well with his niece, Countess January O'Leary. It seems like a simple enough assignment-until Toby discovers that someone has begun murdering people close to January, and that if the killer isn't stopped, January may be the next victim. 


Rich world building, mostly likeable characters with unexpected quirks and an intriguing mystery made for a very satisfying read.


No sex...almost fairy sex and I imagine cat shape shifter sex to come in a future book.

I'll be looking for more in this series. 

Riptide by Catherine Coulter

Rebecca Matlock is in the thick of politics, enjoying her work as a speechwriter for the governor of New York, who's facing a reelection campaign. What she's not enjoying are the menacing phone calls from a stranger who refers to himself as "your boyfriend" and warns her that he will kill the governor if she doesn't stop sleeping with him. Although Becca has never had a sexual relationship with her boss, she is increasingly frightened by the phone calls. The police, who were initially sympathetic to her plight, make it clear that they regard her as a hysteric, even after the stalker murders an innocent bystander to convince her that he means business. Becca seeks refuge in Riptide, an isolated community on the Maine coast, but terror continues to dog her. The skeleton of a woman who may be the missing wife of a college friend is unearthed in the basement of her new house; the stalker tracks her to her chosen refuge; and she is sought by the police and the FBI following an assassination attempt on the governor.


Not much of a mystery for a mystery/thriller type book.  The romance was really lame for a romance book. The stupidity of the FBI, CIA and cops was just plain annoying.  One woman caught up in two mysteries, both ending up with men who wanted to kill her was a bit over the top....oh, and plot holes you could drive a truck through.   Not my favourite read of recent times.

The Sea For Breakfast by Lillian Beckwith

 The adventures of Lillian as she moves from city life to life on the island of Bruach.

She buys a cottage and becomes a resident of Bruach. This book is filled with homely descriptions of the challenges of establishing a home on this wild and isolated island, told with Beckwith's unique flair for finding subtle humor in everyday events. Her growing love for this beautiful island and her grudging respect for the rural wit and wisdom of its inhabitants is expressed with rare articulation. Her descriptions of rustic neighbors and the often hilarious events of their daily lives make this book hard to put down. 


I didn't find most of the events hilarious, more like the locals were taking advantage of a new comer.

Ghouls, Ghouls, Ghouls by Victoria Laurie

M.J. is a physic who can assist ghosts to leave their haunting grounds and move towards the light. Her best friend and Personal Assistant, Gilley, along with fellow ghost buster Heath are in Ireland filming the next episode for their upcoming TV series, Ghoul Getters.  This time they are  investigating Dunlow Castle, which is said to be haunted by several spirits including a malevolent phantom who either drives people insane, or too their death.  This phantom is  rumoured  to be guarding a stash of gold hidden somewhere  in castle, only this phantom ain’t no leprechaun.  To further set the scene, Dunlow Castle is built on a rock just off the coast and is only accessible via a causeway at low tide, because the water surrounding the castle are too dangerous for boating.

The moment the team arrives they go out to the castle for a reconnaissance tour, and the phantom promptly appears.  M.J. and Heath go into battle only to come up with a power far greater than anything they have come across before.  The Phantom has the ability to fill its victim’s mind with their greatest fears, and M.J., Heath and some of the crew are reduced to cowering and sobbing, despite their ghost-repellent magnetic spikes.  When they make it back to the bottom of the castle staircase they discover that the producer, Gopher, is missing.

All the shaken team has to do now is vanquish the phantom, find their producer, film the episode – oh and survive!


I didn't enjoy this one as much as I have others in the series. A few too many plot holes (use some common sense people) and Gilley was annoying (less squealing and whining would be good).  

The Bookshop on Jacaranda Street by Marlish Glorie

 It’s never too late to run away from home!

Helen burns her bed and her bridges when she leaves home to run a second hand bookshop. But can you ever really discard the past? For starters there are thousands of musty books to sort through. Then her sons return home with more baggage than a Qantas 747 and on top of all that the drunk who sold her the bookshop is determined to muscle his way back into the business.

Helen desperately wants life to be a literary novel but it’s looking more and more like a pile of pulp fiction. As quirky characters browse the shelves of her bookshop, Helen fights for the right to choose a future that is not yet written.


Not great literature, but an entertaining enough read. I didn't take to most of the characters, but I did like the sound of the bookshop.  

Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs

When a careless plumber accidentally knocks through a wall, he is horrified by what he uncovers. Called to the scene is forensic anthropologist Dr Temperance Brennan. Fighting her claustrophobia, and the unmistakeable sweet, fetid odour of rotting flesh, Tempe descends the precariously steep, makeshift wooden steps. What awaits her below is a ritualistic display: slain chickens and a goat - and a skull, ghostly pale, rests on a pedestal, the lower jaw missing, the empty orbits starring back at her. The forehead is darkened by an irregular stain the exact red-brown of dried blood, and lined with remnants of desiccated tissue. Two cauldrons stand nearby, beads and antlers suspended overhead. Age, race and sex indicators confirm the skull as that of a young, black female - but how did she die, and when? Then, just as Tempe is working to determine the post-mortem interval, another body is uncovered. The corpse is headless, the torso is carved with Satanic symbols. Could there be a connection? Must Tempe face the sickening possibility that Devil-worshippers are sacrificing human victims?" 


 A bit too much historical detail. Lots of twists and turns and an unexpected villain.


An OK read, but not up to standards of the other Tempe Brennan novels.

immortal Blood by Barbara Hambly

 Something is very amiss in London in this book set in Victorian times. Somebody is killing the Vampires who sleep by day and feast by night. University Language Professor James Asher is employed by Lonon's most powerful Vampire, Don Yisidro to track dowm the killer. The author takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the streets and back alleys of London into a world of Darkness from which James fears he will never return.

Full of twists and turns with a very satisfying ending.

Lessons In Love by Kate Lawson

"Two women. Separated by 20 years - and the letter Y.

Firstly there's Jane Mills - she's suffering from a broken heart, no job and a house she can't afford. Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Jayne Mills can afford anything she wants, but at what cost to herself?

In her late 20s, Jane's up for a challenge. Fast approaching 50, Jayne's had more than enough of them. The two women embark on a life swap that gives Jayne the change to assess her choices, and the opportunity to remake the one she most regrets. It seems that even far along the road, you are never too old to learn new tricks ... " 


A bit of a formula type story..... noxious mother; a female gets lusted after by husky Greeks on an Aegean Island, baddies do their best to undermine everyone and in the end everyone except the baddies gets paired up and they all ride off into the sunset.


 Not quite what I expected from the title and blurb, but an OK read anyway.

Light fluff

An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris

Hired to find a boy gene missing in Doraville, North Carolina, Harper Connelly and her brother Tolliver head there-only to discover that the boy was only one of several who had disappeared over the previous five years. All of them teenagers. All unlikely runaways.

All calling for Harper.

Harper soon finds them-eight victims, buried in the half-frozen ground, all come to an unspeakable end. Afterwards, what she most wants to do is collect her fee and get out of town ahead of the media storm that's soon to descend. But when she's attacked and prevented from leaving, she reluctantly becomes a part of the investigation as she learns more than she cares to about the dark mysteries and long-hidden secrets of Doraville-knowledge that makes her the next person likely to rest in an ice-cold grave.


 A wonderful murder mystery with a supernatural twist! In this book Harper's and Tolliver's relationship changes, they become lovers...even though they had been raised as brother and sister, and referred to each other as brother and sister, since before they were teenagers.  

Who Killed Bianca? by Emma Darcy

Journal Entry 1 by scrapaholic from Darwin, Northern Territory Australia on Sunday, October 25, 2009 She had to die ....... As Australia's most infamous gossip columnist, Bianca Bernini was relishing every moment of her two day train trip fron Sydney to Alice Springs aboard the legendary Ghan. Two days to expose the secrets and scandal behind eight highly privileged passengers. Bianca could not have forseen that unearthing these skeletons from thier closets would inspire her own murder. Nice to see the NT in a book, and fairly accurately portrayed for once. Good mystery. Quick easy, read.

Oceans of Fire by Christine Feehan

Abigail Drake is one of seven magical sisters living in California. Abby's special ability is her link to the sea and all the aquatic beings, especially a bond with dolphins with whom she works. One night while swimming with her dolphin friends, she is the sole witness to a murder near the shoreline. Now, her life is in danger and she is led right back to the man she wishes she could forget.

Alexsandr Volstov is an Interpol agent investigating possible Russian mob activities in coastal California. He never expects this investigation to drop in to his arms the one woman he's ever loved. When he discovers Abby saw the murder of his partner, he knows the danger she now faces. Who better to protect her then himself? Especially if it gives him the excuse to stay close and try to win back her love.

Now Alexsandr and Abby must work together to solve the mysteries surrounding them. However, she is still emotionally hurt because of something he did to her several years before. Can they overcome the past that is separating them?


 Suspense, intrigue and lots of hot sex made for a great read.

Another good addition to this series. 

The Dark Enquiry by Deanna Raybourn

Lady Julia and her husband Nicholas Brisbane have returned from their honeymoon and adventure in India and are settling down to ‘normal’ life together in London. Julia has taken up photography and, as you just knew would happen, still trying to force herself into Brisbane’s investigation business. Julia and Brisbane are squabbling over how much input Julia should have – I mean to say Victorian ladies shouldn’t go gallivanting around solving crimes!

This time Julia’s toffee nosed older brother is in deep trouble, he had a little bit on the side and now he is being blackmailed, not something an up and coming political person needs in his life. And he certainly didn’t want his sister poking her nose in his little peccadillo! But pokes it she does. The investigation starts at the Ghost Club where séances occur, and the medium is the ‘other’ woman and prime blackmailer suspect. Trouble is she ends up dead and all the people who attended the séance are now suspects.



Not the first in the series, but it didn't matter. A good mystery.  It took me a while to get into it and I wasn't sure about it at first, but ended up enjoying it so i'm glad I stuck to it.

Farmer in the Sky by Robert A Heinlein

The story opens on Earth in the not to distant future. The population has grown to such an extent that there is world wide food rationing. Teenager Bill Lermer lives with his widower father, George, in southern California. When the daily calorie allowance is reduced yet again the Lermers decide to emigrate to Ganymede, one of the moons of Jupiter, where terraforming is underway and good food abounds if you want to farm for it. Bill then discovers that he is about to have a step mother and a sister – only families are going to be accepted as pioneers. Struggling with his feelings of betrayal of his mother, Bill accepts the new family members and they take off for a new life. Through Bill’s eyes, readers get to see the selection process, the preparations, the wearying journey that is not without its life threatening drama’s, the chaotic arrival, and finally settlement in a new home on a new world. Bill observes both the good and bad sides of human nature. And once they settle in the new colony, they soon realise that danger is part of everyday life, and there are many deaths before the story ends. A quick, light read.  Not much depth and I skipped a lot of the technical details about terra-forming a planet and crushing rocks.

Who Killed Angelique? by Emma Darcy

"I'll give you all the dirt darling."
KC Gordan can't wait to find out what her old school friend Angelique means by this crypic comment. But before they meet someone cuts short the life of internationalmodel Angelique Lanci in a hail of bullets.



Well drawn characters with many reasons and opportunities for murder. Lots of twists and turns along the way to who-dun-it.

I liked it being set in Sydney, around places I know.

A very entertaining read. 

She's No Faerie Princess by Christine Warren

Queen Mab's niece, Fiona, has long been bored to tears by the intrigues of Court life. She'd prefer to cut loose at a punk club, knock back a few Thai beers, and hook up with a likely lad of similar interests. But when Fiona goes AWOL, she only gets as far as Manhattan's Inwood Park before a nasty demon nearly puts a permanent crimp in her plans—and a dark stranger sparks her desire...
All work and no play make Tobias Walker one cranky werewolf. After six months of doing his part to keep the peace during the delicate negotiations between the Others and humankind, he'd like nothing more than a good night's sleep—preceded by an enthusiastic mating session. The alluring woman he rescues in the park might be the answer to his most lustful prayers, but only if they can both stay alive long enough to find out who wants her dead and why.
Now, Fiona and Tobias must unravel a tangled web of treachery that spans branches of the Fae, Other, and mortal worlds, all the while falling into a dangerous attraction that could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship—or the end for them both...


Good fun, minor mystery, hot chemistry and cute pixie and imp as supporting cast made for a very entertaining read.