My Top 5 Books of 2016 (So Far!)

So here we are, almost April already! It's terrifying how quickly time seems to be flying by this year! My Nan always used to tell me that it only gets quicker the older you get….I'm not going to be able to keep up if it gets much quicker!

Seeing as we are now about a quarter of the way through 2016 I thought that I would take a moment to look back at my favourite books that I have read this quarter. So far this year I have read and reviewed 14 books. 13 fiction novels and one lonely non fiction effort. There have been more 5 out of 5 rated books than I imagined I would have read by this point. Not that I am complaining! I would much rather find myself reading books that make it look like I only ever give full marks than to struggle through reading a lot of books that I am not enjoying.

If I don't feel like I can at least offer a 3 out of 5 rating then I don't review the book hence no low rated books. Trust me there have been books which have not made it to the blog this year. In fact this year I have had books I have enjoyed so little that even getting to the end of the first chapter has seemed like a monumental effort. I am currently persevering with one which has taken me over a week just to read the first 4 or 5 chapters. Other reviews seem so positive that I feel I owe it to the book to stick with it. Whether or not it makes it to the blog is yet to be determined but it's not looking likely at this point. Luckily I am reading it alongside Stephen King's 'On Writing' which I am really enjoying. If it was the only book I was reading then I am sure I would have given up by this point. I won't name any of the books that I have really disliked this year though. I can't say anything nice so it's best to not review them at all. Just because I disliked them so much doesn't mean that somebody else won't pick them up and really enjoy them. One man's trash is another man's treasure after all!

Anyway, back on track. Picking my number one favourite so far this year is easy. Patrick Gale's 'A Place Called Winter' is simply wonderful and an example of everything that I look for in a good book. The characters and the settings are so vividly imagined and the story is totally enthralling despite it's heartbreaking nature. Less than a week after reading it I ended up listening to the audio book with my other half and enjoyed it all over again. It has instantly become one of my favourites! 

You can find my full review here.

For anybody wondering, the audio book is read by the author Patrick Gale and is every bit as enjoyable as the book. Patrick Gale's delivery is enjoyable to listen to and easy to understand.

The rest of the pack is harder to sort through but I think I have managed to sort out a top 5. I have struggled to order these and I am sure depending which day you asked me on, the remaining four would be changed in their order. They would all definitely make it into the top 5 though.

In second place (Today anyway!) we have Colm Toibin's 'Nora Webster'. Whilst 'Brooklyn' is the book which now has a film adaptation and is more conventionally exciting to read I preferred Nora Webster. It's a slow exploration of depression, grief and recovering from great personal tragedy. Sounds like a real feel good romp I hear you say. Well yes and no. This one was heavy going and I'm sure it isn't for everybody but I was left with a wondrous feeling of hope at the end. 

My full review can be read here.

Renee Knight's 'Disclaimer' has staked claim to the number 3 spot and as such is the highest rated thriller on the list. This is the debut thriller which is better than a lot of authors later efforts! I can only begin to imagine how brilliant future books by Renee Knight will be, I cannot wait to read them. This is an intelligent thriller with some great twists and turns. 

My full review can be read here.

Fourth spot could so easily have been third spot, I chopped and changed quite a bit before settling on this order. 'Little Black Lies' by Sharon Bolton is another great thriller which I have given a 5 out of 5 rating. A tale of revenge set in the Falklands that I highly recommend reading if you are a fan of thrillers which keep you guessing right until the last moment. 

My full review can be read here.

Finally in fifth place we have Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki & His Years of Pilgrimage by Haruki Murakami. Originally a Japanese novel I read the English translation and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was my first experience of reading a Murakami novel and I am looking forward to reading more of his books soon. 

My full review can be read here.

As honourable mentions I would like to quickly draw attention to Who's Afraid of the Easter Rising? (The one non fiction book I have reviewed this quarter) and to The Axeman's Jazz. Both of these were excellent books which only narrowly missed out on making the top 5. Click on the titles to be taken to my reviews of both books.

So there it is, my top 5 books that I have enjoyed reading so far in 2016. Hopefully you may have found a new book to add to your TBR pile and hopefully I will be lucky enough to read some more brilliant books as the year goes on.

How about you? What have been your favourite books that you have read so far this year?

Small Town, Close Knit Community, Serious Crime Problem

Kisscut by Karin Slaughter

A sadist is preying on the vulnerable -

One by one….

This week I will be reviewing the second book of Karin Slaughter's Grant County series 'Kisscut'. Whilst I will be making sure to keep this review free of Kisscut spoilers, it will contain some spoilers about the first book in the series 'Blindsighted'. If you are yet to read 'Blindsighted' then I recommend you read that first before this review. My review of 'Blindsighted' can be found here.

So you're sure that you are fine to read this review and not have it ruin your enjoyment of this series? Let's get going then!

'Kisscut' begins a few months after the events of 'Blindsighted'. All of the main characters from 'Blindsighted' return in 'Kisscut' and we continue to follow their stories. Sara Linton and ex husband Jeffrey Tolliver are beginning to date again as they continue in their attempts to reconcile their marriage. Lena Adams' uncle Hank has moved in with her as she recovers from the ordeal she suffered at the end of 'Blindsighted'. Everybody is still reeling from the events that rocked the small Georgia town just a few months before but there is no more time to dwell in the past as tragedy is about to strike again.

The opening chapter of this book involves a dead baby which has been cut into various pieces in an attempt to flush it down the toilet of a local skating rink and the death of a teenage girl who is shot dead in the skating rink's car park. This is all just chapter one. This should give you some indication of what to expect from this book. The content is even darker and more disturbing than the first book so if you are particularly squeamish then it may be a good idea to skip this book.

There is quite a bit of repetition to begin with in this one as the author attempts to bring everyone up to speed with the events of book one. To begin with I thought this was going to be quite tedious and it began to annoy me. However almost as soon as I got annoyed by it, the recaps of book ones events ended and the events of book two started to unfold uninterrupted. My annoyance is probably just because I read these books fairly close together so I didn't need the recap. I'm sure a lot of people will find it useful and it may mean that you could read these books independently of each other. I'm not sure I would recommend this though as you will get a lot more from them by reading them as they were intended.

I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it. As I have already stated, the content is a lot darker and more disturbing than book one. However the story is compelling and the characters are as perfectly fleshed out as they were in book one. Karin Slaughter seems to perfectly balance the development of fascinating characters which you want to read about with a well placed plot which keeps you hooked till the very end. The story of the investigation is fast paced and action packed but we also take time to enjoy following the lives of the main characters who return in each book. Lena is particularly interesting to read about as she struggles with her feelings towards the man who raped her and how these feelings affect her during the course of the investigation. Again the minor characters are just as fleshed out as the main cast and we enjoy a vivid portrayal of small town life. This whole book feels agonisingly real and the ending really adds to this feeling. I would again rate this as 5 out of 5 and I look forward to reading the next instalment of the Grant County series. I can only imagine that house prices are going to fall dramatically with each instalment! Nobody is going to want to live in a small town with such a serious crime problem!

Those books you don't want to read...

Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter

A small town.

A brutal murder.

A violent killer…

This week we are going back to look at an older crime/thriller novel. I will admit, I am about 15 years late with this one!

For years my partner has tried to get me to read Karin Slaughter's Grant County series. For some unbeknownst reason I have been reluctant to try reading any of the books. I'm not sure if it is because of some of the comparisons to other authors I have mixed opinions about, a belief that they were going to be just another forensics knowledge exhibition or perhaps just simply bad timing every other time my partner had suggested I try them but for whatever reason I had not read any of this series. Having thoroughly enjoyed 'Blindsighted', the first book of the Grant County series, I now regret not trying them a lot sooner.

Blindsighted introduces us to Sara Linton, a paediatrician and medical examiner who lives in the small town of Heartsdale, Georgia. The story hits the ground running when Sara finds Sibyl Adams brutally raped and murdered in the toilets of the local diner. Sara's ex husband, the local police chief, Jeffrey Tolliver, is called and an investigation begins. It soon becomes apparent that this is unlikely to be a one off attack and the race is on to find whoever is responsible before they attack again.

I really enjoyed this one. I'm often wary of books with medical examiners or police officers as the main characters. So often authors get bogged down with wanting to show off their knowledge of forensics or police procedures that it gets in the way of the story. Whilst I believe the author should be knowledgeable about such things, I don't feel like it should be used as a substitute for a great cast of characters and an intriguing plot. For me the technical side of solving crime should not take centre stage and leave you wanting more in terms of an actual story. Karin Slaughter has perfected this in my opinion. I never doubt for a minute that she is up to speed on forensics and police procedure. There are enough tit bits thrown in that it is obvious the author knows what they are talking about. However the story doesn't constantly grind to a halt every time a body is examined or a scene takes place in the police station. The pace is kept high throughout with only the necessities of technical information thrown into the mix.

The story is told from the third person perspective of three different characters. Sara Linton, Jeffrey Tolliver and Lena Adams, another police officer who has a lot invested in finding the killer due to her sister Sybil being their first victim. All three characters are very interesting to read about, particularly the relationships between them all and their different motivations for finding the killer as soon as possible. There is also a supporting cast of characters who are not such major players but are still fleshed out with interesting stories to tell nonetheless. The small town community where everybody knows and seemingly trusts everybody else provides a fantastic setting for this story as people's trust begins to diminish.

A lot of criticism seems to be levelled at this book due to the graphic violence involved. This didn't really bother me that much if I am honest. Life is full of disgustingly brutal violence every single day. Turn on the news and you will see real life examples of rape and murder which is every bit as vicious as the violence involved in this book if not worse and it is really happening. With that level of violence in real life I think it would be stupid of authors to try and sugar coat things in fiction. However, if you are somebody who is really put off by violence then maybe give this one a miss.

I'm going to rate this one as a 5 out of 5 and apologise to my partner for not giving it a chance the first time she tried to get me to read it! I will definitely be reading the other books in this series soon. Karin Slaughter has created a cast of characters that you really want to read about, even those who are only briefly mentioned add something to this depiction of small town Georgia. Despite the subject matter this read very easily. A very enjoyable read which you will struggle to put down once you get into it. If like me you have managed to not read this at any point in the last 15 years, I highly recommend you give it a go now.

So how about you, which books have you irrationally been reluctant to read only to really enjoy them when you finally gave them a chance?

Voodoo, Murder & Louis Armstrong

The Axeman's Jazz by Ray Celestin

New Orleans, 1919.

As Music Fills The City,

A Serial Killer Strikes…

The Axeman's Jazz is based on the real life mystery of the New Orleans based serial killer known as the axeman. Between 1918 and 1919 the axeman of New Orleans killed 6 people. To this day, the person responsible for the killings remains unknown. There are numerous suspects and historians have theorised several possible explanations for the unsolved case and yet it remains just that, an unsolved case.

The story is told from multiple different third person perspectives. The three main perspectives which are told throughout are those of Michael Talbot, Luca d'Andrea and Ida Davis & Louis Armstrong.

Detective Lieutenant Michael Talbot is in charge of the official investigation regarding the axeman killings. He is a hard working police officer who is disliked by the majority of his fellow officers due to his involvement in putting his corrupt mentor behind bars.

Luca d'Andrea is a former detective who has recently been released after serving 6 years in Angola. He had been an officer for many years but was imprisoned after his protégée Michael exposed his links to the New Orleans Mafia. He has been asked by the head of the New Orleans Mafia to investigate the axeman killings and to kill the person responsible before the police find them.

Ida Davis is a secretary at the Pinkerton Detective Agency with a penchant for Sherlock Holmes mysteries. With a hunch about the axeman killings Ida talks her friend Louis Armstrong into helping her with a real life investigation as they attempt to find out the truth behind the killings. And yes, it is that Louis Armstrong.

This is a brilliant book from start to finish. Every perspective is equally intriguing and the pacing keeps tension high throughout. I like the idea of all the perspectives being from different cultures, allowing them to find clues and explore areas that other characters can't enter due to the racial tensions of the time. It also adds to the tension and feeling of real danger when some characters do choose to cross over to the wrong side of town.

Things don't move quite as quickly as some other thrillers; there is plenty of time spent exploring post WW1 Louisiana, from the seedy brothels of Storyville to the remoteness of the shacks built in the bayou. The impact of the war and prohibition of both alcohol and prostitution are explored as are the racial tensions which arose from so many different cultures living in such close proximity and yet the story never feels like it is spinning it's wheels. Every description helps to set the scene and exploration of the history surrounding this time period helps to further the story, there is no filler for the sake of bulking things out.

This is a historical fiction. I want to highlight the fact that it is a work of fiction as it would appear from some reviews that this seems to have passed some people by. It is obvious that the author has done his research but the cold hard facts are not strictly stuck to. I have no issue with this, I read fiction primarily to be entertained. The facts which are contained in this novel are an interesting bonus but if I wanted to know simple truths I would be reading non fiction efforts about the time period instead. I have seen one review label this as a one star rating because the historical references are not 100% accurate. I found it baffling that somebody would take such issue with a work of fiction not being totally factual. Their main issue seemed to lie with the fact that the hurricane in 1919 hit New Orleans in September and not at the same time as the axeman killings were happening. Have we recalled all creative licenses from authors who base their works of fiction on real events? Talking of facts, the fact that famous jazz musician Louis Armstrong is playing detective in this one should have given it away that not everything contained in the pages of this book would be the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Obviously as well as stretching the truth to create more excitement, this book also provides the authors take on who could have been responsible for the killings. Nobody was ever caught in real life so again the revelations in this book are a work of fiction based largely on fictional characters. I found the story compelling and I am extremely happy to hear that the author is working on a follow up novel which will contain some of the characters which have been introduced during this book. These are characters you will fall in love with and want to keep reading about. The dialogue is not authentic to the time or region yet I feel this is to the books benefit. An entire book filled with southern dialect of the time period would make for tougher reading and a lot of time would be spent by readers not from the region attempting to figure out what characters were trying to say. An accent is alluded to in the way some characters speak but dialogue is still kept accessible for all readers.

It feels like I have spent this whole review trying to address the issues that keep popping up in negative reviews and that i'm possibly trying to talk up a poor book. This is far from the case. In fact I would give this book a 5 out of 5 rating. Despite peoples issues with authentic dialogue and historical accuracy this book did everything I expected of it; It entertained me from beginning to end. I loved the descriptions of the setting, I enjoyed the factual tit bits that it offered (despite some inaccuracies there are also a lot of true aspects), I loved the characters and I was gripped by the story right through to the final sentences! After my disappointment with 'I Let You Go' I was extremely happy to find this one lived up to my high expectations.