The Aliens Are Coming - Ben Miller
Started: 2 March
Finished : 11 March
A spot of non-fiction to start the month. The book examines how life started on Earth and how likely it is that complex life would /could start elsewhere. It looks at communication: if we did receive a message from aliens, could we decipher it? I wasn't expecting a book on alien conspiracies, which was as well, because this is a book full of information & a fair amount of science, from cosmology, through biology, chemistry and biochemistry, to linguistics and cryptography. All this written with a light touch and decent amount of the kind of humour Ben Miller is known for. I enjoyed it and learned a few things along the way. Worth reading.
Off The Grid - C J Box
Started: 11 March
Finished: 17 March
The new C J Box came out. I have read all of his Joe Pickett books, as well as some of his others. The Pickett ones are without doubt my favourites and I enjoyed this very much.
Joe Pickett is a game warden in Wyoming and the books are often set against this backdrop. Box does a good job of evoking the atmosphere and creating the mental image of the scenery. This book, however, is set in an area called The Red Desert - somewhere I didn't even know existed.
Is it a little bit derivative? Well, it certainly deals with very current topics; the middle-Eastern terrorist threat and government surveillance and capture of data. I enjoyed the story but there was a small part of me thinking "oh this again". I suspect that is more because of the types of book I read rather than anything lacking in this novel. I think I just prefer to read about the mountains of Wyoming rather than the desert. Add to that last month's book, "Little Sister" and it was more on a similar theme. That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the novel and of course am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series.
The Big Fear - Andrew Case
Started: 17 March
Finished: 25 March
Kindle First book for March
Very much enjoyed reading this. The story started small in scope and widened out to take in the title. The plot kept me reading and had a few twists I wasn't expecting. It taps into the mood of the current era, dealing with manipulation of markets/economies by powerful citizens. Another novelist goes on the "will-read-again" list.
The Polar Bear Killing - Michael Ridpath
Started: 25 March
Finished: 25 March
This is a novella in the Fire and Ice series, which are about a detective in Iceland. I have read the other books in the series, so it was a given that I would read this one. I enjoyed it. I'm not generally a fan of short stories; I much prefer a decent length book that I can spend time with. However, this was a nice, quick read. Familiar characters and enjoyable.
An All-consuming Fire - Donna Fletcher Crow
Started: 25 March
Finished : 28 March
Another book in a series, this time about an American Ordinand called Felicity and her priest friend/partner, Antony . Yes, I have read the earlier books in the series and enjoyed them. They are light reading, mixing murder mystery with religion and romance. Possibly light bits of fluff, but enjoyable nonetheless. Several of the books have been set in areas I know well and this is no exception, as it is set around Pickering, Rievaulx Abbey and Ampleforth - a beautiful part of the UK. It refers to the friezes in Pickering church, which I found almost by accident one year, when I had some spare time and wandered into the church for a look round. This, in turn, led to a fascination with the churches of the Yorkshire Wolds, and some very enjoyable trips out with my camera photographing just a few of them.