The Last House in the Galaxy

Andy Secombe

The blurb suggested a funny book, which was enough for me to give it a try.  I'm glad I did; this is a relatively light read, taking place all over the galaxy as the rebels try to steal a device out from under the Evil Dictator that would give them the advantage.  With not-very-subtle comparisons to Star Wars and a thoroughly British sense of storytelling, this wasn't so much laugh-a-minute as it was a case of reading for an hour and not realising that time was passing.

Although I didn't get the sense that it was part of a series, I'd be keen to see what else I can find by Secombe.  If it's much like this book, it'll be totally worth the effort.

Date finished: 21/03/09
Year total: 12

The X Files: Goblins & Whirlwinds

Charles L Grant

Two separate stories, these are set near the first season of the show, before too much of the Conspiracy is looked into.  Goblins deals with a military experiment gone astray, and comes to a climax at night in torrential rain.  Whirlwinds takes place in the Southwest desert and involves Indian magic.

Both were good reads, and it's possible to pick up the conversations as they flow on the show; I'm not sure a non-fan would get much out of these stories, but they were a good way to spend an afternoon, almost nostalgic.

Date finished: 18/03/09
Year Total: 11

Doctor Who and The Bodysnatchers

Mark Morris

The Doctor and Sam find themselves in Victorian England, while bodies are being stolen from graveyards and living people completely change their personalities.

I love the thread of humour that flows thru these books; it's possible to replace any doctor with your favourite and still have a recognisable Doctor.

Date finished: 11/03/09
Year total: 10

Face the Fire

Nora Roberts

Magic in modern times; a coven of three is invaded by a love interest from years ago, just in time to do battle with an evil threatening to destroy them and their homes.

I this had the potential for me to really like it, but the fact that it was obviously the third in a trilogy, and nowhere on the cover did it say that (I would have read the others first if it had) meant that I was continually skipping bits that referred to other books, or just not understanding the undertones that followed the story.

I don't think I'll bother with any books by this author for a while.  The fact that it was more like reading a Mills & Boon from page 110 meant that I was more frustrated than entertained.

Date finished: 04/03/09
Year Total: 9

True Grace:

The Life and Times of an American Princess


Wendy Leigh
0312381948
2008

Maybe I expect too much from biographies, but while I now know a lot more about Grace Kelly than I did before, I didn't really feel that I understood her by the time I finished this book.

Of course, it's always going to be difficult writing about someone who is no longer living, but it seemed that a lot of this book was based on interviews about people that knew her, and what they thought of her, instead of interviewing the people themselves.

Date Finished: 28/02/09
Year Total: 8

The Reliquary Ring

Cherith Baldry
0330492071
2004

Set in an alternative Venice, where Genics, genetically engineered creatures designed to serve, are an abomination to the upstanding citizens and the Church, but where they are also intelligent, thinking people, caught in a world they didn't ask for.

I thought this would be a quite bit of fluff, judging from the cover, but it was better than I expected.  The was a large cast of characters, and while the genics were fleshed out, I felt that most of the humans were a little cliched, used as a backdrop to a story that rightly centred on the more interesting plight of the genics.

Date finished: 21/02/09
Year total: 7