Essentially a collection of short stories, this book is for Western novels, what Unforgiven was for the Western movie. Worth every one of it’s Five Stars!

Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles by Edward A. Grainger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was my introduction to the characters of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles, and I wasn’t disappointed. A selection of short stories, that show the violence of the old west and the principles that the lawmen of that time held dear is well portrayed.

A highly recommended read.

View all my reviews

The only audiobook in the top thirty-one, but what an audiobook. As the review says think you know Macbeth? Think again. 

Macbeth: A Novel by A.J. Hartley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Think you know the tale of Macbeth?

Think again.

This retelling of the tale by David Hewson and A J Hartley is just simply amazing. Bringing a new depth to the story, this is no repeating the original Shakespeare but an inspired reworking, incredibly bought to life by the vocal talents of Alan Cumming.

View all my reviews

OK the top 5, and this is a nomadic road trip and a look at a country that I’m not sure if the author fully recognised. Great pictures and words, well worth a read.

The Road to Somewhere: An American Memoir by James A. Reeves
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is much more than another book about a journey across America. This is a memoir of discovery both of the author and of his native country.

Beautifully illustrated throughout, with the authors own photographs, this book tells the story of many times when the author would take off and try to find both himself and his country.

There is an openness and honesty about both the words and the pictures, that kept me repeatedly picking the book up, and being disappointed when I had finished it. So much so, that I know I will be picking it up again in the near future to read through again.

View all my reviews

Just outside the top five spot, and a book that only had a limited release in 2011, with it’s major release coming in January 2012.

Carnival for the Dead by David Hewson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Once again David Hewson transports his readers to the magical city of Venice, Italy. It is Teresa Lupo, Chief Forensic Pathologist for the Questura in Rome who takes the lead on this occasion whilst colleagues Falcone, Peroni and Costa are on secret assignment.
Lupo has travelled to Venice to look for her Aunt Sofia who has mysteriously disappeared, leaving little explanation as to why, or her current whereabouts. It is the time of the Carnival, as Teresa tries to find her Aunt, and a series of events unfold that lead the reader on a tableau of adventure across the great city of islands, and where those dressed in Carnival costume may not be all they appear to be.

This is the tenth novel in the “Costa” series, and the third time that David Hewson has taken us to Venice (The Lizard’s Bite & The Cemetery of Secrets, being the other two, and it is nice to see some homage to both of those novels within the pages of this latest one).

It is rare that a book makes me change my plans or keeps me reading up late into the night these days, but Carnival for the Dead has done both of those things over the last three days. Keeping me turning the pages and setting the standard for crime novels, this story unfolds a tale of mystery, history and culture set in one of the worlds great cities.

The history is well researched and the author manages to weave the history and culture into the pages, bringing the story to life. It brings a depth and colour to the pages that it is easy to picture oneself in the great city, with the same sights, sounds and smells as the characters on the pages.

David Hewson is a master storyteller, and this book is no exception, it is one of his best and finest to date and this series has been getting better and better.

If you are looking for a great story, and want to transport yourself to another place, then I strongly recommend this book.

View all my reviews

Trust the Dumb White Husband to make an appearance, and on Christmas Day of all days! Well if you’re feeling a little overfull from too much Christmas Dinner, you could do worse than going on to Amazon and downloading this little short, particularly if you got yourself a new kindle for Christmas!

Dumb White Husband vs. The Grocery Store by Benjamin Wallace
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There’s a little bit of every male, in the dumb white husband. Benjamin Wallace is a keen observer of the human male animal, either that or he’s seen me at the self-service checkout at the supermarket!

This is a great little short jaunt.

View all my reviews

The only children’s book to make the list, but of course it is also a doggy book!

Meet the Dogs of Bedlam Farm by Jon Katz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is Jon Katz’s first children’s book, and is a tale of his four dogs; Rose, Izzy, Frieda and Lenore, who live with him on Bedlam Farm.

A relatively short book it is beautifully illustrated with Jon’s own photographs. Recommended for dog lovers and children of all ages 😉

View all my reviews

Russell Blake is an author that I have only come across this year, and this was a book he sent me for a review. Readers of my blog will know I am a sucker for Dog Stories, and this one is no exception. Great to see it in the Top Ten!

An Angel With Fur by Russell Blake
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An Angel With Fur is no ordinary doggy tale, and it’s star ’Lobo’, is no ordinary dog.

Russell Blake narrates the story of how he came to own Lobo and some of the adventures that they had together. Starting from when Russell went ’just to have a look around’ the animal shelter. This true story unfolds and shows the development of the relationship between Lobo and Russell and some of their other canine companions.

I’m sure that many dog owners will recognise aspects of their relationships with their own dogs in this story, and see how incredible the relationship between Russell and Lobo becomes.

This short book packs much within it’s pages, and as the story unfolds and the chapters pass, the very engaging prose, bring smiles, tears and laugh-out loud moments by turn. The book is well illustrated with the authors own photographs, and there are links to the authors website where there is a dedicated “Lobo” page, with more photographs and video links.

As regular readers of my blog will know, I read many a ’dog’ book, and I rate this amongst the best of them. Russell Blake is a master storyteller, and Lobo the perfect dog tale to tell.

View all my reviews

When I read this originally I knew that it would be one of my top books of the year, even then when I had many more books still to read during the year.

Field Notes on Science and Nature by Michael R. Canfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is one of my most memorable books of 2011, both in terms of the book itself, but also the memories it evoked of field work that I have been involved in, and the field notebooks that I still have to this day, although I think many of them are still in an attic somewhere.

This book covers all sorts of field “journals” from the traditional paper and pen/cil to digital and computerised. It includes insights, including reproductions of the journals themselves, from some very famous and eminent naturalists, many of whom are heroes of mine.

This probably won’t be everyone’s cup-of-tea, because it is quite a dry subject, but I’d recommend to any budding naturalist or anyone who wants a deeper insight into natural history.

View all my reviews

Another one that in some ways could easily have been more highly placed. The top Scandanavian writer in my view, and one of the top fictional detectives in Kurt Wallander. A shame that the series has come to an end, in many ways prematurely in my opinion, but then I am not the author and it is not my place to say whether a character should continue or not. At least the series went out strongly.

The Troubled Man by Henning Mankell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Now right up front I need to say that I love the character of Kurt Wallander, and in many ways I am disappointed to see this series come to an end.

Having said that I felt there was much more that could have been done with the character, and although I think I know and understand the reasons behind why Henning Mankell has made the ending of this book (and the fact that there is unlikely to be any further Linda Wallander stories) the way he has, I was disappointed with the end of this book.

It needed to have the epilogue to wrap up some of the loose plot threads, but I feel that this could have been done in later books. The main plot overall was OK. Not one of the best mysteries that has been written, and perhaps if you live outside of Sweden not something that will be immediately familiar to the reader but it is carried through well and there is an unexpected twist towards the end that I hadn’t seen coming.

Only four stars because of the way Mankell dealt with the ending and the epilogue, it left me feeling disappointed. After all the intervening years between Before The Frost and The Troubled Man I would rather that there had not been another Wallander tale, rather than the way this one ended. Perhaps if you read this, do so without reading the epilogue!

View all my reviews