Two more finished!

Er, from the to-be-read pile, that is.They have now migrated to the “have been read, but have no room to put anywhere other than in a pile on the floor” pile.  Or one of them.

I finished Jonathan Kellerman’s “Bones” the other day before catching a train down to visit my parents (just in time for snow – SNOW!!!). And it was good. He does have an ear for dialogue that is very acute, if overdoing the teen-speak a little at times (to prove he is down with the kids?). And the plot was (hold on a minute while I try to summon it back from the teeming masses in the “someone already used that plot” bin…) pretty tight, and pretty horrific by the time it all unspooled. I did have to snigger at Alex getting the hots for a dentist called “Faye” who looked like Robin (getting a bit meta now? Or is the lady wife creating characters called Jonathan that are hawt too?) but thankfully it was the only incident that was squirm-inducing. It’s a grand ride in what I’d term “vintage Kellerman” style. I liked it a lot more than Michael Connelly’s latest, whatever that says about it (or me).

Then, while I was at home (looking out at the SNOW!) my dad gave me his copy of “The Devil’s Star” which was the only Jo Nesbø book I had not yet read (ooh, I found the symbol for his name (finally!)), and it was most excellent. As I’d read the books out of sequence (ooooops) I knew how one part of it was going to end, but I missed a major twist looming (got caught out by a tan-lines McGuffin at one point), and was surprised how much of the book was left when the case was solved (in crime books that only means the crime is not solved and there’s more to come – it was how much more there was that caught me napping).

I’ve seen people complain about the Harry Hole character (someone called him “whiny” on facebook, which made me boggle) but I think his struggle with booze lends both a gritty realism and a possibility of out-of-left-field responses to problems that makes him a smidge more interesting than your run-of-the-mill plod-in-books.  I love the way Nesbø introduces even the smallest (in terms of plot)  characters in a way that is tremendously evocative, and makes them stick in the memory, I also loved the opening sequence and the recurring motif it brought up about water and lust both seeking the lowest level. Might sound high-falutin’ but it makes perfect sense in the context of the story.  He’s such a smart writer that pieces from the opening sequence echo throught the book (in Waaler’s childhood fears, and in other sequences where water appears) making the whole thing gel into something more than your usual crime-busting book.

There’s so much hype and talk about Stieg Larsson at the moment, that it’s worth re-stating that there are other Scandinavian writers (Nesbø is Norwegian) who deserve every bit as much attention and acclaim. Not to mention the fact, that to this reader at least, Nesbø keeps a very high rate of both consistency and quality from book to book, and his characters are less black-and-white and therefore more interesting than Larsson’s for repeat visits. Yes, Harry Hole is no Lisbeth Salander, but he’s pretty interesting in his own right, and well worth getting acquainted with. Having already read “The Redeemer” (Nesbø’s next book) I can tell you it knocks “The Girl Who Played with Fire” (part 2 of the Millenium trilogy, out now) out of the ballpark in terms of quality – and it’s not even his best book. So if Larsson’s book has kindled your interest in Scandinavian crime – check Nesbø out and find another series to get hooked on.

Best of 2008

Okay, seeing as it’s the last day of the year, I decided to have some fun thinking about all the books I’d read this year, all the best-of lists I’ve seen over the past month, and both of those activities led to me making my own year end “best of” lists.

I’ve broken stuff up into categories that are pretty arbitrary, and as you’ll see some categories simply have a “best” rather than a Top 5 – just the way it worked out if there weren’t enough notable books (that I came across) to pad things out.

Top 5 Crime novels of 2008

1. Blood Runs Cold by Alex Barclay, for reasons detailed elsewhere, and because nothing else appeared in the latter days of ‘08 to knock it off its perch. It is being (criminally) discounted by some booksellers at the minute so there’s no excuse not to read it. (Edit Jan ‘09 – ooh, the prologue is up on the nicely revamped Alex Barclay homepage here. Click on the book cover to be taken to it.)

2. Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith, because it brought me back to the first time I read Gorky Park, and it has every right to become as much of a classic.

3. The Likeness by Tana French, again for reasons detailed elsewhere, prime among them mixing a police procedural with The Secret History and managing not to be in the slightest bit naff.

4. Nemesis by Jo Nesbo, because the man can do no wrong, and this was every bit as gripping as the previous two.

5. When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson, another outing for Jackson Brodie, this one is every bit as good as the first (Case Histories), and miles better than the second (One Good Turn).

Top 5 Novels of 2008

1. The Believers by Zoe Heller, no question about it. Hilarious, painful, moving and at times uncomfortable reading, there wasn’t a box that this one didn’t tick.

2. The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson, southern gothic family drama meets murder in a tale that can’t be called a thriller as it’s more about the people than the crime. Funny, touching and downright scary in places.

3. The Dissident by Nell Freundenberger, a tangled and memorable tale about art, deception and culture clashes.

4 A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz, my own favourite on the Booker shortlist this year. A stunning debut, and ties with Heller in the black humour stakes.

5. The Monsters Of Templeton by Lauren Groff, because it stuck around in my head for a long time after I finished it, and because it managed to add something different to the “returning home to a small town” story that has been played out many times before in other novels.

Speculative Fiction Book of the Year

Anathem by Neal Stephenson, because it’s as epic and brilliant as you’d expect.

Kids Book of the Year

The Name of this Book is Secret by Pseudonymous Bosch. Hands-down the cleverest, funniest, page-turniest (?)  and downright coolest book for kids I have read since I was one  myself.

Funniest Book of the Year

Dilbert 2.0 by Scott Adams, 20 years of Dilbert cartoons in one beautifully-bound book (with a bonus dvd), unwrapping this on Christmas day sent me to geek and hilarity heaven.

Honorable mention: When you are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris. Not as funny as he can be, but still good for a few giggles.

Non-fiction  Book of the Year

Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, for a geek like me, the combination of woo-dismantling and experiments to try at home coupled with Goldacre’s wit and erudition made this an easy choice.

And finally, the inaugaral inductee into the “Publishers, what were you thinking?!” Hall of Shame!

Turkey of the Year (all categories)

Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain. Just plain nasty, in every sense. Not a single redeeming feature, other than the fact that it has a last page.

Runner up (or should that be dishonorable mention?): No time for Goodbye by Lynwood Barclay – one of those books that sells by the truckload and gets lots of press, for seemingly no good reason. “Twists” that are signposted in mile-high letters for anyone with a passing familiarity with crime books, and characters with simply unbelievable psycho(path)logy. Not pretty, and not fun.

Buzz-book for 2008

Having witnessed the huge marketing campaign on behalf of the trilogy by Stieg Larsson which started a full year in advance of publication of the first (translated) installment “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” (and has now moved on to publicising the second book (a full 18 months before it’s due!) I was dying to get my hands on proofs to see whether such a push was merited.

Having seen the damage wrought on Fred Vargas by clunky translation (sooo good in French, boring and transparent in English) I was fully expecting something similar here, but thankfully it’s not the case. “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” deserves its place as the cornerstone of Quercus’ new Maclehose Press imprint.  Extremely well-drawn characters, believable dialogue, and a story that gets you hooked straight out of the gate. And the plot leaves you thinking of many possible resolutions before it whacks you over the head with its own. Given that I second guess every crime novel I come across, it’s saying something that Larsson really does avoid the simple (guessable) explanations.

Oh, and Lisbeth Salander is one of the coolest anti-heroines you’re likely to stumble across. Smart marketing move to put her as the focus of the title and the marketing campaign. The book lags a bit when she’s not around, but thankfully that isn’t often.

Now I’m already thinking of begging for a proof of the second installment. I want to know what happens next! One for people who make high demands of their crime novels – this ranks alongside Jo Nesbo’s “The Redbreast” for class and gripping story-telling. If you haven’t read Nesbo, do. And get your mitts on “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” as soon as you possibly can, if there’s any justice in the world this should be one of the biggest sellers of ‘08.

I love it when hype is justified, turns my world pleasantly topsy-turvy – and it doesn’t happen often.