December 2016 Reads

Dec	72	Hag Seed	Margaret Atwood
	73	Livia Lone	Barry Eisler
	74	Lily and the Octopus	Steven Rowley
	75	Escape Clause	John Sandford
	76	The Travelers	Chris Pavone
	77	The Lion's Mouth	Anne Holt
	78	Beneath The Skin	Johathan Maberry

Happy New Year! December was another great month of reading; it might have been the best of 2016! The past two years I've read just 78 books, a lot less than has been my normal 100 to 150 books a year. This may be my new normal, but I'll see what 2017 holds.

I really enjoyed Hag Seed by Margaret Atwood. It's a retelling of The Tempest. I have to admit that I haven't read Shakespeare but I love Atwood's' writing. I found out after reading Hag Seed that this is part of the Hogarth Shakespeare Series being published by Penguin/Random House. I think I'll look into the other titles.

Livia Lone by Barry Eisler is outstanding. Livia is a departure from Eisler's John Rain series, which I really recommend. This story takes you on an emotional ride, with child trafficking through to vigilante revenge on rapists. This is an edgy thriller that keeps you engrossed until the last page.

Lily and the Octopus is great, especially if you like to laugh and cry! It’s both beautifully written, and humorous. Anyone who has loved and lost a dog will appreciate the story and Rowley's writing.

Here I go, again, recommending a John Sandford novel. Escape Clause is his latest with my favorite character, Virgil Flowers. "The exceptional new thriller from the writer whose books are “pure reading pleasure”" (Booklist).

The Travelers by Chris Pavone is an awesome read. It's got layers and plot twist to keep you guessing what's next. It's the kind of thriller that's hard to put down and I loved it. Dreamworks have acquired the movie rights, so get the book and get prepared!

I love reading Scandinavian mystery authors; Anne Holt has been called the “godmother of modern Norwegian crime” by Jo Nesbø, another of my favorite authors. The Lion's Mouth certainly took me on an interesting ride. The Prime Minister has been found dead in her office and Hanne Wilhelmsen is on the case. The book was originally published in 1997, I glad it was finally translated so we all can read it. It'll leave you guessing until the very last page.

And my final read for 2016, was Beneath The Skin by Jonathan Maberry. Sam Hunter is a PI in the big bad city. Sam is also a werewolf. Sam is a benandanti, an ancient race of werewolves who fight evil. Beneath The Skin is told as a series of "case files", which makes sense. A PI works cases for clients, like any freelancer taking on odd jobs. Maberry is a good writer and Sam Hunter is a great character.

What are you reading?