The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann

Excellent reading! This book about the fabled city of El Dorado and the man it cast its spell on is totally enthralling and captivating. It made me want to pack up my current life and go blindly into the Amazon in search of P. H. Fawcett and his lost City of Z. I highly doubt they make men like Fawcett anymore. This man seemed totally invincible and impervious to every torture and lethal object that the jungle threw at him. I think it is perhaps for this reason that so many people went in search of the missing explorer. The mortality rate for these men (and occasional woman) was huge. Grann reveals, through both Fawcett's journeys and those that went looking for him up to 85 yrs after his disappearance, how lethal, scary, and ultimately fatal the Amazon can be. I cannot praise Grann's piece of work enough!

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Where to start. A Clockwork Orange is a really difficult read. Not because of the use of experimental language that Burgess proffers, although it does take a while to get into his rhythm, but because of the sheer amount of violence (I do not view the rape of ten year old girls as worthy entertainment). Its not just the never ending occurrence of unnecessary violence, but the unapologetic nature of the protagonist Alex who actively seeks 'ultra-violence'. It is all that he lives for- that and Beethoven. This is not a novel that I would recommend to my grandmother but if you venture to read it be sure to pick up a UK version, not the US version. The UK version has the final chapter that was omitted by the Americans and undoubtedly finishes the novel in a more positive aspect.

Down Under by Bill Bryson

A big fan of Bill Bryson's work I was super excited at the prospect of reading of his traveling adventures through my own country. I made slow progress through the first few chapters and, fed up with his derision of Australia on his journey by train across the continent, and his particularly biased views on white Australian's treatment of the Aborigines, I put the book down. I came back again a couple of months later and I am glad I did so. The remainder of  Down Under is classic Bryson. He is smart, witty, funny, and highly entertaining. His interpretation of cricket is very amusing and its worth reading the book just for that. Although it was a rough road to start with reading Down Under, Bryson still remains my number one travel writer.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

This book reads as though Danielle Steele was dropped into Afghanistan and told to set one of her stories there. Other than that, this novel is actually very good. A Thousand Splendid Suns offers a wonderful insight into life in Afghanistan during the 1970's through to the 2000's. Hosseini allows you to accompany the Country and its characters during their experience of the Soviet invasion and civil turmoil under merciless Warlords, to zero-tolerance Taliban rule in the 1990's. The US-led invasion of 2001 is long awaited in the book and offers much needed hope to the fictional characters (and I imagine the real life individuals that were involved). A very informative novel, both historically and culturally, and one to make you exceedingly glad that you were born a Western woman (if indeed you are a Western woman). Read it. You will be pleasantly surprised, and, dare I say, a better human being for doing so.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

I can categorically proclaim that I have finally discovered a new all time favourite novel. The debut novel of Sue Monk Kidd is a gorgeous and totally enthralling tale. It is beautifully written, laced with adorable characters that are solidly embedded in a perfect plot. Told through the eyes of a 14 year old girl living in the time of the African-American Civil rights movement in the US south, this novel addresses issues that occur regardless of the unrest and prejudice of the time.This is what makes The Secret Life of Bees unpredictable in the typical sense. Give this book a try and if you don't at least like it a tiny little bit then you can throw the bloody thing fair at my head.

The Time Machine by H. G. Wells

This man sure knows how to tell a story! The father of science fiction weaves a story that is well and truly ahead of its time. Interweaving human evolution with science fiction and writing it in an almost perfect style, he has created an un-put-downable novel that is easily read in one sitting.Written in the late 1800's the concept of this novel is such that it makes the notion of where humankind is heading almost feasible. For the first time in a long time I have found a book that I cannot find fault with. I look forward to reading the many other H. G. Wells stories gathering dust on my bookshelves.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

Insert most offensive expletive here! One of the more torturous novels I have read in recent times, evidenced by the numerous times I flung it across the room. This book is a seedy and corny romance that accommodates the likes of an inconsistent and annoying main character. I strongly suspect that the only reason this is a popular novel, and thus popular series, is for its vampire content. Harris should be thankful she jumped on the fanged bandwagon when she did. Harris' style of writing, not unlike her protagonist Sookie Stackhouse, is consistently inconsistent. There are times when the story is compelling and well told and at other times it is like she handed it to a young child relative to fill in the blanks. A pure waste of reading time... I should have watched a movie instead.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

A long and sometimes seemingly endless family epic, Middlesex is actually a very enjoyable novel. If you ever have doubts as to whether you should wed your brother or sister and procreate, this book may help shed some light on the matter. Cal, the protagonist, is a very loveable character and the confusion and trials that she/he injures is quite moving. Middlesex tries successfully to normalise an otherwise abnormal condition. It makes you empathise with Cal and reveals that human is human regardless of gender or sex, and how nature and nurture shape an individual. A little confronting at times, but if you want your notions of what is socially normal challenged, and why social normality really shouldn't matter, then read this novel.

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

Beautiful. Never have I read a murder mystery with subplots and counterplots that are as enriching and supportive, interesting, or more interesting, than the actual plot as Guterson has offered here. Guterson has interwoven a magical story that will keep you in suspence and offer you an insight into the history of Japanese-Americans, into human relations under strain in a mixed society, and the potential dangers of an unrequited love. If you are going to read only one thing this year make it this novel.

The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller

If a Children's author and a Mills and Boons author were to have a love child it would be Robert James Waller. A fairly simple writer that tries unconvincingly to weave a romantic tale. The Bridges of Madison County is a nice and short read (especially when it is missing the middle 33 pages) that is mildly entertaining. The characters are likable, albeit a little cliche, and the plot is pretty straightforward. How this novel made it to movie I have no idea. However if you want a light read on a lazy Sunday afternoon, by all means indulge yourself in this wondrous piece of tripe.