The Princess Bride (1973) – William Goldman

  William Goldman’s ‘abridged version of S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure” has been long overdue for a read. It should come as no surprise that the movie follows the book very closely, as Goldman adapted his own book to the screen, but it was still fun to dive into the…

Smoke and Mirrors (1998) – Neil Gaiman

  This collection of short stories by Neil Gaiman was just what I needed. All the tales deal with magic or illusion, whether in the form of creatures, sex, drugs, or life, the power of each is examined under the eye of this brilliant author in this wonderful collection of stories, some of which I…

The Marvelous Land of Oz (1904) – L. Frank Baum

  The second Oz adventure came along four year’s after the original novel, as Mr. Baum was swamped with letters asking for more tales of Oz and to learn what had happened to the Lion (sadly, missing from this book), the Tin Woodman, whose real name is revealed to be Nick Chopper, and the Scarecrow….

World of Trouble (2014) – Ben H. Winters

  The Last Policeman Trilogy comes to its conclusion with this final installment from author Ben H. Winters. The asteroid’s, Maia, impact is only days away now. Civilization has complete fallen apart, but Hank Palace, ex-detective, his dog Houdini and tag along criminal, Cortez, find themselves embroiled in one final mystery. Where is Palace’s sister,…

The Cabinet of Curiosities (2002) – Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

  The third novel featuring FBI agent Pendergast is set, once again, in New York. It’s been a number of years since the journey into the sublevels of the Big Apple, but a curious discovery has drawn Pendergast back to the city. A charnel house has been discovered while the foundation of a new building…

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900) – L. Frank Baum

  While I was laid up in hospital a couple of weeks ago for my hernia operation, I decided I would read a children’s book that I had never looked at before. So my Kindle was happy to add the 15 Oz novels by L. Frank Baum to their library, and I had a look…

Countdown City (2013) – Ben H. Winters

  The sequel to The Last Policeman picks up with less than three months before the big asteroid is to make its devastating impact on Earth. Hank Palace is no longer a police officer, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to stop being a detective. With his dog, Houdini at his side, Palace finds himself…

Reliquary (1997) – Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

  The second novel in the Pendergast series from Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child serves as a direct sequel to 1995’s The Relic. Pendergast, Margo, Frock, D’Agosta and Smithback are all back with the addition of a few new characters including the tough, and very smart Hayward. And while the revelation in the final act…