Baking and Books - The book bit.....

So I ended last week by saying how I'd just started to read the latest Alex Verus Novel, Chosen (by Benedict Jacka).  What was it about? How was it?

Well, it's an Urban Fantasy, or that's what I call it anyway.  It's quite a popular genre at the moment, modern day tales with fantasy and magic thrown in, like Harry Potter!  So Alex Verus, it's about a wizard, well Mage who's the main protagonist (not exactly a hero, way too self serving for that).  Its the 4th in the series but I'd say it's my favourite series compared to Jim Butcher's Dresden files or Ben Aaronovich's River's of London series which is very similar.  

So a Mage?  Yes, a wizard with one power, he can see the future, which is quite a cool power and he's quite self serving and selfish, which might be why I like him as a character!  In the latest book, he tries to protect his friends whilst dealing with his own dark past.  Without giving away any spoilers, it's well written, and the choices he makes are ones I understand.  I often read a chapter when I go to bed, unfortunately the 1 chapter ended up being 180 pages so I was quite tired for work the next day!  I'd definitely recommend the series, but read them in order, unfortunately I have 8 months until the next one.

So what else have I read?  The Cuckoo's calling by Robert Galbrath, or, the book JK Rowling wrote that's under a pseudonym as they swear and have sex.  Is it any good?  Yes.  I loved the Harry Potter books, even though I didn't expect to.  I remember reading the first one when I was 18, I had tonsillitis and didn't have anything else to read so resorted to that and was hooked!  

Back to the book, just so we're upfront, I love me my murder mysteries, from Murder she wrote (don't mess with the Death Magnet, but if I do ever meet Angela Lansbury, I'll run like hell) to Castle (Nathan Fillion, 'nuff said).  I wasn't expecting to like this book as much as I did.  The book's written in a different style to the Potter books which you'd expect, and to be honest wasn't as gripping, but I still sat reading it on a Sunday morning with a cuppa so it was better than the TV which is always good in a book.   The characters were well rounded and not the typical pretty ones, well the main detective anyway.  

Would I recommend it?  Definitely.  Why?  I didn't guess the killer.  Does it matter?  Yes, I watch Death in Paradise with my parents as it's one of the few shows they don't need any explaining and can guess the killer half way in.  Normally about 20 minutes before my dad shouts who did it.  Mind you this is the same man who gets confused between Harvey and Mike when we watch Suits and is banished for anything more complicated.......

Why do you care what books I read?  Because I read a lot, and Ali told me the more I update this blog the better Google likes our website.  Plus, if you didn't know, I'm a geek, so I tend to read geeky books, and some pretty random ones as well as more mainstream ones.

Next week I'll tell you how the third in the Third Pig Detective Agency series and Trolls in the Hamptons were, if I finish them.....