Mad Mike's writing blog, book of the year 2017

Welcome friends, book bloggers avid readers alike, to my annual book of the year post. This isn't about books written or published this year; this is about the books I have read this year, and with dozens to choose from, it's no easy task.

I won't bore you with a big long list of all my books from 2017, for that you can check out my historic posts or look at Amazon/Goodreads for my reviews, so without further ado:-

In at number five: George Orwell's, 1984. This book is to dystopia, what, The Lord of the Rings is to fantasy, and it's got a lot more to do with modern society than we might care to admit. There’s constant war, a clear divide between the poor, the middle class and the elite (in wealth terms), and technology tracks your every move. Sound scary? Sounds like reality to me, and all dreamt up nearly seventy years ago. (Full review coming soon)

My number four is Justin Cronin's, The Passage; a sublime post-apocalyptic vampire epic, set in the not too distant future, and an eye opener to the possibilities of what could happen if you mess around with mother-nature. A superb blood drenched beginning to an epic trilogy. (Blog post 30/11/17)

In bronze position: The Green Mile, by Stephen King. Wow, what a world we humans have created, what horrors we perpetuate, some - as narrated here - done in the name of justice, legally. Part four, The Bad Death of Eduard Delacroix, is where you'll find the true horror in this book and it's like a punch to the face; make it through that though, and the book as a whole is fabulous. (Blog post 25/12/17)

So, this year’s runner up: My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier. Tension and suspicion at almost every turn, exquisite characters, beautifully written and I said at the time 'I implore you all, fellow book bloggers, bibliophiles, bookaholics, all the lovely people around the world that might read this post, all who might have done as I have, and left this book to gather dust, read it now,' and over six months later, I still stand by that statement. An absolute gem of a book.
(Blog post 13/06/17)

And my winner, my favourite book of 2017: Air & Angels, by Susan Hill. (Blog post 08/12/17). Going by the dates of my posts you might be thinking that I've picked my top five from books I've read more recently, but you'd be wrong, for I read Air & Angels back in the summer, it's just that its eloquence, its subtle almost poetic prose has stuck with me for all that time and, as if any more evidence is necessary, it is the book that still languishes on my bedside table, the one I pick up from time to time, and read randomly.

'Five big fat gold stars', I said at the time.

An honorary mention must go to, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (and The Half Blood Prince). I've come to the conclusion that these two books together, are the end of this amazing seven book series, not just book seven, and together, they are just untouchable, but, because I read them so frequently that they would end up in the number one slot every year, (which could get a bit boring), I've given them this honorary mention instead.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, book review. (J. K. Rowling)

I suppose, ten years after this book was first released, everyone knows everything there is to know about it, so if you've seen the films and read the reviews, there's not much point in my continuing . . .

WRONG!!!

These book have so much more depth than the films (although the last two films did portray this one extremely well) and there's no substitute for sitting down with your beverage of choice and sampling one of the greatest books you will ever read, is there?

Of course, getting there might put some people off, this is after all the seventh book, and not forgetting the seven hundred and sixty seven page leviathan that is book five, but I'd encourage anyone who asked to just go for it - because without reading the other books, you'll never have the pleasure of this one, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Harry, Ron and Hermione aren't returning to Hogwarts to finish their seventh year, instead they have Horcruxes to find, pieces of Voldemort’s soul infused in magical objects, and once found, they'll have to destroy them. With the Minister of Magic overthrown, the Order of the Phoenix in taters, Severus Snape as headmaster at Hogwarts, Dumbledore dead, Harry's face plastered all over the magical world as Undesirable No 1, our intrepid trio have their work cut out, but with growing skill and confidence, a little help from a house Elf, they steal a Horcrux from Dolores Umbridge, escape the ministry - albeit not unscathed - find the sword of Gryffindor, escape Voldemort in Godric’s Hollow - Harry's birthplace – rob Gringotts bank, escaping on a Dragon, enter Hogwarts, virtually undetected, (freeing it of Snape's tyrannical rule), and all before the battle for Hogwarts has even begun.

My Harry Potter Collection, so far! I know, I'm mad aren't I?

Despite knowing what's around the corner, this book still had me on the edge of my seat, because you forget don't you? The little intricacies, the little differences to the films, and however good a film is, re-reading this thrilling book again, underlines just what a stunning story the author has created.
Concluding such a series can't be an easy thing for any author, let alone one who became so famous before she was even halfway through the overall story, but this book is handled with both care, passion and the seriousness that death, destruction, murder, and a battle to rival even that of Tolkien's, Battle of Pelennor Fields, needs, and with such skill, that it makes me want to go right back to the beginning, for what won't be the last time I'm sure, and start them all over again.

For twenty years we've been enjoying the ups and downs, twist and turns of Harry and his friends, and I see no reason why I won’t still be re-reading these truly astonishing books in another twenty.

Need I say it? FIVE BIG FAT GIANT GOLD STARS.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, book review. (J.K.Rowling)

Oh yes, oh yes oh yes!!!

I could hurl a hundred superlatives at this book, most of which you've probably heard before, but they’d all be deserved.

So, Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry, and what a year.

I like to think of this one as a history book: not one of those big boring books that goes on and on about a long forgotten civilisation, a King or a Queen, but a book about Harry's past, his connection with Voldemort, and one that delves deep into the Dark Lord’s past, by way of memories in the pensieve in Dumbledore's office; memories that the headmaster has spent many years collecting.

Harry has inherited his god-father's house and the vile elf, Kreacher, who he puts to good use following Draco Malfoy. Harry knows that Draco is up to something, he overheard him threatening the owner of Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn alley, he just doesn't know what.

There are potions to master, (somewhat helped by an old potions book he finds in the spares cupboard, annotated and proclaiming to be the property of the half-blood prince; there's Snape to avoid, quidditch to play and an uncorrupted memory to extract from their new potions master, Professor Horace Slughorn; who taught Tom Riddle before he became Lord Voldemort.

There are girls, there's snogging and there's Ginny Weasley, who Harry is starting to see in a different light.

To top it all, there are Horcruxes to find, hidden objects that contain parts of Voldemort's soul, and this is where these books are so clever. It is here, in book six, that we discover that Tom Riddle's diary - which Harry destroyed in The Chamber of Secrets, (book two) - was in fact a Horcrux. Dumbledore has already destroyed another, Voldemort's grandfather's ring, and with Horace Slughorn relinquishing his untainted memory, they now know that they have four more to find, excluding the part of soul that resides in Voldemort himself.

So, over five hundred pages in and the adventure begins, but Draco has succeeded in his task, Death Eaters have entered the school, the dark mark hangs heavy above the astronomy tower, Dumbledore is disarmed, Harry immobilised, Snape . . .

I know that most of you already know the ending to this book, you've probably seen the film, but I put it to you, that unless you have read this book, you do not know the ending.

The battle between the Death Eaters and The Order, Snape and Malfoy's escape, the burning of Hagrid's hut, and the most moving part of all, Dumbledore's phoenix and its lament, echoing hauntingly through the corridors and classrooms of Hogwarts.

If a book could have more than five stars out of five, this would be the one. Simply put, this book if stunning.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, here I come.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, book review. (J.K. Rowling)

This might lose me a few followers or anger a few Potter fans, but I'm going to say it anyway, this book is just too long. 

There are moments of pure genius, the whole Ministry of Magic escapade towards the end is really good, and the way Professor Umbridge gets under your skin and frustrates the reader as much as she does the characters in the book, is great, but other bits are just too long winded. 

Take Hagrid's brother Grawp as an example, I know he has to be there, so as to affect the ending, but it could have been done quicker and more effectively, as could the whole of the beginning. 

The time it take for Harry to be attacked by dementors, summonsed to the Ministry of Magic for trial, found innocent, explore his Godfather's house and get to Hogwarts, is frustratingly slow. 

Again, I realise that some of what happens, happens for a reason and adds to the overall story, but cleaning the curtains in one of Sirius Blacks reception rooms is totally unnecessary.  

Unlike the film, Dobby turns up, Hermione goes on about SPEW again, which is also unnecessary, and we get an insight into how much Sirius and Snape hate each other; all the while, Voldemort is gets stronger, Harry is falling in love and The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts - the aforementioned Umbridge - is implementing evermore draconian punishments.

I like the conflicting emotions that Harry has over Cho and Ginny, the isolation when Dumbledore ignores him and he's banned from quidditch, and the solace he finds in Dumbledore's Army. I like Christmas at St Mungo's (wizard hospital) and the introduction of Luna Lovegood, but it takes over seven hundred pages before the world accepts that Voldemort is back, and it could have been done quicker. 

In conclusion then, if you want to know the whole story, it's a book you have to read, but compared to The Goblet of Fire, and the two books that follow, this one is a bit of chore. 

Four stars then, because in spite of the negatives, hidden within those many pages are moments of pure pleasure. 

What is a Good Book?

What is a good book?

A good book to you might not be a good book to me, so what makes a really, truly entertaining book?

Pace?
If a book has pace, you wiz through it, so surely a page turner is a good book?

Well, not always.

Take Robert Harris's An Officer and a Spy as an example. I have lamented the virtues of this book in previous posts and I stick by what I said then, it is a page turner, and a most excellent read, but if you look at Dan Brown's Inferno, also a page turner with lots of action, historical references and famous places, you could be fooled into thinking the same, but you'd be wrong.

Dan Brown's research is second to none, but his well used characters are starting to wear a bit thin now, and another megalomaniac getting their comeuppance at the hand of Robert Langdon is getting a bit tiresome.
Length then?
We all know how important size is, but again, don't be fooled. 
Some of my all time favourite books are less than two hundred pages long. H.G.Wells, The War of the Worlds and Richard Matheson's, I am Legend, spring to mind, and at the other end of the spectrum there's Stephen King's, The Stand and J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels, which extend to many hundreds of pages, but which I love in equal measure.
The King, Queen and Prince of all books for me, is J.R.R Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, a book so sublime that I will take it from the shelf every so often, blow of the dust and read random passages; weird!
Genre then?
No, still barking up the wrong tree. You can see from of my shelfie photo above, that teen-fiction mixes with old classics, horror with Sci-Fi, hardback with soft and they are in no particular order. Short books mix with long, old books rub binds with new, so, what it a good book?

There is a saying in the photographic community, that the best camera in the world, is the one you have with you, and I think this applies to books too. 
Yes there are duff ones, and some you won't get; some are poorly written, some too long, but when I leave the house every morning, I know how lost I'd feel if I didn't take my long, new, old, short, horror, young adult, classic, hardback, book with me. So pick something, anything before you leave for work, go on holiday, sit down with a cup of tea, and I guarantee it will be better than having no book at all.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, book review. (J.K. Rowling)

Okay, so what can one say about a story that everyone already knows?

Well, lots actually. 

Seen the film, don't need to read the book! Think again.

Don't get me wrong, I love the film, but there's just so much more intricate detail in the book, and once read (again), you really do start to understand the depth of the story. 

Take Dobby, everyone's favourite house-elf, not in the film but he and another house-elf named Winky, play a big part in getting Harry through the second task of the Triwizard tournament, and help an escaped criminal from Azkaban, bring about the rise of Lord Voldemort. 

Sirius Black appears briefly in a fireplace in the film, but in the book, Harry corresponds with him regularly and they meet up in Hogsmead with Ron and Hermione. 

Barty Crouch, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, (hardly in the book), mysteriously disappearing due to illness and then ends up being killed by his own son; who is then killed by a Dementor, (not in the film). Another character not in the film is Ludo Bagman, another ministry employee, (ex beater for the English Quidditch team), and then there's Rita Skeeter.

She's in the film of course, but in the film you don't really find out just how low she'll sink for her next sensational headline, but you do in the book.

Severus Snape is revealed as being a reformed Death Eater, Hermione catches Rita Skeeter in the act whilst trying to free house-elves, and Barty Crouch Jnr, gives a much more detailed explanation into Lord Voldemort's comeback. 

More detailed than the film then, more story, more twists and turns, more intrigue; this book is just so good you need to read it. It's long, so not a quick read, but you will not regret spending the time it will take, and it will leave you with a rich experience that sets you up perfectly for book five.

Harry Potter, the early years. Book reviews. (J.K Rowling)

So much has been said about these books, by so many, that you're probably wondering what there is to add. 

Well, lots really, both likes and dislikes.

I like the simplicity of the first two books; the fact that they are short and get to the crux of the matter, whilst adding elements to the overall story as a whole, is clever.

Take Dobby the house-elf for example. How can he save Harry Potter in book seven, if Harry doesn't save him in book two? Tom Riddles diary is another example, a Horcrux in book two, yet we don't really start learning about Horcruxes until book six; again, clever!

Another thing I like about the books over the films, is that they have more depth.

Harry and Ron get invited to Nearly Headless Nick's 500th death-day party in The Chamber of Secrets, and as a reader, we learn exactly what year the books are set. Again, very clever!

There's the last task at the end of the first book, the one set by Professor Snape, where Hermione helps Harry solve the riddle of the potions, so he can go on and find the philosophers stone; something you’ll never know about if you’ve only ever watch the film.

Then there’s Neville Longbottom, who features more in the books than any 'would be movie goer' might imagine; going into the forbidden forest at the end of book one instead of Ron is the best example, but there are others.

The third book was all shaping up to be another fabulous read, when time travel was introduced. Now I understand that Hermione had to adhere to a strict set of rules when using the time turner, but one has to question Voldemort’s lack of intellect when it comes to this.

We all know that he splits his soul into seven (well eight really) so as to survive any would be attack on his person, gathers an army of like-minded dark wizard supporters, before being defeated when his own spell rebounds and kills him.

But eleven years later and it's all kicking off again, three years after that and the Dark Wizard is back, but what does he do? The greatest wizard of all time! He spends the next few years chasing Harry, using ever more elaborate schemes to try and trap and kill the boy, when all he really needs to do, is get a time turner, go back to the beginning, and get a mate to kill him instead.

That would of course make for a shit book, but come on! If you introduce time travel, you've got to be prepared to accept that anything can happen.

Still love the book through, just thought it was the weakest of the three.                                     
So, four and a half stars for book one, four and a half for book two, but only four for book three. 

The Casual Vacancy, book review. (J. K. Rowling)

Well, this book was a bit of a surprise. On one hand I had people telling me how good it was, whilst on the other, I had people saying that they just couldn't get into it; so, I approached it with mixed feelings.
I have to confess, I did see the BBC adaptation of this before I read the book, but if anything, it enhanced the whole experience.
After the unfortunate and premature death of a well liked local councillor, the village of Pagford is thrown into disarray. They have, a Casual Vacancy.
As one progresses through the book and the lives of those that live in Pagford unfold, the divisions between them become clear. People from all over start getting delusions of grandeur, wondering if they are the right person for the opening; convincing themselves that they are, and so a bitter contest begins. After several vicious cyber attack on the deceased's council page, people start dropping out of the race, accusations start to fly, and the contest gets ugly.
On the top rung of societies ladder -in their opinion-  are the hard working upper middle class folk that have lived in the village all there lives, (and happen to be on the council already, trying to pressurise their solicitor son into taking up the vacancy). Then there's a bit of new money, followed by the hard working middle class, aspiring to greater things. Then there's the lower class, who have a tendency to steal things, and then you reach the drug taking alcoholic council tenants, at the very bottom rung. 
In fact, Krystal Weedon, the teenage daughter of said drug addict, is my favourite character in the book, (I write predominantly teen fiction, so she was an eye opener for me). Her struggle to be accepted, by her mum, her brother, the kids at school, her would be boyfriend,  is both heartfelt, alarming and damn right scary, in equal measure. 
The depth of character that the author has imbued here is tantamount to her skill in the art of writing, and to think I actively avoided this book for a while, thinking that it wouldn't come up to my expectations after her first seven novels. How wrong I was.
This was my number one book of the year last year, (see my blog post of the 31st December) and for good reason. 
I know I sing the virtues of books all the time, but if you don't get the chance to fit this one into your busy schedule, check out the BBC adaptation. It ready is very good, particularly Abigail Lawrie's portrayal of Krystal Weedon. I have a feeling we might be seeing a lot more of her on our screens over the next few years. 
So, a solid and well deserved five stars for J K Rowlings first, non Harry Potter novel. Long may it continue. 

The Cuckoo's Calling, book review. (Robert Galbraith) J.K. Rowling.

I don't read much in the way of crime novels, but, like a million others I suspect, I was gifted this on

the strength of the author's previous books.

Good characters, good story, good setting, (Although a friend of mine tells me there are some accuracy errors here, but as a writer myself, I tell him 'poetic licence'.) and there's a good twist at the end.

So all good than! Here endeth the review!
Well, not quite.

If I could, I would have knocked half a star off of this and gone for three and a half. Why? Stupid names!

I know our influences come from a hundred, a thousand different places, my characters haven't always got standard or English names, I have a Dumonbreville in my latest book and a Mai-Ling in my first, but these are names I have come across, people I have met, and in the case of Dumonbreville, I use it very little in the book because I feel it might interrupt flow.

And that is my main issue, flow.

When I read I want the book to flow, I don't read fast, so it isn't a speed thing, but when the book is encumbered with names like Cormoran Strike and Lula Landry, things start slow down a bit. Throw in a Bryony, Tansy, Deeby, Cyprian and a Ciara and I start thinking about putting the book down.

I'm glad I didn't because the story was good, but next time I'll think twice before reading a Robert Galbraith novel. Maybe the next one could be about the Bristow family. They all had nice, normal names.

From page to screen. (and how they get it soooooo right, but only sometimes)

Take a book, a good book, maybe your favourite book, turn into a film and what do you get?

Well, it can be a bit of a lottery. 

Some books transfer to film (or television) well, some do not. 

Ever read Jaws?

I haven't and I never will because I love the film so much. I've even got the t-shirt; yes really I do have a t-shirt, and I only think reading the book would spoil my childhood and adult memories, of Steven Spielberg's masterpiece. 

Other fantastic films made from books include all the Harry Potter's, The sixth film did disappoint me at the end after Dumbledore was killed and the battle between the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters in the book, wasn't depicted on screen, but that aside, I love them with a vengeance. 
The Lord of the Rings? 
Fabulous throughout, outstanding depiction of a literary masterpiece.

War of the Worlds. (The Tom Cruise film, not the naff 1950's one) I had my doubts when I heard it was going to be set in the modern day; for those who don't know, the book was written and set in the later part of the Victorian era, but what a great film, Speilberg again. 
I thought The Perks of being a Wallflower, was an excellent film, great acting and interesting storyline but when I looked at a sample of the book and saw that it was written as a diary, I backed off. 
I liked both the book and the film version of Robert Harris' Enigma, and I'm looking forward to seeing the film adaptation of Tom Rob Smiths excellent Child 44, but some films I just don't want to watch. A Clockwork Orange for example, mad book, must be a crazy film, but not for me and Stephen King films, with the exception of The Shinning, why can't they make a decent Stephen King film?

So the moral to this post is tread with care and watch what you wish for. They might make a great film from your favourite book, but they might make a pile of crap. 

Inspiration for the day goes to Professor Stephen Hawking for discovering some stuff that will hopefully make the world a better place!