The Hireling (1973)

The Hireling (1973)

ALAN BRIDGES Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBBB.5 United Kingdom, 1973. Columbia Pictures, World Film Services. Screenplay by Wolf Mankowitz, based on the novel by L.P. Hartley. Cinematography by Michael Reed. Produced by Ben Arbeid. Music by Marc Wilkinson. Production Design by Natasha Kroll. Costume Design by Phyllis Dalton. Film Editing by Peter Weatherley. Class stratification goes hand in hand…

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Lets ask our MP's about FareShare requirements

A number of years ago in 1989 the Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Labour colleagues created the Early Day Motions (EDM) which are intended to enable MPs who are not members of the Government to be able to proposed ideas for the Government to adopt for Parliament. One of the themes that have emerged in the past is proposals from MPs who are passionate of the work of FareShare and Trussell Trusts…

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Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979).

Alien is the sci-fi classic directed by Ridley Scott. The film launch one of the biggest and famous franchise.

One of the most important aspects of this movie is the technical achivements, from sound, visual effects and post production.

Terry Rawlings and Peter Weatherley were the editors responsible of cutting Alien in 1979. Their style and technique shaped the movie, bulding the action, the drama and terror of Alien.

One of the scenes in particular have a very interesting effect which help the audience to understand how long is to wake up from a hybernation in a spaceship, a long dissolve of 3 seconds, an equivalent of 90 frames do the trick.

Dubious only sure bet for Golden Slipper from Magic Millions

Cummings, of course, has the $5 Golden Slipper favourite in star coltTassort and there are huge stud-value implications for him if he wins the world's richest two-year-old race. Exhilarates is likely to be given her chance in the lead-up races to the Slipper but canny punters might not fancy the risk of taking the $8 being offered about her for the famed juvenile sprint. There will be plenty more chances for her to shine, Cummings said. She has won her grand final. Dubious will head to the Slipper after briefly looking the winner on Saturday, with trainer Ciaron Maher convinced he will be stronger at Rosehill. Meanwhile, Newgate Farm and the China Horse Club are likely to close a deal for Hightail to go to Hong Kong in the next week or so. We have had a couple of seven-figure offers for him already, which are hard to turn down given he is a gelding Newgate boss Henry Field said. Kennewell beats Godolphin in the Magic Millions ring Godolphin might have been the big winner on the track at the Magic Millions on Saturday but they were pipped for that honour in the sales ring. Lloyd Kennewell outstayed them for the top lot, an I Am Invincible colt out of Oakleigh Girl at the final night session, winning him with a $1.7 million bid. Kennewellhad the backing of Aquis Farm, among others, so was able to secure the colt, which delayed the Godolphin celebration party. I knew it would take $1.5 million and after that it was up to me,"Kennewell said. "I said to Mat Becker from group 1 bloodstock, he is the one I want.I know how to train the Vinnies and I wanted him. We backed our judgement and hopefully we will back her next year." Kennewell has been the pin-up trainer for Yarraman Park's sire sensation. He was buying I Am Invincibleswhen they were $30,000 and $40,000 but is now playing in the deep end of the pool. "It is great to see that because Lloyd has been a big part of Vinnie's story," Yarraman's Harry Mitchell said. "He is a really nice colt out of a Snitzel mare and when he walked, you could see a lot of Snitzel about him.It is a great result for Steve Gillard, who sold the colt and really didn't want to." Baker looks for Champagne Cuddles after Magic day Bjorn Baker was one of the stars of Magic Millions day with a winning double from Egyptian Symbol and Redouble, but he has already turned his attention to the return of Champagne Cuddles at Flemington on Saturday. It's my biggest day as a trainer in terms of prizemoney and we got a couple of trophies to take home, as well as more horses from the sale, Baker said. Egyptian Symbol ran a race record in the Magic Millions Snippets but when it was suggested it was a 1200m track record, Baker knew it wasnt, saying: "Champagne Cuddles ran a lot faster than that." The mare is back to hunt an elusive group 1 after she was runner-up in the Golden Rose and Flight Stakes before thirds in the Kingsford Smith Cup and Stradbroke last winter. We are sending her to Flemingtonto have a look at the straight because we want to try and win the Newmarket with her, Baker said. She will be targetinggroup 1s and I think she can get one the way she has come back. Winx back at the trials on Tuesday Winxs part-owner Debbie Kepitis will rush back from America, where she received the Secretariat Vox Populi Award on Sunday, to see the champion mare barrier trial at Rosehill on Tuesday. The award, which is decided by a public vote, showed the world-wide recognitionof Winx, with fans from more than 60 countries plumping for the Aussie wondermare. Kepitis and Peter Tigheboth went along to Santa Anita Park on Saturday to accept the award. Hugh Bowman galloped Winx on Saturday and trainer Chris Waller is pleased with what she has done since coming back into the stable. Weatherley told not to look at big screen It might not have cost him a win, but hoop Sam Weatherley learned a lesson about looking at the big screen in the straight on Walk The Runway at Gosford on Friday. Weatherley booted clear on Walk The Runway and had a glance at the screen as Le Lude charged at him. Stewards queried the apprentice, after the race finished in a dead heat. He told them he struck his mount with the whip at the 100m mark and felt it layed in, so he went to hands and heels before looking at the screen to see what was coming. The stewards said they "accepted his explanation for not applying the whip over the final 75m and were satisfied that he rode his mount at full vigour during this time, [but he] was nevertheless advised against unnecessarily looking around during races. Racing writer for The Sydney Morning Herald Most Viewed in Sport Loading https://www.smh.com.au/sport/racing/dubious-only-sure-bet-for-golden-slipper-from-magic-millions-20190113-p50r4c.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed

So. You will all be delighted to learn that I survived my two day meeting. So did my management team so that’s nice. For them. For now … Other momentous achievements in the week, as there have been few I have to be brutally honest, I achieved the ‘Approved’ badge on Netgalley where in one day I doubled my auto approval status from two to four publishers. Go me. exciting times ahead.

Or something.

In more exciting news, for the first time since around Christmas, I received book post. Not one book. Not even two books. Four books! Yes folks, four lovely jubbly books. I am beside myself with excitement. Well I am beside the cat who is lying across my feet as I work on my laptop, but if I rename her ‘Myself with Excitement’ then I am strictly not lying. It is harder to remember than Luna and in all honesty she doesn’t look exactly impressed, but I’m sure with time we’ll both get used to it. It’s more polite than the names I usually call her when she bounces off my head at three in the morning.

But you probably aren’t interested in my domestic arrangements so I’ll tell you about the books instead. First up was a double header from Orenda, two books I am very excited about reading. One was We Were The Salt Of The Sea by Roxanne Bouchard, the second, and this induced a small amount of bounciness to be fair, was Keeper by Johana Gustawsson. I know right? Super happy book blogger over here then. I also received two more books, no less exciting than the first two, in the shape of Evidence of Death by Peter Ritchie and Kate Riordan’s The Stranger, although technically that one is for Mandie who is taking part in the blog tour on behalf of Jen Med’s.

Aren’t they pretty? I’ve concluded that book post is like buses. You wait for weeks then loads come along at once. I am going to assume the bus/bookpost union is going to declare a strike agin now for a few weeks but it was fun while it lasted. Not to be deterred, and because it would be a shame not to use my new found auto-approved statuses, I may have downloaded a few books from the old Netgalley. Purely for blog tours – lets not go mad now.

I found it absolutely necessary to pick up the following treats: Found Drowned by BK Duncan; The Craftsman by Sharon Bolton; The Pact by SE Lynes and The Little Cottage On The Hill by Emma Davies. Blog tours books. Each and every one, I swear.

Depending on your point of view (i.e. whather or not you own Amazon) I’ve been pretty good purchase wise this week. Sort of. Just a few new preorders and books I realised I hadn’t preordered that i should have. You know? The essentials. First up was Blue Night by Simone Buchholz; a Quick Reads title – Clean Break by Tammy Cohen; Killer On The Run and Hidden Agenda by MA Comley; Finders Keepers by KT Finch and White Lies by Lucy Dawson.

A couple of audible purchase may have fell into my shopping basket too. This Is How It Ends by Eva Dolan; The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin; The Silent Wife by Kerry Fisher.

Lots of road trips coming up. I need the company. As I was quite bogged down with meetings this week, I’ve been struggling with the reading. Still managed to clear a few, and fluffing good reads they were too. One confused the fluff out of me mind as the central family’s name was Lucas, the character had and Aunt Jenny (Lucas) and her father was Patrick (Pat). Pat happens to have been my mother’s name. Talk about yer deja vu moments …

Books I Have Read

Perfect Death – Helen Fields

There’s no easy way to die…

Unknown to DI Luc Callanach and the newly promoted DCI Ava Turner, a serial killer has Edinburgh firmly in his grip. The killer is taking his victims in the coldest, most calculating way possible – engineering slow and painful deaths by poison, with his victims entirely unaware of the drugs flooding their bloodstream until it’s too late.

But how do you catch a killer who hides in the shadows? A killer whose pleasure comes from watching pain from afar? Faced with their most difficult case yet, Callanach and Turner soon realise they face a seemingly impossible task…

The third book in the Luc Callanach series, I’ll be reviewing this as part of the blog tour this time next week. perhaps slightly slower in pace than the others, or maybe that was just me, it was no less tense nad the risks for Luc and Eva as high as ever. You can order your own copy right here.

…

The Reunion – Samantha Hayes

They were all there the day your sister went missing. Who is lying? Who is next?

THEN – In charge of her little sister at the beach, Claire allowed Eleanor to walk to the shop alone to buy an ice cream. Placing a coin into her hand, Claire told her to be quick, knowing how much she wanted the freedom.

Eleanor never came back.

NOW – The time has finally come to sell the family farm and Claire is organising a reunion of her dearest friends, the same friends who were present the day her sister went missing.

When another girl disappears, long-buried secrets begin to surface. One of the group hides the darkest secret of them all…

This is it. The book that confused me. Doesn’t take much. Tense and littered with secrets, this book gripped me from the off, taking only a few hours to devour. My review will be published soon but you can preorder your own copy here.

…

The Collector – Fiona Cummins

Jakey escaped with his life and moved to a new town. His rescue was a miracle but his parents know that the Collector is still out there, watching, waiting . . .

Clara, the girl he left behind, dreams of being found. Her mother is falling apart but she will not give up hope.

The Collector has found an apprentice to take over his family’s legacy.  But he can’t forget the one who got away and the detective who destroyed his dreams.

DS Etta Fitzroy must hunt him down before his obsession destroys them all.

I have been sitting on this book (not literally) since the summer, promising myself I would read it, but thinking I should wait a little closer to publication. I loved Rattle. Could The Collector leave me with the same feeling? Well, you’ll find out very soon when I publish my review but you can order your own copy for Kindle right now. Hardback is out in a couple of weeks and can be ordered here.

…

Quick Reads: Inspector Chopra and the Million Dollar Motor Car – Vaseem Khan

An enchanting Baby Ganesh Agency short story: a million-dollar car is missing. Chopra has two days to find it, or the gangster who bought it will not be happy.

The Premier No.1 Garage is the place to go in Mumbai if you want a luxury car. Even Mumbai’s biggest gangster shops there – he’s just ordered a classic race car worth millions.

But now the car is gone. Stolen from a locked room, in the middle of the night.

Who stole it? The mechanic who is addicted to gambling? The angry ex-worker? The car thief pulling off one last job?

And how on earth did they make it vanish from the locked garage?

Inspector Chopra has just days to find the culprit – and the missing car – before its gangster owner finds out … and takes violent revenge.

Does exactly what it says on the tin. About an hours worth of a very fun Chopra and Ganesha adventure here which had me chuckling and smiling. If you love the series as I do, you won’t want to miss out so you can orders your own copy here. If you haven’t read any Chopra books, it’s a really goo taster of what you are missing.

…

Quick Reads: Cut Off – Mark Billingham

Step into a thrilling Quick Read from number one bestselling crime fiction author Mark Billingham. It’s the moment we all fear: losing our phone, leaving us cut off from family and friends. But, for Louise, losing hers in a local café takes her somewhere much darker.

After many hours of panic, Louise is relieved when someone gets in touch offering to return the phone. From then on she is impatient to get back to normal life.

But when they meet on the beach, Louise realises you should be careful what you wish for…

Another quick read title but one which will certainly make you stop and think about how over connected we are to our phones and technology and what happens when you lose it. Do you also lose sight of the danger right in front of your eyes if only viewing the world through the sight on your camera phone? You can order your own copy here.

…

That was it. Not too much, not too shabby. Probably just right all things considered. I had a pretty full on week on the blog as well, sticking to my resolution of cutting back and posting every day …

Bloody Scotland: Stars of Scottish crime writing to get bloody in Kolkata

Guest Review: Dancing Over The Hill by Cathy Hopkinsths

Review: The Legacy by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

#BlogTour: Little Liar by Clare Boyd

#BlogTour: We Own The Sky by Luke Allnutt

#BlogTour: Black Heart by Anna-Lou Weatherley

#BlogTour: Dark Angel by Helen Durrant

Cover Reveal: Rachel Amphlett – Kay Hunter is back … soon

No so busy week coming up but still managed to shoe-horn in a couple of blog tours with Killed by Thomas Enger on Wednesday, Blue Night by Simone Buchholz on Friday and The Lying Kind by Alison James on Saturday.

This week is a bit mixed. Health and Safety meeting tomorrow morning (boo hiss) followed by the afternoon off and a trip down to London for First Monday Crime (yay!!!!!!). Back to Londinium on Wednesday as I am visiting a unit but otherwise I will be desk bound, no doubt messing with something in excel. I usually am and as month end has been and gone while I was in other meetings, I have quite a bit to catch up on. My life is so glam. Not. Did manage to book tickets for the Orenda Roadshow in Warwick in a couple of weeks though, so not all bad.

Have a fabulous week all. See you on the other side.

Jen

  Rewind, recap: Weekly update w/e 04/02/18 So. You will all be delighted to learn that I survived my two day meeting. So did my management team so that's nice.

ALIEN: TERRORE NELLO SPAZIO

Rispondendo a quella che sembra una richiesta di aiuto, l’astronave Nostromo sbarca su un pianeta sconosciuto. Attaccato da una creatura aliena durante la perlustrazione, uno dei membri dell’equipaggio viene riportato a bordo per essere curato. Ed è l’inizio dell’orrore.

E’ il 1979 quando esce Alien, cambiando per sempre la percezione del film di fantascienza e dando inizio ad una saga che è arrivata ai giorni nostri, oltre ad ispirare più o meno direttamente diversi film (Life del 2017 ne è quasi un remake, peraltro con un finale molto simile a quello che avrebbe voluto originariamente Ridley Scott).

In uno spartito sostanzialmente già visto (il soggetto ricorda moltissimo film come La cosa da un altro mondo del 1951, Il pianeta proibito del 1956 e Terrore nello spazio di Mario Bava del 1965, mentre le uova che ospitano la creatura aliena rimandano ai baccelli dell’Invasione degli Ultracorpi del 1956), il regista Ridley Scott (qui al suo secondo film dopo il bellissimo I Duellanti) cambia radicalmente la tonalità fino a creare una sinfonia innovativa: Alien è in realtà un horror thiller di ambientazione fantascientifica, un film cupo, claustrofobico, con una fortissima tensione che accompagna lo spettatore già dalle prime sequenze. Essenziale per mantenere un costante senso di inquietudine è la magnifica regia di Scott, che alterna lenti piani sequenza ad improvvise accelerazioni in concomitanza alle letali apparizioni dell’alieno, inserendo nella prima parte anche riprese disturbate che anticipano di 21 anni The Blair Witch Project. Geniale è poi l’idea di mostrare pochissimo il mostro alieno, ripreso solo di sfuggita per quasi tutto il film (solo nel finale lo si vede interamente): l’atavica paura di ciò che non si conosce, che non si vede perché protetto dalle tenebre, rende ancora più terrificante la creatura aliena.

Alien riprende lo schema classico che l’horror ha mutuato da Dieci piccoli indiani di Agatha Christie: l’equipaggio viene via via decimato quando si trova isolato, immerso nella semioscurità di una nave spaziale spaventosa come un bosco industriale al crepuscolo, con angusti corridoi che sembrano rimandare ai vicoli della Londra vittoriana dove colpiva Jack lo squartatore.

La grandezza di Alien si basa moltissimo anche sull’aspetto visivo: la scenografia, il design, gli effetti speciali sono strepitosi, ma è soprattutto grazie a H.R. Giger (disegnatore del mostro e del pianeta alieno) ed al suo personalissimo e angosciante mondo artistico ispirato a H. P. Lovecraft, che il film riesce ad essere così disturbante e allo stesso tempo affascinante. Importante è poi il contributo, mai invasivo, della musica scritta da Jerry Goldsmith: una partitura che privilegia il lato sperimentale a quello sinfonico, che utilizzando sia strumenti tradizionale come i violini che elettronici come l’echoplex,  instilla magistralmente una sensazione di isolamento ed estraniazione.

Per quanto riguarda i personaggi, tre risultano straordinariamente incisivi: Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), archetipo dell’eroina cinematografica moderna, nella quale convivono forza, determinazione e sensualità, Ash (Ian Holm), anello di congiunzione tra HAL di 2001: Odissea nello spazio ed il film che Ridley Scott girerà dopo Alien, ovvero Blade Runner, ed infine il mostro alieno, vero protagonista nonostante non si veda quasi mai, verso il quale nel finale il regista ci spinge quasi a provare un sentimento di empatia. Soli una contro l’altro, Ripley e la creatura appaiono semplicemente due esseri viventi che cercano solo di non morire, riconoscendosi reciprocamente nel primordiale e naturale istinto di sopravvivenza che li unisce.

VOTO: 5 stelle

SCHEDA TECNICA

Alien (USA, 1979) – REGIA: Ridley Scott. SCENEGGIATURA: Dan O'Bannon FOTOGRAFIA: Derek Vanlint. MONTAGGIO: Terry Rawlings, Peter Weatherley. MUSICA: Jerry Goldsmith. CAST: Sigourney Weaver, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm. GENERE: Horror, Fantascienza. DURATA: 117’.

Herr der Ringe Charaktere – Überblick

Im folgenden Beitrag finden Sie als erstes eine Übersichtsliste der Charaktere und danach eine kleine Zusammenfassung mit den wichtigsten Aspekten, die Charaktere betreffend.

Die Gefährten Frodo Beutlin (Elijah Wood) Gandalf (Sir Ian McKellen) Sam Gamdschie (Sean Astin) Boromir (Sean Bean) Gimli (John Rhys-Davies) Merry (Dominic Monaghan) Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen) Pippin (Billy Boyd) Legolas (Orlando Bloom)

Die Verbündete Arwen (Liv Tyler) Bilbo Beutlin (Sir Ian Holm) Elrond (Hugo Weaving) Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) Eowyn (Miranda Otto) Celeborn (Marton Csokas) Eomer (Karl Urban) Denethor (John Noble) Faramir (David Wenham) König Théoden (Bernard Hill)

Die Gegner Saruman (Christopher Lee) Grima (Brad Dourif) Gollum (Andy Seriks) Mauhúr (Robbie Magasiva) Lurtz (Lawrence Makoare) Sauron (Sala Baker) Uglúk (Nathaniel Lees) Saurons Mund (Bruce Spence) Grischnakh (Stephen Ure)

Die Legenden Sauron (Sala Baker) Elendil (Peter McKenzie) Gil-Galad (Mark Ferguson) Isildúr (Harry Sinclair)

Die Nebendarsteller Bauer Maggot (Cameron Rhodes) Haladir (Craiq Parker) Butterblume (David Weatherley) Háma (John Leigh) Rosie Hüttinger (Sarah McLeod) Haleth (Calum Gittins) Damrod (Alistair Browning) Gamling (Bruce Hopkins) Iorlas (Ian Hughes) Aldor (Bruce Allpress) Sandigmann (Brian Sergent) Déagol (Thomas Robins) Elanor (Alexandra Astin) Torwächter (Martyn Sanderson)

Bei „der Herr der Ringe“ gibt es die neun Gefährten. Hier sei von besonderer Bedeutung Frodo Beutlin (Hobbit), den er ist der Auserwählte, der den Ring tragen darf. Der Ring muss am Vulkan zerstört werden. Zu dieser Unterstützung haben die sich oben genannten Gefährten gemeldet. Darunter die drei Hobbits Sam , Merry und Pippin, die stets gut gelaunt und mutig sind. Aragorn (Landstreicher), Legolas (Elbe), Gimli (Zwerg), Boromir (Mensch)und Gandalf (weiße Zauberer) sind zusätzlich prominente Unterstützer ihrer Völker. Bilbo Beutlin ist ein sehr alter Hobbit, der den Ring zu Beginn der Bücher/Filme an Frodo vererbt.

Saruman ist ein Zauberer, einer von drei Großen. Er ist sozusagen der Gegenspieler zu Gandalf. Sauron ist der Gegner, der den Ring an sich reißen möchte. Hierzu stellt er ein Herr zusammen. Ugluk ist hier der Anführer eines Teils.

Zusammenfassend kann man es auf die Formel bringen, Gut gegen Böse. Viel Spaß beim Film oder den Büchern.

from http://www.hdr-see.de/index.php/2017/02/11/herr-der-ringe-charaktere-ueberblick/

Blood From The Mummy's Tomb (1971)

Today's review on MyOldAddiction.com, Blood From The Mummy's Tomb by #SethHolt starring #ValerieLeon

SETH HOLT

Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBB.  United Kingdom, 1971. EMI Films, Hammer Films. Screenplay by Christopher Wicking, based on the novel The Jewel of Seven Stars by Bram Stoker. Cinematography by Arthur Grant. Produced by Howard Brandy. Music by Tristram Cary. Production Design by Scott MacGregor. Costume Design by Rosemary Burrows. Film Editing by Peter Weatherley.

Adaptation of Bram…

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Alien, le huitième passager de Ridley Scott (1979) #MrCinema 195

Redécouvrez la bande-annonce du film Alien, le huitième passager ponctuée des secrets de tournage et d'anecdotes sur celui-ci. ■ Abonnez-vous sur Youtube ► https://goo.gl/dck70g ■ Suivez-moi sur Twitter ► https://goo.gl/IMyExb ■ Rejoignez-moi sur Facebook ► https://goo.gl/eWnGLq 🎥 Alien, le huitième passager est un film de science-fiction horrifique américano-britannique réalisé par Ridley Scott, sorti en 1979. ✎ Près d'un vaisseau spatial échoué sur une lointaine planète, des Terriens en mission découvrent de bien étranges "oeufs". Ils en ramènent un à bord, ignorant qu'ils viennent d'introduire parmi eux un huitième passager particulièrement féroce et meurtrier… 🎬 Fiche technique ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Titre original : Alien Réalisation : Ridley Scott ; Paul Ibbetson (seconde équipe) Scénario : Dan O'Bannon et Walter Hill (non crédité), d'après une histoire de Dan O'Bannon et Ronald Shusett Direction artistique : Roger Christian et Leslie Dilley Décors : Michael Seymour Costumes : John Mollo Maquillage : Tommie Manderson Design conceptuel : Ian Whittaker Photographie : Derek Vanlint Effets spéciaux : Nick Allder et Brian Johnson Son : Derrick Leather Montage : Terry Rawlings, Peter Weatherley ; David Crowther pour la version director's cut Musique : Jerry Goldsmith Production : Gordon Carroll, David Giler et Walter Hill ; Ivor Powell et Ronald Shusett (exécutifs) Sociétés de production : Brandywine Productions, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (États-Unis) Dates de sortie : France : 12 septembre 1979 ☺ Distribution ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm, Yaphet Kotto, Bolaji Badejo, Helen Horton, Eddie Powell ✎ Sources Wikipedia: http://ift.tt/2hXZ4OG ✎ Sources AlloCiné: http://ift.tt/1kNIlbM https://youtu.be/jDBAncN-dyI

Well … not the best week to be fair, for many reasons and none of the them related to books. But you don’t want to hear about that. For one thing, it is boring and for for another, if I don’t commit it to a web page I can deny all knowledge if I fainlly snap and commit some form of criminal offence … Highly unlikely but you never know how far your patience can be stretched before you snap.

Anyway – back to the books. Mixed week there too to be fair. I kind of had a bit of a random one to be fair, neither good nor bad. After last week, it was all rather pedestrian. I was at home all week, but was probably less productive than ever when it came to the blog. Funny how that goes isn’t it? By less productive, I mean I read less. I actually managed to prepare ten blog posts yesterday so it’s not all bad. Sort of …

Part of my post prep has been the collation of my bookvent list for 2017. This is where I try in vain to narrow down my favourite reads of the year to a managable list that can be conveyed over the 24 days leading up to Christmas. It has been really hard this year as, with the blog being more established, I have been really lucky to be given the opportunity to read some absolutely stonking titles, many of which would probably have passed me by otherwise. Ive got through 193 books so far this year (18 Mr Men I hasten to add) so how do you narrow that down to a top ten?

The answer is – you don’t. Mine is going to be a top 25/27 or so 🙂 My blog – my rules. Get over it ;p

Book post wise – I had a couple of lovely little packages through my door this week from Avon. First up – Perfect Death by Helen Fields. Can’t wait to get stuck in, but I may have to re-gift the red wine that came with it as I’m tee-total. I also received a copy of The Cover Up by Marnie Riches. Loved Born Bad so I can’t wait to see what Paddy, Sheila, Conky and co have been up to.

Purchase wise I’ve been very good. To my knowledge. I always say that then take a look at Amazon and realise what a complete lie that is. Turns out this week, it is actually true. Go figure. I really am having a slow book week. I pre-ordered The Collector by Fiona Cummins. High on my tbr this one, I have a physical copy from Harrogate, but needed a copy for the kindle too … I also ordered The Crime Writer’s Casebook. Saying nothing in the hope you don’t spot this … And finally I pre-ordered Last Cry by Anna-Lou Weatherley. I like a good pre-order, me.

NetGalley wise it was just the one –  While You Sleep by Stephanie Merritt. It’s not out until March so there is even a small chance I’ll have read it by publication date 🙂 IN my defence it did sound really good…

No new audio. I know – I’m slipping. But I did promise myself a bit of an end of year wind down so I guess this is the start of it right here.

Reading wise, a bit of a mixed bag. Finished an audio bookHe I had started a few weeks back and read three new books. Not my greatest week, but not the worst either.

Books I have read

Her Best Friend by Sarah Wray

You couldn’t have done anything to save her. Or could you?

Sylvie Armstrong has been running from her past for twenty years – until her mother’s death forces her to return to her home town, along with her newborn daughter.

Overwhelmed by grief in her childhood home, Sylvie tries to block out the memories that surround her – but then someone leaves a gift on her doorstep: a gold necklace with a heart-shaped locket.

This locket belonged to Sylvie’s best friend, Victoria Preston – and she was wearing it the night she died. Now it’s back in Sylvie’s life…and it soon becomes clear that somebody knows what really happened to Victoria.

Sylvie has to know the truth. But is she in terrible danger?

An intriguing and engrossing psychological thriller which sees Sylvie faced with a few terrible home truths when she returns to the town in which she grew up, the one where her best friend Victoria lost her life. I’ll be sharing my full thoughts on the book as part of the blog blitz tomorrow, but you can order a copy of the book here.

…

Without Trace by Simon Booker

YOUR DAUGHTER IS MISSING. WHO CAN YOU TRUST? A gripping psychological thriller for fans of Tom Bale, Harlan Coben and Angela Marsons.

Morgan Vine has devoted her years of her life to campaigning for Danny Kilcannon’s release, after his dubious conviction for his wife’s murder. 

At long last, he’s released.

With nowhere to go, Danny comes to rely on Morgan and her impetuous teenage daughter, Lissa.

Then Lissa goes missing.

When it’s your own child on the line, who can you trust?

This is my token audio book fo the week. This is quite an addictive story, where you never know quite who to trust and, in fairness, will be completely blindsided by what comes to pass. It wasn’t as I was expected at all, and I must have goen through a dozen possible scenarios of what had happened before finally discovering the truth. No wonder Morgan didn’t know who to trust. I had no scooby either. I’ll be sharing my review very soon, but in the meantime you can order a copy of the book here.

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Cold Christmas by Alastair Gunn

In the small village of Cold Christmas there’s a church that faces the wrong way . . . What has it to do with the three dead men found in a London flat?

DCI Antonia Hawkins has a killer to catch. Only she can’t predict what is waiting for her at the end of the chase.  Nobody remembers the young men entering the abandoned London flat a few weeks ago. Nobody cares if they left.

Until the unbearable smell of decay.

DCI Antonia Hawkins is called in to view the dead men; three, lying neat in a row. There’s no damage to the bodies, no obvious cause of death. Is this a suicide pact? Or is that just how it’s meant to look?

If there is a link between the three very different men then Hawkins needs to find it, and fast. Because unless she does, more are going to die. And they might not all be strangers.

No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Gah. This book! That ending. Just no. Argh. Faced with a potential triple homicide with no clear cause of death, DCi Antonia Hawkins is faced with her toughest case yet, one which will push her, and her relationship with Mike Maguire, to their limits. Drugs or something worse, this is just another reason for Hawkins to hate the festive season. I’ll be sharing my thoughts at the end of the week but you can buy your own copy here.

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The Usual Santas – Short Story Collection

Finally: the perfect stocking stuffer for the crime fiction lover in your life! With a foreword by CWA Diamond Award-winner Peter Lovesey, these eighteen delightful holiday stories by your favorite Soho Crime authors contain laughs, murders, and plenty more.

This captivating collection, which features bestselling and award-winning authors, contains laughs aplenty, the most hardboiled of holiday noir, and heartwarming  reminders of the spirit of the season.

Nine mall Santas must find the imposter among them. An elderly lady seeks peace from her murderously loud neighbors at Christmastime. A young woman receives a mysterious invitation to Christmas dinner with a stranger. Niccolò Machiavelli sets out to save an Italian city. Sherlock Holmes’s one-time nemesis Irene Adler finds herself in an unexpected tangle in Paris while on a routine espionage assignment. Jane Austen searches for the Dowager Duchess of Wilborough’s stolen diamonds. These and other adventures in this delectable volume will whisk readers away to Christmases around the globe, from a Korean War POW camp to a Copenhagen refugee squat, from a palatial hotel in 1920s Bombay to a crumbling mansion in Havana.

Includes Stories By (In Order of Appearance): Helene Tursten, Mick Herron, Martin Limón, Timothy Hallinan, Teresa Dovalpage, Mette Ivie Harrison, Colin Cotterill, Ed Lin, Stuart Neville, Tod Goldberg, Henry Chang, James R. Benn, Lene Kaaberbøl & Agnete Friis, Sujata Massey, Gary Corby, Cara Black, Stephanie Barron and a Foreword and story by Peter Lovesey.

A perfect collection of festive crime short stories. Some of these stories really did make me chuckle, especailly Mick Herron’s short story, The Usual Santas. That one had me chuckling so hard on my flight to Dublin, I’m sure I saw the woman next to be shuffling away in her seat. I’ll be reviewing very soon but you can bag a copy of the book right here.

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That’s it. Not too shabby but not too clever either. Blog wise, it was another busy ish week with posts every day. You can catch up on the links below.

#BlogTour: Hell To Pay by Rachel Amphlett

#BlogTour: The Perfect Victim by Corrie Jackson

#FestiveReads: The Advent Killer by Alastair Gunn

#BlogTour: CWA Short Story Anthology – Mystery Tour

#BookLove: Jill Culiner

#Review: Give Me The Child by Mel McGrath

#FestiveReads: The Deaths of December by Susi Holliday

The week ahead is equally busy. Blog tours through until Wednesday for Kierney Scott’s Now You See Me, Sarah Wray’s Her Best Friend and BK Duncan’s The Last Post. I also have a Q&A’s with Chris Whitaker and Louise Jensen in the countdown to December’s First Monday Crime panel and the start of my #bookvent countdown. I can’t wait.

There will be less reviews from me over December as I’m planning a little bit of a slow down and catch up with real life. That doesn’t mean I won’t be around as I’ve some fabulous blog tours planned, as well as my #bookvent countdown. And keep your eyes peeled later this week for a special Christmas competition. Even when I’m on a go slow, I can’t quite stop. It’s genetic I think …

Have a fabulous week of reading all. I’m going to go and lie in a darkened room. Well … at least until Wednesday. I’m off to a Christmas market on Wednesday. Go figure …

JL

Rewind, recap; Weekly update w/e 26/11/17 Well ... not the best week to be fair, for many reasons and none of the them related to books.