The City of Dreaming Books, by Walter Moers

When Optimus Yarnspinner's godfather died, he gave Optimus a manuscript. One which contained a story so wonderful the writer could not possibly be human.

Eager to look for the author of the manuscript, Optimus sets out for the city of Bookholm, a heaven for booklovers. The city has everything to do with books; bookshops are everywhre, poblushers abound and you can get an expert evaluation of a manuscript anyplace. Definitely, this is the place where Optimus will find answers.

Of course, the best person to go to would be Pfistomel Smyke. Apart from bing the expert in the field, he is also a patron of the arts and a generous person. Who else could be better?

But not everything goes to place, because Optimus has failed to take into account the dark side of Bookholm: its notorious catacombs, where danger lurks everywhere.

And that is where his story really begins.

Often comical and highly inventive, this is a great read. Enjoy watching subplots interwine at the end!

Black Coffee, by Agatha Christie

Hercule Poirot has been called on by Sir Claud, a famous scientist, to sniff out the thief of a precious formula.

The night Poirot is to visit Sir Claud's mansion, the man himself has rounded up the visitors and residents of his house, hoping to find the thief. He suspects the thief to be among his little audience for the night, but does not want the thief to lose face. So he plans to give the thief a minute of darkness to place the formula on a table.

When the lights are turned back on, Poirot is here...
...and Sir Claud is dead.

Now, Poirot has to investigate murder instead of theft.

With the usual clever plot of Christie's, Black Coffee is an enjoyable read with plenty of twists that will leave you enthralled.

La's Orchestra Saves the World, by Alexander McCall Smith

Struck by the news of her boyfriend's infidelity, Lavender (La) Stone goes to the countryside to nurse her broken heart.

It is during the time when war is a definite possibility; La, however, isn't actually affected much by this. Instead, she looks after hens and leads a quiet life.

As the war begins and the people realise that there is going to be a war after all, La rediscovers music. An idea occurs to her: why not start an orchestra? It would, after all, boost morale and give people a hope of victory.

And this orchestra takes off. The musicians may not be well-trained or in tune, but they certainly have heart.

And maybe, just maybe, this orchestra could change the outcome of things.

Sedate writing that reminded me of Carol Shields, quite well written. I felt the orchestra was introduced too late in to the story; otherwise, it is quite a poignant read.

The Hot Zone by Richard Preston

It all starts with a headache that won't go away.

Harmless.

Then comes the red eyes, and the face sets itself into an unmoving death mask.

Then bleeding. Unstoppable bleeding, leaking into everywhere in the body, spewing from every orifice.

Then, death.

The Ebola virus causes this deadly descent into death. It is mysterious, lethal and incurable. And when it strikes in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, USAMRIID, is activated. These are the intrepid men and women who, when the occasion calls for it, will don a space suit and three pairs of gloves and go to war with the virus.

The Hot Zone takes the reader straight into the heart of a lab teeming with Ebola, next to a patient who is spewing black vomit, on the heels of scientists in bright blue suits.

At times, the scientific explanation grinds everything to a halt. Something else that peeves me is that chapters switch between many characters' points of view, making it quite confusing. However, it is overall fast-moving, detailing man's desparate struggle to wipe out a virus which threatens to do the same to man.

The Green Mile, by Stephen King

Meet Paul Edgecombe. He's one of the guards at the state penitentiary. More specifically, he's the boss of Block E, where the worst, cruellest and most evil of criminals come to spend their last days before undergoing the electric chair. They all call the chair Old Sparky. They make jokes out of it. But when the time comes, no one's joking.

Edgecombe thinks he's seen it all. He thinks he can't be surprised any more.

But he can.

A seemingly sentient mouse and, later, its naive Cajun owner and 'trainer' are only the tip of the iceberg. When the huge John Coffey (like the drink, but not spelled the same way) comes, Edgecombe knows that there is something special about him. But what?

As the story unfolds, Edgecombe realises the devastating, amazing truth about John Coffey, a secret that will change him forever.

A cleverly told story; the timeline may jump around a bit, especially in the middle part of the novel. However, The Green Mile is, nonetheless, a well-paced story with brilliantly fleshed-out characters and a fantastic atmosphere.

The Secret Supper, by Javier Sierra

It is the year of 1497.

Father Agnostino Leyre, an Inquisitor and expert in the intepretation of secret messages, is assigned the task of solving a puzzle. Anonymous letters have been coming into the Holy Church in Rome, warning of a conspiracy to transform Milan. According to the Soothsayer, the foundation of the conspiracy is being laid out in a new monastry, Santa Maria delle Grazie. The key to the identity of the Soothsayer lies in his signature: a short riddle in Latin.

In order to solve the problem, Father Agnostino travels to Milan. By visiting the new monastry, he hopes to be able to decipher the riddle.

Milan is also where Leonardo da Vinci is completing the Cenacolo, or The Last Supper . Leonardo is famous for breaking off from conventional intepretations of Bible scenes and adding elements of his own. This time, he claims to have hidden a secret message in his mural. This has the religious authorities concerned. What message is he trying to hide?

As Father Agnositino tries to figure out the secrets behind the painting, people are dying.

With a well built-up plot, this is not one book which can be read in a hurry, but it is certainly intriguing. I would like the pace to be faster, though.

The Bridesmaid, by Ruth Rendell

Phillip hates violence. Instead, he designs suburban homes and admires beautiful things. Like the stone statue in the garden. Like his sister's bridesmaid, Senta.

The moment he sees Senta, he falls helplessly in love with her - with her beauty, with her mystique, with her child-like innocence.

But she isn't really that innocent. Her mind is full of fantasies and make-believe- but not all of them are harmless.

Because in order to prove his love for her, Senta asks Phillip to kill someone.

He loves her, but he doesn't love her that much.

And all that changes when she brings the news that she has killed a man.

The Bridesmaid is well-written and certainly chilling, especially as Senta's apparent innocence unfolds to reveal someone who has no qualms for killing in the name of love. This typical Rendell book is an interesting read.

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