SHC Readers

Oldies but Goodies: Rescuing Dad by Pete Johnson

2011-08-26T22:25:00.001+12:00

Joe & Claire are upset when Mum and Dad split up, so they decide that they want to do something about it. But what?

For a start Dad can't cook, or clean, so... if they teach him how - maybe, just maybe Mum will take him back!

Rescuing Dad is a great story about how kids feel or might react if their family starts to fall apart. I couldn't wait to find out if their plan would work.

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks

2011-03-28T19:06:00.001+13:00

The first thing you may notice when you open "The Wasp Factory" are excerpts of reviews from a number of major publications. You may then be surprised to find a lot of them are actually negative, so before you even begin to read you have a slightly prejudiced view of what to expect. This first book by Iain Banks definitely caused a stir in publishing circles, if it achieved nothing else...

"The Wasp Factory" is the story of sixteen year old Frankie Cauldhame who lives with his father on a small island in Scotland. Not your usual family not your usual read, and not your usual sixteen year old...
Frankie is a self confessed murderer, having killed his two cousins and his baby brother by the age of nine.

Frankie spends the days wandering the island, checking and adding to the sacrifice poles and consulting the wasp factory of the title, a kind of mechanical oracle that predicts the future (or so Frankie believes).

The story ambles along following Frankie's daily tours of the island, occasional underage drinking binges at the local pub with his only friend Jamie, and the time consuming dam building escapades and explosions that fill his days. As Frankie lives out his strange existence he learns that his brother, Eric, has escaped from a lunatic asylum. Eric is universally feared and hated by everyone on the island because of his habit of setting fire to dogs and tormenting young children.

All in all, an interesting, sometimes disturbing, occasionally darkly funny read.... I am not really sure how I would rate it, but it is definitely thought provoking, and I am very glad I finally picked it up and read it.

Oh, and in case you're interested:
A 1997 poll of over 25,000 readers listed The Wasp Factory as one of the top 100 books of the 20th century.

Book Trailer: Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

2011-01-04T18:33:00.040+13:00

Robert Jordan's epic "Wheel of Time" fantasy has held readers in a tight grip since the first volume "The Eye of the World" was published in 1990. After the death of Robert in 2007, his widow Harriet chose up and coming fantasy writer Brandon Sanderson to finish the last two volumes of the series...

And so it was with great excitement and also some trepidation that I had originally picked up "The Gathering Storm" - I shouldn't have worried. Taking up where Jordan had to stop and following his copious notes, outlines and partially written manuscripts Brandon Sanderson has continued the series beautifully.

The Towers of Midnight mostly follows Egwene's trials in the White Tower and Perrin's troubles with the Children of the Light. Mat Cauthon also features strongly in this volume, having to face his own particular demons and finally enter the Tower of Ghenjei. Some of the other major characters only make rather brief appearances (in a move similar to that taken by George R. R. Martin in his Game of Thrones series), but there are moments where we revisit some of the more interesting and important characters of earlier books. Sadly though there were some who didn't even rate a mention, which was a little disappointing - but only because I have enjoyed the series so much I wanted to know what was happening to them all! So... I must wait patiently until I can visit again with Lan and Nynaeve who have been my own personal favourites throughout the series.

Sanderson has, in my humble opinion, very nicely continued this fabulous tale and although it has been a long wait since the last installment I think his style fits well with Jordan's. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed The Towers of Midnight and look forward to the final installment "A Memory of Light" hopefully published in 2012.

Unseen Academicals by Terry Pratchett

2011-01-03T22:17:00.001+13:00

The latest Discworld installment finds the wizards of Unseen University unwittingly, and against all odds, having to play a game of foot-the-ball against a team of Ankh-Morporks finest to ensure an ancient University bequest is continued..

And so a rag tag team is pulled together from the University's ranks to defend their honour, and more importantly their large breakfasts, lunches and dinners. There is only one snag, for the Wizards anyway, they cannot use magic. The prospect of the Big Match brings a street urchin with talent for can kicking, a pie maker, a beautiful woman and the mysterious Mr Nutt. Pratchett continues to delight and amuse readers with his wonderfully witty observations on human nature and relationships.

If you are a Discworld fan you will undoubtedly enjoy revisiting beloved characters and meeting new ones, and if you are new to Pratchett, all you need to know is that if you enjoy fantasy fiction or a tale full of humour and football, then you should enjoy Unseen Academicals as much as I did.

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

2011-01-03T21:36:00.000+13:00

Yes, I know!
I was a bit slow getting around to reading these, but on the upside, I got to read them one after another - without having to wait for the next book in the series.
If you haven't yet picked up The Hunger Games, please make a point of checking them out. Set in a bleak future world, in a nation called Panem. Cities are actually specified "districts", without names, only numbers, and each has a designated trade or function to support society.
Katniss Everdeen is born into District 12, one of the poorest of the districts, where each day is the same and for most of the inhabitants a struggle to survive. Katniss and her friend Peeta sneak into the woods surrounding District 12 to hunt for extra food to barter and so help their families stay alive.

Each year, as punishment for an attempted rebellion, the Capital of Panem takes as a tribute one boy and one girl from each district to take part in the Hunger Games. A nationally televised event where the winner is the last person left alive...

To save her younger sister Katniss volunteers for the games, and so begins the first book in this excellent series.

To follow her story of friendship and survival in a world where everything is a game... you also need to read the next two books in the series.

The Maze runner by James Dashner

2010-06-15T19:48:00.001+12:00

Thomas wakes in a dark lift, with no memory of where he is or how he got there. Trying to gather his thoughts and remember anything about himself and his life prior to awakening, he is stunned when the lift doors open and he finds himself surrounded by a large group of boys...in a place they call the Glade. Every single boy has arrived in the same way, with the same memory loss, and no clues as to why they are there.

In this strange prison, on a daily basis, the boys send a group of "Runners" through the maze that surrounds the Glade on a never ending quest to find a way out and an end to their captivity. Every 30 days another boy arrives in the lift, but with Thomas the rules begin to change. The very next day a girl shows up in the lift, the one and only girl that has ever arrived, and the very last person that will ever be sent to the Glade.

Thomas slowly realises that the Glade is familiar, he feels like he knows it, that he may have been there before, and more importantly that Theresa, the newly arrived girl is important to him. The feelings he have about her are so intense and sure he is certain they are connected in some way. He decides he must become a runner, he knows he can crack the mystery of the maze.

But the maze is a lot more dangerous and difficult than it first appears. It changes - every night, and is populated after dark by Grievers. Part insect, part machine, creatures who attack the boys on sight. If they are lucky they survive, but only to be changed in some way by the odd chemical or poison that they inject into the Gladers. Thomas is determined to gain the Gladers trust, but to learn the secrets of the maze he must face trials and tests that will put his life on the line - and not only his own, but those of all of the boys in the Glade with him.

To be honest I wasn't too sure I was going to really enjoy this book. Possibly because I had heard so many raves about how great it was, and I hate to admit it but that often puts me off... but by the time I finished the final chapter I was keen to discover what other tests the Gladers would face. And where these trials would lead them. And WHO or WHAT is WICKED?

The Declaration by Gemma Malley

2010-05-21T15:22:00.004+12:00

Set in the year 2140, in a world with a never ageing population Anna is a learning to be a "Valuable asset". Born illegally into an overburdened world, she has grown up in a home with other surpluses. Children who are condemned and punished for the sin of being born. Despised and hated by legals for taking away precious resources like food, shelter and air Anna yearns to be useful & earn a place where she may pay her debt to society.

In her last year at Grange Hall Anna's world is turned upside down when a boy called Peter arrives. A captured illegal Peter tells Anna that he knows her parents, that they love her, and he is there to take her back to them. Anna knows this isn't true, that her parents are criminals who should never have given birth to her and they have no right to try and claim her, she hates them and wants nothing to do with them - ever. As Anna tries to block out Peter's terrifying lies and help him fit into her world at Grange Hall, the small wee voice inside her begins to believe.... Can any of what Peter says really be true?

I really, really enjoyed this book, and read it over a weekend from cover to cover. Can't wait for the sequel: The Resistance.

Student review: Shattering glass by Gail Giles

2010-05-19T13:51:00.001+12:00

Simon is the school nerd, bullied by all who see him. But this all changes the day Rob Hayes has the idea for his ‘Project’

Following the story of Thad ‘Young’ Stewart, we see how Rob Hayes, the king of the high school, strives to control the lives of those around him. Simon is drawn into this web when Rob decides to extend his control by making him popular. However, events spin rapidly out of control when Simon decides he likes being popular.

Shattering Glass is yet another startling insight into the nature of humanity by Giles. We see how love and friendships are easily lost, and some secrets are sometimes better left buried…

If you liked this book try these other Gail Giles titles:
Playing in traffic
Right behind you
What happened to Cass McBride?

Millenium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson

2010-05-02T22:12:00.001+12:00

The Girl with the dragon tattoo
Currently this series is kicking around 1000 reserves at Auckland's Public Libraries, that is pretty huge, and just shows how popular this particular series is.
An excellent thriller/mystery story, the Millenium Trilogy begins with The Girl with the dragon tattoo...
Mikael Blomkvist, well know independent magazine publisher and journalist is sentenced to a prison term for libel against the incredibly wealthy and influential industrialist Hans-Erik Wennerstrom. Accepting the sentence, and the blame for the trouble he has brought on himself and his magazine (Millenium), Blomkvist begins preparing for his prison term when he is suddenly contacted by Henrik Vanger the elderly CEO of the Vanger Corporation. Vanger offers him a deal, he will inject a huge amount of cash into Millenium if Blomkvist writes the Vanger family history, and more importantly finds out what happened to his niece Harriet, who disappeared years previously.
Blomkvist agrees, and gets to work, but even with access to all the Vanger archives he finds himself up against a brick wall. Enter Lisbeth Salander, the girl with the dragon tattoo. 20 something, sullen, hostile but an incredibly brilliant computer hacker and researcher, she becomes Blomkvist's ally and somewhat unusual sidekick as they begin digging into the Vanger family's dark & secret past.

The Girl who played with fire
The second installment of the Millenium Trilogy begins with a young reporter, Dag Svensson, approaching Mikael Blomkvist about publishing a story he has been working on in consultation with his girlfiriend Mia who is writing a thesis on the Swedish sex industy.
Salander has disappeared off Mikael's radar, and he has had no contact with her since they parted ways after the Vanger affair. But Salander has actually been watching Blomkvist - through a hack on his computer - reading his documents and emails. When she sees the name "Zala" in one of Svensson's documents she tracks him electronically and visits both him & Mia in their apartment.
When they are found dead, their computer gone, and Salander's prints in their apartment she, of course, becomes a suspect. And then Nils Bjurman, Salander's legally appointed guardian is also found dead, and she becomes hunter and hunted.

The Girl who kicked the hornet's nest
The final volume of the series begins where The Girl who played with fire ends.Salander is under 24 hour guard in hospital, the authorities only waiting until she is well enough to be charged with the attempted murder of "Zala".
But this is not her biggest problem. She will also be on trial for her very freedom of existence, and the power to control her own life.
There is indeed a secret plot to shut Salander up, and keep her locked away where she can never be a threat to the people who destroyed her life when she was a child...

All in all this is one terrific series. The characters are interesting and, I thought, well developed, the storyline is riveting. As I finished each book I couldn't wait to start the next one, and felt incredibly thankful that I had the next one ready to go. This is one well plotted series, and it is a real tragedy that Larsson was unable to expand on his success. If you enjoy well written, interesting thrillers or mysteries with lots of plot detail, PLEASE give this series a try.

Shift Happens

2010-03-10T10:07:00.003+13:00

If you enjoyed Shift Happens, take a look at some of the updated versions.

Did you know - Student perspective

Did you know 4.0

Education Today & Tomorrow

How your favourite search engine works

2010-02-17T14:45:00.000+13:00

http://www.insideyoursearch.com/

Book Trailer. Going West by Maurice Gee

2010-02-06T12:03:00.004+13:00

Movie Trailer. Cirque du Freak/The Vampire's Assistant by Darren Shan

2010-02-02T14:04:00.005+13:00

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman

2010-01-12T16:37:00.037+13:00

If you enjoy fantasy novels, or tales that are on the quirky or dark side, then Neil Gaiman might just be the author you're looking for.
Neverwhere is about an average, if somewhat timid, Londoner, Richard Mayhew. Living his life casually, without much thought or effort, and bullied by his fiancee Jessica, Richard's life is turned upside down over night when he finally makes a stand and saves the life of an unusual young woman named Door.
Unwittingly dragged into a world he never knew existed, Richard has to deal with mad assasins, talking rats, terrifying beasts and things out of nightmare to help Door stay alive and discover who murdered her family.
Neverwhere is a tale quite unlike any other. Set deep in the bowels of an underground world full of oddly disturbing (but still) strangely likeable characters. If you have never read a Gaiman novel or comic, Neverwhere is as great place to start.

Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner

2009-12-02T17:47:00.006+13:00

Spanking Shakespeare is one of those books that will make you laugh out loud, and cringe in embarrassment!

Shakespeare Shapiro is a 17 year old in his final year of high school - with a possibly unfortunate name, but the writing talent to match that of the great playwright. For his senior English assignment Shakespeare is asked to write his memoirs, but about what? He's never kissed a girl, isn't popular, his parents are crazy and sadistic, and his younger brother is already ahead of him in the girlfriend stakes!

He finally decides to write about his pitiful life, and all the awful events that have befallen him, from his birth on Hitler's birthday to the time his parents sent him to a holiday camp straight out of Lord of the Flies.

The chapters go back & forwards between Shakespeare's senior year and excerpts from his memoir, as well as an obituary that is part of his class assignment. Each chapter is a delight and the whole book is written with perceptive wit and cheeky humour. I LOVED THIS BOOK and have just discovered that Wizner has another title in print! I hope to check it out soon.
Wickedly funny.

Check out the Shakespeare Obituaty Generator!
http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/spankingshakespeare/

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

2009-11-17T20:25:00.005+13:00

A remarkable tale of a Mother’s love, or lack of it, and her relationship with a son she never really felt connected to.

Is a mother to blame if she can’t connect with her child? Is it the child’s fault for being unusual, difficult and detatched? How hard is it to keep trying to love that child when you just can’t? Does your child KNOW, no matter how hard you try to hide it, that you don’t - or can’t love him? Did you try hard enough? Do children learn affection from their parents, or does it develop naturally, as society thinks it should? Is Kevin unlovable because he is hard to understand, and inherently evil? Or is he evil because he is unloved?

All of these questions crossed my mind as I read “We need to talk about Kevin”. Maybe being a mother of sons drew me in! Difficult at times, thought provoking, startling and brutally honest this book was hard work at first. At times I wondered if I could even finish it, especially in the earlier chapters, but as I continued I found myself pulled further and further in. If you can stick with this often grim, emotional tale it is well and truly worth the read.

I still think about this book from time to time, and that to me is the sign of a truly great read!

Recommended for Older readers!!

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

2009-11-17T20:19:00.005+13:00

Truly one of the best science fiction stories I have read, and right up there in my personal TOP 10.
Ender Wiggin is a 3rd, an extra child in a future where all families (except under special government exemption) are only allowed 2 children.

At the age of 6 he is taken from his home and packed off to a special military training school, along with other apparently bright and talented children. They are supposedly being trained as future leaders in earth’s Great War against the Buggers, an alien race that is threatening the very existence of earth and its human inhabitants.
Ender finds it difficult being separated from his family and struggles against the military rule that is making his life so miserable.
But the military leaders are hiding an important secret from Ender and the other Battle School children, a secret so terrible that world would be thrown into chaos if they knew the real truth.

Ender’s tale is one of inner strength, battling the odds and survival... It is a book that I continually recommend to most readers. Although mainly set in the future the tale is timeless, and so well written that it grabs nearly every student I have recommended it to. In fact I have trouble remembering anyone who really didn’t like it! .... Now that is an awesome recommendation in itself!

If you did enjoy Ender’s game and are interested in following up the events after Battle school try reading:

Speaker for the dead
Xenocide
Children of the mind
A War of gifts: a Christmas tale set in Battle school
Ender in Exile

You can also read: The Shadow saga. This series follows Bean and other Battle school graduates after they have let Battle school

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl by Barry Lyga

2009-11-17T11:57:00.007+13:00

Fanboy is your average geek. An A student, who hates sports, loves comic books and only has one real friend, Calvin, who is beginning to become way too popular among the school jocks.

One day, after again being tormented in gym class, Fanboy receives a text from Goth Girl. Why? She wants to know does he allow himself to be bullied by these idiots?

From this first text, the following emails , and finally their meetings Fanboy & Goth Girl become friends. Or as friendly as Goth Girl allows.

Troubled and tormented herself, angry & vengeful, is Goth Girl more harmful than helpful to Fanboy as she pushes & prods him in directions he isn’t quite sure he wishes to go in....

The Astonishing adventures... is a cynical but thoughtful story with some great lines, and sarcastic but very funny humour. If you ever remember being on the outside looking in, or feeling like you don't or cant't really fit in, then I'm sure you will really enjoy this book.

Take a look a Barry Lyga's webiste for some other great titles.
http://fanboyandgothgirl.com/

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

2009-11-14T22:21:00.016+13:00

Set in a post-apocalyptic world, Cormac McCarthy's The Road is a bleak tale of a father and son heading somewhere - anywhere - hopefully better.
As they travel "the road" and struggle with day to day survival in a world of dark ash, cold, hunger and fear this loving father strives to get his son safely to a place where other "good people" may be...
The Road is a place of casual cruelty, harsh lessons and the ultimate fight for survival. We don't discover much about the boy or his father - ages, names or home town - only that they are ultimately alone, afraid and continually on the brink of starvation and death. But what we do learn is that the human spirit will fight and struggle to survive far beyond what we think we can or will endure.

The Road was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2007. It also won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize for fiction (2006).
Take a look at following trailer, as the Road is about to be released later this month. Then try your luck on The Road - how long can you survive?

http://theroad-movie.com/

Your Digital Footprint

2009-11-14T22:05:00.005+13:00

Are you REALLY thinking about what you put online? And what you leave there? Take the time to watch this wee vid, and remember it each time you log in to your social networking site, or add content to the Internet that has your name on it...

Movie Trailer. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

2009-11-01T19:30:00.007+13:00

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

2009-11-01T19:04:00.004+13:00

Michael is 15 years old when he meets Hanna, an older woman in his neighbourhood, and as their relationship evolves they become lovers. And Michael falls in love with her.
Many years later while Michael is at University he attends a war crimes trial and to his horror discovers that one of the women charged is his Hanna. Along with other Nazi guards she is charged with atrocities committed against Jews during the war. Surely this can't be true, the woman he remembers with such fondness (and regret) cannot be the callous and heartless woman on trial.
As the story unfolds Michael tries to come to terms with the Hanna he loved and the woman on trial, and so another kind of relationship develops between them that will last a lifetime.

Recently made into a movie The Reader is an interesting story, about love, choices and secrets and about reconciling the person you think you know with the person they may really be...

This title is recommended for older readers.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

2009-10-29T22:37:00.016+13:00

Marcus Yarrow is an ordinary teenager in an ordinary American city - until the day he and his friends are arrested while cutting class. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time they are picked up and taken to a secret and secure location by the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) as suspects in a terrorist attack.

As ridiculous as the situation seems, Marcus is sure the DHS will realise their mistake and release them all - but just the opposite happens. Marcus & his friends are held in custody, with no rights and no phone calls; interrogated at the whim of the DHS there is no way of letting anyone know where they are. Even their parents think they are dead.

When they are finally released Marcus is both frightened and furious. Once back at home he just wants to get things back to normal, but then he discovers he is under surveillance. This is the last straw and he decides he must find a way to fight back. Fight the DHS and their stranglehold over the city's frightened population.

Using an X-Box, a laptop and a cellphone Marcus begins sending messages out onto the X-Net attempting to discredit and undermine the DHS. But it's a dangerous game, and one that may have far reaching consequences for anyone he knows.

Little Doctor is a terrific, thought provoking read. In a post 9/11 world it is an interesting commentary on personal freedom, paranoia and security. When does a governments attempts to keep it's people safe begin to erode personal freedom? And does it matter?

If you get nothing else from Little Brother you will at least (if only for a short while) become aware of your basic freedoms and just how easily they might be taken from you...

http://craphound.com/littlebrother/download/

Take a look at Cory's site using the link above. You can download a FREE COPY of this great title.....

Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve

2009-10-10T22:08:00.012+13:00

Fever Crumb is an orphan being raised by the Engineer "Dr. Crumb", in a London that is still static.
When she receives a request to assist Engineer Kit Solent she reluctantly agrees, and moves into the home he shares with his two young children. Kit has found a mysterious underground tunnel leading from his home into the marshes of London. Driven to discover the tunnels secrets, and remebering that Fever was found abandoned in the marshes he thinks she may hold the key to unlocking the old tech doors and the secret that they hide.
Meanwhile a mysterious band of nomads called the "Movement" are heading towards London, but no one seems to know if they are friend or foe.
Fever Crumb is set before the events in the Hungry City Chronicles, and fans of the series will surely enjoy this tale.
I do recommend starting with Mortal engines, and reading the series on order BEFORE you start Fever Crumb.
Yes, I know it's a so called prequel.... but if you haven't read the other titles Fever Crumb will lose some of it's meaning, and I think most readers will be lost...

A Darkling plain by Philip Reeve

2009-10-10T11:29:00.006+13:00

The conclusion to Reeve's Hungry City Chronicles, A Darkling plain is an excellent finale to this wonderful series.

Tying up all the earlier threads from the previous books we once again join Tom Natsworthy travelling the bird roads with his daughter Wren. During a stop in Peripatetiapolis Tom catches sight of Clytie Potts - the former London Historian - Clytie pretends not to know him. Confused, Tom queries an Old Tech trader and discovers she is using another name and is buying large quanities of Old Tech. At Wren's urging they decide to follow Clytie and find out what she is up to...

Theo is home in Zagwa, thinking about Wren, and wondering what he will now do with his life when he becomes Oenone Zero's unwitting saviour. Aborting an assassination attempt by a rebel faction of the Green Storm who believe the Stalker Fang will arise once again and lead them to certain victory...

Shrike has been reunited with Hester. Full of anger, pain and grief, she has fallen back into her old ways, travelling, fighting and surviving. Convinced she will never see her loved ones again she has made Shrike promise that once she is dead he must resurrect her, so they can spend eternity together.

Meanwhile the Green Storm & Traction League's fight continues. The Green Storm has been divided by the death of the Stalker Fang, but some in the ranks believe she will rise again, and lead them to certain victory.

And in the darkness of Brighton Rocks, the Lost Boy Fishcake has a new companion - Anna Fang, who is sometimes the Stalker Fang. Slowly being pieced together again by Fishcake she has her own plans for the future, plans that will change the world again forever.

A Darkling plain is a well written, terrific tale. Each character's story is finished rather nicely, although there is a sad moment or two....but you are left feeling that all is as it should be.

Book Trailer. Gone by Michael Grant

2009-10-04T22:51:00.009+13:00

The Lost symbol by Dan Brown

2009-09-30T21:37:00.018+13:00

Well, we have all waited so very long for the next Robert Langdon adventure, so we put a rush on it and received it from Dymocks Ponsonby (THANKS ANDREW!) the very next day.
We, of course, had already had enquiries and requests, but lucky old me - one of the perks of being in charge is being able to read things first! Yay for me!

I am now 3/4 of the way through this book, and it is pretty much what I expected, but it has taken a bit longer for The Lost Symbol to grab my attention. Don't get me wrong - it's good, I'm enjoying it, but it just doesn't seem to be as gripping as Brown's previous novels. Maybe I'm expecting too much? The storyline is typical Dan Brown, full of clever codes and mysteries... but I keep thinking there is something missing.

Still it seems to be picking up, and I'm still reading - so that's a good sign. I'm hoping when I finish it I will be able to update this blog with an embarrassed change of tune. Watch this space!

Still watching? Great!

I have just this minute (well 5 mins ago) finished The Lost Symbol, and I'm sorry to say my opinion hasn't really changed. The story was picking up (remember I was 3/4 of the way through) a little, and I thought YES! this is the Dan Brown I was waiting for.. and then it sort of mellowed again and kept kind of cruising along. So, no great revelations, no super exciting, heart pounding chase, instead a kind of dignified stroll to the end of the story.

There were definitely some good plot elements, but the story just didn't fly for me...
If Angels & Demons was a 5 out of 5, for me The Lost Symbol was a 3.

I am not a serial killer by Dan Wells

2009-08-07T21:30:00.018+12:00

John lives with his mother and aunt in the house attached to his mother's mortuary business. Far from being bothered by this, John loves the work and finds it intensely fascinating. But he also has an almost obsessive interest in serial killers. Because of this he is seen by his peers as weird, and his mother has grave concerns about his behaviour. John himself has rules about the things he can and cannot do - he knows he is different from most people, and doesn't have the same emotional connection to those around him. He is, in fact, in therapy and convinced that he may be a sociopath.
When a local man is found murdered in grisly circumstances John is convinced that it is only the beginning, and decides he will try to discover the identity of the murderer.
Following clues left behind by the bodies that arrive at the mortuary John does indeed discover the killer, but he is nothing like John imagined, he is in fact a demon...

"I am not a serial killer" is great ...dark, kind of different, but definitely worth a read!