Seventy per cent

At the start of this year I decided to set myself the goal, as part of a reading challenge on the Good Reads website, of reading 100 books during 2011. Last year I read 65-70, and a similar amount in 2009. For most people, this is a phenomenal amount of novel reading - and for me it's a lot, particularly when I also do so much reading of other things as part of my at time very hectic hectic job. I know there are several other bloggers, reviewers, and readers for whom 100 books a year wouldn't necessarily be that big a number. For me, however, it was a stretch, so I thought it was a good target to set myself.

As of today, I'm right on target - 70 books read. Here's the line-up so far (in reverse order), with links to my reviews or articles, where they are available online. The titles marked with a (*) are 'new to me' crime writers in 2011:

• THE LOCK ARTIST by Steve Hamilton
• LUTHER: THE CALLING by Neil Cross
• A MAN YOU CAN BANK ON by Derek Hansen*
• BITTERROOT by James Lee Burke
• SIX SECONDS by Rick Mofina
• THE AFFAIR by Lee Child
• THE ACCIDENT by Linwood Barclay
• RETRIBUTION by Val McDermid
• THE DARK END OF THE STREET edited by Jonathan Santlofer and SJ Rozan
• CROSS FIRE by James Patterson
• THE RIDGE by Michael Koryta
• THE COLOR of LAW by Mark Gimenez
• FLASH AND BONES by Kathy Reichs
• SHELTER by Harlan Coben
• GOOD AS DEAD by Mark Billingham
• NGAIO MARSH: HER LIFE IN CRIME by Joanne Drayton
• THE SILENT GIRL by Tess Gerritsen
• COLLECTING COOPER by Paul Cleave
• TABOO by Casey Hill*
• THE FAT BURNING KITCHEN by Mike Geary
• LETHAL DELIVERIES by Ken Benn*
• BY ANY MEANS by Ben Sanders (plus feature article)
• THE TROUBLED MAN by Henning Mankell
• BACK OF BEYOND by CJ Box
• THEODORE BOONE: THE ABDUCTION by John Grisham
• RED WOLF by Liza Marklund
• IT’S NOT HOW GOOD YOU ARE, IT’S HOW GOOD YOU WANT TO BE by Paul Arden
• EXACERBYTE by Cat Connor
• MYSTERY by Jonathan Kellerman
• THE WRECKAGE by Michael Robotham
• THE KILLING PLACE by Tess Gerritsen*
• BLEACHERS by John Grisham
• LIFE’S GOLDEN TICKET by Brendon Burchard
• KILLING HOUR by Andrew Gross*
• IRON HOUSE by John Hart (plus feature article)
• CARTE BLANCHE by Jeffery Deaver (plus feature article)
• NO OPPORTUNITY WASTER by Phil Keoghan
• THE ATHENIAN MURDERS by Jose Carlos Somoza*
• BLACK WATER by T. Jefferson Parker*
• DROP SHOT by Harlan Coben
• THE JANISSARY TREE by Jason Goodwin*
• CITY OF BONES by Michael Connelly
• CURLY FROM SHIRLEY by Emma Pullar
• SMILING JACK by Ken Catran*
• SHADOW SISTER by Simone van der Vlugt*
• PAYBACK by Simon Kernick
• MIXED BLOOD by Roger Smith*
• THE FIFTH WITNESS by Michael Connelly (plus feature article)
• LOVE YOU MORE by Lisa Gardner*
• THE CRIME OF HUEY DUNSTAN by James McNeish*
• CANDIED CRIME by Dorte Jakobsen*
• YOU’RE NEXT by Gregg Hurwitz (plus feature article)
• LIVE WIRE by Harlan Coben
• SHAOLIN BURNING by Ant Sang
• FRIENDLY FIRE by Michael Wall*
• HOLLYWOOD HILLS by Joseph Wambaugh*
• THE SENTRY by Robert Crais
• THE MOON AND FARMER MCPHEE by Margaret Mahy
• FOLLOW THE MONEY by Peter Corris*
• SHATTER THE BONES by Stuart MacBride
• A POLITICAL AFFAIR by Andrew Porteous*
• BORDERLANDS by Brian McGilloway*
• STILL MISSING by Chevy Stevens*
• BOUND by Vanda Symon (plus feature article)
• BURIED ALIVE by JA Kerley
• THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN by James Lee Burke
• THE EXECUTIONER by Jay Bennett*
• THE PROMISED LAND by David Hewson*
• IN PLAIN SIGHT by CJ Box
• LAST CAR TO ELYSIAN FIELDS by James Lee Burke

I'll follow up with some thoughts on the overall range of titles I've read so far this year, in another post soon. Feel free to share your thoughts on any of the above titles or authors. Have you read any/many of these books this year? What have been your favourite books so far in 2011? Who are your 'new to you' writers this year? What is the best debut novel you've read? Who is the author you have read the most?

50 books down, 50 to go...

At the start of the year, I set myself a goal to read 100 books in 2011. I know some people read more than that, but for most people, that's a lot - and for me it's a big target, especially as I have a full-time job that can take up a good 60-70 hours a week, plus freelance writing and many other commitments on top of that. So it's not like I have a lot of leisure time to read. But I am a fast reader, and I do love it.

I've also got into the habit of reading almost every day, even if it's only a few chapters, so it seemed like a 100 books goal was achievable, if still difficult. I estimate I read about 70 novels last year - I'd have weeks where I read three or four books, and weeks where I read none. So I thought if I could average two books per week, then my 100 books target would be achievable.

And hey, even if I didn't make it, I'd still have plenty of fun getting to 60, 70, 80 books, or wherever I ended up, after all. I'm pleased to say, as we've just ticked over halfway through the year, that I am bang on target. I started my 51st book yesterday (1 July). In six months I read 50 books. Not bad. I'm also trying to include plenty of new-to-me readers.

Here's the line-up thusfar (in some semblance of reading order):

• LAST CAR TO ELYSIAN FIELDS by James Lee Burke
• IN PLAIN SIGHT by CJ Box
• PROMISED LAND by David Hewson
• THE EXECUTIONER by Jay Bennett
• THE TIN ROOF BLOWDOWN by James Lee Burke
• BURIED ALIVE by J. A. Kerley
• BOUND by Vanda Symon
• STILL MISSING by Chevy Stevens
• SHATTER THE BONES by Stuart MacBride
• FOLLOW THE MONEY by Peter Corris
• BORDERLANDS by Brian McGilloway
• A POLITICAL AFFAIR by Andrew Porteous
• THE MOON & FARMER MCPHEE by Margaret Mahy
• THE SENTRY by Robert Crais
• HOLLYWOOD HILLS by Joseph Wambaugh
• FRIENDLY FIRE by Michael Wall
• SHAOLIN BURNING by Ant Sang
• LIVE WIRE by Harlan Coben
• YOU'RE NEXT by Gregg Hurwitz
• CANDIED CRIME by Dorte Jakobsen
• THE CRIME OF HUEY DUNSTAN by James McNeish
• LOVE YOU MORE by Lisa Gardner
• THE FIFTH WITNESS by Michael Connelly
• MIXED BLOOD by Roger Smith
• PAYBACK by Simon Kernick
• SHADOW SISTER by Simone van der Vlugt
• SMILING JACK by Ken Catran
• CURLY FROM SHIRLEY by Emma Pullar
• CITY OF BONES by Michael Connelly
• THE JANISSARY TREE by Jason Goodwin
• DROP SHOT by Harlan Coben
• BLACK WATER by T. Jefferson Parker
• THE ATHENIAN MURDERS by Jose Carlos Somoza
• NO OPPORTUNITY WASTED by Phil Keoghan
• CARTE BLANCHE by Jeffery Deaver
• IRON HOUSE by John Hart
• KILLING HOUR by Andrew Gross
• LIFE'S GOLDEN TICKET by Brendan Burchard
• BLEACHERS by John Grisham
• THE KILLING PLACE by Tess Gerritsen
• THE WRECKAGE by Michael Robotham
• MYSTERY by Jonathan Kellerman
• EXACERBYTE by Cat Connor
• IT'S NOT HOW GOOD YOU ARE, IT'S HOW GOOD YOU WANT TO BE by Paul Arden
• RED WOLF by Liza Marklund
• THEODORE BOONE: THE ADBUCTION by John Grisham
• BACK OF BEYOND by CJ Box
• THE TROUBLED MAN by Henning Mankell
• BY ANY MEANS by Ben Sanders
• LETHAL DELIVERIES by Kenn Benn

That's the fifty books so far. I also read about five in the last few days of 2010, just before the New Year ticked over. At a quick skim, I've read 10 New Zealand books, and 40 from overseas (not a bad split, 20% local writers). I've read 44 books that come within crime/mystery/thriller, and six others (mainly non-fiction). So 88% of my reading this year has been crime/thriller - that perhaps is a little high, and I might have to purposely read a few other things to keep balance, although I'm happy with 75% or so being crime, because it's a genre I love reading. But it's always good to get some perspective too.

In terms of diversity of authors, I've read books by authors from New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, USA, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, Denmark and Spain. The books have been set in even more countries, as some authors have set books in other countries (eg British author Simon Kernick's book is set in the Phillipines, Jason Goodwin's book in 1830s Turkey, etc).

There were also 27 new-to-me authors in the 50 books (and 46 authors), which is great. The only authors to feature more than once so far are James Lee Burke, Michael Connelly, Harlan Coben, and John Grisham (interestingly, in the latter case, neither book was one of the adult legal thrillers he's most famous for).

So at the halfway mark, I'm pretty happy with where things are.

I'd love to read your comments on my reading list so far

2011 Global Reading Challenge: An Update (15/21)

Last year, respected book blogger and Danish author Dorte Jakobsen created the Global Reading Challenge, a terrific initiative that had dozens of book reviewers and bloggers from around the world stretching themselves reading-wise, by encouraging them to read far more broadly.

I am very pleased to say that following the success of the 2010 Global Reading Challenge, Dorte (with the assistance of Kerrie of Mysteries in Paradise fame) has brought back the GRC for 2011. By early March almost 100 people had already signed up, and now that we are over a third of the way through the year, the reading is well and truly underway.

You can read about the challenge, the three levels (easy, medium, expert), and sign up for the 2011 Global Reading Challenge (I recommend it) here.

I have signed up, and will be aiming for Expert Level (which is the equivalent of Extremist from last year, with the adjustment being that the 'seventh continent' doesn't have to be Antarctica):

The Expert Challenge
Read three novels from each of these continents in the course of 2010:

• Africa


• Asia


• Australasia


• Europe


• North America


• South America (please include Central America where it is most convenient for you)


• The Seventh Continent

Select novels from twenty-one different countries or states if possible. (For Australasia, selecting a different state for your last book will be acceptable).

I have already read more than 30 crime novels this year, and I'm now 15/21 done in terms of the different countries/areas/regions needed for the 2011 Global Reading Challenge. I have completed four of the seven continents, and have 1, 2 and 3 books remaining for each of the other three continents. Except for my final Africa-set books, I've already sourced/chosen my remaining books to complete the challenge.

Here's my 2011 Global Reading Challenge line-up thusfar:

Africa

1. MIXED BLOOD by Roger Smith (South Africa)


2. tbc


3. tbc

Asia

1. BANGKOK HAUNTS by John Burdett (Thailand)


2. PHNOM PENH EXPRESS by Johan Smits (Cambodia)


3. PAYBACK by Simon Kernick (Philippines)

Australasia

1. THE CRIME OF HUEY DUNSTAN by James McNeish (New Zealand)


2. FOLLOW THE MONEY by Peter Corris (Sydney, Australia)


3. FRIENDLY FIRE by Michael Wall (Wellington, New Zealand)

Also read: A POLITICAL AFFAIR by Andrew Porteous (Dunedin, New Zealand), BOUND by Vanda Symon (Dunedin, New Zealand), SMILING JACK by Ken Catran (New Zealand)

Europe

1. BORDERLANDS by Brian McGilloway (Northern Ireland/Ireland)


2. SHADOW SISTER by Simone van der Vlugt (The Netherlands)


3. THE TROUBLED MAN by Henning Mankell (Sweden)

Also read: SHATTER THE BONES by Stuart MacBride (Scotland)

North America

1. HOLLYWOOD HILLS by Joseph Wambaugh (Los Angeles, USA)


2. STILL MISSING by Chevy Stevens (Vancouver Island, Canada)


3. IN PLAIN SIGHT by CJ Box (Wyoming, USA)

Also read: LAST CAR FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS by James Lee Burke (Louisiana, USA), THE TIN-ROOF BLOWDOWN by James Lee Burke (Louisiana, USA), BURIED ALIVE by Jack Kerley (Kentucky, USA), CITY OF BONES by Michael Connelly (Los Angeles, USA), THE FIFTH WITNESS by Michael Connelly (Los Angeles, USA), BLACK WATER by T. Jefferson Parker (Orange County, USA), DROP SHOT by Harlan Coben (New York, USA), THE PROMISED LAND by David Hewson (USA), THE SENTRY by Robert Crais (Los Angeles, USA), THE EXECUTIONER by Jay Bennett (USA), YOU’RE NEXT by Gregg Hurwitz (California, USA), LIVE WIRE by Harlan Coben (Northeast USA), LOVE YOU MORE by Lisa Gardner (Massachusetts, USA)

Latin America (South and Central America)

1. HAVANA GOLD by Leonardo Padura (Cuba) - TBR


2. EVERY BITTER THING by Leighton Gage (Brazil) - TBR


3. THE BOOK OF MURDER by Guillermo Martinez (Argentina) - TBR

The Seventh Continent

For this final continent, I have chosen 'history', specifically crime novels written in modern times but set in historic times (ie this won't include the likes of Ngaio Marsh, Agatha Christie, or Conan Doyle, who wrote about their contemporary times, but whose work is now 'historic' or 'period' in nature). I've decided (on something of a whim) that since New Zealand was founded in 1840, I would focus on crime novels set prior to that date.

1. THE JANISSARY TREE by Jason Goodwin (1830s Turkey)


2. THE ATHENIAN MURDERS by Jose Carlos Somoza (Ancient Greece)


3. SHARK ISLAND by Joan Druett (1830s Pacific Ocean sea voyage) - TBR

So I have three South American, two African, and one historic novel left to complete the expert level of the 2011 Global Reading Challenge.

Are you participating in the 2011 Global Reading Challenge? Do you enjoy reading crime novels from a wide variety of countries/settings? What are some of your favourite recent non-UK/US reads? Comments welcome.

My EuroCrime reviews

The indefatigable Karen Meek of the excellent EuroCrime website has been at it again - making more improvements to what is already a terrific resource for crime fiction fans around the globe.

For those of you that aren't yet familiar with EuroCrime, it is a site for fans and would-be fans of British and European crime fiction. It includes both British and other European crime fiction writers (that have been published in English) as well as non-European born authors who are strongly associated with European crime fiction (eg. Donna Leon). Euro Crime reviews the latest books and its other features include a comprehensive bibliography section, a summary of upcoming titles, author websites, details of events, links to newspaper reviews, crime fiction award results and a regular competition.

It's a fantastic website, and a must-visit for any keen crime fiction fan.

One of the improvements Karen Meek has made recently is a list of reviews by reviewer. I have sporadically reviewed for EuroCrime, and you can see a list of my reviews for EuroCrime thusfar, and click through to the reviews themselves, here.

Yes, it's a rather meagre tally at the moment compared to some of the other fantastic EuroCrime reviewers (and there is no way I will ever catch the relentless Maxine Clarke - I started counting her reviews and gave up after I was at 40-something and still in the 'Cs'), but hopefully I will add more EuroCrime reviews over time. There are already a couple more pending, and there are some fantastic European authors waiting to be read on my TBR bookshelves.

In the meantime, swing by the site and have a look around. It'll be worth your while.