She said of The Discovery of Jeanne Baret : a story of science, the high seas, and the first woman to circumnavigate the globe by Glynis Ridley:

“This book has everything -adventure on the high seas, a sense of history and botany and the wonderful story of the first woman who circumnavigated the globe -and what a story! One to celebrate being a woman and to appreciate what others before us have gone through. She not only survived, but triumphed.”

Thanks, Lois!

(If you are owed sleep because of reading all night, tell us about the book and you might win back your sleep.)

Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark is one of the many thrillers from the queen of suspense. Combining a gripping courtroom drama with a chilling serial killer side-plot, and adding in some interesting twists with transplants and character back stories, this book is bound to keep you turning pages until you reach the end.

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“By the time I hit page 50, I was totally rapt with tales of “small, poor” people making good, micro-financing, building business with social consciousness and still being successful. Will be recommending it to all my friends.”

Thanks, B!

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She had this to say about You are not alone: Michael, through a brother’s eyes by Jermaine Jackson.

“I have always loved Michael Jackson and I have been interested in not only his career, but personal life as well. Thanks to Jermain Jackson’s book, I now better understand Michael’s life, true passion for children, animals and the environment. I stayed awake at night, I cried, and laughed, whilst reading this fantastic biography.”

Thanks, JH!

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Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich is:

“Another great Stephanie Plum adventure that keeps you turning pages, and laughing out loud, in the middle of the night.”

Thanks, Mary!

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Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer documents a deadly expedition up Mt Everest, undertaken by the author to document the commercialisation of the ascent, which was hit with some of the worst weather the Himalayas can throw at climbers. Gwenda said she was:

“On the edge all night! Finished it at 3am. The book took you along the journey – every step of the way! So very exciting!”

Thanks, Gwenda!

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Scarecrow and the Army of Thieves by Matthew Reilly.
“Best read ever, fast-paced, action-packed, amazing storyline, hanging on to your seat until the last page. Started reading 10pm at night and finished at 8.30am. No way, you won’t want to put this down.”

Thanks, Jordan!

(If a book kept you reading all night, tell us about it and you could win back your sleep!)

Some authors for you to comment on or try out in this genre are William Bernhardt, John Grisham, Michael Connelly, Linda Fairstein, Richard North Patterson, Philip Margolin, Steve Martini, Earle Stanley Gardner’s Perry Mason series, John Mortimer’s Rumple series, James Grippando, Lisa Scottoline, and Scott Turow.

If you prefer a classic, try To Kill a Mockingbird which was first published in 1960 and won the Pulitzer Prize, in which a lawyer in the depression-era South defends a black man accused of rape.

One of my personal favourites is John Grisham’s tightly plotted Pelican Brief, and I also very much enjoyed the courtroom scenes in Jeffrey Archer’s A Prisoner of Birth which illustrates how easily and innocent man can be set up and sent to prison.

Red Mist brings the reader once again into the realms of Dr Kay Scarpetta and her career in forensics to find out what happened to Scarpetta’s former deputy chief, Jack Fielding, who was murdered.  Visiting a womens prison, Kay receives information which leads to discovering connections of conspiracy and potential terrorism on an international scale.  An intriguing web of killings which initially appear unrelated, brings together her FBI husband Benton, her niece Lucy and investigator Pete Marino.

Patricia Cornwell is author of eighteen previous novels featuring Dr Kay Scarpetta
and each one follows the forensic path of gaining answers to allow justice to prevail.
In this book the storyline gets bogged down with an oversupply of forensic terminology
to such an extent that the reader’s attention is diverted.  It’s not a page turner and
avid readers of her books may be disappointed, I was.

I caught Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal on TV recently & really enjoyed the televised adaptation so I borrowed the book from the library. The story is part of Pratchett’s Discworld series (it’s the 33rd book), but if you haven’t read any of them this book is a great one to start with. The majority of characters are new and there is plenty of interesting explanation about the world. I think the show helped me understand what was going on in the book but if you didn’t see it I still recommend reading the book.

The star of the story is Moist van Lipwig. He is a conman who escapes persecution for his many crimes & is instead ordered by the city’s leader, Lord Vetinari to revive the dilapidated Postal Service. A strange instruction as the city has evolved & the inhabitants are now using “clacks” to communicate. As far I as can tell “clacks” is a shutter telegraph system of sorts. Anyway, Moist takes up the job with intentions of fleeing at the first opportunity. Much of the plot consists of Moist trying to revamp the Postal Service, evade people trying to kill him, impress the young pretty activist Adora Belle Dearheart, keep his parole officer Mr Pump happy & battle it out with the city’s leader Lord Vetinari.

Pratchett uses wry wit, brisk dialogue, laugh out loud humour & magical description to create a truly amazingly different world. He is a talented story teller & is able to transport the reader into the story. You will feel as though you are there alongside Moist and the other characters. I like Moist, he is funny, very smart and also very determined in his endeavours.   

I would recommend this book to all readers, not just fans of fantasy, as its more than just an enjoyable read it will provoke the reader into thinking about what actually motivates people to do things. I started to think about how communication has evolved over time. It really is a multi-dimensional unique read.