Charlie Hood

in
Over the last 2 weeks I've reacquainted myself with one of my favourite writers; T. Jefferson Parker. He's been writing excellent Southern California crime writing for almost 30 years since his debut in 1985 with Laguna Heat. Lately his writing has been very much about a young police officer named Charlie Hood. I have just broken one of my long standing rules, which is do NOT read several books by the same author in a row. I have found in the past that this will almost always effectively make you disenchanted with that author. But nevertheless I just finished reading four Charlie Hood novels back to back, and they were all excellent! I read LA Outlaw a few years back and so this time I read The Renegades, Iron River, Border Lords and The Jaguar.

Book signing

 Billy Bob Buttons; Tor - Assassin Hunter

Saturday 21 July from 11.00, Billy Bob Buttons will sign his new book Tor - Assassin Hunter. Welcome to the Uppsala shop.

Billy Bob Buttons in the bookshop

Before I Go To Sleep

in
One of the most thrilling books I have ever read! If you're looking for well-written suspense - this is the book for you! Quite breath-taking and absolutely absorbing.

The Seven Wonders

in
I love the historical crime novels of Steven Saylor. Gordianus the Finder is a wonderfully wraught character, Saylor spins expert webs of mystery in his stories and the history of the pieces is nothing short of excellent. As far as I can tell. They're wonderfully snug vibrant, lusty, curious, alive novels and I always look forward to a new one appearing. The Seven Wonders is a prequel to the other novels; it takes place when Gordianus is a mere 18 years old and travels around the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World with his tutor Antipater of Sidon. As we get to know the wonders as they stood at that time Gordianus also solves a new mystery at each one. But perhaps there's a great one tying them all together....?

Jellicoe Road

in
This is an absolute must-read! A moving story about being a teenager and finding new pieces of the jigsaw puzzle that's your past, to figure out your presence and having to make decisions that might change your entire future. One of the most talked- and blogged-about books in Sweden this summer - and very well deserved!

Gold

in
The most eagerly awaited UK novel of 2012. I liked it, Mr Cleave's characters come off as very believable and though I've never followed athletic cycling (which is the setting of the novel although it's not what it's about...) I really enjoyed this. There are bits when I feel ever-so-slightly emotionally manipulated, but the topics touched upon ARE heart-wrenching so perhaps it's not so suprising. The writing is often pitch-perfect and the roller-coasters of feeling we're subjected to are fascinating and, yes , gripping. 

Age of Miracles

in
This much-lauded debut novel is a breath of Ray Bradbury. It's the coming-of-age story of Julia who happens to grow up at an extra-ordinary time in the earth's history: the planet has for some reason started slowing down, spinning more slowly thus lengthening days and nights. There's an eerie feel to the whole novel, of living on the brink of change so vast it's uncomprehensible. Julia is a great protagonist and her personal story against the weird backdrop makes the novel quite beguiling. 

Kings of Cool

in
Don Winslow writes a cool stream. This is a prequel to the fantastic novel Savages (which has just been filmed by Oliver Stone) and lets us in on how the mirthsome threesome became who they were and who the preceeding generation was made up of. It also contains nods to several other Winslow novels which those in the know will find great fun. A cool read, but read Savages first.

Lord of Misrule

in
This National Book Award winning novel was our book-of-the-month choice for June. It's a novel set in a rural horse racetrack environment circa 1970 and although the terminology and the language were difficult to start I think that is also where the strenght of the novel lies; the language is poetic, almost magical and the veil of almost-understanding is what lifts the story and the characters to a high level. These people will remain. It's a classic, I think and I can see why it was chosen.

Author visit

Jon Jefferson - Author Reading 7 july 2012, English Bookshop, Gamla stanMeet best-selling forensic crime author Jon Jefferson – co-author of the Body Farm novels – on Saturday, July 7 at The English Bookshop in Gamla Stan at 2 p.m. He will be signing his books and will be reading from the latest book, The Inquisitor's Key. 
All are welcome!

Jon Jefferson in the bookshop
Download the poster