The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

This is a very special book for the reason that it it the first to be officially sanctioned by the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle estate as an ACTUAL NEW SHERLOCK HOLMES NOVEL!

Anthony Horowitz has wonderfully captured the tone and feel of Conan Doyle's Sherlock adventures and included in this copy is an afterword by Horowitz, where he explains his reasons for wanting to take on the challenge and his ten rules he went by in order to ensure he kept it true to the original stories.

I loved the clever premise for this book - it is narrated by an elderly Dr Watson, who is writing the story long after the death of his friend Sherlock. He delayed writing about this adventure at the time due to the scandalous and distressing nature of the tale. He then instructed for the manuscript to be put in a safe for 100 years - hence why we are just reading it now.  

Sherlock's unique take on the world and crime solving is all present and correct as two narratives are developed and spun together in a completely engrossing way. Not to give the plot away, it involves a Boston street gang, stolen paintings, the mysterious House of Silk and oh yeah, Sherlock Homes being accused of murder!

While reading this, I was always a little worried that the plot wouldn't live up to the Holmes legacy but NO FEAR it is superb. Deserves to be filed on the bookshelf next to all the other Conan Doyle tales.

Leeds Castle's Wonderful Library

I've decided on this little blog to expand from not only individual books to places that house books, Leeds Castle library is most definitely a place I never want to forget. I recently visited the lovely, lovely Leeds Castle in Kent (see more about it here, complete with pics!) and one of the many rooms I visited was the library. Containing over 3,000 books it was really charming way to end the tour around one of the most amazing castle's in the country!

As you can see, the books were ordered according to colour and size, an aesthetic detail that really appeals to me. Although a lot can be said for the traditional alphabetical ordering, I don't mind taking longer to search for a book if the overall look is so pleasing to the eye. Imagine having your own library, complete with comfy sofa, view of a moat and castle grounds and yeah, even a creepy portrait of a girl holding a bird - it's the quirky touches like that, that made me love this library so much.

The Southbank Book Maze

aMAZEme is a wonderful maze made out of 250,000 books; fiction, non-fiction, kids, adults, all sorts. It is part of the London 2012 Festival and when I chanced upon it in the Southbank Centre, I was immediately captivated by such a charming idea and execution. Getting lost (in theory, the maze isn't THAT big) and overwhelmed by thousands of books is such a unique feeling. Standing in the middle, where the wall of books towered above my head had a wonderfully calming effect on me.

The Girls by Lori Lansens

"I have never looked into my sister's eyes."

This book tells the story of Rose and Ruby Darlen, craniopagus conjoined twins. Written as Rose's autobiography, her sister Ruby also contributes chapters from her perspective,showing that they might be joined at the head but the two girls are as different as any sisters can be.

What I love about this novel is the unique angle, making you consider life from a vastly different point of view, Rose and Ruby have aspirations, their own careers and loves and as a novel, this book is packed with an exciting narrative as well as being endlessly fascinating due to the nature of the girls telling the story.

Neither sister is negative or at any point moans about the position they are in, which is why this is such a heartwarming and positive read. It brilliantly puts into perspective the often trivial problems we concern ourselves with in day to day life and is one of those wonderful stories that will always be etched on my brain.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

This is one of the first books I remember reading completely in one long sitting (the very first was Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl), I was on a 10 hour coach journey from Melbourne to Sydney on my gap year and didn't sleep a wink, as I was so engrossed from the first page.

Not previously knowing much about the world of a Geisha, I was captivated by the old world traditions, the brutal way girls were trained up, the silks of the Kimono's, it was just an amazing glimpse into such a different place. In Sayuri, Arthur Golden created a character who although thrown into essentially a world of selling herself for the pleasure of men, she remains strong and dignified and takes the reader on a personal, evocative journey. Read immediately!

P.S. My tip would be to avoid the film at all costs, it strips all the magic from the narrative and the wonderful writing means you can conjure up far more beautiful settings in your head than the ones presented to you in the film.

The Sacred Art of Stealing by Christopher Brookmyre

There are not many books I always look forward to re-reading, but this gem is definitely one of them. The brilliantly named Angelique de Xavia is a police detective that pops up in a few Christopher Brookmyre novels, and here she has to battle the age-old crime novel problem of catching bank robbers and art thieves. However, in Brookmyre's hands, this narrative takes such clever twists and turns that it never once feels cliched or predictable.

The action starts with five men dressed as clowns and named after Dadaist painters (Dali, Jarry) who dance their way into a bank in broad daylight. You know this is going to be good. The other great aspect of The Sacred Art of Stealing is Angelique's tantalising relationship with the very charasmatic American Zal, who also happens to be one of the criminals she is chasing. Naughty.

Angelique and Zal's story is picked up again in a later Brookmyre novel, A Snowball in Hell, which is also a brilliant read. It sees Angelique hunting down a crazed murderer who has had enough of the Z-list celebrity culture and is killing off all the plebs who are famous for no reason. Admit it, we would all like to do that really.......

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

This much read novel is one of my all time favourites, recommended to me by a friend, The Secret History sucks you in from the first line: 'The snow in the mountains was melting and Bunny had been dead for several weeks before we came to understand the gravity of our situation.'

You've got to admit - that's a great opener! You read that and so many questions immediately pop into your head and you WILL keep reading until they are answered. A testament to the brilliant level of writing is that although you know Bunny will die, the sense of suspense never waivers.

Lead character Richard joins the elite Classics class in his University, already populated by a group of unique and unusual students; Bunny, Patrick, Charles, Camilla and Francis. Their love of the Greek classics (which are referenced throughout the book but without feeling heavy) and reluctance to participate in everyday society, cause their lives to take a dangerous and tragic turn, pivoting around Bunny's death. Just superb.

The Complete Book of Oscar Fashion by Reeve Chace

The first point of note is that the cover of this book is VELVET. Yes, black velvet. The luxurious cover perfectly reflecting the decades of glamour inside.

Not only do we get to see the pick of the best Oscar gowns from the 1920's to 2003 (year of publish) but this book is packed full of Oscar facts, such as the main category winners for every year, the key designers and trends, as well as an overview of the history of the Oscars. It's a perfectly edited package with all the key facts you want to know and none of the waffle. It is a great 'coffee-table book', one that every time I pick up, I have endless fascination with. Movie stars and fashion - a winning combination.

Shakespeare by Bill Bryson

On a recent weekend in beautiful Bath with my boyfriend, we of course visited the Roman Bath Museum, where one of the optional commentaries was by Bill Bryson, giving his wonderful take on the traditions and architecture of ancient Rome.

Being a fan of fateful encounters, when I was later that day perusing in a charity shop and saw the above book, it was obvious that Bath was telling me I needed to read it. And Bath was correct, Bill's biography of Shakespeare's life brilliantly sums up all that is known of the great man's life and that, interestingly, is not very much.

Shakespeare has been the subject of so much theory and speculation, the most common being that he didn't actually write the works attributed to him, a notion which Bill dispels and considering the massive work of literature that Shakespeare left us, the known facts of his life only cover 195 pages. I loved this book for that very reason, it focused on facts only and still provided an informative account as it presented Shakespeare's life in historical context.