Title: Wizard’s First Rule Author: Terry Goodkind Genre: Fantasy Publication date: 2003 Summary: In the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father, a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher’s forest sanctuary seeking help . . . and more.  His world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence. In a dark age it takes courage to live, and more than mere courage to challenge those who hold dominion, Richard and Kahlan must take up that challenge or become the next victims. Beyond awaits a bewitching land where even the best of their hearts could betray them. Yet, Richard fears nothing so much as what secrets his sword might reveal about his own soul. Falling in love would destroy them–for reasons Richard can’t imagine and Kahlan dare not say. In their darkest hour, hunted relentlessly, tormented by treachery and loss, Kahlan calls upon Richard to reach beyond his sword–to invoke within himself something more noble. Neither knows that the rules of battle have just changed . . . or that their time has run out.      So in a spring of the moment I changed my mind (again!) and decided to put…

Title: Magic Strikes Author: Ilona Andrews Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Romance/ Adventure Publication date: 2009 Summary: When magic strikes and Atlanta goes to pieces, it’s a job for Kate Daniels… Drafted to work for the Order of Knights of Merciful Aid, mercenary Kate Daniels has more paranormal problems these days than she knows what to do with. And in Atlanta, where magic comes and goes like the tide, that’s saying a lot. But when Kate’s werewolf friend Derek is discovered nearly dead, she must confront her greatest challenge yet. As her investigation leads her to the Midnight Games—an invitation-only, no-holds-barred, ultimate preternatural fighting tournament—she and Curran, the Lord of the Beasts, uncover a dark plot that may forever alter the face of Atlanta’s shapeshifting community…     If I put as much passion into work as I put into reading… well, I might start going places 😀 I need to find a job reading books and getting paid for it…     Anyway, I finished with Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews, third book of the series about Kate Daniels, about 8 am this morning. Yes, I did read all night. Sue me. Now I’m so hooked that I may do something…

Title: Magic Burns Author: Ilona Andrews Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Romance/ Adventure Publication date: 2008 Summary: Down in Atlanta, tempers – and temperatures – are about to flare… As a mercenary who cleans up after magic gone wrong, Kate Daniels has seen her share of occupational hazards. Normally, waves of paranormal energy ebb and flow across Atlanta like a tide. But once every seven years, a flare comes, a time when magic runs rampant. Now Kate’s going to have to deal with problems on a much bigger scale: a divine one. When Kate sets out to retrieve a set of stolen maps for the Pack, Atlanta’s paramilitary clan of shapeshifters, she quickly realizes much more at stake. During a flare, gods and goddesses can manifest – and battle for power. The stolen maps are only the opening gambit in an epic tug-of-war between two gods hoping for rebirth. And if Kate can’t stop the cataclysmic showdown, the city may not survive…     I can’t say I am surprised that I finished the second book about Kate Daniels in a single week. Ilona Andrew‘s series is one heck of a page-turner and it simply doesn’t let you sit around, ignoring it….

Title: Magic Bites Author: Ilona Andrews Genre: Urban Fantasy/ Romance/ Adventure Publication date: 2007 Summary: Atlanta would be a nice place to live, if it weren’t for the magic… When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake. Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles. The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate’s guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league—but she wouldn’t have it any other way…      Magic Bites by the duo Ilona Andrews is a book long overdue in my reading list. First one from the series about Kate Daniels,…

Title: Dead Man’s Folly Author: Agatha Christie Genre: Mystery Publication date: 1956 Summary: Ariadne Oliver, Queen of Crime Fiction, has been asked to devise a “Murder Hunt” for a fête at Nasse House, the home of Sir George Stubbs. But she begins to suspect that someone is manipulating the scenario of her game and fears that something very sinister is being planned. She sends for her old friend Hercule Poirot. At first he is not inclined to take her very seriously but soon a series of events propels him to change his mind. Then suddenly all Ariadne’s worst fears are realised when the girl playing the part of the murder victim is found strangled in the boat-house. For Hercule Poirot, the Murder Hunt has become a grim reality.     Dead Man’s Folly is one of the numerous book written by the Queen of Mystery, Agatha Christie. Recently I got my hands on an enormous collection of Christie’s books and I’ve decided to give them a go. I mean, I’ve often been told by friends and teachers that she is the best in this genre and that her mysteries remain mysteries until the very end. After reading this book I am…

Title: The Picture of Dorian Gray Author: Oscar Wilde Genre: Classics/ Fantasy/ Horror Publication date: 1998 Summary: “The Picture of Dorian Gray” is Oscar Wilde’s classic tale of the moral decline of its title character, Dorian Gray. When Dorian has his portrait painted by Basil Hallward and wishes that he would stay young while his picture changes, his wish comes true. In exchange for this Dorian gives up his soul and as he ages the bad deeds that he commits are reflected in his painting and not him. “The Picture of Dorian Gray”, arguably Wilde’s most popular work, was considered quite scandalous when it was first published in the late 1800s in Victorian England.      The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only novel of the infamous author Oscar Wilde, and one that I find strangely controversial. I rarely read classics (like everybody else, don’t lie) but I was really looking forward to this one. It was mainly due to movies I’ve watched some time ago – the adaptation on ‘Dorian Gray‘ from 2009 and the TV Series – Penny Dreadful. And unfortunately I have to say that I was more interested in the movie adaptations than the book…