John Saturnall's Feast by Lawerence Norfolk, 410 pages

John Saturnall and his mother fled their village after accusations of witchcraft. Trying to stay alive in the woods during the winter, his mother opens a book and shares the story of an ancient feast, passed down through the generations. Unfortunately, it's not enough to keep his mother alive. Put to work in the kitchen at Buckland Manor, John becomes a cook, using the secrets of the feast. The English Civil War and figures from John's past threaten all that John holds dear.

This was a really strange read, with overtones of magic. I have to say that any book that involves Cromwell instantly has me on edge, because I feel such anger for what Cromwell destroyed. I'm not English and I'm far removed from this time period, so I'm not sure why I feel such a sense of ownership but I do. So that may have influenced my enjoyment of this book.

It's My Life by Francine Pascal, 178 pages

Each book is another one closer to the end of this series. These have been a great read when I want something quick and mindless.

The Illusion of Murder by Carol McCleary, 352 pages

This book had Nellie Bly trying to travel around the world in 72 days to beat Jules Verne's literary character in "Around the World in 80 Days". But of course Nellie is incapable of doing anything without getting involved in murder and intrigue.

The Alchemy of Murder by Carol McCleary, 364 pages

This book was a mystery featuring Nellie Bly, along with Pasteur, Jules Verne, Oscar Wilde and other historical characters. I love the mix of intrigue with actual people, it makes for a great literary read.

The Twelve Clues of Christmas by Rhys Bowen, 311 pages

I've become a big fan of these series because it's funny, intriguing, well-written and just plain fun to read.

Twice Upon A Time by James Riley, 340 pages

At this point, I'm just getting a lot of the juvenile books for myself, I don't even pretend to share them with Samantha. She can get her own books, lol. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, so I was glad to see the sequel come out. Now I've got to wait for the next one, boo hoo. These are fun in that they take the fairy tale world and kind of set it on it's tail. This book featured Peter Pan, the Little Mermaid, the Pied Piper, and Bluebeard. Lots of interesting characters and intriguing plot twists.

Monster Planet by David Wellington, 302 pages

This was the final entry in the zombie trilogy and I have to admit that I finished it just to say I did. This was the greatest zombie book and it was a little too freaky-deaky and disjointed for my taste. Not a great book to start the year with.