Notes of Life

When Amazon have offers on for their e-books, you may find yourself buying a number of books for 99p for less. While this is good news for you, despite the low cost, it may not be good for your debit/credit card.

Why?

When a small about (such as below £1) is attributed to your bank card it can be flagged up as “suspect”, especially if a number of small amounts are charged to the card. This is because fraudulent card use often starts with a few small purchases (to check if you are keeping a note on what’s going out of your bank account) before a large fraudulent purchase is made. Then your bank may put a stop on any payments going out of your bank and you won’t be able to buy anything (Nightmare, especially when it’s Christmas!) or you’ll get security checked when trying to buy something in a shop (depends on your bank really).

This has happened to me twice now after buying a handful of bargain e-books for my Kindle, both times at Christmas-time (once last year and once this year)! The first time my bank didn’t notify me and I found out when trying to pay for petrol at the local garage (thankfully I had cash on me too). I then had to go to the bank and sort it out (and it was sorted out pretty swiftly to be fair to them, once I’d confirmed each purchase with them). The second time it happened, I had an automated call from the bank and again had to confirm purchases.

The real issue here is that you can only buy e-books from Amazon via their one-click option and so if you buy a number of low priced e-books (particularly under £1) in short succession, your bank may flag fraudulent activity on your account, even though it isn’t (this will depend on your bank and how security conscious they are)..

Having now been stung twice with this, I have found an easy work around…

The answer?

Buy yourself a gift certificate from Amazon (sent to your own email address) and use that to buy your e-books! It only takes minutes to come through and you can use it as and when you need to. I had to do this the other day as Mum wanted quite a few e-books to go on her new Kindle, so I just bought a gift certificate and used that to buy them (as a few of them were bargains at just 99p!).

P.S. – This won’t happen to everybody, but I have found a message board on Amazon about it happening to others too.

On another side note… Who knew the latest UK Kindle doesn’t ship with a power adapter? Mum’s having to borrow mine!

I’m afraid I only managed a grand total of 3 book reviews this month, so not exactly a great end to the year on that front. I was so busy with work, a trip to London and Christmas shopping during the first couple of weeks of the month and then I’ve spent most of the past week ill in bed. I had been hoping to catch up with my reading this week, but there were some days where the words seemed to be dancing on the pages and I just couldn’t concentrate. Thankfully, I do seem to be starting to feel better now, so I should hopefully be able to get some more reading done (Not much point in doing much else as the weather here is awfully wet and windy at the moment).

Anyway, here’s what I read and reviewed during December…

15th December – Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick
The third book in the popular YA urban fantasy series by Becca Fitzpatrick. It was great to catch up with Nora & Patch again and I’m already looking forward to the fourth book in the series.

25th December – Sleepwalker by Karen Robards
This is a non-stop, fast-paced crime thriller full of suspence, tension, action and even a bit of passion. I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

29th December – Bryant & May and The Memory of Blood by Christopher Fowler
Book 9 in the Bryant & May series, but one you can jump into and enjoy without having read any of the other books. An entertaining mystery with London’s oldest detectives.

I also got to do another of my “Meet the Author” posts this month, this time with the wonderful Ben Fogle! Big thanks go to Transworld Publishers for organising that one. There will be more of these posts in the new year, with one already in the works – so look out for that shortly!

I’m currently reading Ghost Story by Jim Butcher (Book #13 of The Dresden Files). As it’s the 13th book and at a crucial turning point in the series, I won’t be reviewing this one. However, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, The Dresden Files is my favourite series of books. Any urban fantasy reader who hasn’t read them is definitely missing out! I would normally read the latest Dresden Files book as soon as it lands in my hands, but review copies take priority so I’ve left it until now to read… However, it’s definitely been well worth the wait!

Having enjoyed participating in the British Books Challenge 2011 this year, I’ve signed up once again to do the British Books Challenge 2012. The aim of the challenge is to read 12 books by British authors in 2012 and this year I managed to read 27… So I think that will be my target to beat in 2012! I’ve already got an idea of some of the British books I want to read in 2012, but feel free to recommend any you think I’d enjoy.

Right then, that’s all from me for now. I’m off to enjoy a nice long bath using some wonderful Lush goodies. If I don’t catch you before the year is out (not long now!), all the best for 2012!

Author: Christopher Fowler
Publisher: Transworld Publishers
ISBN: 9780857520494

Having spotted a signed copy of Christopher Fowler’s Bryant & May and The Memory of Blood in Blackwell’s Bookshop in London, I had to snap it up. I do enjoy the Bryant & May novels!

Aging detectives Arthur Bryant and John May return in their latest case: The Memory of Blood.

A young baby, Noah Kramer, has been strangled and thrown through an open window from a locked room on a went night in London. The culprit is found lying next to the child’s cot, seemingly a grotesque antique puppet of Mr Punch – the marks of his hands found clearly on the baby’s throat.

It’s the perfect case for Bryant & May and the Peculiar Crimes Unit, but with family having hosted a party that night, the suspects mount up and it’s not going to be an easy case to solve, especially when they’re against the clock.

Adding to Bryant’s troubles, his biographer suddenly dies and he feels compelled to investigate her timely, though seemingly natural, death too.

This is almost familiar territory for regular Bryant & May readers as this isn’t the first case to feature the world of theatre. This time the detectives delve into the world of Punch & Judy, automata (think of the “Zoltar Speaks” machine in the film Big starring Tom Hanks), stagecraft, effects and illusions.

I very much enjoyed the “Eyes Only” Guide to the Peculiar Crimes Unit, Its Staff and Aims at the start of the book.A quick note before the “Guide” tells us it can be read before the case, skipped or used for reference. However, I think it should be read… It gives the reader an internal view of the workings of the PCU and its staff. So if you’re a regular reader of the Bryant & May series you can get a quick reminder (though the main characters have a tendency to stay with you) or newcomers can get a good idea of what kind of characters they are in for!

Bryant & May are curious characters. They’re akin to Poirot and that kind of character, but Bryant & May are very much a double act. Even if you’ve not read any of the other books in the series, you’ll have a real feel for the main characters just a few chapters in.

I have quite a soft spot for Arthur Bryant. He’s a unique old character with a pretty unique thought pattern. Bryant provides the comedy for the Bryant & May novels, while John May is his straight man. Several parts of the book got me chuckling and it was usually something to do with Bryant (like when May discovered Bryant was wearing pajamas underneath his trousers just as they’d knocked on the door of a suspect!).

The Bryant & May books are a wonderful series of mystery novels and they’re written in such a way that you can dip in and out of the series without worry. For example, I started the series with Bryant & May On The Loose and then Bryant & May Off The Rails (books 7 & 8 – though I do think these two are best read in order), before going back to the start of the series and then returning to Bryant & May and The Memory of Blood, the latest Bryant & May. I had absolutely no problems in getting “into” the books.

The Bryant & May books aren’t thrillers but mysteries that will have you pointed one way and then another, and The Memory of Blood is no different. It’s entertaining mystery that will keep even the author’s fans on their toes. The Bryant & May books are novels that can be enjoyed by anyone, not just fans of crime fiction.

This is possibly my last review of 2011, but it is definitely one of my favourite books of the year.

Buy Bryant & May and The Memory of Blood by Christopher Fowler.

Christopher Fowler is an award-winning British author from London.

This is the 27th book I’ve read for the British Books Challenge.

Author: Karen Robards
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 978-1-444-70999-5

Despite Karen Robards being an author of more than thirty novels, Sleepwalker is the first that I’ve read of them. Oh, how I’ve been missing out!

Micayla Lange (affectionately known as Mick) is looking after her old family friend Nicco Marino’s mansion over New Year, but when she discovers somebody breaking into the mansion. She has no idea this discovery is going to change her life…

As Mick pulls a gun on the thief, he drops the bag he’s stolen and it’s contents spill out. Not only is it full of money, but it also contains photos… photos not meant to be seen, least of all by Mick, a police officer. With the whole thing captured on CCTV, Mick may now been in mortal danger from those she once trusted.

Mick and the thief must now team up if there’s any chance of either of them escaping this situation, but can they trust each other?

Sleepwalker is a non-stop, thrilling, fast-paced, rollercoaster ride of a novel. Full of tension, action and even a little passion. It’s even quite humorous at times. This cat and mouse chase story keeps the reader turning the pages as it really doesn’t let up. With it’s twists and turns, you really won’t want to put it down!

Mick is a cop through-and-through and so going on the run with Jason the thief goes against her very nature, but she has no other choice. The romantic suspense and tension between them is practically sizzling, after all any kind of romance between a cop and a thief is forbidden, but sometimes it just can’t be helped.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Sleepwalker and would whole-heartedly recommend it. I’ll certainly be checking out Karen Robards’ other novels if this is the standard to be expected.

Sleepwalker by Karen Robards is published in the UK by Hodder and Stoughton on 5th January 2012. Pre-order your copy now!

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Please note: I received this book free from Hodder & Stoughton in return for a review. However, this has in no way influenced my opinion of the book.

Well, it’s Christmas Eve tomorrow and my work is done for another year. I’ve now got a week and a half of to do with as I wish… After the busy couple of months I’ve had, I think I’ll be spending the time relaxing and reading. I can’t relax just yet though as I’ve still got some Christmas presents to wrap and I’m off out tonight for some Christmas drinks with a friend.

My Christmas Eve will be spent mainly with family, while Christmas Day itself is looking to be a quieter affair. No doubt plenty of food will be eaten and plenty of drink drunk!

While I may be on a Christmas break from work, I’ll still be updating the blog and a review will be up shortly (I’m accutely aware I’ve only posted one book review this month… Maybe my New Year’s Resolution should be to get on with my reading!).

Anyway, it’s time I was off. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, no matter what you’re doing.