The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

Another Man Booker nominee, and another great read. A very interesting book, made more so in that it is one side of a long conversation over a meal between the narrator, Changez, and the American he has joined for dinner. We only hear Changez speak, and much of the tale is his story of going to university in America and working in America before, and just after, 9/11. However, there are interludes, where Changez orders food or replies to the unheard question of the stranger.

It is a melancholy story, a bit bizarre in places, and sad ... and with an ending full of possibilities ... which leaves you wondering.

I have to confess that I have never really read many Booker Award shortlisted books before ... but this year, there has been an excellent selection!

• Darkmans by Nicola Barker (Fourth Estate)
• The Gathering by Anne Enright (Jonathan Cape)
• The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid (Hamish Hamilton)
• Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones (John Murray)
• On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (Jonathan Cape)
• Animal’s People by Indra Sinha (Simon & Schuster)

So far I have read the four in red ... I have been keen to read Animal's People for some time, and if the standard of the ones I have read is anything to go by, I need to read Darkmans as well!

The Medici Secret by Michael White

Another ancient secret, crime thriller. I bought it on purpose to have something light and easy to read, that might entertain and partly educate at the same time, although educate is perhaps not exactly the right word to describe the effect of these ancient conspiracy books! But it was fun to lie in bed this morning and read about the Medici family and an ancient mystery while trying to solve puzzles along with some non detective or police heroes. It fitted the bill well.

Fallen Gods by Quintin Jardine

I'm not entirely sure where to start with this one! It was lent to me by a colleague. I'm not sure if that was because he realised I would be familiar with some of the places described in the book, which covers Edinburgh, Buffalo, Perth, Pitlochry and Gullane Bay. Certainly was interesting! The only thing was that, like my last read, this book also seems to come in the middle of a long Bob Skinner series! Another whodunnit, every chapter covers a different part of a multifaceted story that ties together (a little bit implausibly!) at the end. It's great to be on holiday - after having read the opening chapters on the tube in the past couple of days, I woke up reasonably early today and stayed in bed until I finished the book at lunchtime! Another easy read, enjoyable, fun, not too taxing. Would read another - perhaps an earlier one! I do think I now know a little bit too much for the earlier ones though!

The Immaculate Deception by Iain Pears

When we visited the National Gallery, I decided to pick up a book. On artworld crime and mystery. A bit like The Da Vinci Code. So I opened a couple of books by the author Iain Pears, discovered this particular title at the top of the list, assumed it must be the first one in the Jonathan Argyll series, so bought it. As I read, I quickly realised it was not the first, so looked it up on the web ... it was the most recent one! So now I have met characters from earlier books that will make some of the mysteries a lot less mysterious! Never mind, I enjoyed this as a lighthearted good tube read, and do plan on reading the earlier ones - hopefully in the right order this time!

An interesting side note ... having finished the book, I overheard one of the key paintings being talked about on a DVD from the National Gallery - Claude's "Cephalus and Procris". Interestingly, the link I have just given leads to a picture at the National Gallery where this couple are reunited by Diana ... however, it refers to another picture where Claude depicts the death of Procris, which apparently is now missing, and it is this painting that is referred to in the book (and I thought they might have handed it back!).