Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Harry Potter Series #7 (J.K. Rowling)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Harry Potter Series #7

J.K. Rowling

Blurb: Harry is waiting in Privet Drive. The Order of the Phoenix is coming to escort him safely away without Voldemort and his supporters knowing - if they can. But what will Harry do then? How can he fulfil the momentous and seemingly impossible task that Professor Dumbledore has left him? 

Harry has been burdened with a dark, dangerous and seemingly impossible task: that of locating and destroying Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Never has Harry felt so alone, or faced a future so full of shadows. But Harry must somehow find within himself the strength to complete the task he has been given. He must leave the warmth, safety and companionship of The Burrow and follow without fear or hesitation the inexorable path laid out for him...

In this final, seventh instalment of the Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling unveils in spectacular fashion the answers to the many questions that have been so eagerly awaited. The spellbinding, richly woven narrative, which plunges, twists and turns at a breathtaking pace, confirms the author as a mistress of storytelling, whose books will be read, reread and read again.

ISBN: 9780747591054 (Hardback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Bloomsbury 

Pages: 607 (Fiction)

Links

1. IMDB page for the film adaption

2. Wikipedia page 

3. Goodreads page

4. Buy from Amazon

5. Harry Potter fan site

Beowulf (Caitlin R. Kiernan)

Beowulf

Caitlin R. Kiernan

Blurb: Who will come to the aid of the beleaguered King Hrothgar, whose warriors have become the prey of the outcast creature Grendel?

A grand and glorious story that has endured for centuries, this classic tale of heroes, gods and monsters takes on breathtaking new life in a remarkable new version for a modern era.

Brilliantly reimagined by acclaimed, award-winning author Caitlin R. Kiernan, based on the screenplay by the No. 1 bestseller Neil Gaiman and Academy Award winning screenwriter Roger Avary, it tells of a noble lord and a terrible creature who has brought death, blood and destruction to his kingdom - and of the great hero, Beowulf, who is called to a land of monsters to triumph where so many have failed...or to die as so many of the brave have before him.

ISBN: 9780553819373 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Bantam Books

Pages: 371 (Fiction)

Links

1. Buy from Amazon

2. Publisher's book

3. Review of the book

4. Wikipedia page for the author

5. Goodreads page for the book

The Taste of Night - The Second Sign of the Zodiac (Vicki Pettersson)

The Taste of Night - The Second Sign of the Zodiac

Vicki Pettersson

Blurb: Being mortal isn't easy. Being a superhero is even harder.

Even mortal, Joanna Archer was nobody's idea of a victim. She survived physical trauma and emotional devastation long before her true destiny was revealed on her 25th birthday. But now, infused with the supernatural power to alter the battle between Shadow and Light forever, she has become a target.

The Shadow Zodiac of Las Vegas will stop at nothing to force Joanna's allegiance, and they will stop at nothing to destroy her if she continues to resist them. But when a toxic virus strikes Las Vegas, Joanna's friends and loved ones become targets too and she knows she must act.

To find the cure and best the Shadows Joanna must alienate her allies and release the darkness within her, but first she must vanquish the demons in her past.

ISBN: 9780007270224 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Pages: 440 (Fiction)

Links

1. Buy from Amazon

2. Goodreads page

3. Browse inside the book

4. Author's official page

5. Wikipedia page for the author

The Scent of Shadows - The First Sign of the Zodiac (Vicki Pettersson)

The Scent of Shadows - The First Sign of the Zodiac

Vicki Pettersson

Blurb: Before you plan your next trip to Vegas, you might want to answer... Are you Light? Or are you Shadow?

Because there's another world behind the neon lights and action of sin city; a world where forces of Light and Shadow wage war, and only twelve brave men and women endowed with supernatural abilities keep evil at bay.

But the battle has reached a tipping point, and just one person will control the fate of the city: casino heiress, photographer, and vigilante: Joanna Archer.

Brutally raped as a teenager, Joanna should, bu rights, be dead. Now she prowls the streets after sunset, seeking answers to whom or what she really is and revenge for the horrors she was forced to endure.

But the nightmare is just beginning, for the demons are hunting Joanna, and the powerful Shadows want her for their own...

ISBN: 9780007270217 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Harper Voyager

Pages: 455 (Fiction)

Links

1. Buy from Amazon

2. Author's official site

3. Preview the book at Harper Collins

4. Goodreads page

5. Review of the book

Kouta (Anthony Koutoufides with Tony De Bolfo)

Kouta

Anthony Koutoufides with Tony De Bolfo

Blurb: I can, I will, just watch me.

Carlton fans adored him for his ability to win games off his own boot; opponents admired him for his seemingly superhuman feats. And today, AFL coaches still scour the fields for rookies of his ilk. But there's only one Anthony Koutofides.

For sixteen years, Kouta's name echoed throughout the stands and for good reason - his speed, strength, skill and aerial ability epitomised the modern game. His one-handed pick-up brought him to the attention of his coach, but his strong mark, beautiful kick and sheer athleticism won over all the fans. A premiership player and twice All-Australia, Kouta certainly found success but his career hasn't always been a fairytale. Chronic injuries restricted his game, personal tragedy left him reeling and when he was made captain, he had to lead the club through some of its darkest days.

As he farewells the game, Kouta tells all - the pressures of mounting expectation, club politics, drug allegations and the changing face of football. He recounts his journey from the early days in Lalor (when all you needed was a game of kick-to-kick in the street) to the big lights and pay packets of a national league, where controversy pops up at the slightest provocation. Insightful and entertaining, Kouta is a candid look at out beloved game from perhaps the greatest player of his era.

ISBN: 9781740665407 (Hardback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Hardie Grant Books

Pages: 232 (Non-Fiction)

Links

1. Buy from Amazon

2. Review of the book

3. Goodreads page for the book

4. Article on the author

5. Wikipedia page for the author

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Diary of a Wimpy Kid #1 (Jeff Kinney)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Diary of a Wimpy Kid #1

Jeff Kinney

Blurb: Being a kid can really stink. And no one knows this better than Greg Heffley, who finds himself thrust into high school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving.

Luckily Greg has his best friend and sidekick, Rowley. But when Rowley's popularity starts to rise, it kicks off a chain of events that will test their friendship in hilarious fashion. 

ISBN: 9780143303831 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Puffin Books

Pages: 217 (Fiction)

Links

1. Official website of the series

2. Wikipedia page for the book

3. Goodreads page

4. Buy from Amazon

5. Trailer for the film based on the book

The Almost Moon (Alice Sebold)

The Almost Moon

Alice Sebold

Blurb: Helen Knightly has spent a lifetime trying to win the love of a mother who had none to spare. And as this electrifying novel opens, she steps over a boundary she never dreamt she would even approach. But while her act is almost unconscious, it also seems like the fulfilment of a lifetime's buried desire.

Over the next twenty-four hours, her life rushes in at her as she confronts the choices that have brought her to this crossroads.

ISBN: 9780330451352 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Picador

Pages: 291 (Fiction)

Links

1. Review of the book

2. NY Times review of the book

3. Buy from Amazon

4. Wikipedia page for the book

5. Wikipedia page for the author

Napoleon in Egypt (Paul Strathern)

Napoleon in Egypt

Paul Strathern

Blurb: Napoleon's attack on Egypt in 1798 was the first on a Middle-Eastern country by a Western power in modern times. With 335 ships and 40,000 men, it was also the largest long-distance seaborne force the world had ever seen. Napoleon's assault was intended to be much more than a colonial adventure, however, for he took with him over one hundred and fifty scientists, mathematicians, artists and writers - a 'Legion of Culture' - with a view to bringing Western civilisation to 'backward' Egypt.

Ironically, what these intellectuals discovered in Egypt would transform our knowledge of Western civilisation and form the basis of Egyptology. But there were also setbacks: Nelson's destruction of the French fleet at the Battle of the Nile apparently put an end to Napoleon's secret plans to follow in the footsteps of Alexander the Great and invade India.

Napoleon was just 28 when he invaded Egypt but it was an episode which contained in embryo many seminal events of his later career and set the standard for his brilliant, ambitious and ultimately disastrous life.

ISBN: 9781844139170 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Vintage Books

Pages: 480 (Non-Fiction)

Links

1. Buy from Amazon

2. Goodreads page

3. Review of the book

4. Blog on the book

5. Wikipedia page on the author

The Last Train to Kazan (Stephen Miller)

The Last Train to Kazan

Stephen Miller

Blurb: As World War One rumbles to a close and Russia is wracked by bloody civil war, ex-Tsarist agent Pyotr Ryzhkov is picked up by the Bolshevik secret police. He has two choices: find the Russian Royal Family, or face the firing squad. But as he ventures into the war-torn city where they are rumoured to be held, it seems that one choice is little better than the other.

Yekaterinburg is at the end of the line - a frontier town cut off from Moscow by the White Russians and their allies. It is a nest of foreign spies armed with gold and guns, those determined to sell the family to the highest bidder and local soviets desperate to kill them. Whispers and rumour flood the city, but in the fog of war Ryzhkov knows that only the last man to see the Romanovs will ever know the truth. 

ISBN: 9780007191239 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Harper

Pages: 420 (Fiction)

Links

1. Review of the book

2. Publisher's page for the book

3. Buy from Amazon

4. Author's official site

5. Goodreads page

Skulduggery Pleasant - Skulduggery Pleasant #1 (Derek Landy)

Skulduggery Pleasant - Skulduggery Pleasant #1

Derek Landy

Blurb: 'With his sunglasses gone there was no denying the fact that he had no face. All he had was a skull for a head.'

Meet Skulduggery Pleasant: wise-cracking detective, powerful magician, sworn enemy of evil.

Oh yes. And dead.

ISBN: 9780007241620 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Harper Collins

Pages: 380 (Fiction)

Links

1. Review of the book

2. Buy from Readings

3. Official site of the series

4. Wikipedia page for the series

5. Wiki for the series

The Suspect & The Night Ferry - Omnibus (Michael Robotham)

The Suspect & The Night Ferry - Omnibus

Michael Robotham

Blurb: The Suspect

Joseph O'Loughlin appears to have the perfect life - a beautiful wife, a loving daughter and a successful career as a clinical psychologist. But nothing can be taken for granted. Even the most flawless existence is only a loose thread away from unravelling. All it takes is a murdered girl, a troubled young patient and the biggest lie of his life...

The Night Ferry

Alisha Barba receives a message from a school friend, Cate Beaumont, who is eight months pregnant and in trouble. But on the night they arrange to meet, Cate is mown down by a car. Now Alisha has to discover why Cate contacted her - and why her old friend created such a trail of deception...

ISBN: 9780751544268 (Paperback)

Year: 2004 & 2007

Publisher: Sphere

Pages: 501 (Fiction)

Links

1. Buy from Amazon

2. Author's official site

3. Wikipedia page for the author

4. Goodreads page for the author

5. Crime Down Under page for the author

Bill Clinton - Mastering The Presidency (Nigel Hamilton)

Bill Clinton - Mastering The Presidency

Nigel Hamilton

Blurb: Following on from the widely praised Bill Clinton: An American Journey, Nigel Hamilton takes us on another journey: charting the experience of the 42nd President as he took the presidential oath of office - and how he fared thereafter in the piranha pool of Washington D.C.

Hamilton charts what was possibly the greatest disaster and re-reinvention of a president in office in modern times. The Clinton administration began ominously badly - kicking off with the worst transition in living memory. The presidency then deteriorated through a series of fiascos at every level. The story of how Bill Clinton faced up to his failures, and refashioned himself in the White House in thus an epic one. It is a story that climaxes with a thriving U.S. economy and hard-won wisdom in international affairs. Clinton would begin his second term as the undisputed, immensely popular leader of the Western world - aware, however, that terrors and treason within America loomed as large as dangers abroad.

Insightful, balanced, prodigiously researched and a joy to read, Bill Clinton: Mastering The Presidency sets the classic story of Clinton's extraordinary effort to be a modern president, in a modern world.

ISBN: 9780099461340 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Arrow Books

Pages: 766 (Non-Fiction)

Links

1. Buy from Amazon

2. Review of the book

3. Goodreads page

4. Another review

5. Wikipedia page for the author

Defining Moments in Movies: The Greatest Films, Stars, Scenes, and Events that Made Movie Magic (Chris Fujiwara)

Defining Moments in Movies: The Greatest Films, Stars, Scenes, and Events that Made Movie Magic

Edited by Chris Fujiwara

Blurb: Part expert selection of seminal moments, part glorious celebration of over 100 years of cinema. The moments are divided into categories. The seminal films, the major players - actors, actresses, directors, producers - focusing on a moment that encompasses their contribution, great scenes, great lines, and major events - from meetings and debuts to casting quirks and deaths. Whether dazzlingly inventive, technically breathtaking, shockingly simple or simply shocking, these moments took movies to their greatest heights. Some are legendary - the spectacular action sequence, awesome special effects, extraordinary performances, genius direction or unforgettable dialogue. Others are more subtle - groundbreaking films that inspired decades of imitators, the first screen appearance of a future star, the untimely death of a major player, or even the roll of the dice on the casting couch that gave us Brandon's Godfather rather than Borgnine's.

Each moment is an indelible, vital or explosive turning point in filmmaking, each reviewed in its historic context with an overview of its impact on movie history, movie making and movie viewing.

-Written by a superb selection of international film writers, critics, experts and film makers, here is an intelligent guide to over a century of major movies, film history and criticism.

-In depth reviews of key scenes, speeches and seminal films from over 50 countries offer rare insight into the giants of the silver screen.

-Biography and impact of the major movers and shakers covers the great directors, cinematographers and stars.

ISBN: 9781844036042 (Softback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Cassell

Pages: 800 (Non-Fiction)

Links

1. About the editor

2. Goodreads page for the book

3. Examples from the book

4. Blog on the book

5. Buy from QBD

Vampire Academy - Vampire Academy #1 (Richelle Mead)

Vampire Academy (Vampire Academy #1)

Richelle Mead

Blurb: Only a true best friend can protect you from you immortal enemies...

Lissa Dragomir is a Moroi princess: a moral vampire with an unbreakable bond to the earth's magic. She must be protected at all times from Strigoi; the fiercest and most dangerous vampires - the ones who never die.

The powerful blend of human and vampire blood that flows through Rose Hathaway, Lissa's best friend, makes her a Dhampir. Rose is dedicated to a dangerous life of protecting Lissa from the Strigoi, who are hell-bent on making her one of them.

After two years of illicit freedom, Rose and Lissa are caught and dragged back to St. Vladimir's Academy, hidden in the deep forests of Montana. Rose will continue her Dhampir education. Lissa will go back to being Queen of the elite Moroi social scene. And both girls will resume breaking Academy hearts.

Fear made Lissa and Rose run away from St. Vladimir's - inside the Academy's iron gates, their world is even more fraught with danger. Here, the cutthroat ranks of the Moroi perform unspeakable rituals, and their secretive native and love of the night creates an enigmatic world full of social complexities. Rose and Lissa must navigate through this dangerous world, confront the temptation of forbidden romance, and never once let their guard down, lest the Strigoi make Lissa one of them forever...

ISBN: 9781595141743 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Razorbill

Pages: 332 (Fiction)

Links

1. Goodreads page for the book

2. Author's official site

3. Site for the series

4. Wikipedia page for the author

5. Review of the book

Body of Lies (David Ignatius)

Body of Lies

David Ignatius

Blurb: CIA agent Roger Ferris is on the verge of penetrating the network of the master terrorist known only as 'Suleiman'. Weaving a daring web of lies and deception, he hopes to trick the enemy into believing a CIA operative has infiltrated their ranks.

But when his intricate plans start to unravel, Ferris finds himself completely exposed and totally alone. Unable to rely on his CIA bosses, his only hope is an uneasy alliance with the head of Jordan's infamous intelligence service.

But with his life at stake, can he trust anyone?

ISBN: 9781847248664 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Quercus

Pages: 418 (Fiction)

Links

1. Wikipedia page for the book

2. Buy from Amazon

3. IMDB page for the film adaption

4. Q&A with author on the book

5. Good reads page for the author

Ritual & Legacy - Vampire Beach Series #3 & #4 (Alex Duval)

Ritual & Legacy (Vampire Beach Series #3 & #4)

Alex Duval

Blurb: He'd seen her look this gorgeous once before, when she had first told him that she was a vampire.

She'd let him see her true beauty then and it was just as mesmerising now. Her black hair glimmered in the dim light, her skin was sheer golden perfection and, all of a sudden, Jason felt like the bigger idiot in the world. Why had he ever let himself think that Sienna would want to be with him? She was one of them. He wasn't. End of story. Then she turned. Her dark eyes met him across the sea of faces, and she smiled. A sizzle raced through Jason's body and all his doubt dissapeared. It didn't matter what she was or what he wasn't. They were made for each other.

Jason's life in Malibu is looking up, especially now Sienna, the most beautiful girl in town, seems to be interested in him. Jason is learning to live with Sienna's dark secret - that she and her friends are vampires - but is she more trouble than she's worth?

ISBN: 9781862308978 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Red Fox

Pages: 249 (Fiction)

Links

1. Buy from Amazon

2. Google books page

3. Publisher's page for the series

4. Blog on the book

5. Good reads page for the book

The Colour of Law & The Abduction: Omnibus (Mark Gimenez)

The Colour of Law & The Abduction: Omnibus

Mark Gimenez

Blurb: THE COLOUR OF LAW

A. Scott Fenney is a rich Dallas corporate lawyer in the prime of his life, with a beautiful house, a beautiful wife and an adored daughter. But when a rich senator's son dies in mysterious circumstances, Fenney is asked by the federal judge to put his air-conditioned lifestyle on hold to defend the accused: a black, heroin-addicted prostitute. Scott believes in justice - but is his belief strong enough to withstand the loss of everything he holds dear?

THE ABDUCTION

When Elizabeth Brice turns up to collect her daughter Grace from football practice, the coach tells her she needn't have bothered, as Grace's uncle has already picked her up. The only problem is - Grace has no uncles. And so begins a furious race against time to save Grace from unknown kidnappers. But secrets from the past make the little girl's survival more uncertain with every passing minute...

ISBN: 9780751544121(Paperback)

Year: 2005 & 2007

Publisher: Sphere

Pages: 465 & 520 (Fiction)

Links

1. Author's official site

2. Publisher's page

3. Buy The Colour of Law from Amazon

4. Author's Wikipedia page

5. Buy The Abduction from Amazon

Irons in the Fire (Russell Brand)

Irons in the Fire

Russell Brand

Blurb: '... the writings of a highly capricious and volatile witness to events at Upton Park and Soho Square...'

This is how Russell Brand describes this compilation of his Guardian columns that lead us from the disappointment of the World Cup through the following turbulent season for West Ham and England.

Brand writes about West Ham Football Club in a way that transcends club loyalties, and even a passion for football, to take us on the journey that 'Homer himself would regard as improbable.'

ISBN: 9780340961360 (Hardback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Pages: 152 (Non-Fiction)

Links

1. Author's Wikipedia page

2. Buy from Amazon

3. Fansite for the author

4. Goodreads page for the book

5. Buy from Play.com

Deadly Beloved (Max Allan Collins)

Deadly Beloved

Max Allan Collins

Blurb: Marcy Addwater killed her husband - there's no question about that. Shot him dead in the motel room where he was trysting with a blonde hooker. Shot the hooker, too.

But where the copts might see an open-and-shut case, private eye Michael Tree - Ms. Michael Tree - sees a conspiracy. For Ms. Tree, digging into it could mean digging her own grave...and digging up her own murdered husband's.

Based on the longest-rinning private-eye comic book series of all time, DEADLY BELOVED brings you an all-new adventure of the legendary Ms. Tree - the groundbreaking female P.I. who put the 'graphic' into graphic novel...

ISBN: 9780843957785 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Dorchester Publishing

Pages: 203 (Fiction)

Links

1. Review of the book

2. Buy from Amazon

3. Author's Wikipedia page

4. Good reads page

5. Excerpt from the book

Blaze (Stephen King / Richard Bachman)

Blaze

Richard Bachman / Stephen King

Blurb: Once upon a time, a fellow named Richard Bachman wrote Blaze on an Olivetti typewriter, then turned the machine over to Stephen King, who used it to write Carrie. Bachman died in 1985 ('cancer of the pseudonym') but this last gripping Bachman novel resurfaced after being hidden away for decades - an unforgettable crime story tinged with sadness and suspense.

Clayton Blaisdell, Jr., was always a small-time delinquent. None too bright either, thanks to the beatings he got as a kid. Then Blaze met George Rackley, a seasoned pro with a hundred cons and one big idea. The kidnapping should go off without a hitch, with George as the brains behind their dangerous scheme. But there's only one problem: by the time the deal goes down, Blaze's partner in crime is dead. Or is he?

ISBN: 9781416555049 (Paperback)

Year: 2007

Publisher: Pocket Books

Pages: 373 (Fiction)

Links

1. Wikipedia page for the book

2. Author's page for the novel

3. Google books page

4. Review of the book

5. Buy from Amazon