Recent Reads: Kill Your Boss

If you want to read a book that will turn heads on daily commute the cover of recently published 'Kill Your Boss' should suffice. But its not just the controversy of the title that deserves a mention. This relatively short novel is fast paced, surprising, shocking, exciting and not one to be pigeon-holed into a simple crime readership.

I delve in and out of most types of fiction but rarely have I enjoyed a thriller similar to the genre shared by 'Kill Your Boss'. I felt at times like I was watching this story pan out on a screen rather than on a page. Shane Kuhn writes as if he's scripting a movie. Perhaps this is what makes this book seem more accessible over more classic writers such as John le Carre or Jeffery Deaver.

The first chapter feels like a rocky start but this is short lived, what follows is a unique story that follows hitman, John, on his last job. A job that should signal the end of his career smoothly and blissfully. That is until he meets Alice, an associate at his victim's law firm whose position and wit causes John to break all the rules and make some fatal mistakes. This is far from chic lit; Kill Your Boss is action-packed, bloody, full of bodies yet without making the more sensitive reader feel uncomfortable. It's an easy read with a lot to offer for Tarantino lovers, Bond enthusiasts and those who just love a unique adventure. 

-xo-

New Titles to Come: October 2013

There are some exciting new titles coming out next month. Here is my pick of the batch. All links will pass you over to Hive.co.uk who will deliver your book to your nearest independent bookseller.

Title: The Circle
Author: David Eggers
Publisher: Penguin
Format: Hardback
Release Date: October 10th 2013
Summary: Even before its release The Circle is proving to be controversial. Eggers, author of last year's satirical Hologram for the King, has produced a challenge to large modern technology companies such as Facebook and Google and their influence as employers and on individual daily life. Pre-order this if you enjoy sci-fi, thrillers, social networking or technology.

Title: Bellman and Black
Author: Diane Setterfield
Publisher: Orion
Format: Hardback
Release Date: October 10th 2013
Summary: Setterfield has already proven herself as a talented writer through achieving the top spot of the New York Times Bestseller list for her novel The Thirteen Tale. In Victorian England a boy hits a rook with a slingshot; the cause of its sudden unexpected death. Years on as an adult with a family his childhood actions come back to haunt him. Pre-order this if you enjoy dark, gothic mysteries.

Title: Light Shining in the Forest
Author: Paul Torday
Publisher: Phoenix
Format: Paperback (Hardback was released in January 2013)
Release Date: 10th October 2013
Summary: Whilst not a completely new release the new paperback version of Torday's latest novel deserves a spot in the new titles list. Torday is a well known name in contemporary literature most notably known for Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. Light Shining in the Forest follows the story of newly appointed Children's Czar, Norman. When two children go missing shortly after his appointment Normal knows it is his responsibility to find them. The hardback version has already been awarded with some decent reviews. Pre-order this if you enjoy crime, thrillers and politically influenced novels.

Title: The Goldfinch
Author: Donna Tartt
Publisher: Little Brown Book Group
Format: Hardback
Release Date: 22nd October 2013
Summary: This is the long awaited new book of the author of two bestsellers; The Little Friend and The Secret History. Set in New York after a tragic accident which leaves protagonist, Theo, left to live with the family of a wealthy family friend. There are hints of dark undertones, of crime and underground New York. Most unusually the novel appears to surround itself around a painting. Theo's life is intrinsically linked to the painting that reminds him of his lost mother. There is a huge amount of talk about this novel and expectations are high. Pre-order this is if you are keen to be reading the next most talked about novel.

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The Future of Lending

There is no doubt that the launch of Amazon's kindle and the army of e-readers that followed have changed the way we read. Now more than ever people are reading again. The book market is on the rise again and the opportunities to make some dollar in the book market are ripe for the picking. But whilst the book market is on the rise the fate of libraries is looking bleak. The libraries in the UK have faced a dual attack. Not only has the government cut funding for new resources and new books but the pure simplicity of e-readers in simply clicking and downloading to read (no trips out the door and many books are competitively priced) has sealed the fate of many libraries which are becoming out of date and behind the times. 

 It would be completely understandable to assume that the days of lending books are coming to an end but instead a new business opportunity has arrived and there are those beginning to embrace it. Kindle has planned to introduce a lending scheme in which users can lend an e-book to a friend for two weeks. Whilst this is an amicable attempt at replicating the lending from friend to friend of physical p-books it is unlikely to increase profits on a large scale. Another company, however, has embraced the concept of lending in an entirely different way. The venture of Oyster could prove to be incredibly successful in terms of changing the way we read and the way books are lent. 

Oyster offers the e-book equivalent of companies like net-flix and lovefilm. The customer pays a set fee each month and is free to borrow and read as many titles as he or she wishes. The venture is still in its teething stages and is only offered to the public on an invitation basis but eventually it will go global and open a world of literally adventures to the masses. Whilst Oyster books have such an original and lucrative idea there are a couple of problems which may affect initial profit. Firstly the program is currently only available on the iphone and ipod touch. There is no platform for ipads or any other form of e-reader with a larger screen. Few people read on their iphones and ipods because the screens are too small. They provide entertainment enough to dip in and out of books whilst on the tube or moving from A to B but there are few people who would sit on the sofa at home with an iphone simply for the purpose and pleasure of reading. 

 Secondly given that Oyster is at its very beginning the number of titles it offers is limited. The site claims that Oyster offers over 100,000 titles, however, in the grand scheme of all things book related 100,000 is a garden pond in comparison with the vast ocean of books available today. Users of Oyster are likely not to find the book they want to read and end up settling for something else - not the best means of keeping customers interested. Having said that the program is in its initial stages and as more publishers join the venture the variety of reading material to be offered will grow immensely. 

 Oyster has the potential to be a fore runner in changing the way we think about lending and borrowing books. It has the potential to be extremely successful. Is this the future of lending? Only time will tell. 

 --xo--

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