Issue 104

Sim

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling

Yes, I was one of the fans that queued up at Big W the morning of the seventh and final installment of the Harry Potter books. At 9.01am I had the long-awaited book in my hot little hand and dashed off home to read it. I sat down for an epic read and read it from cover to cover the same day.

So how was it? It was okay. I wasn’t overly impressed. Not everything was tied up and I was left with plenty of questions. Plus, Rowling did one of the things I absolutely hate in both books and movies – she fast-forwarded 20 years, and omitted a chapter on the aftermath of the predicted battle.

I was a little disappointed with the book. I wasn’t sure if it was because the series was finally over and it was like losing a companion, or maybe I had grown out of the books?

But, it was fun and I will probably read it again one day.

Tim

The Confessor by Daniel Silva

If you like spy novels with a bit of mystery, action and intrigue, then check out The Confessor by Daniel Silva. Another in a long line of books about conspiracy in the Roman Catholic Church, the plot of this novel jumps swiftly between Munich, Venice and the Vatican.

Israeli assassin Gabriel Allon is called into action when his old friend, a professor, is murdered while working on the manuscript of a secretive new book. What follows is a story with a complex and well-crafted plot and with characters that are much more finely developed than is usually the case in spy novels.

The Confessor is well worth a read.