Catch and Kill ★★★★½

Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators
Ronan Farrow

---

Genre(s) | Nonfiction, True Crime
Goodreads Rating | 4.52
Humpo Show Rating | 4.50
Published: 2019
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Catch and Kill is a story about much more than the Harvey Weinstein scandal. It is an account of how a major network, in multiple ways, put obstacles in the path of a journalist who wished to tell a controversial tale that had been thwarted many times for several other journalists.

Neither Here, Nor There: Travels in Europe ★★★★½

Neither Here, Nor There: Travels in Europe
Bill Bryson

---

Genre(s) | Travel, Nonfiction, Humour, Autobiography
Goodreads Rating | 3.86
Humpo Show Rating | 4.50 
Published: 2015 (first published in 1992)
Publisher: Black Swan

Neither Here, Nor There is a wonderfully comic tale of Bill Bryson’s journey across Europe in the early 1990s when the continent was beginning to enter a new, modern era.

The Price of Time ★★★½

The Price of Time
Tim Tigner

---

Genre(s) | Mystery, Thriller
Goodreads Rating | 3.9
Humpo Show Rating | 3.5 
Published: 2019
Publisher: Amazon

The Price of Time is an engrossing story of immortality, murder and mystery. When a group of scientists find a way to live forever, it brings just as many challenges as it does opportunities.

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd ★★★★½

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
Agatha Christie

---

Genre(s) | Mystery, Crime
Goodreads Rating | 4.24
Humpo Show Rating | 4.30
Published: 2013 (originally 1926)
Publisher: HarperCollins

The book is set in the fictional English village of King’s Abbot and opens with the suicide of Mrs. Ferrars, a wealthy widow. The same night, wealthy industrialist Roger Ackroyd, rumoured to have been Ferrars secret lover, is found murdered in his study. There’s no shortage of suspects, all the members of the household stand to gain from his death, but the police focus on Ralph Paton, Ackroy’d stepson and heir, as he has the most to gain from the death and the fact that he is nowhere to be seen. Retired sleuth Hercule Poirot, who has recently moved to the area, agrees to investigate the case – one which will uncover many secrets along the way.

Artemis ★★☆☆☆

Artemis
Andy Weir

---

Genre(s) | Science Fiction
Goodreads Rating | 3.67
Humpo Show Rating | 2.0
Published: 2018
Publisher: Del Rey

Jazz Bashara is employed as a porter on Artmeis – the first and only city on the moon – and has a sideline smuggling contraband. She has debts to pay off as well as the rent of her very basic sleeping quarters. But, when she is given the chance to earn enough money to live a life of luxury, it is too lucrative to turn down. But the job she is tasked with leads her down into a conspiracy worth trillions of dollars.

Conan Doyle for the Defence ★★★★★

Conan Doyle for the Defence
Margalit Fox

---

Genre(s) | Nonfiction, True Crime, History, Mystery, Biography
Goodreads Rating | 3.70
Humpo Show Rating | 4.75
Published: 2018
Publisher: Profile Books

A wealthy 82-year-old woman is found brutally murdered in her home with her diamond brooch missing. Oscar Slater, a German migrant, was arrested and convicted for her murder despite the fact the police had no credible evidence tying him to the murder. He would spend the next 18 years in HM Prison Peterhead in Scotland before being released following some help from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Maps ★★★★★

Maps
Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinski

---

Genre(s) | Nonfiction, Picture Book, Children’s
Goodreads Rating | 4.58
Humpo Show Rating | 4.75
Published: 2012
Publisher: Big Picture Press

This lavishly illustrated book of 52 maps and includes not only geographical features and political borders, but also places of interest, iconic personalities, native animals and plants, local peoples, cultural evens and many more fascinating facts associated with each region. Maps is a visual treat, a real feast for the eyes and can be enjoyed by everyone from 8-108!

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Illustrated Edition

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Illustrated Edition
J. K. Rowling
Illustrated by Jim Kay

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is a wonderful read and one that was long overdue!

The Spy Who Loved Me ★★★☆☆

The Spy Who Loved Me
Ian Fleming

---

Genre(s) | 3.25
Goodreads Rating | 3.39
Published: 2012
Publisher: Penguin Vintage Classics

Vivienne Michel is running away – from pain, from rejection, from humiliation. When she stumbles into a criminal plot, her life seems over, until a chance encounter with James Bond turns her world upside down.

The Secret Commonwealth ★★★★½

The Book of Dust: The Secret Commonwealth
Philip Pullman

---

Genre(s) | Fantasy, Young Adult
Goodreads Rating | 4.32
Humpo Show Rating | 4.5
Published: 2019
Publisher: Penguin and David Fickling Books

Several years after the events in The Amber Spyglass, and twenty years after what happened in La Belle Sauvage, Pullman has crafted another fascinating story about Lyra, Dust and the magical elements of the world that she inhabits. The Secret Commonwealth is the second installment in the second trilogy called The Book of Dust, and it follows a twenty-year-old Lyra, Patalaimon and Malcolm as they embark on their separate journeys that take them from Oxford to Asia. At the heart of their journeys and all the other events is…roses.

Maigret Sets a Trap ★★★☆☆

Maigret Sets a Trap
Georges Simenon

---

Genre(s) | Mystery, Crime
Goodreads Rating | 3.9
Humpo Show Rating | 3.25
Published: 1955 (my edition was 2016)
Publisher: Penguin Classics

A serial killer has murdered five women in successive months in the Montmartre area of Paris without anyone witnessing the murders. The police have no leads, and Maigret worries there will be another, and soon, if he doesn’t do something. He must find a way to second guess what the killer does next and quickly.

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle ★★★★½

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Stuart Turton

---

Genre(s) | Mystery, Thriller
Goodreads Rating | 3.93
Humpo Show Rating | 4.5
Published: 2018
Publisher: Raven Books

Evelyn Hardcastle is going to die and Aiden Bishop will have to identify her killer by 11 p.m. the same night in order to gain his freedom from Blackheath. That is the premise for this original and atmospheric mystery that grips you from the first chapter.

The Chosen One ★★★½

The Chosen One
Sam Bourne

---

Genre(s) | Thriller, Mystery
Goodreads Rating | 3.7
Humpo Show Rating | 3.5
Published: 2010
Publisher: Harper

Newly-elected US President Stephen Baker hopes to shape the United States and the world with his progressive politics, but when a series of scandalous revelations come to light, his presidency looks set to be one the shortest in history. He enlists his trusted advisor and friend Maggie Costello, to find out the source of these ‘revelations’ and to help stop any more damage to his presidency.

Broken Throne ★★★☆☆

Broken Throne
Victoria Aveyard

---

Genre(s) | Fantasy, Young Adult, Short Stories
Goodreads Rating | 4.04
Humpo Show Rating | 3.25
Published: 2019
Publisher: Orion

Broken Throne is a companion novel to the Red Queen series and we learn more about Mare, Cal and Evangeline following the events of War Storm.

The History of Europe in Bite-Sized Chunks ★★★★☆

The History of Europe in Bite-Sized Chunks
Jacob F. Field

---

Genre(s) | History, Nonfiction
Goodreads Rating | 3.5
Humpo Show Rating | 3.8
Published: 2019
Publisher: Michael O’Mara

A readable and concise book that encompasses the histories of ancient civilisations all the way up to the modern European world, including Brexit. Jacob F. Field manages to cover thousands of years of history in an enjoyable and informative way, perfect for people who want an insight into every notable part of the continent of Europe.

Thunderball ★★★★☆

Thunderball
Ian Fleming

---

Genre(s) | Espionage, Thriller, Adventure
Goodreads Rating | 3.8
Humpo Show Rating | 4.0
Published: 1961, my edition is from 2012
Publisher: Vintage Classics

A group comprising of individuals from the world’s greatest criminal and subversive organizations, headed by Ernst Stavro Blofeld, have masterminded a plot to hold the western powers to ransom. They have stolen two NATO atom bombs and have demanded £100,000,000 in gold, and if their demands are not met within seven days, an undesignated major city will be subject to the full force of the bombs, Bond must unravel the group’s intricate and perfectly laid plans and prevent a global catastrophe.

Gimson’s Prime Ministers ★★★★☆

Gimson’s Prime Ministers: Brief Lives from Walpole to May
Andrew Gimson

---

Genre(s) | Nonfiction, Politics, Biography, History
Goodreads Rating | 4.11
Humpo Show Rating | 4.05
Published: 2018
Publisher: Square Peg

Gimson’s Prime Ministers offers a concise, sharp-witted and illuminating account of the lives of Britain’s prime ministers from Walpole to May. This lively and entertaining book presents parliamentary history in a vivid and clear manner, helpful for anyone interested in the lives of the people that held the keys to 10 Downing Street.

A Murder of Quality ★★½

A Murder of Quality
John le Carré

---

Genre(s) | Mystery, Thriller
Goodreads Rating | 3.60
Humpo Show Rating | 2.75
Published: 2011, originally published in 1962
Publisher: Penguin

The editor of a small Christian magazine, Miss Ailsa Brimley, receives a letter from a worried reader: “I’m not mad. And I know my husband is trying to kill me.” Unfortunately, the writer of the letter, the wife of an assistant master at a distinguished public school, did not get the help she needed in time.

The Final Reckoning ★★★☆☆

The Final Reckoning
Sam Bourne

---

Genre(s) | Thriller, Mystery, Historical Fiction
Goodreads Rating | 3.80
Humpo Show Rating | 3.10
Published: 2008
Publisher: Harper

After receiving intel that a suspected suicide bomber is approaching the United Nations building in New York, a security officer shoots and kills the suspect. Following some quick investigating, the man that has been killed is found out to be a Holocaust survivor…not the usual identity of a terrorist. Tom Byrne, a former UN lawyer, is hired to smooth things over with the man’s daughter, however he quickly gets ensnared in the mystery surrounding the man’s reasons for being at the UN and his incredible past; Tom also gets the feeling that some people do not want the truth to come out…

The Silk Roads ★★★★☆

The Silk Roads: A New History of the World (Illustrated Edition)
Peter Frankopan, illustrated by Neil Packer

---

Genre(s) | history, nonfiction 
Goodreads Rating | 4.25
Humpo Show Rating | 4.10 
Published: 2018
Publisher: Bloomsbury

A clear and concise reassessment of world history, The Silk Roads is a wonderful exploration of the events, people, movements and forces that have played an important role in the rise and fall of empires, determined the flow of ideas and goods and are now heralding a new dawn in international affairs.