A very well written biography of Napoleon. Apparently, the first one-volume biography to take advantage of the recent publication of Napoleon's thirty three thousand (!!!!) letters. I was always interested in Napoleon and in the history of Napoleonic wars, and I have really enjoyed this book. It is also nicely narrated, although some Russian names were rather mangled.
#42 Carlos Ruiz Zafon: The Shadow of the Wind.
A beautifully evocative and poignant mix of noir and, rather unexpectedly, a gothic novel. And it is a start of a series!
#43 Eliezer Yudkowsky: Harry Potter and the Methods of Ratonality.
Ok, it is a fanfic. I don't often read fanfics, because, to be honest, I rarely find things worth reading, and even more rarely find things worth sharing. But this one is beautiful. Harry Potter had a happy childhood with an Oxford don for a father, and now he views the world through the prism of the scientific method. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it does not work as expected. Sure, the book still suffers from being somewhat uneven, but I still loved it and got all my friends to read it.
#44 Kerry Greenwood: Queen of the flowers. (unabridged audio, narrated by Stephanie Daniel)
Another enjoyable mystery well solved. I actually think I enjoyed this one more than a couple of the previous books in the series. A good sign.
#45 Tom Holt: The Good, the bad and the smug (unabridged audio).
After a long-long pause, I have picked up another book by Tom Holt and had my usual experience. Enjoyable and humorous, but the ending is a bit too weird for me and thus a letdown.
#46 Kerry Greenwood: Death by Water (unabridged audio, narrated by Stephanie Daniel).
This one was just perfect. A kind of old-fashioned mystery, where the circle of suspects is limited by those invited to dinner or, in this case, to the luxury cruise.
#47 Kerry Greenwood: Murder in the Dark (unabridged audio, narrated by Stephanie Daniel).
Another perfect mystery. Made me forget about the atrocious weather and the flu.
