I'm looking forward to Great North Road

" In Newcastle-upon-Tyne, AD 2142, Detective Sidney Hurst attends a brutal murder scene. The victim is one of the wealthy North family clones – but none have been reported missing. And the crime’s most disturbing aspect is how the victim was killed. Twenty years ago, a North clone billionaire and his household were horrifically murdered in exactly the same manner, on the tropical planet of St Libra. But if the murderer is still at large, was Angela Tramelo wrongly convicted? Tough and confident, she never waivered under interrogation – claiming she alone survived an alien attack. But there is no animal life on St Libra. Investigating this alien threat becomes the Human Defence Agency’s top priority. The bio-fuel flowing from St Libra is the lifeblood of Earth’s economy and must be secured. So a vast expedition is mounted via the Newcastle gateway, and teams of engineers, support personnel and xenobiologists are dispatched to the planet. Along with their technical advisor, grudgingly released from prison, Angela Tramelo. But the expedition is cut off, deep within St Libra’s rainforests. Then the murders begin. Someone or something is picking off the team one by one. Angela insists it’s the alien, but her new colleagues aren’t so sure. Maybe she did see an alien, or maybe she has other reasons for being on St Libra ... This is a stunning standalone adventure, by a writer at the height of his powers."

I'm struggling to believe that's a real release

The synopsis does sound a little shallow and unimaginative. However I've read most of the author's other works and that is never the case.

"Photographs Not Taken" - a collection of essays from photographers, talking about 'the one that got away'. Pictures that for one reason or another, they couldn't take.
Just arrived today, and I'm looking forward to getting stuck in.

I have a feeling that there will be some real gems in there.

Took the easy route, started reading the next Parker novel, The Man with the Getaway Face (not a title I'd have chosen)...

I'm currently reading The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett, and Catch 22

Just finished The Ruby In The Smoke by Philip Pullman. Quite good but I won't exactly be rushing to read the others in the series. Next up will probably be Stephen King's 11/22/63.

Have also finished Volumes 1 to 3 of The Early Asimov. While obviously the work of an inexperienced author (a teenager in the first few stories), there are a few good stories here.

I recently read "The Complete Robot", a collection of 29 of Asimov's short stories along with "...That Thou Art Mindful of Him" and "The Bicentennial Man", neither of which I have read yet. The stories are amazing though, especially the ones with Powell and Donovan that are based around the premise of field testing new robots, which invariably go wrong in some odd and unpredictable way. Well worth a read, I think the paperback is about £5 from Amazon

I agree; the Robot stories are very good.

Currently reading Hunger Games.

I only read in bed and more often than not I fall asleep before finishing a page as I'm so tired.

LOL!

Good book though.

Reading that Steve Jobs biography, though I'm only a few pages in.

I'm about a quarter of the way through the Steve Jobs book. First of all, it's incredibly geeky (obviously not a problem). Secondly, no judge would have convicted you if you'd hooked Steve up to the mains and left him there...

I'm currently reading The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry.

Just finished Bear Grylls's autobiography 'Mud, Sweat and Tears.' I enjoyed it; the chapters dealing with the rigorous SAS selection procedures and the scaling of Everest are very good.

Now perusing 'Industrial Light and Magic - The art of special effects,' by Thomas Smith. It's a look at the first 10 years of ILM, long before everything turned to CGI.