Tuesday, January 31, 2012

The Bayou Trilogy by Daniel Woodrell

The Bayou Trilogy: Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing, and The Ones You DoThe Bayou Trilogy: Under the Bright Lights, Muscle for the Wing, and The Ones You Do by Daniel Woodrell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Woodrell's heroes are flawed but try to make the best bad decisions they can in the circumstances. His novels set in the Ozarks are sometimes referred to as "country noir" - this trilogy about the Shade family could be called "swamp noir". Woodrell brings the neighbourhoods and bayou country of St Bruno, Louisiana to life. The crooks aren't all on the streets either - some are in the city government and the police.


FAVE FANTASY LIST

  • Game of Thrones by George R R Martin - 1st in A Song of Ice and Fire Series. There are now 5 titles in the series. Personally I enjoyed the earlier novels more. These "doorstop" books (i.e. definitely big enough to prop open a door) have a myriad of characters and a lot of violence. Definitely an adult read.
  • The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman - The first in His Dark Materials trilogy. Serious juvenile fantasy that you won't want to put down.
  • The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - The first in this trilogy for teens - once again it is un-put-down-able. Read it before you see Katniss on the big screen - movie coming soon.
  • The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore - Looking for some goofy fantasy? Look no more. An interspecies love affair, a psychiatrist runs amok - what more could you ask? If you like this one, there are lots more but definitely his earlier novels are much funnier.
  • The Witches books by Terry Pratchett - For the ultimate in clever, funny fantasy - Pratchett's Discworld books are a must read. Equal Rites, The Wyrd Sisters and Witches Abroad are the first three books featuring witches Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg. The hedgehog song is priceless!