A boatload of burned out spies spend their twilight years in Sough House participating in deadend jobs until retirement. They are known affectionatley as Slow Horses. Their rather unothodox leader is Jackson Lamb, an overweight, chainsmoking, narcissistic misogynist who finds it amusing to pass wind in public. In a throwback to the cold war and possilbly in homage to George Smiley our assortement of oddballs seek out and destroy the threat of communists wherever these devious and cunning moles materialize. Some may enjoy Herron's humour and style of writing but personally I found it laborious.

I bought this book one day, because I was busting for the bathroom and the Library was the closest public one; I felt a little bad about just going in to use the facilities, so I popped into the FOTL shop (again) and picked this one up.

Meh.  It wasn't bad or great; it had it's moments, but while I liked the narrator (Aunti Poldi's nephew), and Poldi's sisters-in-law, I didn't really care for Aunt Poldi, probably because she was a drunk.  The author attempts to make her desire to drink herself to death sound romantic, and–weirdly–funny, but it just comes across as: she's a bleeding drunk.

The mystery was good though; I didn't see the solution coming at all and it held my attention when the MC failed to.

I read this for space #19 as the cover is easily 50% blue.

Linda Hilton has pointed out, and I agree, that the crowdsourced list is light on romance. I am prevailing on our romance readers - Linda, Whiskey & OB - to give us a few more romances for the list.

Off the top of my own head, I would definitely suggest:

Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 

Pride of Lions by Marsha Canham

Can you guys help us out? Maybe another 20?

Title:  Randy's Dandy Lions

Author:  Bill Peet

Genre:  Circus / Animals / Training / Children's

Year Published: 1964

Year Read:  2010

Publisher:  Houghton Mifflin Company

Source:  Library

Content Rating:  Ages 5+  (A Scene of Bullying)

“Randy’s Dandy Lions” is another classic book from the creative mind of Bill Peet about how Randy’s lions always had stage fright but they realized that there are things far scarier than stage fright. “Randy’s Dandy Lions” is a superb book about friendship that children will enjoy for many years.

Bill Peet has done it again with his brilliant illustrations and witty writing. Bill Peet’s writing is cleverly written in a rhyming prose, making this story similar to Dr. Seuss’ children’s books, thus making the story extremely creative to read as children will have fun putting the rhyming words together. Bill Peet’s illustrations are beautiful as usual in this book, especially in the images of the lions performing on stage as the lions are innocent looking yet also look a bit cowardly and scraggly, which fit the situation that the lions were in perfectly.



Parents should know that the new trainer that he Colonel hires to replace Randy may frighten smaller children, especially during the scenes where the new trainer starts whipping the lions relentlessly. Parents might want to tell their children that it is not good to mistreat pets in this manner and that one should not use brute force to get what he or she wants.

“Randy’s Dandy Lions” is another great classic from the brilliant mind of Bill Peet and will surely attract many children who are fans of Bill Peet’s marvelous work. I would recommend this book to children ages five and up since smaller children might be frightened by the new trainer who comes later on in the book.

Review is also on: Rabbit Ears Book Blog

I decided to re-read one of the books that I guess you would call bro-mance books.  Spy thrillers were the All-American hero can't be slowed down or killed. Secret Service Agent Scot Harvath escapes avalanches, numerous concussions, gun battles, freezing water and saves our democracy and gets the girl in the end. 

I think the only reason I like books like this was that I was brought up on Roy Rogers and John Wayne movies and this genre are just like those old westerns except modernized for today's way of life.

I won't really review it, I just wanted to get the audio-book and read along so I had to search for the best deal.  I just wished the library system I belong to had a better and bigger choice on audio-books.  I'll probably save some money and do the next book in the series, Path of the Assassin.

Lions of Lucerne by Brad Thor

Scot Harvath series book 1