Oh...did you miss me?

So....it's been a while and there's not really any excuse except that life has kind of gotten in the way these past few months and I have neither had the time nor inclination to Blog much. Still, there was no way I was ever going to abandon you completely and so, with Emilie now starting Reception class at School full-time, hopefully I should have more time to myself and be better able to keep you updated with my life and reading habits...

I have several books that I want to add to my 1001 Books And Authors To Read Before You Die list and of course it might be nice to update you with some of the stuff that has been happening since I have been AWOL but all that can wait...

First of all, I want to talk about a book I have just finished called The Skin Map by Stephen Lawhead.

I have only had limited experience in the past of Mr.Lawhead, having tried, and then promptly given up, to get into his Pendragon cycle once several years ago.  The Skin Map though is an absolutely fantastic read that had me gripped from start to finish! The basic premise is that travel through alternate versions of our reality is possible through the use of Ley Lines; those invisible lines of Energy that cross the surface of our world largely undetected. Kit is standing at the crossroads of one of these Ley Lines in a dark London alley when he is approached by his Great Grandfather. Cosimo explains to Kit that he is involved in a search for something called The Skin Map that charts the course of these Ley Lines and needs Kit's help. This is the reason why he mysteriously disappeared decades before. He has not aged because Inter-dimensional travel slows down the ageing process. 

Kit fobs off his Great Grandfather, even after an example of such travel is demonstrated to him, but later returns to the alley with his girlfriend in an attempt to convince her he is not making it all up. But when the pair are separated when they pass through the gateway, Kit suddenly realises that now HE needs his Great Grandfather's help instead of the other way round if he is ever to see his girlfriend again! Mix in a nefariously evil bad guy who has his own reasons for wanting to obtain The Skin Map and what we get is a brilliant and expertly imagined adventure story that takes you on a roller coaster ride through Time and Space...

Like I say, I really enjoyed this and got a lot out of it. It was not without a few flaws (for example ~ how comes no one ever falls through these Ley Lines by accident, surely that would be happening all the time if they are scattered around everywhere? ) but still I enjoyed it immensely asnd canhighly recommend it even if it isn't quite worthy enough to make my 1001 List. Oh, and a big thank-you must go to http://booksneeze.com/ for supplying me with a free E-copy in exchange for this review! Now I just need to read the next book in the series, The Bone House, which continues the story.....