The Sister's Brothers - Patrick Dewitt

Hermann Kermit Warm is going to die. Across 1000 miles of Oregon desert his assassins, the notorious Eli and Charlies Sisters, ride - fighting, shooting, and drinking their way to Sacramento. But their prey isn't an easy mark, the road is long and bloody, and somewhere along the path Eli begins to question what he does for a living - and whom he does it for. The Sisters Brothers pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable ribald tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of losers, cheaters, and ne'er-do-wells from all stripes of life-and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humour, melancholy, and grit of the Old West and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love.

Whatever you do don't run - Peter Allison

In Africa "only food runs...and there's nothing you can outrun!" Peter Allison works as a top safari guide in the Okavango Delta. In this oasis of wetland in the middle of the Kalahari desert, rich with wildlife, he caters to the whims of his wealthy clients, he often has to overcome the impulse to run as far away from them as he can, as these tourists are sometimes more dangerous than a pride of lions! Full of outrageous-but-true tales of the people and animals he has encountered - the half-naked missing member of the British royal family; the squirrel that overdosed on malaria pills; the monkeys with an underwear fetish; and last, but by no means least, "Spielberg" the video-obsessed Japanese tourist

Allison's hilarious stories reveal his good-natured scorn for himself, as well as others. Allison's humour is exceeded only by his love and respect for the animals, and his goal is to limit any negative exposure by planning trips that are minimally invasive - unfortunately it doesn't always work out that way, as he and his clients discover to their cost when they find themselves up to their necks in a hippo-infested watering hole! Full of essential wisdom like "Don't run,whatever you do" and "never stand behind a frightened zebra" (they are prone to explosive flatulence when scared!), this is a wonderful and vivid portrait of what the life of a safari guide is really like.

North World x3 - Lars Brown

The first two books of the North World series are the story of Conrad, who is young lad fighting mythical beasts to save the world.  The third book is a collection of short stories, connected to the characters of the first two books.

When The Lion Feeds - Wilber Smith

It is the 1870s and twin brothers Sean and Garrick Courtney are born into the wilds of Natal. They could not be more different, and fate, war and the jealous schemes of a woman are to drive them even further apart. But as history unfolds, a continent is awakening. And on the horizon is the promise of fortune, adventure, destiny and love.

Why read- As part of the challenge I am trying to read a wide range of books from all genres. This is one Mark recommended as one to read, and its a genre I would usually not touch.  

Cast Member Confidential -Chris Mitchell

When things in Chris's life started to fall apart, his girlfriend left him, his mum is dying of cancer, he runs away from home.  All the way to Disney Land, the world of magic and a place no one dies.  We follow his story of working for disney for a year, to find out what really goes on behind the scenes of a world so protected.

Something Rotten - Jasper Fford

Thursday Next, Head of JurisFiction and ex-SpecOps agent, returns to her native Swindon accompanied by a child of two, a pair of dodos and Hamlet, who is on a fact-finding mission in the real world. Thursday has been despatched to capture escaped Fictioneer Yorrick Kaine but even so, now seems as good a time as any to retrieve her husband Landen from his state of eradication at the hands of the Chronoguard. It's not going to be easy. Thursday's former colleagues at the department of Literary Detectives want her to investigate a spate of cloned Shakespeares, the Goliath Corporation are planning to switch to a new Faith based corporate management system and the Neanderthals feel she might be the Chosen One who will lead them to genetic self-determination. With help from Hamlet, her uncle and time-travelling father, Thursday faces the toughest adventure of her career. Where is the missing President-for-life George Formby? Why is it imperative for the Swindon Mallets to win the World Croquet League final? And why is it so difficult to find reliable childcare?

Swahili For the Broken Hearted – Peter Moore

Peter Moore after being dumped by the girl next door, decides to travel africa for six months visiting various areas. He decided to only travel overground and see how the mood takes him as he goes, with an end destination in mind. And travelling on his own, it's inevitable that Peter falls in with a motley cast of characters and has myriad misadventures: including coming face to face with a wild hyena with very bad breath, crossing the treacherous Sani Pass, the highest in Africa, narrowly escaping a riot by hiding in a coffin shop, saving oil-covered penguins in South Africa, and acting as an extra in a World War II epic, not to mention dodging 20,000 single woman trying to catch the eye of the king of Swaziland during the annual Reed Dance. Oh yes, and then there was the time when he was kicked out of Robert Mugabe's birthday bash at gunpoint.

Notes from a Small Island - Bill Bryson

Before leaving to move back to America, Bryson decides on one last trip around the UK, using the only British way possible - public transport.  He seeks anything that may be of interest and sets to discover what makes Britain truly British.

Un Lun Dun - China Mieville

 Zanna and Deeba notice something strange is amiss on the streets of London, and after investigating they find a secret entrance to another world.  Here all the lost and broken things of london end up, and some of the people too.  But when they arrive they realise that Un Lun Dun is at war, theirs a dangerous smog, words are alive, theirs a jungle in one of the houses and the giraffes are carnivorous.  Maybe their is a reason they were enticed to Un Lun Dun, and maybe they are the only ones who can save it.

Coraline and Other Stories - Neil Gaiman

Coraline steps through a door in her house, into another mirrored world, a more sinister world, where she is trapped and needs to find her parents and her way home.  In his other stories we meet a sinister Jack in the Box, a stray cat who does a nightly battle with the Devil, and a group of men who go out to capture the Sunbird.

Matched - Ally Condie

On her seventeenth birthday Cassia meets her match. Society Dictates that he is her perfect partner for life.  In her world, Officials decide who people love, how many children they have, where they will work, what they eat and when they die.  But when Cassia falls in love with another boy her whole world begins to unravel.

A Walk in the Woods - Bill Bryson

A walk in the woods portrays Bill Bryson's report on his walk along the Appalachian Trail. The Trail is the longest continuous footpath in the world, and it snakes through some of the wildest and most spectacular landscapes in America.