in spite of all the favourable reviews and the promising title, i found derek landy's skulduggery pleasant entirely overrated, being on the whole mediocre prose and unconvincing concepts trying to hide behind too much action. (besides which, when it comes to action, anyone who has ever read the great chinese wuxia writers of the 50s and 60s will see that it is almost impossible to impress the chinese with protracted and stylised fight scenes.) what a lot of anticipation i've squandered waiting for it, she sighs. i have great expectations however for china mieville's un lun dun, published in january this year, and i've put my name down on the library reservation list for when it arrives.

this year i have been keeping a list of children's books published within the last 10 months (that is, those that sound interesting) and i am profoundly grateful to the library's children's department acquisitors that i have been able to cross these books off my list quite steadily. the list is now down to:

diana wynne jones - the game (now in libraries!)

f.e. higgins: the black book of secrets (ordered, not yet available)

kai meyer - the glass word (ordered, not yet available)

jane gaskell - strange evil (no news as yet)

tom becker - darkside (in libraries)

jan mark - the museum book (ordered, not yet available)