Page Turner

Living With Evil by Cynthia Owen

2011-01-19T03:54:00.000-08:00

From a frighteningly young age, Irish Catholic Cynthia Owen experienced one of the most horrific cases of parental abuse I have ever heard of. Not only at the hands of her parents was she abused, but other family members, strangers and people organised to abuse her by the parents.

Her parents killed her baby. The baby she named Noleen was fathered by her own father and for years she fought, finally years later winning to have her baby recognised and laid to rest officially. Although no charges were brought against her parents, both dying free people.

How brave she is to write this book and face the horrors with dignity. Without a single apology from any of the abusers she has courageously persevered and put down in writing for all to read what these monsters did to her.

Her personal victories throughout her life that she has achieved despite the treatment she received is inspiration for any of us.

A horrific, shocking story ending with a courageous victory and justice for Cynthia to have her murdered baby recognised.

10/10 for Bravery and determination despite all else.

Tess of the D'urbervilles by Thoms Hardy

2011-01-19T03:33:00.000-08:00

If you have been following the posts you may be able to tell now that every so often I love a good classic. I have sought to read Tess of the D'urbervilles for a long time but never seemed to get around to it. I knew little more that than the following, that is was a story of a fallen woman, a book way ahead of is time. What intrigued me was the fact that it was written by a man. How much could Hardy really understand about a woman, in a society which still repressed women in many ways?

The story begins with a girl of the name Tess Durbeyfield. Her family are struggling with poverty and her father is told they are from an ancient family known as the D'urbervilles. Sent from her home and all she knows to befriend the D'urbervilles Tess is thrust into the hospitality of Alec D'urberville, which proves to be her downfall. A child is born from this downfall and Tess is forced to return to her family shamed and lost.

After the death of the child, Tess decides to begin her life afresh and goes to work on a dairy farmer where she makes friends and is very happy, living a humble and unrecognised life. She there meets Angel Clare, educated son of a clergyman who wishes to start his own agricultural career and the pair fall in love.

However on the eve of their wedding, Angel confesses that he had premarital relations with a woman in his younger days, to which Tess readily forgives and decides to allude him, against the wishes of her family, to her own mistakes of younger days.

Angel is so disgusted that he leaves her and she is forced to go and work on a turnip farm a very undignified and hard job. Angel goes abroad to work and although he sends Tess money, she does not touch it preferring to be independent. She refuses to go by her marital name in case she should further disgrace Angel whom she loves deeply.

Through a twist of fate Alec D'urberville comes back into her life a changed man, but upon meeting Tess is drawn back in to his old lustful ways.

The story ends with Angel returning many years later ready to forgive Tess and she is then forced to kill Alec to be with Angel.

It is hard to believe this story was written when the life of a woman was so different. The relevance to today's society and opinions was at time remarkable. For a man to have many premarital partners is seen still to this day as a badge of bravado or honour, but the female equivalent is seen as loose or easy.

Well done Thomas Hardy for beginning the revolution!!

10/10

The Girl who kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

2011-01-19T03:15:00.000-08:00

The third and final novel in the Millennium trilogy. Interestingly the original Swedish title literally translates "The Castle in the Air that Was Blown Up"! Personally I prefer the English translation, which to me, seems to capture Salander's risk-loving, danger-chasing personality.

Anyway enough of that, what did I actually think of the book? As a direct follow on from number two, Salander finds herself in an intensive care hospital following her injuries in book two after her father Zalachenko and half brother Niedermann tried to bury her alive. Slightly bizarrely, her father is put in the room next to her in hospital.

With the help of Blomkvist, Salander is given a lifeline in hospital, a mobile phone, which enables her to keep up to date with things and carry out her own interventions from the closeted space of her hospital bed while she regains strength.

In the mean time Niedermann is on the run, Berger editor in chief of the Magazine her and Blomkvist own is being threatened and sexually harassed by a stalker and Blomkvist is battling to save his credibility once and for all.

Many story-lines gelling wonderfully together and coming to a heart-pounding climax.

This is not a trilogy to read if you are looking for something light. I can't go into one story line without getting dragged into another and this blog would end up not only ruining the ending for you but rewriting the book!

Fast, complex and shocking!

9/10

The Girl Who Played With Fire (Millennium Trilogy Book 2) by Stieg Larsson

2010-11-09T04:31:00.000-08:00

In the second book of this trilogy we see the return of Blomkvist and Salander in their production and revelation of a document detailing sex trafficking behaviour in Sweden. The story takes a turn for the worst when Salander become suspect for three murders, one of whom was an abuser of Salander. She, while in hiding aids the progress Blomkvist makes in the case.

With twists and turns all along the way we are left agonising at the completion of the book to read on to the final book of the trilogy.

A slightly slower-paced book than its predecessor but never the less successfully setting the scene for a mind blowing finale.

8/10

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium Trilogy Book 1) by Stieg Larsson

2010-11-09T04:18:00.000-08:00

Out of sheer curiosity of it's reputation I bought this book when I saw it on offer in a leading bookstore. I don't regret my purchase.

A crime fiction, yes many of us have read many of those, but never with such fascinating and colourful, encapsulation characters and a storyline to beat all others.

Mikael Blomkvist, a notorious journalist due to a recent conviction of libel, takes on the case of a wealthy businessman, Henrik Vagner. To all others Blomkvist is seen to be chronicling the rich and successful life Vagner has lead, but between only himself and Vagner he is delving into the disappearance of Vagners lost granddaughter. As Blomkvist begins his search for Harriet Vagner he realises that the suspects into the apparent murder could only have been close family or friends. As the investigation continues slowly help is sought from eccentric, reclusive Lisbeth Salander and from then on the story gains in pace, both of the story line and your heartbeat!

I had my theories as I was reading it but the climax of the book was brilliant if not terrifying!!

9/10

The Boy I Love by Marion Husband

2010-11-09T04:05:00.000-08:00

I was immediately transported into a totally different account of this period than I have ever considered before. Of all the books and literature I have read about wars and post-war periods, I am ashamed to say this book opened doors I myself had never considered.

Written in the aftermath of World War 1, the story follows the story of Paul Harris, a soldier who fought in the war. Harris is forced out of obligation to the duty of his dead brother to marry his pregnant fiancee. Paul Harris however, is homosexual. In unbiased but passionate accounting, Marion Husband allows us into the mind of the young man who is bravely doing his duty as he sees it, to his lost brother, but fighting his longing for a man he can never openly love.

Torn by obligation and want, the reader follows his story vividly from start to finish.

Marion won the Andrea Badenoch award for fiction and the Blackwell Prize for this book, and I look forward to reading the sequel, Paper Moon, which sits proudly at the top of my Christmas list!!

10/10 for a thought-provoking, tear-jerking read.

Pop Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones and Anonymous

2010-08-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

Imogen once again has transported us into a world of fiction where all the stories are true. This time the scene is set in the music industry. Be prepared for all the undercover gossip from the multi-billion pound industry, but who exactly is making all the money? Simon Cowell? Or are others getting a decent slice of the pie? Imogen invents a boy band as this book's way of revealing the industry secrets, as we follow a year in the life of the band we find out more and more about the industry so many want to break into. Shocking, riveting and a true guilty pleasure. My only problem with this book is that it leaves you wanting more, more, more!!!

7/10

Shopaholic and Sister by Sophie Kinsella

2010-08-03T07:24:00.000-07:00

Becky is back for another hilarious ride, this time with her long lost sister. After returning from her perfect honeymoon her reception is less than what she expected from her parents. Why oh why? Well, while she was on holiday not only has a long lost sister come onto the scene her best friend Suze has had twins and has a whole new set of priorities. Poor Becky discovers her sister hates shopping and to top it off wants to help her with her horrific spending habits!

With her marriage already suffering and no one to turn to Becky decides to recruit the reluctant help of her sister.

Another hilarious read, although many of the reviews I have read have said this one is their least favourite of the Shopaholic series so far, I have to say I thought it was up to scratch.

8/10

I Remember You by Harriet Evans

2010-07-08T06:49:00.000-07:00

Main character Tessa Tennant has left the hectic life of London to return to her home town of Langford, home of her life-long best friend Adam and an abundance of other colourful characters. Langford is facing its own crisis, the must despised Leonora Mortmain is selling some of her land, the beloved Water Meadows, to build a new and huge shopping complex much to the villagers horror. In between all this fuss Tess travels on a teaching holiday with her adult class to Rome where she begins to uncover secrets about Leonora and also embarks on a holiday romance.

Back in Langford after an eventful trip Tessa questions not only those around her but her own decisions in coming back to Langford. Friendship, past mistakes and conservation all rolled into one rather boring book.

Not my favourite read. The characters from main to extras we not believable to me. If grown women in their 30's still call their male friends "Bruv" then I despair!

I bought this book because I liked the front cover....my mistake you know what they say.....

3/10

The Return by Victoria Hislop

2010-07-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

When Sonia visits Granada to take dancing lessons with her friend she meets and begins a friendship with an elderly cafe owner who begins telling her or Granada's shocking past. As the story unfolds, he begins to tell her of a family who owned the cafe and how they were devastated by the Spanish Civil war.

The second part of the story goes back in time and delves into each character with such depth that I shed more than a few tears while reading the book. Mother, Father, three brothers and a sister all changed forever by the devastating affects of the war.

Sonia listens enraptured, but there is so much more to the story as she is set to find out.

Brilliant, atmospheric and engrossing, I couldn't stop reading it. It was like looking at a colourful painting while reading. As Hislop describes the dancing, or the smells or the bull fighting you can practically touch the images they are so vivid. She describes things so well without boring the reader. I finished the book with a desperate urge to visit all the places she wrote about.

Another clear 10/10

Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Sophie Kinsella

2010-07-07T07:38:00.000-07:00

I simply can't get enough of Becky Bloomwood and her crazy escapades! In this, the third of the shopaholic series, Becky is engaged to be married and working in Barneys department store in Manhatten, as a personal shopper.

In true Becky style she finds herself stuck in a tug of war that she is personally responsible for. Both her own mum and Luke's mum are both planning a wedding for her on the same date! Her own mum is planning a beautiful family orientated day set at their family home in England, while Luke's mother is throwing a lavish wedding at the Plaza, no expense spared.

Hilariously addictive to read and I was laughing all the way though. More of the same wit and craziness from Becky. Which wedding will go ahead...I'm not going to spoil the ending for you!

9/10

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

2010-07-07T07:18:00.000-07:00

A fantastic story of 3 women who despite the odds against them become friends. One of the best books I have read in a long time. Skeeter, Abileen and Minny all live in the same town but live very different lives. As an educated, white young woman Skeeter is under pressure to keep up appearances with her peers and under constant pressure from her mother to get married and look the part she begins to explore the world around her with increasing discomfort. Abileen and Minny are both coloured maid to the white inhabitants of their town. The story unfolds as Skeeter, an aspiring writer decides to log the maid's struggles in bringing up white children and the subsequent degradation they suffer daily at the hands of their employers. At great risk, the women begin meeting in secret and recording their experiences. Shocking, devastating and truly revolting stories emerge and Skeeter begins to see the world she has always accepted begin to peel away before her eyes.

To read this story is an uncomfortable experience, having to accept these things and worse happened to fellow human beings is beyond our comprehension, but without bias but with an abundance of eloquence Stockett tells a tale that I hope people will read in their millions.

This gritty story had my heart thumping with the injustice that the maids had to endure.

A fantastic, fast page-turning read. Brilliant.

10/10

Shopaholic Abroad by Sophie Kinsella

2010-05-28T07:36:00.000-07:00

Who can't love Rebecca Bloomwood and her shopping addiction? Haven't we all got a bit of the Bloomwood shopping-bug in us? Well I certainly can relate to her!!

She back and she is off to New York! Credit Card - Check, Luke Brandon the gorgeous boyfriend - Check, Lots of spare empty cases - Check....off she goes.

After the first world wind book I was excited to read Shopaholic Abroad to see what Rebecca could possibly get up to next and in true Kinsella fashion I was laughing all the way to the last page.

Once in New York Rebecca discovers designer sample sales, Bloomingdales, Tiffany's not to mention her small denial that spending a $ is actually more like spending monopoly money...it just isn't real right?

Unfortunately while spending frantically in the big apple, the media back in good old Britain have been keeping a close watch on their daytime TV financial advisor and Rebecca gets busted big time for her shopping addiction and her debt. Losing Luke, New York and her job Rebecca thinks she has lost it all, but in her usual resilient style she makes a smashing come back.

Not to be missed by anyone who is a fan of Kinsella's wit and fast paced comedies.

9/10

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

2010-05-28T07:27:00.000-07:00

After reading and thoroughly enjoying The Kite Runner, I was intrigued to see if this book could out do it. It did. What an amazing book. The complexity and depth put into the characters is fabulous and as I was reading I felt totally engrossed in the sights and smells and feelings i was reading about.

Following the trials and tribulations of two Afghan women, bonded under tragic circumstances, love and sisterhood shine through in a Male dominated world. Breath-takingly graphic at times the reader is forced to face the horrors that Afghanistan have had to endure, especially the women and children whose stories we hear so rarely.

With tragic twists and turns through out I found I couldn't put it down.

9/10

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

2010-05-25T14:10:00.000-07:00

This book was Hosseini's first publish novel and has since been made into a film.

Told from the viewpoint of Amir, born and bred with his father's Hazara servants son, Hassan.

The book covers the period just before, then during the fall of the Afghan monarchy, the Soviet invasion and finally the rise of the Taliban later in the novel.

During a much loved kite running tournament the ever faithful Hassan vows to catch the winning kite for Amir but after he chases away Amir can't find him. After looking for Hassan and receiving no help he comes across the local bully Asef raping Hassan. Amir turns and runs leaving Hassan without defending him like Hassan does blindly for him.

The friendship changes in Amir's eyes although Hassan tries to keep it alive and eventually Amir manages to trick his father into getting rid of his servant and Hassan. His father is devestated to loose them much to Amir's surprise, aren't they only Hazaras?

In the future Amir and his father travel to America and make a life for themselves there.

Amir marries and begins a life of his own unable to have children with his wife. His father dies of cancer and Amir feels all is lost however after a phone call from an old friend Amir has a chance to redeem his past sins.

Back in his home country Amir discovers that Hassan was really his half brother and was killed by the Taliban after trying to protect his family. Amir sets off to Kabul to find Sohrab, Hassan's son.

To cut a long story short, and not to ruin the story, when he finds Sohrab he is dressed in girls clothes being made to dance for no other than Asef the man who had raped his father.

Amir sets right what he should have done many years before for Hassan and saves Sohrab and takes him back to America after a struggle.

Although he is damaged and abused and afraid Sohrab begins to rebuild his life and trust in people with the help of Amir and his wife Sonya. The final kite flying session between Amir and Sohrab seems to mark their new beginning.

Very complex and covering a long and complicated period of time in a turbulent country this book makes us face issues few of us will face.

8/10

Sacred Hearts by Sarah Dunant

2010-05-25T13:58:00.000-07:00

The year is 1570. The setting is Santa Caterina Convent in Northern Italy. Tranquil, serene, holy...think again. After Serefina, the unwilling addition to the convent arrives she begins unravelling the very bonds of the women in there. Zuana, the daughter of a dead doctor, who studied his craft so well she is now the convent medic, takes Serefina under her wing and becomes more attached to her than she ever thought possible after the lonely life she has led.

16th Century feminism starkly reflects that of today, with a strong community of women working for themselves, unheard of in that era. Sacred Hearts delves into convent life with no apologies for creating a raw and honest look at motives and desire within the blessed walls.

Bonds, love and rivalry all compete in this book making it an interesting and different read.

I enjoyed the book, but unfortunately the slow pace bored me slightly. Maybe this was to reflect convent life, but I felt that the storyline lacked that little something special.

5/10 For me there was just something missing.

Blacklands by Belinda Bauer

2010-04-22T03:50:00.000-07:00

This is Belinda Bauer's debut novel, before which she worked as a journalist and screenwriter.

The novel is about a 12 year old boy who has grown up in the shadow of his Uncle Billy, murdered at the same age he is now, buried in the Blacklands and never found.

The child, Stephen Lamb sets out writing to Arnold Avery the paedophile serial killer, to find out where the body of his murdered uncle resides. This sets into motion a game of cat and mouse between the two correspondents.

It is not until Avery works out that Lamb is only a child that the book takes a chilling turn for the worst.

As Stephen relentlessly tries to gain approval from all those around him, he endures constant knock-backs and criticism, but he battles on bravely.

Second best to his mother, and resented by his sour grandmother Stephen has little in the way of family life, all of which he believes he can fix if only he could find the remains of his uncle, allowing his family the closure they crave. I felt so much sympathy for Stephen's character showing how well written the book was to allow the reader to feel so much pity for Stephen and so much repulsion for Avery.

A brave and harsh debut novel, I look forward to her next work.

8/10

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

2010-04-22T03:37:00.000-07:00

Breaking Dawn sold more that 1.3 million copies in its first 24 hours of release, smashing the sales records of the last book. It just proved to the public how popular these books had become! Anyone like myself who had never read anything of its kind before should really take the leap and read them as they are written beautifully and flow so well from one to the next.

Breaking Dawn is split into 3 parts. Part one and 3 from Bella's perspective and part two from Jacob's. The way the different perspectives are written capture the characters so well from the various viewpoints. I really enjoyed Jacob's section as he is less analytical then Bella and encompasses more of the qualities and feelings most of us can relate to.

The final book sees the honeymoon on Edward and Bella take a bizarre turn as Bella finds herself progressing rapidly through an unexpected pregnancy. It is clear to all that the baby is killing Bella until a rather disgusted Jacob suggests giving Bella human blood as they is what he thinks the baby (and Bella) need. It works and during the horrific birth Edward is forces, with Jacob's blessing as the new and rightful Alpha of his pack, Edward to have to bite Bella with his venom and change her for ever more.

After her agonizing change and adaptation to real life, Bella realises that the Volturi in Italy want to come and not only kill her child viewing her as dangerous, but have her and Edward among other talented vampires, come and work with Aro their leader.

The vampires and werewolves again join forces making an army of their own with other vampire friends and set out to make the volturi meet their match.

A fantastic crescendo to a superb saga!

10/10

Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

2010-04-22T03:15:00.000-07:00

The third book in the Twilight Saga sold more than 150,000 copies in the first 24 hours alone, and readers would not have been disappointed by the content!

The love triangle between Bella, Edward and Jacob thicken in this book as the two men compete for her affection. After a string of murders in Seattle the vampire family soon work out that a Newborn vampire has been unleashed on the city and needs sorting out. It is not their business in their eyes until they realise that the person behind these newborns is Victoria. She is still after her revenge on Edward, to kill Bella.

In order to overcome the strength of the newborn army and Victoria the vampires have to reluctantly join forces with the werewolves. The pack is split because of Jacobs decision to join forces with the vampires but protecting Bella is his only priority.

After agreeing to marry Edward Bella kisses Jacob and makes everything more complicated. After the fight Jacob receives a wedding invitation from Edward and runs away ending the book not knowing if he will ever come back.

Eclipse was m favourite of the three so far. I loved the fact that despite the natural divide between vampire and werewolf, they were able to come together for someone they all loved.

10/10 Brilliant

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

2010-04-10T11:45:00.000-07:00

Book two in the Twilight Series.

When Edward Cullen is forced to leave Forks after his brother tries to kill Bella after an innocent paper cut produces a drop of blood, Bella is left in pieces. Edward is her life and she feels she cannot function without him.

When she is left in bits she seeks solace with an old friend Jacob Black, who comforts her and occupies her mind. Slowly she begins to improve and although the pain has not decreased she is able to smile again.

However when Jacob falls into what she believes is a cult Bella is once again tormented by her old daemons and she realises that Jacob isn't what he seems.

It doesn't take the intuitive Bella long to realise her best friend is actually a werewolf and as if that is not enough, the werewolf is the vampire's only one true enemy. Phew!!

In danger again Bella finds herself in a tight spot of trouble, and maybe this time it won't be Edward who saves her but the other way around.

Another brilliant book which has left me wanting to read the next in the series.

9/10

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

2010-04-10T11:34:00.000-07:00

Following a discussion with a friend a week ago I revealed I had read little to no books about Vampires and such like, and was subsequently presented with the complete Twilight series to read! Yikes...these on top of the bulging box of books...I'm obviously a book magnet to those who know me!!

Despite my towering pile of books I thought I owed it to my friend to read these first on a promise of an early return of them.

Slightly sceptical I delved into the first page and came out gasping at the final page only to grab the next in the series New Moon and carrying on.....which is to follow this review as i finished it just ten minutes ago!!

After moving to the rainy, dull town of Forks, Bella Swan begins a new school only to meet the alluring and mysterious Edward Cullen and his family. Intrigued from the off she entwines herself deeper and deeper into their life finally revealing their dangerous secret. They are a family of Vampires. One drop of her fragrant blood could send any one of them into a frenzy to kill her. Still the bold and fearless Bella doesn't seem to mind and falls hopelessly in love with Edward.

A twisted love story and a must for anyone who thinks of Count Dracula when they think of Vampires. Give it a chance, I was pleasantly surprised....bring on the next one!!

9/10

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

2010-04-10T11:20:00.000-07:00

After being given an unbelievably large box bulging to the brim with books of all different kinds of genre's I did what I always tell people not to do, and made my choice based solely on the front cover! The pixelated picture of a green eyed girl intrigued me and remembering Margaret Atwood featured in the BBC top 100 list, for Handmaid's Tale, my choice was made.

The story is narrated by a character calling himself Snowman. He lives alone in a tree, wrapped in a sheet, starving to death. Slowly the story reveals a past of dangerous levels of genetic engineering, public lack of boundaries and a shocking ideology from his friend Crake, who it seems is behind Snowman's current situation.

Alone with a green eyed tribe created by Crake, with few human instincts left, Snowman, formally known as Jimmy embarks on a dangerous journey not only to find food but to find answers. The world has come to grief and Snowman thinks he is alone...but is he?

A breath-taking in-depth read. Scarily poignant in today's genetically modified environment. Has Atwood predicted the future? I certainly hope not!

8/10 as the ending didn't do the book as much justice as it deserved.

Lipstick Jungle by Candace Bushnell

2010-03-29T05:27:00.000-07:00

As an avid fan of Sex and the City, I was eager to get stuck into Lipstick Jungle. From the first page however I just wasn't feeling the characters or the storyline. I can't put this down to the quality of the writing of the imagination of the story both of which were classic Bushnell at her best. I think my lack of connection to the book as a whole was more than likely due to personal experience and having no common bonds with the experiences, lifestyles and antics of the characters.

I love fashion and all things related so Victory's character was my favourite, however I felt that the representation of men in this book was too chauvinistic and unrealistic. I know that strong successful women are what Candace Bushnell does best, but I don't think this necessarily has to be done at the expense of the quality of their male counterparts.

Many story lines meshed cleverly together. Although it wasn't top of my list of favourites it was an enjoyable and quick-paced read.

6/10

The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry

2010-03-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

I heard about this book after reading the BBC's top 100 books we should all read in our lifetime, and decided to give it a go. I embarked on it with no preconceptions or expectations not to mention prior knowledge of the story. I was pleasantly surprised upon reading it that it is so much more than a children's' book.

It was published in 1943 in French Le Petit Prince and has since been translated into 180 languages and has sold more than 80 million copies (+1 since I just bought it!!) making it one of the bestselling books ever. That alone was a good enough selling point for me to try it out! Although it is written with children in mind, the book also covers many ideologies that will perhaps be missed by a child. The main essence of the book comes from a conversation with a fox and the Prince whereby the fox tries to teach the boy what is most important in life; "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible with the eye." So simple yet so profound.

A Pilot forced to land his plane in the lonely Sahara comes across a little Prince from another planet who not only enchants the pilot but opens his eyes to the way modern man has lost their childhood perspective. It is quite humbling to read and all of us can see our reflection in one or more of the characters illustrated in the story.

Beautifully written with an innocence that is both alluring and raw. This story makes us all face the child within and see where we have got lost in the adult world.

9/10 - A book for everyone.

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

2010-03-22T08:36:00.000-07:00

Dennis Lehane is most known for his private eye novels, and his particularly famous novel also turned into a film Mystic River however Shutter Island proves to be very different. Also made into a film very recently, soon to be released on DVD starring Leonardo Decaprio.

I actually picked this book up on Saturday morning at about 10am and had it finished by tea time. I know I read fast but this book was brilliant. Gripping, intense and truly harrowing.

It is a psychological thriller, and I can honestly say being a big coward that I usually am, this book isn't scary...as you can see by my reviews I'm not a great fan of scary books anyway!

US Marshal Teddy Daniels embarks on his investigation to Shutter Island, a remote hospital for the criminally insane, hoping to find a missing patient. After finding a number of cryptic clues Teddy begins to suspect all is not as it seems. Will he ever leave Shutter Island?

Chilling and intensely clever, this book is not at all what it seems. I need someone else to read it now so I can debate what they think about it too!! I will definitely be reading the book again to see if I can break it down even more!!

Truly fantastic.

10/10

Beach Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones and Anonymous

2010-03-22T08:24:00.000-07:00

Imogen Edward-Jones has written yet another spectacular inside look into an industry we rarely see from behind the scenes. After reading Hotel Babylon and Fashion Babylon I am hooked on her great reveals into industries we all wish we had backstage passes to!

Her "Anonymous" contributor has given her a magnitude of shocking and revealing stories, all true, that she has been able to cleverly collaborate into a space of one week on a luxury tropical island.

Things most of us would only dream of and never experience in a lifetime are handed to these resort guests not just once a day but whenever their fancy takes them. Thousands of pounds on champagne, the finest foods and 6 star treatment, nothing is too much and the guests expect it all.

With a cast of millionaires, celebrities, and prostitutes what more can a person want on a sunny afternoon, sipping a cocktail and reading about how the other half live!!

8/10

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

2010-03-09T05:33:00.000-08:00

I rarely read a book after having seen the film, as knowing how it will end takes some of the allure away from the story for me, however knowing that film adaptations are often rather different (My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult being one that springs to mind) I decided to give the book a chance.

One day later and several laughs I closed the final page of a truly brilliant read. Maybe it is safe to say this book is not one for the boys, but fans of Kinsella rarely are!

Reading Rebecca Bloomwood's compulsive, crazy story gave me in plain black and white a scarily accurate description of how we feel entering shops, buying new things, the feeling we get, the buzz and then....the guilt. Can I afford it? Did I really need it? (Usually no and no!!)

Rebecca is in debt and to cheer herself up, rather than facing the situation she continues on her journey merrily filling her bags with shiny new things along the way. Her interaction with the other equally vivid and vibrant characters and her mishaps along the way are very funny, making the book hard to put down.

Although it is written in a fun a frivolous way there is a strong message for all us girls who like to shop. Moderation, and sensible spending!!

8/10

Say You Love Me by Marion Husband

2010-03-08T05:37:00.000-08:00

Say you Love Me is a Harrowing story exploring the life long trauma of parental sexual abuse. Delving into each different charactor Husband grips the reader into the repelling, mulit-dimensional lives each affected in their own way from the abuse.

So many issues are raised through out the book, both obvious and implied, including the rold of adoptive parents in the aftermath of abuse, life-long damage and coping strategies and retrubution and forgiveness.

Two brothers, both very different, cope with the childhood abuse only one of them had to endure at the hands of their father. Not lacking love from their mother, but the vital protection she should have provided them they have to learn to cope in their own ways. Each charactor endures abuse in one form or another and even after they have been removed from the situation they seem never to have the closure they so desparately crave.

Husband has highlighted a situation none of us really want to accept happens and yet does it in such an impartial vocabulary as to make it even more horiffic. She opens many doors to a world most of us can never understand but can only feel repulsion towards those who abuse and tourture.

From a personal perspective I found the neighbour's charactors very frustrating, although they knoew abuse was happening (although not to the extent to which it was) they didn't inform the athorities. I think this is a lesson to us all that sometimes imnding one's own business in all cases is not always the right thing to do.

Husband has written other novels including The Boy I Love and it's sequal Paper Moon

7/10 - a very harrowing read.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

2010-03-05T06:27:00.000-08:00

"If you suddenly had a friend that only you could see or hear, what would you do?"

I can't say this account on the back of the book didn't intrigue me slightly, but I never imagined I would enjoy the book as much as I did. Sophie Kinsella is known for her wit and charming writing style so although I knew she wouldn't (and didn't) disappoint the content of the book, judging from the summary on the back cover, was slightly different to her usual subject area.
Luckily I don't judge a book by the cover and off I delved into the pages.

Sitting in her Great-Aunt Sadie's funeral, a woman whom she knows nothing about, and lets face it couldn't care less about, Lara wonders where her life has gone wrong. Her business is failing, her relationship has failed and her best friend has left her in the lurch, not only that but here she is at some funeral with a family she can't stand for a distant relative she never even knew......when suddenly in her ear she hears a voice. "Where is my necklace" bellows the voice, and while no one else bats and eyelid, Lara realises she can see a 1920's girl standing before her frantic for her lost necklace, and only Lara can help her.
Her hilarious story begins, first she has to stop the funeral must to the dismay of her family, then the adventure really begins. Along the way Lara and Sadie, the ghost of her dead Great-Aunt embark on a rollar-coaster ride, who had me laughing aloud.
Are things really how they seem? What will be uncovered along the way?

I know Kinsella's books are generally held under the "chick-lit" umbrella but I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a bit of laughter in their life. It is an easy and enjoyable read and one of the rare books that I would happily read again.

10/10 I only wish it has gone on longer!!

Remembrance Day by Leah Fleming

2010-03-05T06:03:00.000-08:00

Leah Fleming is another author whose work I had not read before, and after having Remembrance Day passed onto me I gave her a shot.

The first part of the story is set just before and during the time of the First World War, in the quaint Yorkshire village of West Sharland. Selma, the daughter of a proud Blacksmith, and her brothers, and Guy and his twin brother Angus cross paths over a tragic accident, beginning an intertwined and life-long relationship. Not the usual love story of two lovers crossing the divides of society which were so much more pronounced in those days, but one of recklessness, deceit and heart-break.

Twin brother Angus, refused entry into the army on medical grounds, takes his opportunity to deceive the army and without his brother's knowledge, takes his place while Guy is home after an injury inflicted in battle. Meanwhile Selma, still in love with Guy is led to believe he is no longer interested.

Paths cross on the to her side of the channel and Angus (posing as Guy) does a wrong against Selma's brother Frank, who has saved his life many years before. As the village hundreds of miles away hear the rumors circulating they turn against Selma's family and she is forced by her parents to start a new life in America.

Part two of the book covers her American adventure and the link Selma and Guy still have through, believe it or not, their children who have both been posted to England in the second world war after America became involved.

If you want a realistic and likely tale, then this is probably a little far-fetched for your liking but if you love to curl up on a cold evening with the fire on and a hot drink and get absorbed in a gripping tale then you will love this. Narrated by Selma as an old woman finally witnessing the erection of a war memorial, disputed upon for so many years, her story unfolds.

This book illustrated not only a story of individuals and families torn apart by the devastation of war, but allowed us to enter into a past where community and strength, honor and grudges were tantamount to survival.

A must for anyone who enjoys a bit of a tear-jerking drama.

6/10 only marked down as it was a little slow-paced for my liking and a little far-fetched for my personal preference.

Coming Home by Melanie Rose

2010-02-10T09:06:00.000-08:00

This book was bought for me as a birthday present and claims to appeal to fans of Sophie Kinsella, who I have enjoyed in the past and Cecelia Ahern, who didn't appeal to me so much, so I was interested to see which side of the fence this book swayed me.

Picking it up yesterday I am happy to say I have finished it in the last ten minutes and thoroughly enjoyed it.

It is one of two novels Melanie Rose has written, this one being her second.

After a freak car accident in a snowstorm, the leading lady of the story finds herself suffering amnesia and after being found wandering in the snow with a cat in a box becomes embroiled in the complex lives of her rescuers. Not only that but she begins getting memories, not possible because of their time frame to be hers. Will these memories piece together a larger pictures involving more than just her.

If you enjoy books that are fairly light hearted and full of intrigue then you will enjoy this page-turner. All the characters feel like friends at the end of the book and I was sad to have finished the book wishing it would just keep going.

9/10

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

2010-02-08T07:04:00.000-08:00

The last book by Jodi Picoult that I read is the one that I had been looking forward to the most to read. As a criminology graduate the content of this book is right up my street. Reading this book highlighted many of the devastating issues from the Columbine shooting that was so shocking.

Picoult allows us to read an almost behind the scenes look at the mind of the murder of her imaginary school shooting.

Lacy Houghton, a midwife is devastated when her world falls apart after finding out her son has entered his school and murdered ten pupils. As the story unfolds the terrible bullying that he endured and experience he has at school begins to shed light on the terrible situation facing some high school pupils.

It was another book that I found hard to put down, and although she did not by any means justify the murders of the pupils another view point is given as to why these things happen. Perhaps facing these may make us more vigilant of the signs in the future in real life.

8/10

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

2010-02-08T06:49:00.001-08:00

This is the second of the three Jodi Picoult books I have read. I started it straight after Perfect match. Normally reading the same author in a row isn't something I generally do as I get bored of the same style and like a variation. However upon reading the back of the book the content seemed so different to the one before I went ahead.

At age 13 Anna is finally worn out with hospitals, operations, transfusions and injections...but Anna is not sick. She was born for the purpose of helping her sick sister who is fighting Leukemia. Through out this book we are given the viewpoints of all the family members in this heart breaking story. The way Picoult shifts our opinion from one chapter to the next depending on whose viewpoint we are reading is done so well.

Anna battles for the rights to her own body, she doesn't want to give up her kidney to her ailing sister, but the battle between the family loyalties are pushed to their raw limits. At 13 Anna is making a decision that will ultimately lead to her sisters death.

As you read the book you feel like you are getting to know the characters and I shed more than a few tears on numerous occasions throughout reading it. Issues none of us want to confront in our life are blasted through with such ferocity yet compassion that those of us, myself included who has not been in a situation even remotely similar can experience the devastation the disease can impose upon a family.

As with the other Picoult book I read there are twists and turns along the way which make it a truly brilliant novel. I can see why it has been made into a film starring Cameron Diaz. Because I enjoyed the book so much I watched the film, which was equally as tearful.

8/10

Top 100 Books...Read more than 6??

2010-02-08T03:53:00.000-08:00

The BBC believes that most of us will only have read 6 of these 100 top rated books (seeing the film does not count as reading the book!!!). I will put an 'x' by the ones I have read, feel free to do the same in the comments. Just cut and paste the list and do your own comparison.

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen X
The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte X
Harry Potter series - JK Rowling X
To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee X
The Bible X
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte X
Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell X
His Dark Materiels - Phillip Pullman X
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens X
Little Women - Lousia M Alcott X
Tess of the D'Urbervilles - Thomas HardyX
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller X
Complete Works of Shakespeare
Rebecca - Daphne D Maurier
The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
Birdsong - Sebastian Faulkes
Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
Middlemarch - George Eliot
Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell X
The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald X
Bleak House - Charles Dickens
War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
The Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky X
Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
David Copperfield - Charles Dickens X
Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
Emma - Jane Austen
Persuasion - Jane Austen
The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis X
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini X
Captain Coreli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres X
Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden X
Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
Animal Farm - George Orwell X
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown X
One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery X
Far from the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood
Lord of the Flies - William Golding
Atonement - Ian McEwan
Life of Pi - Yann Martel
Dune - Frank Herbert
Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen X
A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night - Mark Haddon X
Love in the time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck X
Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold X
Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
On the Road - Jack Kerouac
Jude the Obscure- Thomas Hardy
Bridget Jones's Diary - Helen Fielding X
Midnight's Children - Salman Rushdie
Moby Dick - Hermen Melville
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens X
Dracula - Bram Stoker
The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett X
Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
Ulysses - James Joyce
The Inferno - Dante
Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
Germinal - Emile Zola
Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
Possession - AS Byatt
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens X
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
The Colour Purple - Alice Walker X
The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
Charlotte's Web - EB White X
The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom X
Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle X
The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery X
The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
Watership Down - Richard Adams
A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute X
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
Hamlet - William Shakespeare
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl X
Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

I Have Read 38 of the hundred so far and I am in the middle of about 4 of them and in possession of many more so watch this space for more reviews on the BBC's top books. Enjoy counting for yourself and sharing it with friends.

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult

2010-02-08T03:39:00.000-08:00

This is the first of 3 Jodi Picoult books I am going to review. Although I had heard of her work, I had never read any of them so I allowed myself a pick of 3 to give myself a broad view of her style.

Perfect Match follows the story of an assistant district attorney, Nina Frost who prosecutes the sot of crimes that tear families apart on a daily basis. This is all well until Nina discovers her own child, only 5 years of age, has been sexually abused.

Suddenly her life, career and home life are thrown into disarray, suspicion and devastation as she tries to hold her broken family together and find justice for Nathaniel her son.

Despite her professional training Nina's taste for vengeance is gripping and she is about to embark on a journey that most parents would argue was legally wrong but morally right.

It is a thought-provoking read, which is constantly moving and developing into different angles and when you think everything is starting to come together another development happens to throw the case into chaos again.

Being the first of Picoult's books that I had read I was keen to pick up the next.

7/1 0

A Fair Cop by Michael Bunting

2010-02-08T03:24:00.000-08:00

How PC 451 Became Prisoner DK8639

Michael Bunting has taken his scribbles accounting his horrific experience from police officer to prisoner and turned them into a fantastic, honest and graphic read.

Michael had been a regular PC, after following his dream and joining the force following in his father's footsteps. After a routine patrol call however, his life was turned upside-down and he found himself not only in court on charges others found ridiculous, but subsequently sentenced to a terrifying prison term.

Once in prison he found himself spat at, beaten in front of guards, attacked in the showers, had buckets of urine thrown over him, had his food tampered with and came frighteningly close to suicide.

Michael doesn't preach, doesn't exaggerate or use over fussy turns of phrase. His book is an honest and open account written in a style we can all relate to, making it all the more horrifying. My heart didn't stop pounding from the judges decision till his accounts of the day of release.

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant.....a must read for everyone! Our eye's need to be opened to the corruption going on in the prison system!

10/10

City of Thieves By David Benioff

2010-02-08T02:58:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long absence, but it has not been wasted! I have got a number of new reviews to post for all the books I have been reading over the past few months.....well the ones worth reviewing anyway!!!

So here goes.....

City of Thieves by David Benioff

David Benioff has written a couple of books in his literary career, neither of which I have read. In fact until I bought this book I had not heard of him. I have heard of films he has screen written, like Kite Runner and X-Men etc. I was in Tescos and I spotted a paper cover on this book that claimed to give the buyer 2 free books if they did not enjoy the book. Intrigued I took up the challenge. Obviously there was an end date to this offer which well exceeded the time it would take to read the book, so I thought, "Hey, read it and then trade in in for a couple of new ones..." Whether or not I did this will come later!

The book is set in one of the coldest winters in history in a war torn city under German siege. The main characters, shy Lev and charismatic, risk-taker Kolya are thrown together in a mission to find a dozen eggs in a week in order to be forgiven for their crimes.

The back cover didn't fill me with too much enthusiasm...mmmm a story about an egg hunt they say? But my curiosity took the better of me and I began reading.

387 glorious, heart-pounding, riveting pages later I dropped the book into the hand of my husband and said READ!! It was brilliant.

Without giving the plot away too much and thus ruining the read for others, I can tell you among the content the young men encounter cannibalism, brothels, murder, desperate hunger, capture, Nazis and bonds so strong they will change their lives. I have not read a book so fast in a long time.

Usually my husband and I differ greatly on books and when I thrust a book into his hand insisting he read it he rarely gets to page 50 before giving up and returning to his own favoured genres. City of Thieves proved a rare exception to this rule. I have since passed it on to another 4 family members and friends and have not heard a bad review yet. Needless to say the book is still in my possession, and I intend to carry on circulating it!!

I never did want the free ones in exchange!!

Fashion Babylon by Imogen Edward-Jones & Anonymous

2009-08-24T10:27:00.000-07:00

If you love fashion, love the catwalk and the labels and the gossip then this is the book for you. In the same series as Hotel Babylon, this book uses a fictional designer to deliver true tales from behind the scenes of the crazy fashion world.

How do those models stay that thin, who is taking what, why do the seasons change, who decides what??? The list is endless. You feel, by reading this book, that you are eavesdropping on a delicious conversation about all the famous household names. We all aspire to look good, but at what cost will the industry go to keep our interest?

It is a naughty, gripping, revealing no-holds-barred-sneaky-peek behind the scenes of a world most of us will never be lucky enough to grace!

I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to read others by this author.

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

2009-08-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

Catch 22 is a satirical novel set in world war 2. I didn't have a clue what to expect from it, other than it was most popular in the "best books" lists I browse on occasion. These usually tweak my curiosity and I bought the book with no preconceptions...well only that it was considered one of the greatest literary creations to come out of the 20th century. No pressure there then!

It mainly follows the plight of Yossarian a Bombardier, and many others from his squadron. Although on the whole I know little about the American involvement in Italy, the satire was not lost on me and even to someone who knows little about the army, the book entertained me page by page.

Catch 22 itself is a contradictory military rule where one cannot win. The desired outcome is unattainable. For example, Yossarian wishes to be grounded from his flight missions in the grounds that he is crazy. The Dr informs him that he could ground him due to him being crazy but the fact he has told the Dr he is crazy actually points to the fact that he is sane. To fly more missions would mean he was crazy but to ask to be grounded due to insanity means you are rational enough to know the danger you are in therefore you are sane! Due to this catch 22 no crazy man who asks to be grounded because of insanity can actually be grounded because by asking they are classed as sane!

Mind whirring brilliance!

Sense and Sensibility By Jane Austen

2009-08-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

The story revolves around Elinor and Marianne, two daughters of Mr. Dashwood by his second wife. They have a younger sister, Margaret, and an older half-brother named John. When their father dies, the family estate passes to John, and the women are left in reduced circumstances. The novel follows the Dashwood sisters to their new home, a cottage on a distant relatives property, where they experience both romance and heartbreak. The contrast between the sisters' characters is eventually resolved as they each find love and lasting happiness. Through the events in the novel, Elinor and Marianne find a balance between sense (or pure logic) and sensibility (or pure emotion) in life and love. (Taken from Wikipedia.com...couldnt have said it better myself!!)

Sorry but this book was so awful in my opinion I couldn't bear to review it. All women seem to do in those days is sit brooding over which loser of a man is in love with them or become utterly devastated when something doesn't go right with said gentleman! They should have had a version of the Jeremy Kyle show in those days to go and spar it out! I couldn't take all the unnecessary drama!

In it's favour it was very beautifully written with wonderful use of English. Shame the content was like dull dishwater!

Sorry I think I have just massacred a classic! I feel strongly though, I have to warn people not to waste days of their precious lives reading this twaddle.

I should have had more "sense" not to read it! Never mind.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

2009-08-24T09:42:00.000-07:00

This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel has become a classic much loved across the world, so I was curious to see what the fuss was all about. The themes that threw themselves at me were certainly morality based issues affecting many of us today, which is why i think the book has remained so popular.

As Scout and Jem grow up in their innocent child-world, life full of game and adventure with Dill, their father Articus Finch seems old and dull in comparison. The children spend their days tormenting the Radley house to catch a glimpsp of Boo Radley who no one has seen in years, and of whom rumours around the children are rife.

Articus, the moral hero of the book who's integrity and warmth are one of my favourite things about the novel, warns them off the Radley "adventure" they are on and the children slowly begin to open their eyes to the prejudice in their town.

Mirroring this prejudice, the children become increasingly aware of the case of Tom Robinson. Their father is representing him in a trail where he is accused of raping a local girl. The evidence is stacked in his favour, but the colour of his skin is not.

The children witness the atrocious behaviour of many of their so-called friends and neighbours and begin to see Articus in a different light.

Although the battle is lost before it is fought, Articus displays an unnerving defence for poor innocent Tom. The battle is subsequently lost, but the war is not. Though his rigorous and righteous battle for Tom, the community in which they had almost lost faith in seem to be moving some step forward thanks to this event.

It surfaces afterwards that Articus was not the only soldier fighting this war and others in the community have influenced the turn of events.

The readers eyes are opened to a corruption and evil present in all our societies. One would hope we all had a good sized share of Articus Finch's courage within us.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a thought provoking, impact-fulled read so relevant to our world today.
Sometimes a story though the eyes of a child makes more sense than any other.

A Town Called Alice by Nevil Shute

2009-07-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

This book tells the story of Jean Paget an English woman who spent time in the war as a prisoner walking the country of Malaya as a walking prisoner. As the group of women trek from one place to the next surviving on what they can and dying as they walk they meet an Australian man called Joe Harmen who goes out of his way to help the women, especially for Jean and subsequently finds himself crucified by the Japanese for stealing some chickens.

Believing him dead when Jean is finally back in the UK she tries to get on with her life. The story told by her solicitor and friend Noel Strachen, unfolds as Jean comes in to a huge amount of money and returns to Malaya to those who helped her survive in the war and builds them a water well. During this time she discovers that Joe did not die and is back in Australia. Jean ventures off to Australia and Joe in the meantime is searching for her in England...all very frustrating. She travels through a prosperous town called Alice Springs and when she gets to the town Joe is from Willstown she eventually with Joe (who eventually returns, joins her and begins a relationship) builds the town up and keeps building until it is a prosperous town to live in attracting many others to come and work there.

It wasn't as good as i thought it would be. I have heard much about this book and when i read it I found it tedious in places and not gripping at all.

6/10

Labyrinth by Kate Mosse

2009-07-01T10:43:00.000-07:00

Three Secrets. Two Women. One Grail.

Alais from 1209 and Alice in 2005 are both on a journey and their destiny's are entangled. It is set in the French town of Carcassonne and the two women in their own times have fought to find the true meaning of the grail and protect its secrets.

The book, chapter from chapter, swaps between the time zones, making the story flow very cleverly but giving two totally different worlds a bond between each other.

The symbol of the Labyrinth causes intrigue and mystery as they seek to fulfil their respective destinies.

If you like a very in depth descriptive and intricate storyline, then this book will suit you well. It featured in the famous Richard and Judy reading club, which is how i got to hear about it. Reviews were mixed but on the whole positive towards the book.

I enjoyed it but it wasn't as compelling a page-turner as I have read before. I enjoyed the unfolding of the mystery but found some elements of the short a little unbelievable which spoilt it slightly for me. On the whole I would give the book a 6/10.

"The Bonfire of Berlin" and "Let Me Go" by Helga Schneider

2009-06-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

Helga, as a child was left with her younger brother while her mother left them to go and work as a camp guard at Auschwitz-Birkenau. Her father remarried and Helga was left with her step-mother who not only loved her brother and led others to believe he was her own, but rejected Helga and had her lead a most unloved and uncomfortable life, including getting her sent to a juvenile asylum. After coming back "home" to her step mother things do not improve and she has to live along with all the other residents of their block in a small cellar with threat not only of bomb attacks but with starvation, thirst, disease and death. On top of that they live in constant fear of physical attacks and rapes from enemy soldiers stalking Berlin.

When her father returns she gains little comfort from him. She leaves Berlin at the end of the book.

Let Me Go is the sequel to The Bonfire of Berlin, Helga finally as an adult decides to confront Traudi, her mother. She wants to see not only if she regrets her actions as a camp and extermination guard at Auschwitz-Birkenau but to see if she regrets abandoning her post as mother to her two children, which even the Nazi Party with all their evil ideas would have been against.

Helga hopes from this final meeting with her mother to be able to forgive her in some way and it is up to the reader to interpret whether or not she fulfils this. I believe she was finally at peace and had closure to the situation when she finally left her mother, who although in old age and fragile mental state, still had the evil ability to justify and control her actions.

Two amazing books from a different view point than we are used to when reading about Germany in the second world war.

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink

2009-06-18T04:03:00.000-07:00

15 year old Michael falls ill with Hepatitis and is cared for briefly by a stranger, after recovering he goes to thank this stranger and subsequently begins a love affair with her. Slightly strange as she is in her middle 30's and he is a school boy of 15. The story follows this affair and how Michael reads to Hanna (the older woman) finally after a long affair Hanna leaves without warning. Heart broken at first Michael recovers and although he never forgets Hanna, and sets all future relationships against this one, he gains a good education and goes in to study law. It is during this time that he attends some war crime trials and is shocked to see Hanna in the dock, accused of not unlocking a burning church full of Jewish women, of which only a mother and daughter survive. She is accused of writing the report covering for herself and other female guards. Michael knows this is untrue as Hanna is illiterate. Regardless of this he says nothing and Hanna is finally sentenced to life in prison. Over her 18 year sentence Michael records hundreds if not thousands of books onto cassette sending her them to listen to. Only near the end of her sentence does he receive a small note from her so he knows she is learning to read and write. On the day of her release, of which Michael has been called in to help her reintegrate into the real world, Hanna hangs herself and leaves all her worldly goods and money to the Jewish daughter who survived the church fire, who subsequently doesn't want the money so Michael donates it to a Jewish illiteracy charity. All in all this is about sums it up.

I have read extensive material from the holocaust period, visited Auscwitzh and been very interested and horrified by the whole period. This book I didn't particularly value. I found it rather bland and forgiving to the monster that was the guard Hanna. Although I see the point of trying to humanize these guards and make them multi-faceted I didn't feel this was achieved. I know this has been made into a film and many would like to argue with me maybe on the basis of the film's success.I would like to see the film in order to judge for myself. I felt the idea was excellent but the execution of it was not so fluent.

If you are interested in this period then I would recommend it but don't expect too much.

I would recommend The fires of Berlin and Let me go, both by Helga Schneider if you are interested in some further reading. One follows on from the other and they are true accounts of the daughters experience of having a mother as an SS guard, the hatred, guilt and acceptance that she has to struggle with life long. I will write a review of them soon since we have discussed this area.

I am currently reading the Labyrinth by Kate Mosse.

The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld

2009-06-17T05:09:00.000-07:00

The Year is 1909. Sigmund Freud and companions have just set foot onto American soil to partake in a number of lectures to spread their theories. Across town a murder and a terrible attack have taken place. The survivor of the attack, a society girl has lost both her voice and her memory. It will take the skills of Dr Younger, with Freud's help to use their genius to help her regain her memory and find the killer. It integrates beautifully a crime thriller, a mystery and a intricately pieced together piece of historical literature to create something so different and so compelling to finish that it only took me 2 days to finish from start to end.

With twists and turns on every page you can't help but be gripped into the scenery and story he so cleverly paints for us. His descriptive skills are second to none and he has accurately described the world around the characters as it would have been early in the 20th Century. This must have been no small feat. When he describes a situation you feel as though you are there in the room with them, standing in the park with them, or holding your breath in suspense for them! Great read. I thoroughly recommend it.

The next book I will review has recently been made into a film starring Kate Winslet. The Reader by Bernhard Schlink.

Ninteen Eighty Four by George Orwell

2009-06-15T01:23:00.000-07:00

1984 is written by the same author as Animal Farm. I had read Animal farm in 6th form when I was studying the Russian Revolution and found it both highly intelligent, and relevant to today's society as much as when it was written. I was interested to see if 1984 had the same command and affect over the reader. I was not disappointed. The Book follows the story of Winston Smith. Smith being representative of the society in which he lived in as it is the most common name. In a "Big Brother" society their every move is watched and hear on telescreens and any deviation from what is expected from Big Brother is punishable in the severest forms, often by torture and death.
Inside the not so safe few cubic centimeters of his head, Winston is forming a rebellion, he is committing thoughtcrime by wishing someone, somewhere could overthrow this oppression. He dreams of being loved, being free and being in a society where your every move isn't watched and analysed constantly.
Interestingly Big Brother who is ever present or omnipotent in the novel, never actually appear in person, so whether or not he is an actual person or just a representation to lead the population of Oceania is never known. The population are certainly not given the scope to explore this however, and are expected to love and serve Big Brother in body and mind at all times.
Free enterprise and individualism are none existent in the novel, Winston however is not under the party's entire control, in his mind he still maintains some of himself. He buys a diary on the black market and begins to fill in his thoughts for people of the future to read. He also falls in love and has secret relationships with Julia a fellow worker at the Ministry of Truth, where it is his job to amend and change articles from the past to constantly make them adhere to Big Brother's desires. Unfortunately the ending of the book is not a happy one. As with all my reviews I don't wish to ruin the ending for you but I strongly recommend you read it for yourself. It will change the say you not only view society but how you value or rights as individuals. It casts an interesting slant on our ever increasing "monitored" society bringing forward many debates as the increased CCTV on our streets, ID cards, and any such monitoring the government expects from us.

The next book I am reading is The Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld. Review to follow soon!

A Study in Scarlet: Sherlock Holmes, By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

2009-06-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

A Study in Scarlet follows the murder of 2 men in London who have both dies at the hands of a cold blooded murderer...or have they? Holmes with his sidekick Watson embark on their first adventure together to discover the facts behind the two murders. Through the clever use of deduction the murderer is finally caught and justice prevails. The book is split into two parts, the criminal investigation and then the explanation and background. The detail is second to none and points he eludes on which you may think insignificant always tie up later in the story. I enjoy reading Sherlock Holmes mystery's and this one didn't disappoint.

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

2009-06-05T08:08:00.001-07:00

What a brilliant read! I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. Normally a book covering such a wide expanse of years struggles to keep the content so rich and flowing but this classic fulfils this task beautifully. From Jane's troubled and neglected childhood to her growing love and passion for Mr Rochester, the plain girl captures our hearts. Each time I picked up this book I was transported into her world forgetting all my worries and was able to totally absorb myself into the storyline. Not many books do that for me. I found her use of description incredible and could picture so clearly the landscapes, expressions, meals, clothes, colours, smells and rooms she described so articulately.
Even though it was published in 1847, the reader can so easliy relate to the charactor of Jane Eyre which is why I perceive it still to be so popular today. The different themes running through the book provoke much interest, morality, religion, social class, gender relations and even disability are so tenderly approached that they still feel as prominent now as when she wrote them. Jane Eyre tirelessly asserts her position in all the situations she finds herself in and in a male dominated world manages to become a strong and independant woman. Although she finally reunited with Mr Rochester the emphasis is more upon his need for her rather than the other way round and she is with him becasue she hopelessly loves him. In this I found a refreshing change to most love stories, whose main purpse is to demonstrate how the couple simply couldn't live without each other or like that of Heathcliff and Cathering in Wuthering Heights, self destruction commenced when they did not have each other. If I was a little more like the charactor of Jane Eyre I should be proud!

The next book I intend to review is A Study in Scarlet By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I am half way through so it should be finished in the next few days. Until next time............

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

2009-06-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to read this book for long while now and am glad I have completed it unscathed. I appreciated that I was reading a piece considered to be of literary genius but upon further research I find that her ideas were not unique to her and the story line echoed that of others around that time. I was familiar with the story of Wuthering Heights but upon reading it I was not compelled to keep turning the page. Although it was written in the beautiful style of language common to their era, the story just didn't grip me.

Heathcliff is such a cold character and uncommonly cruel in my opinion. It is as though aside from Catherine (elder) he has no other room for any form of human kindness or humanity of any sort and I therefore found him rather unbelievable.

Hareton, who is made to seem almost animal like in his conduct due to his unfortunate upbringing by Heathcliff, surprised me most. To find that he and Catherine (younger) are, by the end of the book planning on marriage was so obscure and out of any expectation I held that again it diminished the level of believability for me.

I am glad I have read it and almost feel guilty to write such a review on one of the "classics" but I have to be honest with myself and say that I didn't particularly enjoy it.

I have started reading Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte's most well favored book, and am so far really enjoying it, I will not elude any further than that at this point but to say that there is a marked difference in the content to my liking!

The Thirteenth Tale by Dianne Setterfield

2009-05-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

This debut novel by Setterfield was absolutely outstanding. The plot, pace and content was second to none. Following the story of Vida Winters an ill and dying best selling authoress the main character Margaret begins to discover all is not what it seemed. It has quite a Gothic feel to it and an air of mystery that keeps you turning the pages. I felt like the way she described reading hit the nail on the head for me, the importance of words, no matter how long the writer has been dead their words will live on. Born as a conjoined twin herself, and grieving the death of her sister she was never to know about Margaret feels an affinity to the story of Vida Winters, but all is not as it seems. I hope To read more of her novels when she produces some more to see if they live up to this one. I certainly hope so!

Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife by Sam Savage

2009-05-12T06:05:00.000-07:00

I always read a book with great care not to bend the spine. If I lend a book to a friend or family member I always frown on its return to see the spine and pages creased and disrespected. I like to keep books in good condition and take care of them. I suppose aside from eating the books in the beginning of the story, I am much like Firmin the literary rat who devours words and relishes a great story captured on paper for a lifetime. It is a book with a depressive and lonely undertone and not one who leaves the reader feeling upbeat. It is a cleverly written piece which I hope to pass on to my more open minded friends who appreciate something a bit different. It does take an ounce or two of patience to get into the idea of a rat who reads but he is an endearing little thing who you ultimately grow to like and pity. Firmin articulately observes the society he can never be part of leading a lonely existence of unrequited love, friendship and contact.
I recommend this if you enjoy something a bit different to the norm.

The Misconceiver by Lucy Ferris

2009-05-12T05:49:00.000-07:00

This is the only book i have read lately that I was relieved to finish!! It was so jumpy, hopping from one thing to the next and never really explaining parts of interest in any depth. The fact it was set in the future and under an authoritarian society that disallowed any form of abortions, know by the main character as misconceptions, any explanation of the society in which they were living or how it came to fruition were not clearly touched upon. Although I think she was trying to portray the technologically advanced society verses the culturally and politically backward aspect of control I feel it could have been done better and more clear to keep the reading wanting to turn the page. I think this would have given it more substance and made it flow more. Altogether a disappointing read already back in the charity shop for some other victim to purchase!

Coastliners by Joanne Harris

2009-04-30T06:09:00.000-07:00

As I finished this book I had to admit I felt quite a sense of achievement. I'd made it! My trudge through treacle had come to a painful close. Sorry, to all of you expecting another chocolat you will be disappointed...at least I was. I found it slow-going and lacking of any gripping storyline. Although as always her descriptive skills are fantastic the actual storyline lacked that something special. I don't think I'll be picking up another of her books for a while.
Now I am starting The Misconceiver by Lucy Ferriss, I picked it up from a charity shop for 60p s0 I will let you know when I have finished it.
x

Slammerkin

2009-04-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Another book finished and enjoyed. Although this was probably the polar opposite to The Book Thief I really enjoyed it. The character is believable and like me LOVE dresses and clothes. How could I not enjoy the book...not one for prostitution myself the similarities end there but I really enjoyed reading about a time and conditions I know little about.

I sat in the sun and read the last few chapters and the red shoulders prove that it was a gripping ending as I didn't have time for suncream or shade! I'm like a woman possessed with the last few chapters of a good book, I have to finish it at all costs!

The Book Thief

2009-04-22T03:07:00.001-07:00

I finished The Book Thief by Markus Zusak a few days ago and thought I would write a few words about it. I always intend to list the books I get through but there are so many and I never get round to jotting them down. This was quite possibly one of the best, most clever books I have read, and I have read a lot! It is narrated by Death himself and follows the tale of a young girl Lisel Meminger, the book thief and a child of Nazi Germany. Stealing stories helps her and many others through that terrible time. The use of language and the intricate story line kept me gripped till the last page. Death as the narrator gave me a totally different reading experience to the norm and I loved that unique stance. Rarely do I want to read a book a second time over but this one would definitely come in this category.

I am now half way to finishing Slammerkin, and again really enjoying it. I will review it once I have finished. The sun is shining, the house work is nearly done, and then the book will be my priority!!