Shopaholic Abroad by Sophie Kinsella

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

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

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

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

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

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

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