Near The Exit - Lori Erickson

I read this small book sitting in the library on a cold winter afternoon.  Lori Erickson talks about her experiences of losing her brother, and moving her mother to a local dementia care unit, while exploring her experiences with death and dying in different cultures and in her experiences as a pastor.  I was especially moved by the small chapter on dealing with a Maori spiritual leader on a trip to New Zealand.  3/5
 

Happy Fat - Sofie Hagen

 Sofie Hagen is a comedian who has written a book about her experience of growing up fat and fat acceptance.  In a world where we try to be more and more inclusive, fat people still find themselves being excluded and bullied, and many of the stories she told did make me sad.  Her experiences flying being wedged in beside her neighbors, of not being able to find any clothes to buy and being made to constantly diet by her mother.  Saddest of all was one of beginning pages that talks about her experience of walking down the street, that she always wears headphones so that she does not have to hear the abuse hurled at her by strangers.  4/5

The Secret Life of Shirley Sullivan - Lisa Ireland

79 year old Shirley Sullivan has a plan - to take her 83 year old husband Frank on an adventure, to take him back home.  Slipping him out from his nursing home takes a bit of organizing and on their journey we learn about how they met, and the story of their marriage.  This is a sweet story and I like that the protagonists are seniors having their own adventure. 4/5 

Flash Count Diary - Darcey Steinke

                                                I have enjoyed reading this small book about the menopause, and somehow came away learning a bit more about whales in captivity then this powerful stage of a womans life.  Unlike many of the books out that I have glanced at, it doesn't advocate the use of HRT as a way to bypass many of the menopause symptoms and speaks mainly of the authors own experience rather than being a rallying cry or sales pitch. 4/5

 

Fantastic Mr Dahl - Michael Rosen

Fantastic Mr Dahl - Michael Rosen (2012)

Ok - so I might not have actually read any reviews before I ordered this little book to read.  I may not have noticed that it was a kids book, designed me thinks for the under ten year olds.  Still, it made up for it by being filled by the lovely illustrations of Quentin Blake, that made the ten year old girls inside me smile.

So this book describes the childhood of Raold Dahl, his years in the RAF, as a diplomat and his career as an author.  I learnt a bit, even if I didn't have to write a school report about my favourite author, I feel that I could now.

3/5

The Inquisitor's Key - Jefferson Bass

The Inquisitor's Key - Jefferson Bass (2012)

I like a bit of a forensic thriller that combines a bit of history with the running , chasing and stabbing.  In this case, Dr Bill Brockton travels to Avignon in France, to investigate some old bones found in an ancient sealed box buried within a wall.

Similarities to the Shroud of Turin cause Dr Bill and his assistant Miranda to investigate whether the bones and shoud could have belonged to Christ, or whether they are later forgeries.

So a thriller with a bit of intelligence goes a long way towards replacing Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs who seem to be reproducing the same old story over and over.  3/5

My Animals and Other Family - Clare Balding

My Animals and Other Family - Clare Balding (2012)

Even going into this book knowing little or nothing about the author, it was hard not to be charmed by this memoir.  Growing up in a racing family, Clare and her brother were surrounded by the family horses and dogs, and each chapter of this book is centred around adventures with one of the animals.

With a bossy grandmother, two busy parents and visits by the Queen, I had to keep reminding myself that this was a modern story of my own generation, and not one from the twenties or thirties.  Even though I am not a horsey person, the stories were quite entertaining, and I did find myself having a quiet chuckle as I read the book during my lunch breaks.  A worthy 4/5.

 

An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination - Elizabeth McCracken

An Exact Replica of a Figment of My Imagination - Elizabeth McCracken (2008)

This little memoir is written by Elizabeth McCracken, who with her husband, also an author is living a nomadic life, living in both Paris and rural France.  While waiting for the impending birth, she realises that she has not felt the baby move, and at nine months has to to deliver her stillborn son.
Both parents are devastated, and this moving book is the outpouring of their grief.

I cannot imagine their pain, not being a mother myself, but only get a sense of it after similar heartbreak within my only family, one that never feels quite complete, as someone is missing but not forgotten.  I found the end of the book touching, especially when she writes about many of her friends who reached out to her, and were able to provide comfort with their words, tears and hugs. The importance of sending a card, making a call in troubling times even when you don't know what words to write.  3/5

Life Without Limits - Nick Vujicic

Life Without Limits - Nick Vujicic (2010)

It is hard to finish this book without being inspired by Nicks amazing story. Born without arms or legs, just two small malformed feet, he has managed to form a career as a motivational speaker, travelling around the world to share his story.

Throughout the book, he uses many examples of positive thinking that have helped him and others get through tough times.  Even when things are going wrong, there is still a lesson to be learned and a different opportunity can come through the change in circumstances.

A lot of this book is about Nicks relationship with God, which isn't really my thing, but I still found that the message is really about making the most of what you have been given, and that each day we get alive is full of opportunity.   3/5

Before I Met You - Lisa Jewell

Before I Met You - Lisa Jewell (2012)

I pounced on this one and was eager to start it as the cover had teased me from various bookshelves, and one day at the library I saw it's new cover peaking out at me.  So even with six reserves to pick up, I took it out as well and started it first.

We get to meet Betty who grows up on Guernsey looking after her elderly grandmother until her death.  Finding a few clues to a woman mentioned in the will, Betty escapes to  the mid nineties Soho London with just a few pounds and a mink coat.

Alternating with Bettys story, we get to meet Arlette her grandmother who is twenty one and newly arrived in London at the house of her mothers friend.  Falling into a job at Libertys and evenings spend with a painter and his musician friends, Arlette begins to find her feet.

I found myself just a bit annoyed with this book. The characters never really sunk in for me, and I was a bit confused in the first chapter having to reread parts of it again, to figure out who was who.  I lived in midninties London, and had quite a good time, but I found myself a bit bored by Bettys clichéd live next to a rock star story and Arlettes live like a bohemian tale.  I guess I just found it a bit hard to click with the story and in the end I liked the cover of the book more than the story itself.  2/5

The Ruins of Lace - Iris Anthony

The Ruins of Lace - Iris Anthony (2012)

There are so many things about this historical novel that I loved - the time period, an original set of stories, the cover of the book,  the story about the history of lace, how shocking that girls at six were taken in and trained to make lace, then thrown to the street and abandoned once their eyesight fails.  Imagine living a life where you are punished for talking, for having friends?

Imagine losing your house because you ruin a lace cuff?  Being punished for carrying lace  and using dogs to smuggle lace across borders between countries, all awesome stories.

I did have some difficulty though with all the different narrators and would have found it easier following two or three stories. In the end I had to admit to being a bit confused about the ending, even though I knew it was meant to be tying all of the stories together.  I wanted to know more about the girl thrown to the streets, the baby who was meant to be a girl and other characters.   For that I have to give it a 3/5.

The End of Your Life Book Club - Will Schwalbe

The End of Your Life Book Club - Will Schwalbe (2012)

A nice rainy morning was the perfect excuse for me to lie in bed and read this book.  This touching memoir is written by  Will Schwalbe who  joins his mother as she undergoes chemo for pancreatic cancer.   They discuss their latest reads and often choose to read the same books at the same time, or swap novels, talking about the themes and the characters.  This also leads to lots of discussions about their own lives, their family and the greater world around them.

As well as being an actress in her early days, Wills mother Mary Anne has also spent lots of her life dedicated to helping out refugees in war zones across the world.  It is many of those stories which for me were the highlights of this book.

I always find books about books and reading (and often about music too) disappoint  mainly because for so many of us our own favorites are so personal and associated with our good memories.  Many of the books in  this book are not my cup of tea, and not ones I would race out to read, but it is the stories between the stories that make this book shine.  The main story of which is a son, helping her mother to both live and die is  for me the most touching one, and I did have a few tears in my eyes at the end.  4/5

The Feast Nearby - Robin Mather

The Feast Nearby - Robin Mather (2011)

With rising prices everywhere, so many of us have become more conscious of being thrifty, keeping green and eating local.  So this is one of those books that appeals to all those ways of living.

Robin Mathers marriage dissolves and her job as a food writer finishes, a she moves into her small remote cottage near a lake in rural US.  With only $40 a week for food and groceries, she documents her year of buying locally grown food and living seasonally.  She also writes about the changing seasons and her friendships with interesting locals.

Filled with family recipes I enjoyed this interesting and light read.  4/5

Garnethill - Denise Mina

Garnethill - Denise Mina (1998)


Maureen is in a bit of trouble.  After a night on the drink, she comes home  and goes to sleep in the morning, she finds her boyfriend dead with his throat slit.  With a history of mental illness, a drug dealer boyfriend and a couple of dodgy mates, Maureen wonders who could have committed the crime.

I have only recently discovered Denise Mina, and enjoy her gritty Scottish thrillers.  Tight writing with good believable characters make her books easy and enjoyable to read.  3/5

Mariana - Susanna Kearsley

Mariana - Susanna Kearsley (1994)

The Shadowy Horses is one of my favourite books, so as soon as I got the Kindle, I loaded up on Susanna Kearsleys books while they were cheap.  Anyways you know the gist, girl buys cottage that she has admired since she was tiny.  Finds out about local ghosts, keeps seeing handsome man on horse.  Meets wealthy big house owner, owner of the pub, local handyman, psychic aunty.  Keeps going back  and forth in time.

I did enjoy this book, although some of the scenes didn't quite make sense to me, and the book does begin to feel a bit dated.  Especially considering a  thirty year old can buy a several bedroomed cottage by herself.  3/5.

The Meryl Streep Movie Club - Mia March

The Meryl Streep Movie Club - Mia March (2012)

Lolly is the mother of Kat, and aunty to Isabel and June, and one summer she invites all three women to return home for an important announcement.  Coming back to the Inn where they all grew up, stirs up memories for all three girls who have become distant and involved in their own separate lives.

Coming together the women of course find themselves and find men who are just perfect for them.  I don't know,maybe I expected more about their relationships together, rather than so much about their pasts and bad relationships. For me it was ok, but rather predictable and more chick-lit than I usually like.  2/5

Every Day - David Levithan

Every Day - David Levithan (2012)

Every Day we get to meet A as a different person.  Waking up, A  finds him/herself in the body of a different 16 year old boy or girl.  This has been happening as long as A can remember.  Taking the day to adjust and fit in, A knows at midnight things will change again.

All goes smoothly until A meets Rhiannion and realises discovers love, but can he/she convince Rhiannion to love in return?  It was a really interesting prospect, and a new and interesting way to look at teenagers, fitting in and acceptance.  As with most teenage novels, there is quite a bit of angst and teenage relationship drama.

The best bit is, I might finally have read a book that I can recommend to my  16 year old niece.  I'm going to give it a 4/5 just because the story has stayed with me.

When in Rome - Nicky Pellegrino

When in Rome - Nicky Pellegrino (2012)

Aww isn't it nice when you pick up a nice light novel that you want to devour and hear more of the story?  I felt at home with this book as soon as I started.  Serafina is the oldest of three girls living in a small apartment with their mother, who is a lady of the night in 1950s Rome.

When the girls hear that the great singer Mario Lanza is coming to make a film in Rome, the girls arrive intending to show off the middles sisters singing ability, but an opportunity allows Serafinas life to change.

A great read for a wild and windy weekend.  Great to curl up in bed with 4/5.

Down Came the Rain - Brooke Shields

Down Came the Rain - Brooke Shields (2006)

I did know through reading articles over the years, that Brooke Shields had suffered postnatal depression after the birth of her daughter Rowan.  Still I was very surprised by this book, and the depth of her despair and how truly stressed out she was.

You really have to admire her for sitting down to write this book, and open up all of those scary feelings again, and for doing it in the hope that it helps other mothers realise that they are not alone, and that they can seek help.

I felt as though I could hear her voice and she was sitting on the couch next to me, telling me about her experiences.  For that I think it is worthy of a 4/5.

Rush of Blood - Mark Billingham

Rush of Blood - Mark Billingham (2012)

Three UK couples meet up at the Florida resort they are staying at.  They drink and dine together enjoying each others company until just before they are about to return, a young girl goes missing.

Returning to their normal lives, they catch up for dinner and wonder what could have happened.  As suspiscions are raised, we wonder if any of them could have been involved, and are given small clues throughout the novel.

I was kind of surprised by the ending, not quite what I expected.  I did enjoy the unexpected turns, but I am not really a fan of the snatched/abused child genre.  3/5