The April / May book list

After much thought, here are the six books that made the April/May book list:

If you keen to play along , just try read one (or more) of the above books before June. Do keep me posted on what you reading and please send in reviews if you want to. Hope you like the list...

1. Moxyland by Lauren Beukes 

2. The Irresistible Henry House by Lisa Grunwald

3. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

4. The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton

5. The Girl Who Played With Fire (book 2) by Stieg Larsson

6. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak 

* click on book name to get more details on book

Do tell...

What book are you currently reading?

Book review: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson.

Written by Cat

I really enjoy a good crime novel and love intrigue and drama in a story (off course my addiction to CSI speaks of the same love). This book is exceptionally brilliant within it's genre.

The plot is interesting in the hidden layers of motives and actions keeps it filled with tension throughout the book. I would have never guessed the final outcome and the plot eventually almost becomes two separate mysteries rolled into one storyline.

At times the book is very graphic about sex and violence - after all the story line leads to such type of material, but never unjustified. It is also interesting to gain an insight in the Swedish way of life and society as well as short descriptions of the lifestyle that never bores you.

I feel that the strongest element to the book is not the excellent story line, but the great characterization. Each and every character, even very minor ones, are drawn full rounded with enough information to let your imagination fill out the person, without becoming long winded and overly descriptive. The main characters deploy themselves to you as the book progresses and grow to involve you to form your opinion regarding them. They are rich and developing and hold your attention right to the end.

I will certainly recommend this book to anyone that is not an overly sensitive reader. I can not wait to read the second book in the series.

If you...

"If you only read the books that everyone else is reading,

you can only think what everyone else is thinking."

- Haruki Murakami

Book review: A Year on Ladybug Farm

A Year on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball

Review by Walking on Sunshine

3 women + 1 mansion + 1 year = an incredibly sweet story about finding out that change is always a good thing.

Lindsay, Cici and Bridget are women who have raised families, cared for their husbands and worked for the majority of their adult lives. But now their husbands are gone (either deceased or have run off with other women), their children are grown and these three best friends have decided that purchasing a run-down mansion together is the solution to all their problems. As the friends view the house, which they name “Ladybug Farm” they anticipate making a profit in one years time, a profit which they hope will allow them to live a life filled with worry free problems and ultimate happiness surrounded by one another. But as we all know, keeping your eye on the prize can be difficult when you run into problem after problem.

When I first started reading Donna Ball’s “A Year on Ladybug Farm”, I thought it was a little too sugar coated, meaning there were lots of “I love you” and “I couldn’t do anything without you” moments, but as the plot thickened so did the characters and I grew to care for each of them separately. I found the novel to have a lot of similarities with Frances Mayes’ novel, “Under the Tuscan Sun”, which was a great novel (and a great movie). Lindsay, Cici and Bridget were charming, sweet and always had each other’s best interest in mind. The story grew into a charming novel about rediscovering who you are and what your friends really mean to you.

I’d highly recommend this book to people who have an afternoon of nothing planned, but this book and a cup of coffee.

* to submit your own review click HERE

A strong woman...

"I believe a strong woman may be stronger than a man,

particularly if she happens to have love in her heart.

I guess a loving woman is indestructible."

- John Steinbeck (from book "East of Eden")

Other peoples love letters

"Other peoples love letters" by Bill Shapiro sounds and looks like a very interesting book. Personally, I find the love letters (happy or sad) of other people so very intriguing and beautiful - So, when i stumbled upon this book I thought I should share it.

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Here is a description of it (from amazon.com):

"Fevered notes scribbled on napkins after first dates. Titillating text messages. It's-not-you-it's-me relationship-enders. In Other People’s Love Letters, Bill Shapiro has searched America’s attics, closets, and cigar boxes and found actual letters–unflinchingly honest missives full of lust, provocation, guilt, and vulnerability–written only for a lover’s eyes. Modern love, of course, is not all bliss, and in these pages you’ll find the full range of a relationship, with its whispered promises as well as its heartache. But what at first appears to be a deliciously voyeuristic peek into other people’s most passionate moments, will ultimately reawaken your own desires and tenderness…because when you read these letters, you’ll find the heart you’re looking into is actually your own."