The May / June book list

Here are my book suggestions for May/June (you can click on title to read more about the book): 

1.  A Street Cat Named Bob - by James Bowen

2. When God was a Rabbit - by Sarah Winman

3. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - by Paul Torday

4. Divergent - by Vernica Roth (YA fiction)   

The December /January book list

I don't know about you, but I love reading over the holiday season. It's probably one of the only times I get a chance to really dedicate some time to just reading. Here are some cool books you may want to check out this holiday season (click titles to read more):

1. The Hunger Games Triology - by Suzanne Collins
Highly recommend this if you looking for an exciting read. It falls into "Young Adult", but I think its great read for adults too. I'm almost on the third book and I am absolutely loving it. The movie has been made and is set to be released in March 2012 (note: this is not a love story, more of a dark adventure)

2. Summer Sisters - by Judy Blume
This is a great holiday read. It's Judy Blume for adults (aka great chick-lit) . I read it years ago and liked it so much I got a few of my friends to read it too.

3. The Tiger's Wife - by Tea Obreht
I just read about this book recently and it sounds very interesting.  

The October/November book list

Here are the 4 books that  Ive chosen for my Oct/Nov book list (aka my reading suggestions and books I hope to read) -You can click on the title to read more about book:

1. The Night Circus - by Erin Morgenstern
2. I Don't Know How She Does It - by Allison Pearson
3. The Dovekeepers - by Alice Hoffman
4. One Day - by David Nicholls

The August/September book list

 

Here are the 4 books that  Ive chosen for my August/September book list (aka my reading suggestions) -You can click on the title to read more about book:

1. State of Wonder - by Ann Patchett

2. The Red Garden - by Alice Hoffman

3. Starcrossed - by Josephine Angelini (young adult)

4. This Way Up - by Paige Nick (Local)

The June/July book list

Here are the 4 books that have made it onto my June/July book list (aka winter reading suggestions) -You can click on the title to read more about book:

1. The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson (just started this)

2. The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

3. Sex & Stravinsky by Barbara Trapido

4. This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

I hope I can read them all, but I will probably only get to 1 or 2. Will you be reading any of these book suggestions?

The April / May book list

After much thought here are the books that made my April/May reading list (click title to read more about the book):

1. The Lake of Dreams by Kim Edwards

2. Ape House by Sara Gruen

3. The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen

4. Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

The February / March book list

Here are the books that made the feb/March book list....

1. The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald

2. A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

3. The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard

4. Room by Emma Donoghue

* click on book title for more info

Finished and starting...

This holiday I finished reading The Brave by Nicholas Evans. Like all of Evans books before, I really enjoyed it and found it hard to put down. The book contained great characters and vivid imagery.

Right now I am about to start reading The Memory of Running  by Ron McLarty. It sounds very interesting. Here is a bit about the book (taken from the authors website): 

"Meet Smithson "Smithy" Ide, an overweight, friendless, chain-smoking, forty-three-year-old drunk who works as a quality control inspector at a toy-action-figure factory in Rhode Island. By all accounts, especially Smithy's own, he's a loser. Then, within one week, Smithy's beloved parents are killed in a car crash, and Smithy learns that his emotionally troubled, long-lost sister, Bethany, has turned up in a morgue in Los Angeles. Unmoored by the loss of his entire family-Smithy had always hoped Bethany might return-he rolls down the driveway of his parents' house on his old Raleigh bicycle into an epic journey that will take him clear across the country." 

What book are you finishing or starting right now?

The December/January book list

I am going to try read at least 2 of these over the festive season. Will you be joining me in reading any these books in Dec/Jan?

1. The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanna Clarke

2. The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

3. The Brave by Nicholas Evans

4. The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks

5. Summer Sisters by Judy Blume

6. Playing with the Grown-ups by Sophie Dahl

Click on book titles for more information.

Happy reading!

The Dec/Jan book list coming soon...

Darlings, I realise I am late putting up the December / January book list (my apologies). The new book list will be up next week :)

The October / November book list

Here are the 4 books that made the Oct/Nov book list:

1. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman

2. The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman

3. Zoo City by Lauren Beukes

4. The Girl Who Chased The Moon by Sarah Addison Allen

Note: to see all the past book lists click HERE

I'm about to start reading..

"Alice Hoffman's new novel, The Story Sisters, charts the lives of three sisters–Elv, Claire, and Meg. Each has a fate she must meet alone: one on a country road, one in the streets of Paris, and one in the corridors of her own imagination. Inhabiting their world are a charismatic man who cannot tell the truth, a neighbor who is not who he appears to be, a clumsy boy in Paris who falls in love and stays there, a detective who finds his heart’s desire, and a demon who will not let go." - Amazon

Today I bought myself this novel. I am really looking forward to reading this book and since Alice Hoffman has been one of my favourite authors for over 10 years, I really don't think that I will be dissapointed by it.

What are you reading right now?

Ive been reading...

I recently finished Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and I loved it. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and can't wait to watch the film version next year. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an interesting, superbly written read.

* Note: Sara Gruen's new book, Ape House, is coming out next month in USA. 

I have just started reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Ive been wanting to read this book for over a year or two , but when so many people started to read it (and talk to me about it) and there was so much hype about it - I decided to read it at another stage of my life or not at all (i don't know why, its just how i felt at the time). Anyways, so here I am starting to read it on the week that the Eat, Pray, Love film is released in US cinemas (and no, I wont see the film until I finish the book). I have not read very much yet, but so far I am really enjoying it (i finally get why everyone has been raving about it). I absolutely adore Gilbert's style of writing. I will keep you posted on what I think of the book.

What are you reading right now? do share...

The August / September book list

After much thought, here are the the 6 books that made the August / September book list (note:  I chose a few that are, or will be, movies):

1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (yes, it has been on one my book lists before, but because I am busy reading it and loving it - I thought i'd put it on again)

2. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

3. The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud by Ben Sherwood

4. The Help by Katheryn Stockett

5. The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

6. The Magicians Assistant by Ann Patchett

Click on above book names to read more.

Do tell...

I am currently between books and have started to wonder which book I feel like reading next. Top of my list right now is Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen ( I did put it on my first book club list on here, but never got around to reading it)

What are you reading right now? do tell...

The June / July book list

After much thought, here are the six books that made the June/ July book list:

If you keen to join in, just try read one (or more) of the above books by the end of July. Do keep me posted on what you reading and please send in reviews if you want to ;)

1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

2. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

3. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Stieg Larsson (The third book in the trilogy - other 2 in previous book lists)

4. The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

5. Julia's Chocolates by Cathy Lamb

6. Much to your Chagrin by Suzanne Guillette

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

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.

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

Choosing books

I'm rather picky when it comes to choosing books to read.

Here is how I usually choose a book to read.....

* I try stay away from anything political, depressing, scary or disturbing (because if i want to fill my head with negativity & politics i'll just read the news).

* I often go for fiction novels that contain a dash of romance and/or a touch of magic (or a bit of the supernatural) in them. I think reading is suppose to to be a kind of "escape" from reality.

Note: Occassionally I do notice an autobiography or biography about a person I deeply admire and then I have to read it (but this doesn't happen too often)

* Sometimes I am swayed by book covers (i know, i know, never judge a book by its cover...blah blah blah) but don't you think sometimes a good cover can change the way you look at some books?

* I stick to authors that I know and love. I always read everything I can find by authors I love. Only problem is that sometimes I read faster than they can write books (how selfish of them *winks*)

* I should also admit that I like to read what I wish I had written or what I feel is closest to my own writing style .

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* oh and of course...another great way to pick a book to read is to start a book blog where you have to make a book list every 2 months - really helps me find some new books to try *winks*

How do you pick your books to read?

What type of books do you like to read?