Thanks for the Memories - Cecelia Ahern

Joyce Conway remembers things she shouldn’t. She knows about tiny cobbled streets in Paris, which she has never visited. And every night she dreams about an unknown little girl with blonde hair.

Justin Hitchcock is divorced, lonely and restless. He arrives in Dublin to give a lecture on art and meets an attractive doctor, who persuades him to donate blood. It’s the first thing to come straight from his heart in a long time.

When Joyce leaves hospital after a terrible accident, with her life and her marriage in pieces, she moves back in with her elderly father. All the while, a strong sense of déjà vu is overwhelming her and she can’t figure out why…

I was a bit wary when I picked up this book upon seeing that it was by Cecelia Ahern, the same writer who wrote P.S I love you. I thought it might be too ‘mushy’ and over-the-top lovey-dovey like P.S I love you (although having said that about it, I do enjoy watching the movie in the right situation, I just don’t have the tolerance to read something like that!)

But I was pleasantly surprised. While I don’t think it wins the title of the best chick-lit book I have ever read, it definitely kept me interested enough to turn the pages, and even enjoy the predictably romantic ending.

The characters were unique, although a little monotonous at times, but I enjoyed watching them grow over throughout the book.

On a serious note, this book highlights the importance of blood donations. If you want to be a real hero and give blood (we don’t guarantee baskets of muffins and personal chauffeurs though!) contact the Red Cross Blood Service in your area!

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

The Book Thief takes place outside of Munich in Nazi Germany before and during World War II. Narrated by ‘Death’ who finds foster child Liesel Meminger (aka The Book Theif) to be very interesting, as she brushes Death three times in her life.

Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she discovers something she can't resist- books. Soon she is stealing books from Nazi book-burnings, the mayor's wife's library, wherever they are to be found.

It follows Liesel’s young adult life, and her relationship with her foster parents, best friend Rudy, and Max, a Jewish fist-fighter who hides in her home during the escalation of World War II.

The blurb on the back of the book did not do this book justice. It is so cleverly written and has such character depth that it deserves every single award it has won (13 in total). I don’t want to give too much of the plot away as that will ruin the mystery and suspense (which is what makes the book so thrilling) so you’ll just have to trust my recommendation that you will not be disappointed when you pick this one up, it has instantly jumped to one of my Top 5 books ever.

House Rules - Jodi Picoult

They tell me I'm lucky to have a son who's so verbal, who is blisteringly intelligent, who can take apart the broken microwave and have it working again an hour later. They think there is no greater hell than having a son who is locked in his own world, unaware that there's a wider one to explore. But try having a son who is locked in his own world, and still wants to make a connection. A son who tries to be like everyone else, but truly doesn't know how.

Jacob Hunt is a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome. He's hopeless at reading social cues or expressing himself well to others, and like many kids with AS, Jacob has a special focus on one subject--in his case, forensic analysis. He's always showing up at crime scenes, thanks to the police scanner he keeps in his room, and telling the cops what they need to do...and he's usually right. But then his town is rocked by a terrible murder and, for a change, the police come to Jacob with questions. All of the hallmark behaviors of Asperger's--not looking someone in the eye, stimulatory tics and twitches, flat affect--can look a lot like guilt to law enforcement personnel. Suddenly, Jacob and his family, who only want to fit in, feel the spotlight shining directly on them. For his mother, Emma, it's a brutal reminder of the intolerance and misunderstanding that always threaten her family. For his brother, Theo, it's another indication of why nothing is normal because of Jacob. And over this small family the soul-searing question looms: Did Jacob commit murder?
Emotionally powerful from beginning to end, House Rules looks at what it means to be different in our society, how autism affects a family, and how our legal system works well for people who communicate a certain way--and fails those who don't.

Jodi Picoult is a sure thing, as yet I have never read a book written by her that I haven’t loved and this one is no exception! Her characters always have flaws and imperfection but she writes them so well that in the end you love for that just as much as their strength and humour.

There has been a bit of backlash from readers who have Asperger’s themselves, or family who are affected, saying that this book does a disservice to people living with this condition, but whatever way you look at it, from a fiction or non-fiction pint of view, this novel is an honest look in to a typical modern dysfunctional family with teenagers and is a gripping read from beginning to end (just make sure you have some tissue handy, unless you are completely cold hearted!)

Friday Night Cocktails - Allison Rushby

Friday Night Cocktails is a novel about Gemma and Sarah, who have been friends forever. Along with their friendship, a list has survived over the years – a list they fondly call “the bastard list.” This list is made up of the names of guys that had earned the name in one way or another. One night after a few too many cocktails, they decide to put the list up on the internet. Gemma not only puts up the list, but gets the word out to the virtual world about it. Before they know it, people all over the world are viewing the list, adding their own names and stories.  

This novel was a good light-hearted read for those who don’t want something too heavy. It got rave reviews from other chick lit book review sites, so I thought it would be a sure thing to help me survive the long flights and stopovers on my way to America, which it did, but it was really hard to get excited about reading it, and at times I actually preferred to ‘people watch’ than continue with the next chapter. The reason it took me a while to get in to the plot, is that the book is based in Australia (usually a sure thing for me to pick up and love) but the writer just didn’t get the language right and I felt tried too hard to make the characters sound like American or British.

But once I got over her terrible use of non-Australian slang about halfway through the book, I was able to enjoy the storyline and actually found myself chuckling to a few funny parts.

Overall, it was ok, but one I would probably only recommend to those die hard chick lit fans.

The Last Madam: A Life In The New Orleans Underworld - Christine Wiltz

The Last Madam: A Life In The New Orleans Underworld offers an affecting portrayal of the woman who for 40 years ran the last successful high-class brothel in New Orleans - they actually called themselves "landladies" in New Orleans, though that didn't change the nature of their business: running houses of prostitution in the city's wide-open French Quarter. Beginning in 1920, when she was still in her teens, Norma Wallace managed a high-class bordello for an affluent and influential clientele, evading the police and asserting her sexual freedom "like a man" despite the nominal confines of several rickety marriages. Obsessive love for a man 39 years her junior and her first-ever jail term finally put Wallace out of the business in the mid-1960s, but her memories were still vivid and raunchy when she tape-recorded material for an autobiography in the two years before her suicide in 1974.

This book was a great read and had it all – love, murder, suspense, corruption and loads of humour with some vivid characters. You can tell that Norma was a strong, courageous woman with a quick wit as the book is filled with her anecdotes and escapades that keep you wanting to turn the page to find out what happens next.

The writer, Christine Wiltz, did a fantastic job of bringing Wallace’s tape recordings to life, but it took a few chapters to adjust to her writing style, which at times would leap to (or back to) other eras and you had to make sure you caught up, but once you adjusted to her original writing style, you couldn’t put it down.

Also, I’m not sure if it was because I was reading a kindle version, but some of the formatting didn’t quite translate across properly, but for the cheaper kindle price it is not something that would put me off buying another one.

One of the best and most interesting biographies I have read in a long time.

Absolutely Faking it - Tiana Templeman

For Tiana Templeman, travel has always meant hiking boots and hostels, so when she wins a trip for two to stay at thirteen of the world's most exclusive five-star hotels including economy airfares, it sounds like the chance of a lifetime, an opportunity to see how the other half lives.

But with a travel budget stretched tighter than the straps on their bulging backpacks, Tiana and her husband have no room for diamonds and designer clothing (if they actually owned any in the first place). From the Ritz in Paris to the Dorchester in London and the Peninsula in Hong Kong, Tiana is faced with questions of etiquette she never thought she'd have to answer: is it all right to cook instant noodles beside the Chanel toiletries in the bathroom? How do you deal with tipping when you can't even afford a bottle of water from the mini-bar? And what on earth are you meant to do with a private butler?

Through fourteen countries, over five months and with countless hilarious and mortifying adventures, Tiana learns that in establishments catering for those with champagne tastes when you're on a beer budget, life can be harder than it looks.

It took me two attempts to start reading this book, but once I got into it I actually really enjoyed it.

At first Tiana and her husband are so worried about how they look and fit in to their surroundings in their flash hotels that I actually gave up on the book I was that frustrated with their whining, but once they settled in to their accommodations, the book actually got interesting and you got to hear about some pretty interesting places (Some that I have never thought about visiting before and now am intrigued by).

I still think that more detail could have been give at each of the locations hey visited. For a 5 month long holiday it is a surprisingly short book, even in the places written about that I have been to, I felt important or obvious details were left out. But it did give me a good sneak peak in to some of the extravagant hotels that I will probably never get to experience myself.

I would probably read this book again one day, and would definitely recommend it as a light read for those who enjoy travelling, but a word of warning – reading this book can lead to a sudden onset of travel bug fever!

Testimony - Anita Shreve

At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that they were caught on videotape. A Pandora’s box of revelations, the tape triggers a chorus of voices–those of the men, women, teenagers, and parents involved in the scandal–that details the ways in which lives can be derailed or destroyed in one foolish moment, the needs and fears that drive ordinary men and women into intolerable dilemmas, and the ways in which our best intentions can lead to our worst transgressions.

Anita Shreve is one of my favourite authors, and this book is a perfect example why. Beautifully written, this novel is a cautionary tale that explores the precipitating factors and aftermath of a student sex scandal at a private Vermont high school. Told through the alternating personal testimonies of 21 people involved or impacted, its creative structure is an all-out exploration of viewpoint: first-, third-, and even second-person, in past and present tenses.

The writing style of this book was very clever and wove all the parts of this challenging topic together seamlessly. For what could have been an uncomfortable issue (and sometimes was when reading the novel) it brought together each point of view to give the reader an overall picture on what went on, and your opinion on the matter at the beginning of the book, might not necessarily be the same once you finish reading.

Full of strong emotion, without the melodrama, this one is definitely worth a read (and re-read!)