The Secret Life of Objects - Dawn Raffel, Sean Evers

“The Secret Life of Objects is my life story told through some of my possessions. Each chapter is a vignette about a simple object — a coffee mug, a vase, a pair of earrings, my mom's prayer book… Each object encapsulates a passage in my life in a way that, I think, resonates for a lot of people.

“One morning, I was drinking my coffee out of the mug that I take from the cupboard every day, even though I have dozens of other mugs. I always pick this mug because I took it from my mother's house after she died, and there's a whole story in the mug about my mom and my aunt, and I feel like I am having my coffee with them. And then I realized that my house is full of objects like this—things that don't mean anything to anyone else but that are filled with memories and insights and longings. So I started writing—very frankly—about my objects, and before I knew it I had enough to fill a book.

“Everyone who hears about this project or has read an excerpt in a literary magazine has wanted to tell me about their own objects. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that women want to share their stories. Talking about our objects give us a unique way to do this, and a way to leave a record for our children. Oh, and by the way, the illustrations are by my younger son, Sean Evers."

I am the complete opposite of he author and HATE unnecessary clutter or holding on to items that I don't think I will use again, so it was really interesting for me to see how much history is actually kept in the houses of people who 'hoard' (when compared to me anyway). Reading about it sort of made me feel guilty that I haven't kept hold of more family heritage - I went through the house and the only thing I could find from my grandparents was a couple of old books that my Nan gave me before she passed away.

This is the kind of book I would like to write when I am older before I pass away. What a great moment it would be for your children and grandchildren - and it would be interesting to see how much of the history they actually knew before you wrote it down.

Having said that I don't think I would ever read this book again, it was interesting and different but I like my story lines with a little more depth and character. 

Sarah's Key - Tatiana de Rosnay

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.

Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.

This was a moving and well written book that made me feel like I was walking beside the author and helping her discover what had happened. I love reading any books that take place overseas (especially France), so loved this book even more.

The main topic of this book (the fate of many Jewish citizens in France) is such an important part of history and this book made it easy to relate and follow, giving many people who have not directly been touched by this or previously taught in depth about it (such as myself) a better understanding of how devastating it really was.

I liked that the main character, Julia, was a strong woman, and not afraid to make hard decisions based on what is truly right, both personally and professionally - even though this is a fictional story I think more young woman need strong role models to look up to (rather than weak female characters like in Fifty Shades!)

I've only just realised they have made this book in to a movie, so this is one I will be checking out soon for sure. A great book and one I think  most readers would be able to pick up and enjoy.

People Who Eat Darkness: The Fate of Lucie Blackman - Richard Lloyd Parry

An incisive and compelling account of the case of Lucie Blackman. Lucie Blackman -- tall, blonde, and 21 years old -- stepped out into the vastness of Tokyo in the summer of 2000, and disappeared forever. The following winter, her dismembered remains were found buried in a seaside cave. 

The seven months inbetween had seen a massive search for the missing girl, involving Japanese policemen, British private detectives, Australian dowsers and Lucie's desperate, but bitterly divided, parents. As the case unfolded, it drew the attention of prime ministers and sado-masochists, ambassadors and con-men, and reporters from across the world. Had Lucie been abducted by a religious cult, or snatched by human traffickers? Who was the mysterious man she had gone to meet? And what did her work, as a 'hostess' in the notorious Roppongi district of Tokyo, really involve?

Richard Lloyd Parry, an award-winning foreign correspondent, has followed the case since Lucie's disappearance. Over the course of a decade, he has travelled to four continents to interview those caught up in the story, fought off a legal attack in the Japanese courts, and worked undercover as a barman in a Roppongi strip club. He has talked exhaustively to Lucie's friends and family and won unique access to the Japanese detectives who investigated the case. And he has delved into the mind and background of the man accused of the crime -- Joji Obara, described by the judge as 'unprecedented and extremely evil'.

With the finesse of a novelist, he reveals the astonishing truth about Lucie and her fate. People Who Eat Darkness is, by turns, a non-fiction thriller, a courtroom drama and the biography of both a victim and a killer. It is the story of a young woman who fell prey to unspeakable evil, and of a loving family torn apart by grief. And it is a fascinating insight into one of the world's most baffling and mysterious societies, a light shone into dark corners of Japan that the rest of the world has never glimpsed before.

I stumbled across this book accidentally. I am going to Japan at the end of the year and thought it would be good to read a real story of another traveller and their local experience. I didn't read the whole blurb so was a shocked when I realised what the story was actually about, and despite how it might not be the best story to read a story like this before travelling there, I was already so intrigued that I had to keep going.

It really was a heart-wrenching story and it really made me feel for the family and close friends of Lucie. Rather than bringing them together in their grief, it tore apart their already fragile relationship even more. 

I got the feeling that the author took the side of the father, but he did a really good job in still presenting all the sides fairly. 

I can't even begin to imagine how myself or my family would react to a situation like this so dare not comment on how they seemed to deal with it.

It was also interesting to see how the 'justice system' works in other countries and how it differs to here in Australia. I find it so hard to believe that someone can commit crimes like this and still continue to adamantly deny they did anything wrong, it would be interesting to see how Joji Obara feels at the end of his life sentence.  

This book is a must read for young women, especially those who like to travel.

Dear John - Nicholas Sparks

An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who has captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read...and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love—and face the hardest decision of his life.

I started of hating this book and very nearly threw in the towel. I found the writing really clunky and the conversations within the story didn't feel smooth or real enough. I also struggled with the initial personality of Savannah - maybe I'm just too jaded but I found her innocence really unbelievable and uncomfortable. I was having trouble understanding why a book that sounded so great from the back cover, could turn out so flat and boring once the story started, BUT...at around halfway through it thankfully picked up and I started to see development with not only John and Savannah, but also the storyline with John and his Dad.

Towards the second half of the book I was hooked, and I could feel characteristics of The Notebook ("What we had really was real wasn't it...") and I loved it from then on and devoured it. I especially loved that the ending wasn't predictable and it kept me guessing how it would turn out. 

Originally I would have given this book 3 stars, but my final verdict is a 4 out of 5. If you love heart-warming love storied then this is for you.

Catching Fire & Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins

CATCHING FIRESparks are igniting, flames are spreading and the Capitol wants revenge. 

Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before...and surprising readers at every turn.

MOCKINGJAYMy name is Katniss Everdeen. Why am I not dead? I should be dead.

Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plains--except Katniss.The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay--no matter what the personal cost.


I'm going to write these to reviews together, seeing as I finished both, one straight after the other, in 2 days.


I had only watched the movie for the first book, so was a bit worried that there might be too many differences or things I have missed when I started the books. Not the case. As soon as I started I was right back in District 12 where I finished, and it went on seamlessly.


These books were so addictive that once I started I often had to remind myself to stop and cook dinner because I just wanted to keep going and ignore the hunger. The writing is so engaging and vivid that it is impossible not to get caught up in it.


The second book had me change to 'Team Peeta", although I think this kind of fizzled a little bit during the last book a little bit, although not enough to make me want to go on the "Team Gale" side.


I am usually a firm believer that books are much better than their movie counterparts, but in this series case, I think the movies might bring just as much as a lot of the detail needs to be seen to be believed. Especially so in the last art of the final book, Mockingjay. I think when Katniss returns to District 12 along you need to see her struggle and loneliness to truly believe it.


All in all I loved it and I really wish there were more installs to keep me going! 

Sh*t My Dad Says - Justin Halpern

At 28 years old, I found myself living at home, with my 73-year-old father. As a child, my father never minced words, and when I screwed up, he had a way of cutting right through the bullshit and pointing out exactly why I was being an idiot. When I moved back in I was still, for the most part, an idiot. But this time, I was smart enough to write down all the things he said to me. 

Meet Justin Halpern and his dad. Almost one million people follow his philosophical musings every day on Twitter, and in this book, he weaves a brilliantly funny, touching coming-of-age memoir around the best of his Dad's sayings. What emerges is a chaotic, hilarious, true portrait of a father and son relationship from a major new comic voice. As Justin says at one point, his dad is like Socrates, but angrier, and with worse hair; and this is the sort of shit he says "You know, sometimes it's nice having you around. But now ain't one of those times. Now gimmie the remote, we're not watching this bullshit."

This book was hilarious.

It was a really quick read, but in so few pages you really get an understanding of the dynamics of their family relationship, and it is funny.

This book is a must read for any new family, or those that are starting to think about planning one, because it is a no-frills or bullshit way of looking in to a real family and shoeing how it works. If you look past all the swearing, the Dad had a great parenting style that unfortunately you don't see much of anymore, and he bought his kids up in an honest way. 

Loved it and recommend it if you are looking for something quick to read that will make you chuckle on almost every page.

Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography - Walter Isaacson

Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years--as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues--Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

At a time when America is seeking ways to sustain its innovative edge, and when societies around the world are trying to build digital-age economies, Jobs stands as the ultimate icon of inventiveness and applied imagination. He knew that the best way to create value in the twenty-first century was to connect creativity with technology. He built a company where leaps of the imagination were combined with remarkable feats of engineering.

Although Jobs cooperated with this book, he asked for no control over what was written nor even the right to read it before it was published. He put nothing off-limits. He encouraged the people he knew to speak honestly. And Jobs speaks candidly, sometimes brutally so, about the people he worked with and competed against. His friends, foes, and colleagues provide an unvarnished view of the passions, perfectionism, obsessions, artistry, devilry, and compulsion for control that shaped his approach to business and the innovative products that resulted.

Driven by demons, Jobs could drive those around him to fury and despair. But his personality and products were interrelated, just as Apple's hardware and software tended to be, as if part of an integrated system. His tale is instructive and cautionary, filled with lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values.

The main thing that stuck with me from reading this book, was how different my perception was of Steve Jobs from reality. I had little knowledge of who Steve Jobs really was and his role as a businessman, so was really surprised to hear about his abrupt personality and sometimes bizarre personal hygiene. 

I admire him for allowing a biography so honest and forthcoming about all his achievements and short-comings - both in his view and of others. This biography was really well-rounded thanks to so many interviews with people he came in contact throughout his life, both good and bad, and you got the feeling that nothing was held back, but surprisingly little was given from Steve's wife, especially with regard to their marriage, so it would be really interesting to hear how she coped being married to him for 20-something years. 

Another thing I found really interesting was the role he played in both Apple and Pixar. After reading the book I realise he was a really great business executive, rather than an engineer, and he was able to make great imaginative leaps while valuing the end-to-end process of a product, and this is what sets Apple apart from its competitors. You really do need to admire his ability to evolve and advance technology, and in the book he often says that "people don't know what they want until I show them".


I found the second part of the book more engaging as I was more familiar with the products and company. Steve seemed to be portrayed more harshly in the first half of the book.


I would recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of technology or Steve Jobs, but it is not an easy biography to read if you are not a tech-head, and I found myself skim reading some paragraphs due to this. I'm glad I read it its but probably not one I would ever read again.