The Wander Year: One Couple's Journey Around the World by Mike McIntyre

Journalist and author Mike McIntyre and his longtime girlfriend, Andrea Boyles, are in their early 40s and itching for a break. So they rent out their San Diego home—dog, cat and furniture included—and embark on a yearlong journey around the world. “We’re not out to find ourselves, or even to lose ourselves,” McIntyre writes early on. “We’re merely seeking a pause in our routines.” But the couple is soon swept up in the adventure of a lifetime: trekking in the Himalayas, traversing the Sahara on camel, scrambling over the temples of Angkor, crossing the world’s largest salt flat in South America, scaling a New Zealand glacier. The book recounts the odyssey in 48 dispatches from 22 countries. Among them: birdwatching in Indonesia, a haircut from Vietnam’s oldest barber, touring a notorious prison in Bolivia, haggling over rugs in Morocco, on safari in Nepal. McIntyre taps his self-deprecating humor to convey the joys, perils and frustrations of prolonged travel. When the couple ventures into a cyclone in Fiji on a rubber raft, he writes, “The absence of life jackets and paddles meant more room for our lunacy.” And during a ride across India with a hired car and driver, he notes, “His passing technique was so precise, I could see my horrified expression reflected in the chrome bumpers of onrushing trucks.” He also writes eloquently of such poignant moments as sleeping under the stars in North Africa, flying kites with a poor boy in Bali, and the death of a female tour guide in China. By journey’s end, he’s shucked much of his journalist’s cynicism, and he stands in awe of a staggeringly beautiful world and the resilient souls who fill it.

The Wander Year is an expanded version of the popular series of the same name that ran in the Travel section of the Los Angeles Times.

I wish I had the guts (and a partner to follow my whims) to temporarily pack up my life and do something like this!

After finishing reading this book, it makes me realize that this is the kind of book I would love to write myself. It is full of the readers individual personality, what their interests are, their day-to-day life etc. AT times he reminded me of a middle-aged, male Carrie Bradshaw (that is if she wrote about travel instead of shoes!)

While I love reading travel books to get inspiration for my own future expeditions, I find it particularly interesting to read about other travelers experiences in Countries that I have also visited, for example while I was in Bali it never crossed my mind to go bird-watching or fly a kite.

Given that this book is made from excerpts of his newspaper columns, it glazes over many locations very lightly, so you probably won’t really enjoy this book if you want an in-depth view in to each different place, although the author does mention that you can buy the full list of articles for $200! I however, love a bargain so way happy with the condensed version on Amazon for $4.95.

Overall it was a good read with a good ending.

A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy #1) by Deborah Harkness

If the butterfly wings its way to the sweet light that attracts it, it is only because it doesn't know that the fire can consume it.

A richly inventive novel about a centuries-old vampire, a spellbound witch, and the mysterious manuscript that draws them together. 

Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of daemons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell.

Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.

I loved this book. What a great view on what the lives of witches, vampires and daemons would be like in modern times. It had all the elements of a great book: history, drama, conflict, suspense and of course, unrequited love.

Like most other females in 2005 I read the Twilight series and thought they were great, but I thought this take on magical creatures was way better. 

The storyline was more mature and left out a lot of the immature teenage angst that the Twilight series had. The slight downside of this was that the romance and passion between Matthew and Diana was very subdued in comparison, although still evident.

The writing style was very detailed and there were several times when I thought I might need to look up ancient history words or terms that I wasn't familiar with, but was happy when I continued reading slightly on and found that the meaning or definition was woven in to the story through the characters dialogue.  

Part one of this trilogy is set in more modern times, and from the looks of the sequel it will give a contrast by being set in Elizabethan England, so am looking forward to reading on and comparing the two settings.

The Forgotten (The Barronlands Trilogy #2) - Claudia Carozza

Hazel's job at the Antioch didn't work out at all like she had planned. After a daring escape and one very risky delivery of the first baby born in years, she's still holding on to the hope of a better future. Out of the Antioch and on the run, who can Hazel turn to for help and can they really be trusted? In the second book of the Barronlands Trilogy, relationships are tested and even more secrets are revealed. Hazel tries to put the pieces together, hoping everything doesn't fall apart. Will she be able to hold it all together or will there be those who slip through the cracks?

As the second book of the Barronlands Trilogy, The Forgotten picked up right where it left off and continued on the whirlwind journey of Hazel and co.

As with the first book there was so much going on that I was feverishly reading to keep up with it and quickly find out what was going to happen next, but this time I found myself getting a little frustrated with Hazel and her little tantrums she threw. Maybe I needed to remind myself when reading this that she is supposed to be a young girl, or maybe I am just a bit older than the intended reader? 

If you liked the first one book of the series then you will love the second instalment. I hope I don't have to wait to long for the third book.

Every Day - David Levithan

“I wake up thinking of yesterday. The joy is in remembering; the pain is in knowing it was yesterday.” 

Every day a different body. 
Every day a different life.
Every day in love with the same girl. 

Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere. 

And then A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day. 

Can you love someone who is destined to change each day? 

David Levithan brings all his trademark insight to a novel that is edgy, romantic and page-turning. Every Day has a touch of the paranormal and a grounding in the real world. 

This was such an interesting topic for a book and David Levithan writes it so well. I have read a couple of books by him before (10 Things I Hate About You, The Lover's Dictionary), but this book makes me want to have a Levithan-athon and I will be looking up more from him I enjoyed it that much. 

Despite the rave reviews it has received online (Amazon and Goodreads) I started reading it with low to medium expectations -  I thought it might be a bit tooYoung Adult-ish for my liking, but I found that after the first couple of chapters I was hooked and when I was at work I couldn't wait to get back on the train so I could find out whose body A entered next. It is very maturely written for a Young Adult literature and I think that is why it has been so popular - it doesn't segregate it's audience.

The characters were so well written, It was great to get a glimpse of so many different lives and I felt like each was portrayed justly and they stopped short of being over-dramatised or over-written, which could have been easy to do it there wasn't any substance.

Loved this book, I'm usually a hard marker but this one deserves a 5 in my opinion. 

The Twenty (The Barronlands Trilogy #1) - Claudia Carozza

Imagine living in a time when infertility runs rampant and babies are no longer being born. The world is crumbling around you as people start talking about the end. This is the world Hazel DeSales grew up in. After her mother dies from a mysterious cancer, Hazel finds herself taking care of her younger sister Netty and alcoholic father. 

It's not until twenty women, known as the Elect, become pregnant all across the Barronlands when things start looking up. Hazel and Netty apply for jobs working as domestics in the Antioch Center where the Elect will be taken care of and protected. Hazel feels change in the air and her outlook for the future starts to improve. 

But she soon learns that change is not without consequence. Rumors are brewing about a government cover up and Hazel finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time. So begins the unraveling of secrets that uncover things from her past and, threatening her future. Hazel is determined to seek the truth and promises herself to do whatever it takes to succeed.

Although the conflict in the storyline is different, my first impressions were that this book is really similar to The Hunger Games as it was set in a time when there are segregated 'wards' and classes of societies, a younger sister that leans on the older sister, and a group of oppressed classes that are trying to overthrow the wealthy 'officials'.

Doesn't really live up to The Hunger Games standard (but then again they are big shoes to fill) andI thought that some of the characters were really simplistic and lacked a little depth, but there was enough action and movement in the storyline to make it a good easy read while on the train commute to/from work everyday.

Being the first part of a trilogy I am interested enough to want to keep on reading the second one, but didn't think it was anything to rave about.

Dearly Devoted Dexter (Dexter #2) - Jeff Lindsay

He's a charming monster... A macabre hero... A serial killler who only kills bad people.

Dexter Morgan has been under considerable pressure. It's just not easy being an ethical serial killer - especially while trying to avoid the unshakable suspicions of the dangerous Sergeant Doakes (who believes Dexter is a homicidal maniac...which, of course, he is). In an attempt to throw Doakes off his trail, Dexter has had to slip deep into his foolproof disguise. While not working as a blood-spatter analyst for the Miami Police Department, he now spends nearly all his time with his cheerful girlfriend, Rita, and her two children, sipping light beer and slowly becoming the world's first serial couch potato. But how long can Dexter play Kick the Can instead of Slice the Slasher? How long before his Dark Passenger forces him to drop the charade and let his inner monster run free?

In trying times, opportunity knocks. A particularly nasty psychopath is cutting a trail through Miami - a man whose twisted technique leaves even Dexter speechless. As Dexter's dark appetite is revived, his sister, Deborah (a newly minted, tough-as-nails Miami detective), is drawn headlong into the case. It quickly becomes clear that it will take a monster to catch a monster - but it isn't until his archnemesis is abducted that Dex can finally throw himself into the search for a new plaything. Unless, of course, his plaything finds him first...

With the incredible wit and freshness that drew widespread acclaim toDarkly Dreaming Dexter, Jeff Lindsay now takes Dexter Morgan to a new level of macabre appeal and gives us one of the most original, colorful narrators in years.

I read this one straight after I finished the first book, and it hasn't yet gotten old or boring. The storyline followed pretty much a same pattern as the first one, same wit and dark humour but with slightly different twists along the way.

If you enjoyed Darkly Dreaming Dexter you won't be disappointed by Dearly Devoted...

Darkly Dreaming Dexter (Dexter #1) - Jeff Lindsay

Meet Dexter Morgan, a polite wolf in sheep's clothing. He's handsome and charming, but something in his past has made him abide by a different set of rules. He's a serial killer whose one golden rule makes him immensely likeable: he only kills bad people. And his job as a blood splatter expert for the Miami police department puts him in the perfect position to identify his victims. But when a series of brutal murders bearing a striking similarity to his own style start turning up, Dexter is caught between being flattered and being frightened -- of himself or some other fiend.

I haven't watched the TV series, although I have been told by enough people that it is definitely worth watching. From reading other reviews it looks like I have done it the right way by reading the book first, because I started reading this book series with no real comparison other than a few images to help me imagine what Dexter would look like as I was reading. So, contrary to what other readers have said, I was not at all disappointed by the book version. I found Dexter sarcastic and witty in all the right places, and his internal dialogue was helpful in showing how hard he tried to blend in to his surrounding.

I don't usually read too many thriller/murder mysteries, but I loved this, and am picking up the second one to continue on straight away.