I'm back - for good this time!

I cannot believe that it has been a year and a half since I last posted. Lots of changes in my life and lots going on!

Anyway, am back for good this time (I hope!). Not well at the moment so perfect opportunity to try and read some books when I feel up to it.

Just finished Lost and Found By Brooke Davis and Cress By Marissa Meyer. Both were pretty awesome I have to say! 

For all those who have read Cinder and Scarlet, you will know what I mean when I say Cress was awesome. Can't wait for my copy of Fairest and looking forward to Winter!! 

Lost and Found By Brooke Davis was a pleasant surprise for me. Not what I expected but a great read. Characters you fall in love with and an easy holiday read. I really enjoyed it. 

Hope you enjoy these books too!

Thirteen Reasons Why By Jay Asher

I just finished Jay Asher's 'Thirteen Reasons Why' - I don't know what to say - such an important book with such important messages, but so much to process. Am not able to review this book yet as I don't quite know what I feel. I will come back to review 'Thirteen Reasons Why' when I have taken it all in.

Books read in April!

I am desperately trying to catch up in my Goodreads challenge to read 100 books this year!! Here is what I read in April:

    

   

 

Wordless Wednesday - Sunset

Teaser Tuesday - Dance of Shadows By Yelena Black

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share 2 “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This weeks Teaser Tuesday is a special one for me because my dearest friend, Scott Gardiner, composed the beautiful music that you will hear in the trailer below. I hope you love it as much as I do! Plus, as you all know, I do love beautiful cover art! I am really excited to start this book today so my teaser comes from the kindle edition at 3% p.12:

" And as the rain trickled down the windowpanes, Vanessa performed, letting all of the grief pour out of her until she could feel nothing but the raw thumping of her heart."

Here is the synopsis from GoodReads if you are interested:

Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .

Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . . 

Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed.

The Happiest Refugee: My Journey from Tragedy to Comedy By Ahn Do

Title: The Happiest Refugee: My Journey from Tragedy to Comedy

Author: Ahn Do

Published: Allen & Unwin

No. Pages: 304

Themes: Refugees, life, family

                  Genre: Autobiography

                  Rating: 4.5 stars
Review 

The Happiest Refugee is the life story of Australian comedian Ahn Do. It documents his early life in Vietnam, the plight of his family as they travelled by boat to Australia as refugees and their new life in Australia.

It is a story that will move you to tears at times but make you laugh out loud at others. Reading about the journey from Vietnam to Australia really brings to light the horrendous and unimaginable trauma that refugees such as Ahn Doe and his family have suffered. It is a tale that certainly made me realise how lucky I am to be born in a country like Australia. I found it heartwarming to read about the genuine and profound gratitude and love for Australia that Ahn and his family show and I was inspired by the generosity and kindness they have shown to others despite their own hardships.

This was a really well written book that covers a topic few people know much about in a heart wrenching and honest, yet inspiring way. I definitely recommend this book to others.

Further reading suggestions:

• Mao’s Last Dancer By Li Cunxin
• The Other Hand By Chris Cleave

The Lake of Dreams By Kim Edwards

Title: The Lake of Dreams

Author: Kim Edwards

Published:

No. Pages: 371

Themes: Love, loss, redemption, women's suffrage

Genre: Fiction

                  Rating: 3 stars
Review 

The Lake of Dreams is a story of love, loss and redemption that delves into the darkness of one family’s grief stricken past uncovering a history of lies and secrets. When Lucy returns home to the Lake of Dreams she is quickly entangled in uncovering the story of an unknown distant relative and her quest to solve the mysteries of her family’s past takes her on a journey that ultimately allows her to come to terms with her own grief around the passing of her father when she was a child.

This was a good read and quite interesting at times when dealing with the topic of women’s suffrage. The plot is strong and the characters are both well developed and believable. Not amazing, but I definitely enjoyed The Lake of Dreams and it was an easy read.

Further reading suggestions:

• The Memory Keeper’s Daughter By Kim Edwards
• Garden Spells By Sarah Addison Allen

Books read in February and March

Trying to catch up on my 100 books to read this year, so here is what I have read over the past two months:

   

   

  

   

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila @ Book Journey where you can share what you are reading each week. Be sure to visit Book Journey to link up if want to join in!

Last week I finished The Other Hand by Chris Cleave. It was a great read, but I had some conflicting thoughts about the blurb and the storyline. Click here to read my review.

Other than that I am still reading The Lost Art of Being Happy, by Tony Wilkinson, Life of Pi, by Yann Martel and A Discovery of Witches, by Deborah Harkness which I have nearly finished. 

 

Review The Other Hand - By Chris Cleave

Title: The Other Hand (also published as 'Little Bee')
Author: Chris Cleave
Published: Sceptre

No. Pages: 374
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 stars

Yesterday I finished reading 'The Other Hand' By Chris Cleave also published as 'Little Bee'. This book was a real eye opener for me in regard to the issues that it dealt with and I really was drawn in to the story very quickly. It was really fast paced and I couldn't put it down, but it certainly wasn't anything like I imagined it would be. 

The blurb for this book gave nothing away at all, but it did give the impression (to me anyway) of a heartwarming or ultimately uplifting tale which it certainly is not! It is a great read that has an important social message, but it is confronting and it is heartbreaking. I really think that readers should have been given more information about the topic/issues addressed in this book via the blurb to allow them to make an informed choice as to whether or not they could cope with reading such a book. 

They are just my thoughts though so I won't go into the storyline. Suffice to say, don't go ahead and read this book with the impression that it will be a light read. I have reproduced the blurb here for you. What are your thoughts about such a vague blurb? Do you think it is a responsible way to market a book that deals with very confronting issues? or was that the point - afterall, I bought it!? I'd like to hear your thoughts. 

We don't want to tell you what happens in this book. 

It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it.

Nevertheless, you need to know enough to buy it so

we will just say this.

This is the story of two women.

Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice.

Two years later, they meet again

- the story starts there....

Once you have read it, you will want to tell your friends

about it. When you do, please don't tell them what

happens either. The magic is in how it unfolds.

The Other Hand

By Chris Cleave