Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris (34/81)

When cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse sees a man on the side of the road, she doesn't just drive on by. Turns out the poor thing hasn't a clue who he is, but Sookie does. It's Eric the vampire--but now he's a kinder, gentler Eric. And a scared Eric, because whoever took his memory now wants his life.

The 4th book in the Sookie Stackhouse series and I have to say I loved this book and couldn't put it down ... By far the best book of the series so far .......

You have your faithful characters in Bill and Amanda the Vampires .... Alcide the Werewolves ..... Sam the Shapeshifter and now you have the introduction of Witches and Were-Panthers ...... Great stuff ........

Sookie is hiding Eric the Viking Vampire from the Witches who are hunting him down and now her beloved Brother Jason is missing and she fears is dead ......... She cannot rely on Bill her ex vampire boyfriend as he is out of the country so it is basically up to her to protect Eric ....

Great story line ..... Couldn't stop reading ...... Looking forward to reading the next in the series ...

I rate this book 41/2 ****

Club Dead by Charlaine Harris (33/81)

Sookie's boyfriend has been very distant-in another state, distant. Now she's off to Mississippi to mingle with the underworld at Club Dead-a little haunt where the vampire elite go to chill out. But when she finally finds Bill-caught in an act of betrayal-she's not sure whether to save him...or sharpen some stakes.

The 3rd book in the Sookie Stackhouse Series and it doesn't seem that Sookies life is getting any easier .....

This is not my most favourite book in the series and in a few parts found it quite slow .... But it does introduce you to a whole new set of characters which you will love and namely ... Alcide the hunky were-wolf ..............

Sookie has to make a decision whether to go after Bill the Vampire or not? There are alot of action and fights in this book and if you loved the first couple of books then you will love this one :)

I rate this book 31/2 ***

The Spare Room by Helen Garner (13/81)

Helen prepares her spare room for her friend Nicola, who is flying down from Sydney for a three-week visit. But this is no ordinary visit - Nicola has advanced cancer. She is coming to Melbourne to receive treatment she believes will cure her. From the moment Nicola steps off the plane, Helen becomes her nurse, her protector, her guardian angel and her stony judge.

The Spare Room tells a story of compassion and rage as the two women - one sceptical, one stubbornly serene - negotiate their way through Nicola's gruelling treatments. Garner's dialogue is pitch perfect, her sense of pacing flawless as this novel draws to its terrible and transcendent finale.

The story and author asks, "How much of ourselves are we willing to give up to help a friend?" I found this book quite real and sometimes hard going at times not in reading it but with the subject matter. There are moments of humour throughout the book as the two woman try and deal with the illness. But then there are moments which emphasises just how hard and trying it is to watch someone you love suffer.

The book really doesn't sugar-coat how this illness effects people ... And you could completely understand the characters if you have ever cared for someone with terminal cancer ... It takes you on a ride of different of emotions ... as a carer and also as the patient ..

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There is some swearing in the book but it really is just an honest story of how two woman try to cope !!

I rate this book 3***

The Next Thing on My List by Jill Smolinski (12/81)

Meet June Parker. Until the day she offered Marissa, a young woman she had just met, a lift home she thought her life was okay. She had a horrible boss, was battling to lose a few pounds and, sure, finding that special someone was tough, so things weren't exactly fabulous, but she was happy enough. She didn't know that Marissa was going to die ... and it would be her fault. As she washes away the blood from Marissa's handbag so she can return her belongings to her family, June discovers a list - '20 things to do by my 25th birthday.'

The guilt weighs heavily until a chance meeting six months after Marissa's death finds June committing to finish the list. Some of the tasks aren't too difficult ('Run a 5K') but others are near-impossible ('Change someone's life'). As June races to achieve each goal before the deadline, she learns a great deal more about herself and her own life than she ever bargained for.

This book is a quick read and you would class it as a chick book ....

The concept is interesting that because of the guilt that June feels pushes her to complete a list of 20 things which Marissa ( the girl who died ) wanted to do.

It really is a journey more so for June than anybody else ... Some of the tasks are easy and others are more difficult, and some of them don't necessarily finish the way June expected. There are moments that you will laugh out loud ... but there are some swear words littered throughout if you are sensitive to that and one scene which I could have done without !! ... But all in all it is a OK book and I did enjoy it and made me think of starting up my own Bucket List !!

I rate this book 3***

Life on the Refrigeration Door by Alice Kuipers (9/81)

Dear Claire, I had a stressful weekend. It would be nice to come home and not be made to feel guilty. I hope school was interesting. There's some of the chicken (which was very good, by the way) left over. See you for breakfast. I want to talk to you about something. Mom.

Beautifully told through notes left on their kitchen fridge, this is an intimate portrait of the relationship between a hard-working mother and her teenage daughter.

I picked this little book up as I had heard good reviews on the book and I got an extra bonus that I also got it at sale price as well ... Bonus

This is such a cute wee book and will only take you little over one hour to finish it but it is gorgeous ... It is written as notes left on the Fridge by a mother and a Teenage Daughter and how they deal with the sad new that the mother just found out she has Breast Cancer ...

The notes are funny, real and sad and shows true emotion of how the mother and daughter both deal with the illness ... I would highly recommend any Teenager and parent to read this ... AS it shows that sometimes you really don't need to say alot ....... And it is the little things that count in the end ....

Even though this book is small it is a wee gem and had me in tears as we all know someone who has sadly been touched with Cancer ...

I rate this book 4 ****>

The Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale (7/81)

When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years for Saren’s refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment. As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. But the arrival outside the tower of Saren’s two suitors—one welcome, and the other decidedly less so—brings both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows. With Shannon Hale’s lyrical language, this forgotten but classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is reimagined and reset on the central Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise.

I was so excited to find this book the other day and couldn't wait to read it .... It took me all of 2 days ... Mainly because I had to stop reading to look after my family ... :) lol .....

This is a great wee book I absolutely loved it and cannot wait to dive in with the Princess Academy which I will be reading next ... I think I have discovered a new favourite author ...

Dashti is a wonderful character and the book is written in a journal form from Dashti's perspective .... Which is interesting .... You go through the different emotions with her whether it is saddest, joy or humorous ... She just writes down her want she is thinking which is refreshing to read .... I have to say that she has the patience of a saint when it comes to her Lady Saren I think I would have strangled her after day 10 never mind day 932 ....

This is a wonderful book for Young Girls to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it from the beginning to end ... I love how Shannon has mingled drawings throughout and you really feel a close bond to Dashti ...

This is a gorgeous book of Adventure and Romance and it will have you swooning ... No matter how old you are !!! .... I will definitely be giving this book to my daughter to read .....

I rate this book 5*****

It is nice to think to that she is LDS and she says “I say a prayer before I begin my writing time each day. By no means do I think that my books are ‘inspired,’ but I believe the Lord does give us a lift and aids us in completing our righteous endeavors when we seek His help.”