Little Bee - Chris Cleave

I had a great time reading this book. I have been really stressed lately and haven't had a lot of time for reading so when I decided to go get a pedicure, I brought a long this book that I picked up that day at the library. I sat in a lovely massaging chair for almost 2 hours and read 75% of the book and then finished it up when I got home. It was a really easy read but heartbreaking at the same time.

According to the book jacket I should not give away what the book is about - just tell people to read it. So that is what I am going to do. When I started the book I had no idea what it was about but the moment I began it, I knew that it was going to be amazing. What I will say is that the characters are interesting and complex and the story is set between 2 countries and different people. This is one story that will make you think about your own life and how your choices can effect other people. It also makes you realize how strong people are and how there are some people who can get through anything - not only surviving but helping others along the way.

Since I don't want to give to much away I will finish by saying; Read this book, its pretty darn good!

Rating - 4

The Distant Echo - Val McDermid

This book took me a while to read - not because it wasn't good, just because I have been going through some personal drama and when this type of thing happens I have a really hard time concentrating. It actually took me almost 3 weeks to finish this book but I am certainly glad I did.

According to amazon.com "Set in 1978 in St. Andrews, Scotland, four drunken male students, friends since childhood, stumble over the raped and stabbed body of a dying woman, Rosie Duff, while staggering home through a snow storm. Though her violent brothers are convinced of their guilt, no one is charged with Rosie's murder. In part two, 25 years later, the police hope new forensic technologies will solve the crime, and suddenly someone is stalking the four men, whose lives have been haunted and their relationships changed by the murder. Two die, supposedly by accident, and the remaining pair, Alex Gilbey and Tom Mackie, must find out what happened before they're killed, too. James Lawson, an assistant chief constable who was a junior cop in 1978, wants to close the case and avenge the death of his admired superior, DI Barney Maclennan, who fell from a cliff during the initial inquiry. When Graham Macfadyen, who claims he's Rosie's illegitimate son and also seeking revenge, contacts Lawson, the investigation takes a startling turn."

There is a lot to this book and it was definitely a page turner. I liked how half of the novel was set in 1978 and the rest in 2004. It broke the book up quite nicely and allowed us to see who the characters grew to be. I also liked how all the characters were so different and even though they grew up to be people they would probably not choose to be friends with -they still were friends when it came down to it. I think that is pretty true to life, sometimes you make friends you will have forever and those seem to be the ones you want when bad stuff is going down.

All of Val McDermid books are good. I have enjoyed everyone I have read. I have yet to read any of her series' but am looking forward to them in the future.

Rating - 3

The Wedding - Nicholas Sparks

This book is the sequel to "The Notebook". If anyone has read The Notebook they will no how heart-wrenchingly sad it is and hopefully love it as much as I did. This sequel is not as good but lives up to the Nicholas Sparks reputation. When I picked this book up I had no idea that was a (somewhat) continuation of The Notebook.

According to amazon.com "Attorney Wilson Lewis has been married to Noah and Allie's daughter, Jane, for 30 years. Wilson and Jane have raised three children and lived a satisfying and prosperous life in the bucolic town of New Bern, N.C. After forgetting his anniversary, Wilson realizes that the passion and romance have gone out of his marriage and fears his wife no longer loves him. Being a methodical man, he decides to embark on a yearlong program to renew his romantic ties to his wife, seeking out the advice of Noah, who now spends his days in a retirement home feeding a swan he is sure is the reincarnation of his beloved Allie. In the midst of Wilson's machinations, his daughter Anna announces she is getting married. The upcoming wedding provides Wilson with the opportunity to bring his elaborate plan to fruition."

This was a sweet book. It was interesting to read about the rekindling of a romance late in life. I loved how this book goes from when Wilson first meets Jane 30 years ago to where they are in their lives now. It was wonderful to see how much he loves her - even tough he has let her down in the past. I also love how the book acknowledges how difficult it was for Wilson to live up to the expectations that Jane had for him in the ways of love and romance (remember she did have Noah and Allie to look at as examples). Some people are just not able to express love as freely as others - even if they love the other person deeply.

The romance in this book was beautiful. I loved reading it and it made me smile so many times. Nicholas Sparks writes lovely books and I hope they make this one into a movie!

October Recap

I did a bit of reading this month and have to admit that I quite enjoyed many of the books I read. I read 11 books this month and they can be broken down like this:
2 Non fiction
9 Fiction
4 Murder Mysteries
1 Teen
2 Chick Lit
1 Humor Fiction
1 Newfoundland Fiction

Here they are:
Hide and Seek – Ian Rankin
The Shape of Snakes - Minette Walters
Breaking Dawn - Stephanie Meyer
Never Say Die - Tess Gerritsen
The Stupidest Angel - Christopher Moore
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's - John Elder Robison
Knots and Crosses - Ian Rankin
Certain Girls - Jennifer Weiner
Sylvanus Now - Donna Morrissey
Handle With Care - Jodi Picoult
The Mole People - Jennifer Toth

I really enjoyed the Ian Rankin novels, as well as Sylvanus Now. I would have to say my favorite was The Shape of Snakes and I really didn’t have a least favorite this month. I enjoyed reading them all for different reasons. I didn’t really read many culturally diverse novels (unless you can count Scottish and Newfound) so I hope to read some fiction from other countries in the month of November.

This month I have 2 weeks of Child Protection training (I am a social worker) so I will be studying more then reading. I hope to read 8 books this month. A few on my list are:

The Savage Detectives – Roberto Bolano (I have started this already and have to finish it)
An Imperfect Offering – James Orbinski (also started and need to finish)
The Spanish Bow - Andromeda Romano-Lax
Tooth and Nail – Ian Rankin
The Wedding – Nicholas Sparks
Skylight Confessions – Alice Hoffman
Pretty Dead things – Barbara Nadel

Has anyone read any of these? And if so what did you think??