Evermore by Alyson Noel

After the accident that left her orphaned, 16 year old Ever has not only survived this traumatic ordeal but can now see people’s auras, hear people’s thoughts and keeps getting visited by the ghost of her younger sister Riley.

Ever is now residing with her aunt in California - she lives in this spectacular house overlooking the ocean, goes to a new school, has made some new friends (although they are recluses like her) and is trying to make the best out of her situation. Her only problem - the world around her is just too much for her to handle. She has to live with her iPod on at all times (playing loud rock music) and uses a hoody to try to have some type of quiet. But even that doesn’t help - she is seen as a weirdo by her classmates (the opposite of the life she was living before the accident). That is until the day that new student Damen Auguste sits next to her in class. She is intrigued yet at the same time terrified of him. Damon’s touch not only calms the psychic chaos going on in her head but his touch gives her the shivers.

I really liked this. Although it was an easy read - I found it well worth the time. Ever was a very unique character and I really enjoyed reading about her and her special talents. And Damen [sighs] needless, to say I was intrigued. It is a very cute romance with a supernatural twist. There were some funny parts as well as some very sweet moments. I thought that Riley was one of the funniest characters in the book. She was to die for (no pun intended). The mystery factor - of who or what Damen is had me going the whole time. I sat and read this in a couple of hours - then went out and bought Blue Moon. Yep, I enjoyed it that much.

Knight of Desire by Margaret Mallory

On the night before her wedding Lady Catherine secretly decides to go on one last ride before she is to marry the man her King has chosen to be her husband. There she meets a young knight (William FitzAlan) who accompanies her on this ride and returns her safely to the stables, but not before leaving them with memories that they think back upon over the years.

Five years later, Lady Catherine betrays her husband in order to protect her king. Her husband was violent and abusive and she has no remorse in betraying him for the traitor that he was. On the day of her husband's death, she learns that his/her lands and castle are forfeit to William FitzAlan. The King has left her with no choice but to either be taken to the Tower or to marry FitzAlan. Reluctantly she chooses to marry William - as for William, he recognizes Catherine as the young girl he still thinks of and immediately marries her despite his doubts as to what type of woman can betray her husband.

Although the main threat to Catherine is easily resolved with their marriage, there are still many other issues that they have to deal with. For one, Catherine has only been to the marriage bed with her late husband and it was not something pleasant for her. So she is none too thrilled about consummating her marriage. Secondly, William has issues trusting her - he is constantly questioning her actions not to mention his closest friend keeps reminding him of the outcome of her previous marriage. As passion ignites and danger closes in, Catherine and William must learn to trust in each other to save their marriage, their land, and their very lives.

I love historical romances - and this one has just the right amount of romance, witty banter and likeable characters. Ms. Mallory definitely did her research when describing the Welsh rebellion of the 15th century as well as Medieval England. This is a well-written story and you will see that the pages fly by with ease. It is riddled with love, lust and betrayal... what more could you want out of a romance novel? I can definitely recommend this to fans of the romance genre and congratulate Ms. Mallory on a very enjoyable debut.

GIVEAWAY: I have 5 copies of KNIGHT OF DESIRE by Margaret Mallory to giveaway.

As always, leave a comment for one entry. Second entry if you follow, third if you follow on Twitter, and so forth.

Rules: Books will be delivered directly from Publisher so giveaway is only available to residents of the US and Canada. No P.O. Boxes please. Winners will be drawn this Saturday, July 18.

The Vanishing Sculptor by Donita K. Paul

Tipper, a young Emerlindian, has been responsible for her family’s upkeep since her sculptor father vanished several years back. It’s been years since she last saw her father, and her mother's, the Lady Peg, mental health has slowly been deteriorating since then, so she has had to single-handedly do everything in her power to maintain her family’s good name. She has even had to sell her father’s beloved sculptures for money in order to pay their servants and purchase food. Until the night her father, Verrin Schope, returns with tales of wondrous places, gateways, and the fact that he keeps appearing and disappearing and then reappearing through her mothers closet. It seems the gateway that brought him back home is unstable and keeps bringing him back and forth through time which is ultimately affecting his health in the process. Yet there is hope as three of his sculptures can save him, the only problem, Tipper obviously sold these pieces and she has no idea whom the buyers were or even in which town or village they might be able to start looking in. Thus the adventure begins for Tipper, Verrin and Tipper’s faithful guardian, Beccaroon (who’s a five-foot tall parrot), as they set forth on this journey.

Since I have never read any of Ms. Paul’s "DragonKeeper Chronicles", a lot of the terms used in this story were new to me. Luckily, there was a handy glossary at the back of the book that I kept referring to for help. And I also want to make note that there were some inconsistencies with the map and the story itself - so I was a little lost at times as to where exactly the characters were in the story when compared to the map, but other than that, I can definitely see the appeal this story would have on children and adults alike. The story has an undeniable Christian message, but it is subtle enough for a non-believer to also enjoy the book.

The characters were quirky, funny and quite endearing and Ms. Paul’s writing builds a world that you can definitely envision. I recommend this for young and older readers alike, or anyone who enjoys science fiction, good writing and magical characters.

A Hint of Wicked by Jennifer Haymore

Talk about getting stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, is devastated when she is informed that her husband Garrett has perished at the Battle of Waterloo. Tristan, both Sophie and Garrett's childhood friend, is the one who helps her through her grief, pregnancy and eventually the one to help her overcome the loss of her first love and learn to find love once again in his arms. Eight years after the dreadful news of Garrett's death, Sophie and Tristan are happilly married raising their two children (Sophie & Garrett's daughter Miranda, and Gary - Tristan's son from his first marriage). She has moved on and although she still remebers Garrett - she has found love and passion with her new husband. That is, until the night that Garrett returns demanding his title, his land, and, more importantly, his wife back.

Sophie is quite the heroine. I liked her a lot - she's definitely not the average heronie you find in most historical romances. She's strong and will do absolutely anything for her family. Tristan and Garrett were both endearing in their own ways. Where Tristan was romantic and kind - Garrett was strong and hard. It was definitely a tough choice for me and I found myself just as torn as Sophie was as to whom she loved.

The story itself was great, with plenty of action and steamy romance that at no point fizzled out. I was intrigued as to who Sophie would eventually stay with (making the pages fly by) and was pleased with the outcome of the story. I also am happy to hear that the man whom Sophie eventually does turn away will have his own story come April 2010 so I'll definitely have my eye out for that. This is Ms. Haymore's first novel and I must say it was a grand success! This is a refreshing take on historical romance that was quite a treat and one that is a definite must-read.

GIVEAWAY: I have 5 copies of A HINT OF WICKED by Jennifer Haymore to giveaway.

As always, leave a comment for one entry. Second entry if you follow, third if you follow on Twitter, and so forth.

Rules: Books will be delivered directly from Publisher so giveaway is only available to residents of the US and Canada. No P.O. Boxes please. Winners will be drawn this Saturday, May 30.

Here is a list of all the participants of this blog tour:

http://www.foreigncircuslibrary.blogspot.com/ - May 19 review

http://bookinwithbingo.blogspot.com - May 19 intro; May 21 review; May 23 Q&A; June 6 announce winners of giveaway

http://ajourneyofbooks.blogspot.com - May 21 Q&A

http://chicbookreviews.blogspot.com/ - May 22 review and giveaway

http://www.findthetimetoread.blogspot.com - May 26 review and giveaway

http://www.ReadingWithMonie.com - May 26 giveaway

http://zensanity.blogspot.com/ - May 26 Q&A

http://booksoulmates.blogspot.com/ - May 27 giveaway

http://yankeeromancereviewers.blogspot.com/ - May 28 giveaway

http://www.myspace.com/darbyscloset - May 28 review

http://confessionsofaromancebookaddict.wordpress.com/ - June 1 to 4 Q&A, review, and giveaway

http://dreyslibrary.blogspot.com - June 1 giveaway

www.morbid-romantic.net - June 2 review, giveaway, Q&A

http://mindingspot.blogspot.com/ - June 3 review and giveaway

http://kayespenguinposts.blogspot.com/ - June 3 giveaway

http://thereviewfromhere.wordpress.com/ - June 4 review

www.thebookgirl.net - June 5 review and giveaway

http://yougottareadreviews.blogspot.com/ - June 6 review and giveaway

http://martasmeanderings.blogspot.com/ - June 8

http://www.bookwormygirl.blogspot.com/ - May 25 review and giveaway

www.alphaheroes.blogspot.com - review

The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DuPrau

This is the Third Book of Ember and this story takes place about 50 years before The City of Ember is actually built. The main character is Nickie - who travels with her aunt to the town of Yonwood, NC in order to clear out her great-grandfather’s home after his death. The world is in great turmoil and on the brink of war. Upon her arrival, she is told that one of the town’s citizens has had a terrible vision of fire and destruction in the world. They now call this woman the Prophet of Yonwood - but the prophet is in some type of shock and has not told anyone of her prophecy. Instead she repeats several words over and over - but they are too garbled to be properly understood. One of her neighbors, Ms. Beeson, has taken it upon herself to translate these words and the town is taking these translations as prophetic instruction on how to avoid the coming disaster.

As the people of Yonwood struggle to not sin and follow the prophets translated instructions, Nickie explores the odd town and its residents. She begins to investigate her great-grandfather’s home and peculiar belongings, as well as meet some of her neighbors - particularly a reclusive neighbor who studies the heavens and a boy who is obsessed with snakes - and all this, while trying to reach her goals (i.e. living permanently in Yonwood, falling in love and finding a way to help the world).

Sadly, I really couldn’t get into this book. I would advise not reading this book directly after The People of Sparks, the feel is so different that it will probably not hold you in the same way. Only the epilogue really ties to the ember saga itself. Probably a good book overall, but I was disappointed since I expected a stronger connection to Ember. I'm glad I read it because of the last few pages, but overall, it was disappointing. I will read the fourth book (The Diamond of Darkhold) but only because I still have that spark of hope for this series.

Jantsen's Gift by Pam Cope and Aimee Molloy

What an amazing memoir!

When Pam Cope loses her 15 year-old son, Jansten, due to an unknown heart condition, she falls into a very severe depression. Upon invitation from a friend, Pam and her husband Randy, travel to Vietnam to visit an orphanage that this friend has built, and to find a way of coping with her loss/grief. There they fall in love with a Vietnamese child and decide to adopt him. Eventually they adopt another Vietnamese girl - but not before they fall in love with these children and realize that they can use the money that was donated in Jantsen’s name after his death for such a worthy cause.

This memoir chronicles Pam and Randy’s journey to providing children with food, shelter, education and medical care in Vietnam and Cambodia. And eventually to their work in Ghana where children are sold into slavery or prostitution by their families at a very young age. It details the struggles they go through to obtain these children from their "masters" and their work in building the The Village of Hope Orphanage.

I cried (a lot)... I laughed... I was truly moved and inspired. This is the type of book that makes you rethink your life. It is heart-wrenching to read some snippets of the letters that Pam writes to Jantsen and this book is a touching tribute to him.

To find out more about their foundation - Touch a Life, or to make a donation (I already did), please visit their website at http://www.touchalifekids.org/. You can also visit their blog at: http://touchalifekids.blogspot.com/.

NOTE: You are in still in time for the giveaway of 5 copies of Jantsen's Gift that I was graciously provided by Anna at The Hachette Book Group. If you would like to sign-up for the giveaway, please click here. The 5 winners will be chosen 4/24/09.

I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti by Giulia Melucci

A memoir of Giulia Melucci's fizzled romances... and although that doesn’t sound very enticing, I must say that there are some mouth-watering recipes intertwined with the telling of these romances that will definitely make up for it.

Throughout this memoir we go from Giulia’s first boyfriend Kit, to Ethan (the love of her life), Mitch (I didn’t like him much), a couple of writers, a hippie older guy, and eventually Lachlan (a Scot who eventually used her and dumped her). Call me nosey, but I actually like reading about people’s relationships. I liked reading about all the ups and downs of her romances. And although, yes, there was a time or two where I felt frustrated for her, I felt that in the end she learned to love herself as a person and realize that because someone doesn’t love you, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t love yourself.

I loved that she had a recipe for all the moments in life. The recipes range from very simple to something I wouldn’t even try (since I don’t cook!) - but they all seemed simple enough. I especially liked the "F*ck You Cupcakes" - that was great!

This is a memoir and cookbook all wrapped up in one. So, if you like eating, cooking and have ever been in a bad relationship (who hasn’t?) this is a book you’ll enjoy.

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Firefly Lane is about two best friends "TullyandKate" and their life together. Kate Mularkey meets Tully Hart in the summer of ‘74. Kate is the shy, nerdy type when you meet her, but when she meets "the coolest girl in the world" (Tully) she becomes popular by association. Tully, on the other hand, has the coolest friends, the biggest boobs, the hottest clothes, yet she lacks a "real" friend and the love of a family. Upon that meeting, we are taken on a journey through high school, college, post-college years, careers, marriage, kids, etc. This is the story of two unlikely friends and their friendship that spans well over 30+ years. It showcases the ups and downs they are faced with and the consequences of selfishness and bad decisions. Most importantly, it shows the amazing power of what it means to have a friend at your side during the good times and the bad times.

I found this to be not only about friendship, but also about husbands and wives, mothers and daughters. I was on such an emotional ride from beginning to end. I loved all the fun, pop culture references - the music, fashion and clothes. I was hooked from the start and had a tough time putting it down. Keep a box of tissues handy - I was sobbing at the end and it was 2am by the time I finished it, but it was definitely worth the ride.

This is the first book I read by Kristin Hannah and, needless to say, I am already searching for another one. This is chick lit at it’s best. I highly recommend it!

The Side-Yard Superhero by Rick D. Niece

Rick Niece is the President of The University of the Ozarks in Clarksville, Arkansas. The Side-Yard Superhero is his "automythography". What’s an automythography you ask? According to Rick it is "A work of nonfiction that looks reflectively at what we think we remember and how we think we remember it; an iridescent memory based upon truth and fact."

The Side-Yard Superhero is Rick’s account of what it was like to grow up in DeGraff (a small town in Ohio) with about 900 residents. Rick (back then known as Ricky) recounts his job of paperboy (that he kept until he moved out for college) and the neighbors he met on his daily route, along with what it was like growing up in a town where you knew everyone, local Friday hangouts and the carnival coming to town.

Through Ricky we are introduced to several characters:

Fern an elderly woman who worked for a newspaper at the turn of the century and who now resided with her dog. Fern had a tendency of walking around the neighborhood in just her brassiere and pants (this was her normal everyday attire). We meet Miss Lizzie - she was somewhat of a recluse due to the loss of her fiancé during WWI but who could bake the best pumpkin loaf in town. But especially we meet Bernie Jones. Bernie Jones is a boy Ricky befriends on his paper route who is wheelchair bound due to cerebral palsy. Everyday Ricky delivered the paper - Bernie waited in the side-yard of his home so that they could sit together and read Dick Tracy comics, talk about school, life and dreams.

Each chapter is a story of its own. We learn of the Saturday that Rickie took Bernie along with him on his paper route, and the Halloween where he and Bernie helped Miss Lizzie hand out her pumpkin loaf to all the towns trick-or-treaters. Bernie gets his name of Side-Yard Superhero from dressing up like Superman that year. We also read of the year the carnival came to town and Ricky was able to ride Bernie on the teacup ride. I enjoyed reading of the stories that relate to the wonderful support and relationships Ricky and his neighbors had. It makes you think about the importance of your roots. I also found myself looking forward to reading the fantastic poems at the beginning of each chapter.

Overall, I thought this book was touching and insightful. It helps you think of the simplicity in life and the basics of what is important. It’s a story about friendships, promises and growing up. This was just such a nice, feel good read. I highly recommend it .

Dirty Little Angels by Chris Tusa

Dirty Little Angels is told through the view point of Hailey Trosclair - a 16 year old teen living in the slums of New Orleans. Through Hailey we learn of her family, friends and what life is like for a teen who hasn't been dealt the best hand in life.

We also meet an assortment of characters: Cyrus - the over-protective older brother who knows just when to use his set of brass knuckles. Her parents - her father is a jobless, adulterous, alchoholic and her mother - who is suffering from depression due to a miscarriage. We also meet Verma - witty family friend, and then there is Moses Watkins - an ex-con, ex-preacher who is trying to start a drive-through church.

There is so much going on in this short book (drugs, sex and violence). But in the end, it is a book about family - love for one's family; and it will test you and ask you, what would you do to keep and protect your family? To what lengths would you go?

Chris Tusa’s prose is chillingly effective at maintaining a sense of dread, along with a palpable tension amongst his characters. I liked that he is economical in his choice of words to evoke scenes and emotions.

A good story--a little off-beat--but I really liked Hailey, even though there were moments when she wasn't so likable. To be honest, I liked that all the characters were jaded and imperfect - they were real.

I found it to be an absolutely enthralling, exciting, depressing, uplifting, tear inducing, story-telling book.

The Host by Stephanie Meyer

We all know Stephanie Meyer from her Twilight series... but to my surprise, she can write a mean alien book too.

In this story, planet Earth has been overtaken by aliens called “Souls”. These Souls are parasite-type aliens who implant themselves into the human brain and take over - thus the human race is practically extinct.

In comes Melanie Stryder - part of the human resistance and someone who has evaded capture for several years - she is captured by the Seekers (Souls who search for renegade or “wild” humans) and is implanted with a Soul named Wanderer. Wanderer is like a celebrity within the Souls. She is very old and strong and she has lived many life cycles on different worlds. Upon implant, Wanderer is surprised when Melanie’s consciousness refuses to fade away. Melanie fights and is a voice in Wanderer’s head. Through Melanie’s memories Wanderer is able to see what being human is about - the good (love, laughter, friendships) and the bad (fear, jealousy, rage, anger). Eventually Wanderer and Melanie have to learn to live together, and they go off on a very dangerous mission.

I liked the fact that we get to hear Wandarer’s (eventually nicknamed Wanda) point-of-view. It was Invasion of the Body Snatchers - from the unique perspective of one of the Snatchers.

I will say though that the first 80 pages or so were a bit slow and difficult to get through, for me, but once I passed that I was completely hooked and devoured the remaining 500+ pages.

In conclusion, The Host is definitely a must read! You’ll stay up till the wee hours of the night reading it, I know I did. It also leaves a perfect opening for any sequels and Meyer has already mentioned that she is working on a follow-up that will be appropriately titled “The Soul”, as well as a possible third book she would like to call “The Seeker”. If The Host does spawn a series I know they will be loved just as much as the Twilight Series and I can say that I will be one to stand in line to get one of the first copies available.

Playing with the Grown-Ups by Sophie Dahl

This novel tells the life experiences of a young girl (Kitty) on the cusp of adulthood and her self-destructive "mummy" Marina. It is a beautifully written coming-of-age tale which develops quite a gritty sting in the latter half while describing Kitty's teen years. Throughout the story we read about Kitty’s idyllic life in the country with her grandparents, mummy, aunts, siblings and nanny, her stay at boarding schools, the moving back and forth between England and the U.S., her friendships, drugs, alcohol, sex, and just the wildness of it all. Yet, I enjoyed this even when it became a little harrowing.

I found the ending a bit disappointing. After all that we went through with Kitty, it just leaves you to imagine what she has to overcome in order to lead a better life. You obviously know that she was able to overcome her mother’s influence and eventually make a life for herself in New York, but you just don’t read how she was able to do it (you know this from the first chapter - so I’m not giving anything away). It would have been nice to read how she was able to get herself out of the hole she was in and better herself and her life.

Moving, well-written, tender-hearted coming of age/mother-daughter relationship story. Utterly charming and I couldn’t help wondering if some parts were autobiographical. I think anybody who had a slightly unconventional childhood will be able to relate to this in some way.

And just in case you were wondering, Sophie Dahl is Roald Dahl’s granddaughter.

Upon the Midnight Clear by Sherrilyn Kenyon

This is the second Dream-Hunter novel that I've read and although I am a huge fan of Sherrilyn Kenyon’s - I was sorely disappointed by this one. It’s lacking in a lot of things. Her characters weren’t developed enough for you to actually grow fond of them. Aidan was just to whiny and needy for me to like him, and Leta just never really amounted to much when it counted either.

Too much happened in too short of a time period. It didn't feel very believable and it almost felt more like a chore to read rather than a delight for the mind. If nothing else, this book was used just to fill us in on some of the background information on Zeus’ curse on the Oneroi.

When you see this book, it seems short for a paperback. When you open it, it seems REALLY short for a paperback - they have used double spacing, wide margins, and a large font. Now, either Kenyon's publisher is formatting books for her older, more myopic fans, or this was a short-story that was made into a novel. Add a little padding and a huge font and, presto-change-o, you have a very short paperback that you can still sell for the full paperback price. Grrrrrrr!

On the bright side though, at the end of the book there was a short story called Holiday Gatherings - It brought back some of her other characters and was really a treat to read.

If you haven't read any of Sherrilyn Kenyon's books, I would suggest to stay away from this book. Start off by reading the "Dark-Hunter" series and then make your way to this new Dream-Hunter spin-off.

One Fifth Avenue by Candace Bushnell

This one is a toughie. I haven’t decided whether I liked this one or not.... yet. I’m leaning towards the not liking direction though.

The story revolves around the lives of the residents of a luxury building on Fifth Avenue. A place that just by living in it or being seen entering or exiting from it - meant wealth and power. Each resident of One Fifth is interconnected somehow and it was neat to see how one of their actions would cause an effect in one of their neighbors’ lives. I also liked that architecture was the center-piece of the story. I will say, that there were a lot of characters (each written in the first person) introduced all at once, which was confusing at first, but once I got passed that and actually started focusing on who was who and what was what it became easier to read and the pages began turning. The writing was very hip and fresh and I loved her comments on 20-somethings, bloggers and the Internet.

But in the end, it just didn’t strike a note with me. I don’t know if it was that I just didn’t connect with any of the characters or that we have no similarities in common, but I found that none of the characters were likeable. There was one character that I did like but she was the one that we barely read about (figures). I got the impression that this book was expressly written to become a movie or tv series.

All in all, if you like reading stories about New York City life, sex, lies and money, (Drama, Drama, Drama), then this is something that I’d recommend you read.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Title: Never Let Me Go
Author: Kazuo Ishiguro
Pages: 304
Genre: Science Fiction
Source: Purchased

I almost don't want to say anything about this book because I don't want to give anything away. Not to mention, I commenced reading this not knowing a thing about it, so the way the author unfolds the story... by slow increments making you more and more knowledgeable about what is going on, was extraordinary and part of the reason why I enjoyed this book so much.

Ishiguro crafts a picturesque boarding school world populated by seemingly normal students, with all the pettiness, mean-spiritedness and misunderstandings of everyday teens. However, it is clear from the start that something is subtly different about these children and the way they are being brought up.

The narrator of Never Let Me Go is Kathy H, a young "carer" in England. Throughout the novel she reminisces about her childhood, coming of age and friendships with Ruth and Tommy in an open, conversational style. She's a wonderfully developed character who holds your interest and sympathy throughout the book. 

I won’t say much else, so that when and, if you do decide to read this, everything can be as new and shocking to you as it was to me -a real page-turner.

This story was deeply sad, moving, and absorbing. It is one that will stay with you.

My Rating:

Ms. Hempel Chronicles by Sarah Shun-lien Bynum

Firstly, I want to start by saying that this was not what I thought it would be. I was expecting the memoir of an English teacher. The book has great reviews and therefore I thought "why not?" Sadly, it wasn’t something that caught my attention. I did read the whole book because it really pains me to actually stop reading something I’ve started - but there was just no point to this. Ms. Hempel is a seventh grade middle school teacher and with a refreshingly real voice gives several insightful thoughts about how teenagers and teachers think mixed in with some tangents about her personal life. She is at that verge where she is questioning everything she's doing with her life and how she is affecting the lives of the children she teaches. This was her quest to find herself - through these short, loosely-linked stories.

On a high note, the writing is beautiful and I can see where this would be a good read for a teacher.

But it just never hit a crescendo for me. I thought the plot meandered and was just too drawn out for me.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

When Pi is sixteen, his family decides to emigrate from India to Canada aboard a Japanese cargo ship, along with their zoo animals bound for new homes. The ship sinks. Pi finds himself alone in a lifeboat, his only companions a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra, and Richard Parker, a 450-pound Bengal tiger. And there begins our adventure..

Although the story mostly revolves around Pi’s will to survive his 7 month long journey at sea, there are a lot of other thought-provoking elements. It contains elements of religion, philosophy, zoology, and biology.

With faith, this novel becomes all the more meaningful. It enables you to absorb the thoughts and emotion that Pi experiences. At the end of the book, when he presents two stories about what has happened to him, it is difficult to decide which of the two outcomes is true, and/or which of the two you prefer. I absolutely loved the ending of this book, it made me look at the story from a totally different perspective.

My favorite part were the instructions on how to dominate a Bengal tiger on a boat - this had me in stitches.

I will forewarn you though, it was a bit slow at first - but persevere and you will be awarded with a beautifully crafted and very vivid story of human nature and survival.

Time of My Life by Allison Winn Scotch

Time of My Life was a bit reminiscent of Family Man, but I loved it anyway. This book is based on the question "What If?" I became totally engrossed with Jillian's story from the first page. When Jillian goes to her masseuse and has her chi unblocked, some very unexpected things happen. For one, she wakes up seven years earlier in bed, in her old apartment, and still in a relationship with her ex-boyfriend - no more husband, nor toddler, nor house in the suburbs. The best thing of it all, she remains with all the knowledge from her real life in the future... thus being able to avoid old arguments, get work done more efficiently and without the stress, be prepared for important life altering moments, etc. It was fun to see how every action had a reaction, thus changing her present and, of course, her future. More importantly though, it raised some very good points - like being true to yourself and not changing who you are or what you believe in for your partner, instead to compromise. As well as how important communication is in relationships. I was curious to see how things would turn out the second time around and will say that I had a tough time trying not to cheat and just look at the last couple of pages to see how it would end. All in all, this was very funny, thought-provoking and a joy to read. I highly recommend it.

Blindness by José Saramago

Firstly, I want to start by saying that this was one of the scariest books that I have ever read.

A city is hit by an epidemic of "white blindness" which spares no one. Authorities begin by quarantining the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive, stealing food rations and raping women. There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides seven strangers. I really liked the way that nobody in the story had a name (i.e.: the doctor, the doctor’s wife, the girl with the dark glasses, the man with the black eyepatch, the thief, the first blind man, the boy with the squint, etc.)... a blind person doesn’t need a name they are only a voice.

The writing style was a bit hard for me at first - there is no use of quotations throughout the whole story so it was a bit difficult to distinguish who was speaking- but I caught on quickly enough.

Saramago has a profound way of getting into the depths of human psychology. I found it to be difficult at times, but very thought provoking. What would you do? The world can no longer function as we know it and we are down to living in the streets and scavenging for food. It is an amazing look at humanity, kindness, and pure despair. I was addicted!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

Christopher Boone has one goal and that is to find out who the murderer of a neighborhood dog (Wellington) is. Although his search is for a dog-murderer, Christopher's quest ultimately uncovers some very important family secrets along the way.

It was fascinating to be able to read thru the point-of-view of an 11 year old child with autism - it definitely made for a compelling read. I loved reading about all the quirks (i.e. his hate of anything yellow or brown, his pain at being touched, how a certain amount of red cars or yellow cars would determine how his day went, how doing "maths" calms him down, etc.). Along the way, you also learn about his daily interactions with his father, teachers and neighbors.

This story provides great insight to those who want to understand what autism is. Most books revolve around people who care for an autistic person and I found this to be a fresh and profound view of living with autism. It was a quick and enjoyable read and an altogether great experience for the insight it provides.