Katie’s Reading:

Currently Reading

I am still reading:

The Cookbook For A New Europe by Richard Segal

To serve society or humanity? It’s been fourteen years since the basketball-mad detective Fran Obrien captured the urban bomber Lavi, who has since moved to Spain and rehabilitated himself beyond recognition. Fran is fresh off a two-year sabbatical, during which he tended to 11-year-old Ben, the family comedian, and 17-year-old Alice, with, yes, as much attitude as you’d expect. His estranged boss Karl has retired and Fran must learn to deal with the new brass – no small task itself. His first assignment is to investigate an act of alleged political corruption which seems more wild goose chase than duck in a barrel, leading him to question his decision to return to work. After an extended-family culinary expedition to Budapest, Fran’s nine-to-five job takes him ‘almost’ to Albany and to Central America, where he must untangle the mother of all webs. His wife, local family doctor Darby, goes along for the ride, and, oh, piña coladas “to die for.” For a detective and amateur gourmet chef like no other, Cookbook for a New Europe is a ride Fran certainly didn’t expect. He’s been fiercely focused for years, but a spate of unintended yet momentous events unfolds once he gives free rein to his emotions, and his recipes.

I’m only about 60 pages further on than I was last week! I am just waiting for the story to get going really. However, Fran is back in the USA after having been to Hungary to visit family and is about to start work again so I’m looking forward to how the story will develop. I’m still struggling a little with how it is written but hopefully I will get used to it.
The Tapestry of Love by Rosy Thornton

A rural idyll: that’s what Catherine is seeking when she sells her house in England and moves to a tiny hamlet in the Cévennes mountains. With her divorce in the past and her children grown, she is free to make a new start, and her dream is to set up in business as a seamstress. But this is a harsh and lonely place when you’re no longer just here on holiday. There is French bureaucracy to contend with, not to mention the mountain weather, and the reserve of her neighbors, including the intriguing Patrick Castagnol. And that’s before the arrival of Catherine’s sister, Bryony.

I haven’t even picked this book up since last week – hopefully I’ll get to it over the weekend.
The other books I’m reading are Christian books. I dip in and out of these and use them as Bible study tools. They are:

Last Week’s Reading

This week I only finished one book:

Bestselling author Stormie Omartian inspires women to develop a deeper relationship with their husbands by praying for them. This encouraging resource is packed with practical advice on praying for specific areas of a husband’s life including his decision-making fears spiritual strength role as father, leader faith and future

Every woman who desires a closer relationship with her husband will appreciate the life illustrations, select Scripture verses, and the assurances of God’s promises and power for their marriage.

This book covers a whole range of issues which might occur in a marriage and ways to work through them and cling to God at the same time. I found this helpful and I will be able to dip in and out of this book in the future

Kirsten’s Reading:

Currently Reading

The Winter Ghosts by Kate Mosse

I am just about to start reading ‘The Winter Ghosts’ by Kate Mosse, which was lent to me by a friend, who read it recently and said that she enjoyed it. I’m excited to start reading and will review it when I’m done.

The Great War took much more than lives. It robbed a generation of friends, lovers and futures. In Freddie Watson’s case, it took his beloved brother and, at times, his peace of mind. In the winter of 1928, still seeking resolution, Freddie is travelling through the French Pyrenees. During a snowstorm, his car spins off the mountain road. He stumbles through woods, emerging in a tiny village. There he meets Fabrissa, a beautiful woman also mourning a lost generation. Over the course of one night, Fabrissa and Freddie share their stories. By the time dawn breaks, he will have stumbled across a tragic mystery that goes back through the centuries.

Lover Reborn by J. R. Ward

This week I also intend to read ‘Lover Reborn’ by J. R. Ward. This is the tenth book in a series called ‘The Black Dagger Brotherhood’ series. I have read the entire series thus far and really love it. The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a group of warrior vampires who all live and fight together against their enemies, the ‘Lessers’. Each book tells a love story about each of the brothers. This is not vampire fiction like you’ve read before as it doesn’t follow the conventional myths of vampirism – but do not fear, they don’t sparkle! I cannot wait to read this latest offering from the wonderful J. R. Ward.

In the darkest corners of the night in Caldwell, New York, a conflict like no other rages. The city is home to a band of brothers born to defend their race: the warrior vampires of the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Now back in the Brotherhood – and unrecognisable as the vampire leader he once was –Tohrment is physically emaciated and heartbroken beyond despair. When he begins to see his beloved in his dreams – trapped in a cold, isolating netherworld – Tohr turns to a self-serving fallen angel in hopes of saving the one he has lost. When he’s told he must learn to love another to free his former mate, Tohr knows they are all doomed . . . Except then a female with a shadowed history begins to get through to him. Against the backdrop of the raging war with the lessers, and with a new clan of vampires vying for the Blind King’s throne, Tohr struggles between the buried past, and a very hot, passion-filled future . . . but can his heart let go and set all of them free?

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

 I bought this in a charity shop the other day. I’ve heard that it is supposed to be good and I am trying to read more classics and so decided to give it a go. Looking forward to seeing what it’s like.

Set in turn-of-the-century New York, Edith Wharton’s classic novel The Age of Innocence reveals a society governed by the dictates of taste and form, manners and morals, and intricate social ceremonies. Newland Archer, soon to marry the lovely May Welland, is a man torn between his respect for tradition and family and his attraction to May’s strongly independent cousin, the Countess Ellen Olenska. Plagued by the desire to live in a world where two people can love each other free from condemnation and judgment by the group, Newland views the artful delicacy of the world he lives in as a comforting security one moment, and at another, as an oppressive fiction masking true human nature. The Age of Innocence is at once a richly drawn portrait of the elegant lifestyles, luxurious brownstones, and fascinating culture of bygone New York society and a compelling look at the conflict between human passions and the social tribe that tries to control them.

Last Week’s Reading

The Calling by Kelley Armstrong

I have just finished reading a book called ‘The Calling’ by Kelley Armstrong which is the second book in what is to be a trilogy called ‘Darkness Rising’. I really enjoyed this book and read it in literally a matter of hours. I have read the first book in the trilogy as well and cannot wait for the concluding instalment. I would definitely recommend this, and other books by this author, to anyone who enjoys reading ‘Paranormal/Fantasy’ fiction. Four stars!

Maya Delaney’s paw-print birthmark is the sign of what she truly is—a skin-walker. She can run faster, climb higher, and see better than nearly anyone else. Experiencing intense connections with the animals that roam the woods outside her home, Maya knows it’s only a matter of time before she’s able to Shift and become one of them. And she believes there may be others in her small town with surprising talents.

Now, Maya and her friends have been forced to flee from their homes during a forest fire they suspect was deliberately set. Then they’re kidnapped, and after a chilling helicopter crash, they find themselves in the Vancouver Island wilderness with nothing but their extraordinary abilities to help them get back home.

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe

I have also not long finished a book called ‘The Mysteries of Udolpho’ by Ann Radcliffe. It took me quite a long time to read this book as it was very long and very dense (and I stopped a couple of times to read other things)! The book is a classic ‘Gothic Horror/Ghost Story’. It is very suspenseful and has true thriller moments. A good read if you have the patience to endure it and, as far as I was concerned, well worth the slog.

With The Mysteries of Udolpho, Ann Radcliffe raised the Gothic romance to a new level and inspired a long line of imitators. Portraying her heroine’s inner life, creating a thick atmosphere of fear, and providing a gripping plot that continues to thrill readers today, The Mysteries of Udolpho is the story of orphan Emily St. Aubert, who finds herself separated from the man she loves and confined within the medieval castle of her aunt’s new husband, Montoni. Inside the castle, she must cope with an unwanted suitor, Montoni’s threats, and the wild imaginings and terrors that threaten to overwhelm her.

Review written by Kirsten!
Genre: Young adult, fantasy

Rating: 4 out of 5

Synopsis:

Could you survive on your own, in the wild, with everyone out to make sure you don’t live to see the morning?

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before-and survival

After a great uprising that happened years before this book is set, the twelve districts of Panem are pitted against one another in an annual event known as ‘the Hunger Games’, for the entertainment of the elite population of the ‘Capitol’. In the first installment of this dystopian fantasy trilogy we follow the female contestant from District Twelve, Katniss Everdeen. Katniss is dragged from her simple and impoverished life in the slums of District Twelve and thrown into the cut and thrust of the Hunger Games and the fame that comes from being a contestant. As she is caught up in the fast paced action surrounding the games she soon learns that her whole life is just a ‘game’ in the eyes of the Capitol and that to get anywhere, she has to play along.

I really enjoyed this book as I found the world, created by Suzanne Collins, amazingly intricate in detail yet deeply disturbing. The book is very well written and has a gripping plotline that left me wanting to know what would happen next – fortunately there are two books that follow.

As for the characters, I found the awkward nature (unusual for a protagonist) of Katniss rather fascinating as it lent itself very much to the portrayal of her as the unexpected heroine. I also found that the characters of the Capitol members were well placed as they were written as humorous caricatures of elite society, which added an amusing and ridiculous note to the book.

I thought this book was really well written and, even though it is set in a fictional dystopian world, many of the themes that Collins deals with (such as love or politics) have a universality which makes the world of Panem, and the lives of the characters, more accessible to readers in today’s society. I think Collins does well in taking the controversial nature of the dystopian genre of fiction and makes it more mainstream and easier to grasp.

The Hunger Games is classified as ‘Teenage/Young Adult’ fiction but I think that the genre and the writing style lend themselves to a much wider audience. It was a brilliant read and I thoroughly recommend it to anyone.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Addition: Paperback, borrowed from friend

Genre: Mystery

Rating: 4 out of 5

Synopsis:

A misfit at an exclusive New England college, Richard finds kindred spirits in the five eccentric students of his ancient Greek class. But his new friends have a horrific secret. When blackmail and violence threaten to blow their privileged lives apart, they drag Richard into the nightmare that engulfs them. And soon they enter a terrifying heart of darkness from which they may never return.

My friend lent this book to me, telling me it was her favourite book. This book therefore had a lot to live up too! My Mum has also read this book and although enjoyed it felt it was too long and by page 500 was ready for it to finish. I went into this book with mixed feelings – my main thoughts being “I hope I enjoy this as Emily loves it” and “man, this is a big book with small print!” I have to say, I did really enjoy this book!

The story follows Richard, a young man from California who is wanting to escape his family. He arrives at Hampton College – on the opposite Coast to his parents and is quickly seduced into a life with the Greek students – Henry, Francis, Charles, Camilla and Bunny. However, all is not as it seems. They are secretive and sometimes weird, hiding a dark secret. Henry, the leader of this group, finally opens up and tells Richard what has happened: whilst trying out an ancient experiment – to completely lose oneself – they accidently kill a farmer on his land. They keep this secret hidden, except from Bunny, another in the group, who is starting to really grate on their nerves. He jokes about it, makes reference to the murder, and eventually tells Richard, thinking he doesn’t know. This is the final straw for Henry, who plots Bunny’s death. All of them are there when Henry pushes Bunny over the edge of the cliff. The story follows the remaining 5, showing how this completely messes up their lives.

I found this book slow to begin with. The first 100 or so pages follow Richard in California and then the Greek lessons at Hampton College. I found this a struggle to read – I have never studied the Greek classics and often found what I was reading going completely over my head. I honestly couldn’t tell you what it had to do with the story as I didn’t get it at all! This book is one that I would call “an intelligent read”. You have to pay attention and it doesn’t read quickly. It is also long – the addition I read was 629 pages! Once I got past page 100 or so, I was hooked but I did find the beginning a challenge.

I thought this was a fascinating read. It gives a glimpse into a crazy college world – filled with drink and drugs. It shows how people can be influenced by teachers and what they are taught – and how friends can manipulate you too. Henry leads everything – from the experience in the woods which leads to the first murder, to keeping Bunny quiet, to how to hide what they had done to Bunny. I was undecided most of the way through the book about Henry – he cold and silent, and then nursed Richard back to health when he had pneumonia. He was messed up by what he spent his time reading and also fairly grumpy! By the end I didn’t like him much.

This is an interesting read. I didn’t really like the characters and I found the beginning tough, but I was intrigued by the prologue – commenting on Bunny’s death, and I desperately wanted to know what happened. I was mildly surprised by the ending. They were never found out, although we did see how murder completely destroyed their lives. Henry ends up committing suicide, Camilla and Charles stop speaking and Charles becomes an alcoholic, Francis is consumed by fear and anxiety and Richard takes too many pills, drinks a lot and hides away. I was surprised that they weren’t caught but this was a fascinating ending.

This is an exceptionally well written book and very enjoyable. I would highly reecommend this book – even if I did find the beginning hard!

I haven’t blogged or read as much this year because in September 2010 I started a full time job so I haven’t had as much time to read and spend on the blog. In 2010 I read 126 books and in 2009 I read 145. A list of my past reading can be found here. This year, I have only read 57 – not at all bad, but not nearly as many as past years! Here are some of my favourites:

The Woods by Harlon Coben

Paul Copeland’s sister went missing twenty years ago. Now raising a daughter alone, Cope balances family life with a career as a prosecutor. But when a homicide victim is found with evidence linking him to Cope, the well-buried secrets of the past are threatening everything. Is this body one of the campers who disappeared with his sister? Could his sister be alive…? Confronting his past, Cope must decide what is better left hidden in the dark and what truths can be brought to light…

I really enjoyed this thriller – was happy to give it 5 out of 5.

The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

A long lost letter arrives in the post and Edie Burchill finds herself on a journey to Milderhurst Castle, a great but moldering old house, where the Blythe spinsters live and where her mother was billeted 50 years before as a 13 year old child during WWII. The elder Blythe sisters are twins and have spent most of their lives looking after the third and youngest sister, Juniper, who hasn’t been the same since her fiance jilted her in 1941.

Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in ‘the distant hours’ of the past has been waiting a long time for someone to find it.

Morton once again enthralls readers with an atmospheric story featuring unforgettable characters beset by love and circumstance and haunted by memory, that reminds us of the rich power of storytelling

My review of this book is to come, but this was a gripping historical novel. It was long but very enjoyable. It was easy to give it 5/5.

The Summer House by Mary Nichols

A secret love that will haunt a family for ever England 1918. Lady Helen believes her parents when they say she will never find a better husband than Richard, but when he returns to the Front, she begins to wonder just who it is she has married. His letters home are cold and distant – and Helen realises that she has made a terrible mistake. Then Oliver Donovan enters her life and they begin an affair that leaves Helen pregnant and alone – she is forced to surrender her precious baby. Over twenty years pass and a second war is ravaging Europe, but that is not the only echo of the past to haunt the present. Laura Drummond is caught in a tragic love affair of her own and when she is forced to leave London during the Blitz, she turns to the mother she never knew.

This is another historical fiction novel that I really enjoyed! Set during both World Wars it follows two women who get caught in love affairs and fall pregnant, both outside of marriage. What they don’t realise is they are mother and daughter! I haven’t written this review yet but it will be rated 5/5 as I really enjoyed it!

The Glass Painters Daughter by Rachel Hore

A wonderful novel set in a hidden part of Westminster, steeped in the Victorian past, full of gothic churches and secret garden squares…

I was surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did. I really enjoy Rachel Hore novels but I’ve never rated any of them 5/5 until this one! The book is set in London, both in our time and in Victorian times, following the fortunes of one family and one shop. This is another historical novel and also a romance novel, and I loved it! Review is to come.

God Knows my Name by Beth Redman

In this powerful and deeply vulnerable book, Beth Redman writes to pass along a message that changed her life—that the God who made us also understands us intimately. He hears our cries and reaches out in love to help us and fight for us. He’s always at work shaping our character. And no matter what others do, He will never, ever leave or forget us. Drawing on Scripture and her own experience, Redman invites us to explore the revolutionary implications of being loved by a God who knows our name. And she invites us to call on His name as well—to respond to His heart and love Him as He has loved us from the beginning.

This book was given to me as a gift and I found it so helpful. I was facing something tough and this book was clear and helpful and let me see God and be comforted that He knows me and is looking out for me.I’m thankful for this present and can’t rate this book highly enough. The review is to come but I can easily rate this 5/5.

Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe by Jenny Colgan

Ever dreamed of starting over?

Issy Randall can bake. No, more than that – Issy can create stunning, mouth-wateringly divine cakes. After a childhood spent in her beloved Grampa Joe’s bakery she has undoubtedly inherited his talent. So when she’s made redundant from her safe but dull City job, Issy decides to seize the moment and open up her own café. It should be a piece of cake, right?

Wrong. As her friends point out, she has trouble remembering where she left her house keys, let alone trying to run her own business. But Issy is determined. Armed with recipes posted to her from Grampa, and with her local bank manager fighting her corner, Issy attempts to prove everyone wrong. Following your dreams is never easy and this is no exception. Can Issy do it?

This is the first Jenny Colgan novel I have read and I loved it! I was drawn by the cover and the title and very glad I took this out the library. The book had a great storyline and it had recipes – bonus! The review is to come but it will be glowing – I really enjoyed this book. Another 5/5!

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Addition: Hardback library book

Genre: Fiction

Rating: 4 out of 5

Synopsis:

To five-year-old-Jack, Room is the world. . . . It’s where he was born, it’s where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it’s the prison where she has been held for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in this eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But with Jack’s curiosity building alongside her own desperation, she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer.

Room is a tale at once shocking, riveting, exhilarating–a story of unconquerable love in harrowing circumstances, and of the diamond-hard bond between a mother and her child.

Room was recommended to me by a friend, who loved it, and I read it and recommended it to my Mum, who also loved it! This is the first book by Emma Donoghue I have read and I was a bit concerned that it wouldn’t be as good as I hoped due to all the hype surrounding the book, but honestly, I really enjoyed it.

This story is told by Jack – a five year old boy. It is written using the language a small boy would use, which took me a little while to get used too. I found the first 50 pages a bit slow as I worked out what he was describing and what was going on. However, once past those pages I was hooked. I got used to the language and how Jack describes things. This book is actually very well written – it is very clever.

The story is not a happy one. Jack and his Mum are locked in a room and controlled by a kidnapper. Poor Jack knows nothing but this home and doesn’t understand that it isn’t a good situation. When his Mum sets up an escape plan Jack doesn’t want to leave. Jack is very brave and goes through with the escape and it is fascinating reading about how he has to adjust to the world. They are things you would never consider – he has a bad immune system, the light is too bright and he can’t walk far. People scare him – in fact, the outside world scares him. It was a great read but if I’m honest I didn’t think the escape was very realistic. That aside, I enjoyed this book.

There are not many characters in this book to comment on! I thought Jack was sweet but maybe a little demanding. I found his Mum an interesting character. I liked that she tried to teach him and that she protects him from the kidnapper. However, I felt some things strange, like still breastfeeding him at five. I didn’t like that after she escaped she attempted suicide either. It seemed strange that after she had survived and escaped what happened that she would give up?!

This is a good book – a compelling read. This is well worth getting your reads on – it deserves the credit and attention it got. This isn’t a happy read but so well written and has a nice ending. This isn’t my usual read – or my Mum’s, I like chick-lit and she likes murders, but we both loved this book. Definitely read it!

Dr Laurence B. Brown has released a book based around the Dead Sea Scrolls – a book that has been compared to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code for its excellency and get story-telling.

Synopsis:

Stirring the flames of age-old controversies, The Eighth Scroll by Laurence B. Brown draws on the three Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam to create an unbelievably dynamic and powerful story. Set in a world that teeters between orthodoxy and heresy, this thriller is packed with intrigue and adventure. When a Roman Catholic scholar involved in the Dead Sea Scrolls Project hides one of the scrolls because of the heretical message it contains, no one is the wiser until decades later, when a prominent archeologist discovers reference to the scroll in an archeological dig. This discovery spurs the world religions into a dangerous game of cat and mouse, in which all who seek the hidden scroll are mysteriously silenced, leaving the salvation of humankind to a father and son, who must either find the hidden scroll . . . or die trying.

Dr Brown was kind enough to do an interview for us:

What gave you the idea to write The Eighth Scroll?

I, like many people, wondered what was so interesting about the Dead Sea Scrolls. Who cares about a bunch of two thousand year-old scrolls that tell us what we already know? Who cares? I’ll tell you who cares: Every secret service and every revealed religion in the world. When I learned why they care, I simply had to write The Eighth Scroll to explain.

You have a full time job so when do you find the time to write?

I guess you must be disciplined and well organized. When everyone else in my family is watching TV, I’m writing. I prefer to make my own movies than to watch somebody else’s. “Uh, wait a minute,” you might say, “The Eighth Scroll is not a movie, it’s a book.” Well, yes, that’s true. But many readers remark that my writing is extremely visual — the book reads like a movie in the mind. That is my style, and that is what I think readers want these days.

You have an interesting twist with Karl and Tim and without giving away what that is, how do you as a storyteller craft your twists?

Sometimes I plan these twists, other times not. My work is as much character- driven as it is plot-driven. The characters are well defined in my mind, and they take on lives of their own that shape the story as it progresses. This probably sounds a little surreal, but many times the characters do things I wouldn’t have expected them to do. I might arrive at a point in the story where a facet of one of their personalities forces them to do something I simply had not foreseen. This is thrilling for me, as the author, and it demands a certain amount of discipline to allow the characters to act according to how I have defined them, even when this takes the story in an unanticipated direction. This leads to a lot of interesting twists and turns, some planned and others spontaneous.

Where can we get a copy of your book?

You can find The Eighth Scroll for sale on Amazon by clicking HERE.

My review of The Eighth Scroll will follow soon.

Addition: Paperback

Genre: Mystery and suspense

Rating: 5 out of 5

Synopsis:

Twenty years ago, four teenagers at summer camp walked into the woods at night. Two were found murdered, and the others were never seen again. Four families had their lives changed forever. Now, two decades later, they are about to change again. For Paul Copeland, the county prosecutor of Essex, New Jersey, mourning the loss of his sister has only recently begun to subside. Cope, as he is known, is now dealing with raising his six-year-old daughter as a single father after his wife has died of cancer. Balancing family life and a rapidly ascending career as a prosecutor distracts him from his past traumas, but only for so long. When a homicide victim is found with evidence linking him to Cope, the well-buried secrets of the prosecutor’s family are threatened. Is this homicide victim one of the campers who disappeared with his sister? Could his sister be alive? Cope has to confront so much he left behind that summer twenty years ago: his first love, Lucy; his mother, who abandoned the family; and the secrets that his Russian parents might have been hiding even from their own children. Cope must decide what is better left hidden in the dark and what truths can be brought to the light.’ to ‘Twenty years ago, four teenagers at summer camp walked into the woods at night. Two were found murdered, and the others were never seen again. Four families had their lives changed forever. Now, two decades later, they are about to change again. For Paul Copeland, the county prosecutor of Essex, New Jersey, mourning the loss of his sister has only recently begun to subside. Cope, as he is known, is now dealing with raising his six-year-old daughter as a single father after his wife has died of cancer. Balancing family life and a rapidly ascending career as a prosecutor distracts him from his past traumas, but only for so long. When a homicide victim is found with evidence linking him to Cope, the well-buried secrets of the prosecutor’s family are threatened. Is this homicide victim one of the campers who disappeared with his sister? Could his sister be alive? Cope has to confront so much he left behind that summer twenty years ago: his first love, Lucy; his mother, who abandoned the family; and the secrets that his Russian parents might have been hiding even from their own children. Cope must decide what is better left hidden in the dark and what truths can be brought to the light.

This is a story about Paul Copeland, a county prosecutor whose wife has died and whose sister disappeared twenty years ago. On that fateful night, four teens had gone into the woods at summer camp, two were found murdered and two were never seen again. Paul’s sister Cassie was one of those whose body wasn’t found. His father spent every weekend for years digging in the woods but Cassie’s body was never recovered. Although heart-breaking, Paul had learnt to deal with this. Until someone using a fake name turns up dead and the link goes back to Paul. Realising this is the other person who disappeared from the woods, Paul sets out to find out what really happened; and if Cassie is still alive too. But he is not the only one exploring his past. As prosecutor he is trying to get two frat boys jailed for raping an underage exotic dancer. In an effort to protect his son, one of the fathers is doing all he can to frame and blackmail Paul, so the case will be dismissed. Through this, Paul learns some truths about his family: his father’s past when he lived in Russia, why his mother disappeared and didn’t take him and what happened in the woods.

This book is a thrilling and exhilarating read. Mystery and suspense is not what I usually choose to read, but I’ve read another Harlan Coben novel, which I thoroughly enjoyed, so decided to give those one a go. I am so glad I did. This book easily gets 5/5 from me, for pace, a great storyline, twists and turns and the characters.

I thought the storyline was fantastic. This book is so well written, with clues along the way but I still didn’t fully expect the outcome. I was shocked by Paul’s father’s past and what happened to his mother – not what I was expecting. I liked his Uncle – the guy with a shady KGB background. He was protective and hard all at the same time. He seemed to finally be feeling emotions – especially as he had had a tough time in Russia, with his brother and sister starving to death. He was protective of Paul yet still had “connections” – I thought that was cool!

I liked how the story played out – first with the police showing up having found this body who turned out to be Gil, one of the four that went into the woods, then Paul starting to do his own investigation; and then how he was threatened and had to find out about his heritage he wasn’t expecting – and ultimately how they all came together in a spectacular ending. This was a book I couldn’t put down; I just had to know what was going to happen. There were some elements I found a touch unrealistic – such as Paul and Lucy, his girlfriend at the summer camp, reuniting and how both Paul and the judge were blackmailed but the father was never caught and this wasn’t brought to anyone’s attention. I struggle to believe you would get away with that in an American court.

I thought Paul was a fantastic character. He seemed genuinely nice – a good father, a good prosecutor and focused and determined. I found it easy to connect with him; and I was on his side the whole time. I think Coben wrote the other characters well – Lucy, who you felt sorry for as this incident had destroyed her father and her life; his sister-in-law Greta, who tried to help Paul, and then would stand by her husband even when he did wrong; Gil’s family, who had tried to protect their son after the incident, for him to then be murdered and many others.

This is probably the best book I have read in ages. I really enjoyed it – it was exciting and mysterious. Some things in the story I could predict, but a lot I couldn’t. The plot unfolded in a great way. I was hooked and could not put this book down. I highly recommend Harlan Coben and this novel.

This is number two in my Mystery and Suspense challenge

Addition: Borrowed, paperback

Genre: Thriller

Rating: 5/5

Synopsis:

No witnesses, no evidence, no body: Star psychologist Viktor Larenz’s twelve-year-old daughter, Josy, who had suffered from an inexplicable illness, has vanished under mysterious circumstances during a visit to her doctor, and the investigation into her disappearance has brought no results. Four years later, Viktor remains a man shattered by this tragedy. He has retreated to a remote vacation cottage on a North Sea island, where a beautiful stranger named Anna Glass pays him a visit. She claims to be a novelist who suffers from an unusual form of schizophrenia: all the characters she creates for her books become real. While writing her most recent novel, Anna has been tortured by visions of a little girl with an unknown illness who has vanished without a trace, and she asks Dr. Larenz to treat her. Viktor reluctantly begins therapy sessions with the stranger, but very soon these sessions take a dramatic turn as the past is dragged back into the light. What really happened to Josy? Do Anna’s delusions describe Josy’s last days? And is Larenz a danger to himself and others?

Therapy is an absolutely gripping psychological thriller, an intelligent, fast and furious read that will stay with you for a long time after you have followed Viktor into the depths of his own psyche, and have figured out who Anna Glass really is.

I received this book as part of a bookring, and I loved it! This is not the sort of book I generally read and was therefore apprehensive about whether or not I would like this book. As it happened, I thought it was incredible.

Dr Viktor Larenz is a renowned psychologist, but when we meet him he is strapped down in a mental hospital because of the mysterious events that happened to his daughter and the effect they had on him. Josy, his daughter had been suffering from a disease the doctors couldn’t diagnose when she goes missing. One minute she is in the waiting room, the next she has vanished. The search for her has revealed nothing, and distraught Viktor goes to stay a cottage on a remote island. It is there he meets Anna Glass. She is a patient wanting his help, because what she writes about in her novels then comes true. And she has created a story about a girl who goes missing. Is this girl Josy? Can Anna help Viktor find Josy?

The plot and pace of this book were exceptional. I had no idea what the twist was going to be. Every time I thought I had it sussed, something happened which meant my theory fell through. Fitzek keeps you guessing right up to the end, and the suspense and drama make for a great read. Strange things happen, and the atmosphere is built dramatically and well while Viktor is on the island – especially as Anna keeps appearing from nowhere, then disappearing, then being armed and so on.I found the descriptions of the island easy to grasp, and as I sit here writing this review I can still picture the cottage and the events that went with it.

I was convinced by the characters and draw into the story. I felt so sorry for Viktor and everything that ails him in this story. It seemed like at every turn he was defeated but he seemed to keep going. I found Anna fascinating. She was odd, her stories raised questions and led me down the wrong road and kept me gripped the whole way through.

I can’t think of a bad thing to say about this book. I didn’t guess the twist, but it was very good and satisfying. I lent this to my Mum and she read it in a day and loved it too. Although this is completely different to my usual genre choices, I really enjoyed this book and was glad I picked it up. It is fast paced, it is exciting and it is a great story. I will be looking out for more books by Fitzek – I really hope more get translated. This is a must-read book.

Addition: Review e-book

Genre: Young adult, fantasy

Rating: 5 out of 5

Synopsis:

My name is Meghan Chase.

I thought it was over.That my time with the fey, the impossible choices I had to make, the sacrifices of those I loved, was behind me. But a storm is approaching, an army of Iron fey that will drag me back, kicking and screaming. Drag me away from the banished prince who’s sworn to stay by my side. Drag me into the core of a conflict so powerful, I’m not sure anyone can survive it.

This time, there will be no turning back.

This is the third book in the Iron Fey series, and like the other two, I loved it ♥ Once I had started reading it, I could not stop. At the beginning of this book Meghan is in exile from Nevernever because she chose to follow her heart, and her love, Prince Ash, who had been exiled for falling in love with her. Together they are in the human world, happy and alone. Until they are attacked by iron fey. They are quickly summoned back to Nevernever and receive a pardon, on the condition they take down the iron fey and the false iron king. This they agree to, and quickly war is on the cards, and Meghan has to battle and win, as being half-human she is the only one who can withstand the iron.

This book was amazing. Right from the start there was action. War and battles run throughout the book, making it exciting and fast paced. This book is different from the others in that this time Ash has given himself to Meghan, whereas before he was hiding his love. Their story and relationship flows alongside the story but this isn’t a problem, especially as after most love scenes along comes Puck with some sarcastic remark.

The imagery in this book is incredible. The descriptions of the faery land is beautiful, and it is so easy to picture this world. This is a fantasy book with dragons, dwarfs and gremlins but the way Kagawa writes makes it very accessible and I was transported from my chair to this world and quickly forgot it was make-believe.

The characters are great. I love Meghan. She is strong and determined. She didn’t give up and always did what was best. Puck made me laugh the whole way through. There were some touching moments with him but mainly I just enjoyed his wit and humour. My favourite character, as before was Ash. Strong, silent, brooding, and so easy to fall in love with! I’m easily Team Ash! I loved seeing a whole new side to him in this book, where he let his feelings for Meghan show. Grimalken the cait sith is great. He is exactly how I imagine cats would be if they could talk. Arrogant and only around when it benefits them! Together they make a great team.

I was intrigued by the ending and the role Meghan has taken on. I like the twist, it will change the direction of the story which is great. The epilogue and the suspense is already killing me! After the great battle I was almost in tears but this new spin has made me excited already!

This is classed as a young adult book but I loved it. I empathised with the characters, I was gripped the whole way through and I just loved it. There was action, fantasy, imagination and a bit of romance and it made for an extremely satisfying read. I cannot wait for book four!

This is a weekly meme hosted by MizB over at Should Be Reading.

Here is what we do:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (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!

My Teaser:

Page 115, Therapy by Sebastian Fitzek

“Viktor was forced to concede that Anna’s story was becoming increasingly fanciful, which wasn’t entirely surprising in view of her mental health. He only hoped that her imaginings bore some relation, no matter how tenuous, to the truth.”

What is your teaser?