Encompassing classic fiction, ancient philosophy, and some surprising gems, Oxford World’s Classics brings the latest standards of critical attention to bear upon a breathtaking range of world literature. (more…)

Set in Depression Era Portland, Oregon, A Father’s Heart is rich in period language and details. Three generations of women rely on their love for each other and a steadfast faith in God to get them through hard times. Though smoothly told from several viewpoints, this is really Maddie’s story. As one man breaks her heart and another steps in to mend it, little Maddie Miller learns the real meaning of a father’s love.

Told with warmth, honesty and wonderful touches of humor, Maddie wraps herself around the reader’s heart and doesn’t let go until the last word. It is a timeless story that rings true for anyone who has struggled to make sense of growing up fatherless.

Watching this story develop over the years has been an exciting journey. As a fellow student and friend of Alice Mitchell, I’m thrilled to see her hard work and professionalism come to fruition. It’s the berries!

Forbes thinks, by offering Tom this holiday, he is providing him with strength to see him through his difficult life when he returns to the slums. Tragically, he does not anticipate the difficulties Tom would face when it is time to return to the slums after experiencing the different life with the Forbes. Tom is then, tragically, caught between two lives, fitting into neither. Forbes is naive in wanting to help, but he doesn’t consider the possible harm that his help may cause.
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I do admire the author, I have read several of her books and like the fact that each one is completely different from others she has written. Usually an author sticks to a particular theme (like a thriller or a romance), or time (eg, the 1920s for Penny Vincenzi), or a particular setting (eg, a courtroom for John Grisham), or the same location (eg, Cornwall for Daphne De Maurier), yet every book I have read by Joanne Harris seems to be drastically different from the last.
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I have to admit, this was quite a different book from what I had imagined after watching the TV dramatisation of the story. The book doesn’t really read like a story unfolding, it is more a historical record of the author’s life in a small village, for example the first chapter details the types of houses that people of that age and class lived in, then the types of work open to them, then their traditions, etc, rather than a group of characters and the telling of their lives and relationships. Therefore I found I didn’t pick the book up each day with the same degree of enthusiasm as I do with other books, but after persevering with it I found it had a charm of its own as the detailed descriptions do allow you to experience, to a degree, life at that time – and this focus may not have been there if I was busy concentrating on different characters and different storylines.
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It is the story of Kamryn, and how her life dramatically changes when her former best friend dies and leaves her daughter, Tegan, in her care. Kamryn has to learn to adapt her life to the little girl’s needs, which are sometimes quite demanding as Tegan has to come to terms with the loss of her mother, so Kamryn is dealing with another’s grief as well as her own. Kamryn is also struggling with feelings of guilt, as she didn’t have time to make things up with her friend before she died.
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I read Jodi Picoult’s, Keeping Faith. I found this book to be fantastic and very moving.

The book starts off with mum and dad splitting up and their little girl Faith starts to have visions of god. Things like this nearly always give me the heeby jeebies, but I loved this book. The story is told so naturally it’s believable and not at all far fetched.

What is The Assassin’s Cloak? It’s an anthology of diary entries from 170 contributors, ranging from Queen Victoria to Andy Warhol. Canongate Books and The Classic Book Club want you (yes, you) to send us a (fictional) diary entry of your own - and our three favourite entries will win a copy of The Assassin’s Cloak. (more…)

In this novel Mary Yellan finds herself moving to a new home after her mother dies, and her only other living relatives are the Merlyns who own an Inn in desolate moorland countryside in Cornwall. She is understandably reluctant to leave the farm and home she loves, yet things get worse when she meets her Uncle Joss. He is a threatening bully who terrorises his wife and expects to rule over everybody and everything. Mary is intimidated by Joss, and by the mood and sense of threat and unhappiness that pervades the Inn. She then gradually discovers that her Uncle is involved in criminal activity, which greatly shocks and scares her, and adds to the menace and sense of danger surrounding the place.
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The novel is a really good quality detective story - without any dead bodies, yet all the more admirable for that because it is only a quite simple story but is really gripping. A young girl, Betty Kane, has gone missing for a month and when she is found she states she has been kept prisoner in an old house by two elderly ladies (the Sharpes) who have beaten and starved her and forced her to be their maid. She describes the house, the ladies, and the room she was imprisoned in, in minute detail and the ‘guilty’ are soon identified as the owners of a large house called ‘The Franchise’. The case seems absolute against the elderly ladies, as the girl’s descriptions are so very accurate, but their lawyer Robert Blair believes they are innocent. He then sets out to discover where Betty Kane actually was for a month and why she would accuse these ladies.
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It is an enjoyable book, full of interesting references to the art and music and science of the time. There are plenty of twists and red herrings and suspicious characters within the story, as well as complications in the main character’s (Liebermann) life. It wasn’t a fantastic read, but was enjoyable and the themes were a bit different from ordinary ‘who-dunnits’.

The narrative alternates between Millie in present day, and Flo as a young woman in the 1930s and throughout her life. It is very well-written and you feel involved with both women’s characters. It is also interesting to compare the different times in which these women live, and how the traditions of the time influence both their actions. The secrets are gradually, and tantalisingly, revealed and Flo’s past actions end up having a bearing on Millie’s present life and decisions. One of the themes of the book also seems to be how damaging secrets can be – from Flo’s secret romance, to Millie’s experiences of a violent and abusive father.

This is the first book I have read by this author, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are all very believable, and the way the book alternates between different characters and times works very well.

It is the story of Kendra and her difficulties dealing with life after her rape. She has chosen not to tell anyone about this experience so is dealing with her emotions and memories all alone, which results in her blaming herself and directing her feelings of hate and anger inwards. The other main characters in the book are a family consisting of mother Ashlyn, father Kyle, and children Summer and Jaxon. They are also going through a difficult time as Ashlyn is an alcoholic and this has destroyed their family life; her children are traumatised by what they have witnessed, and her husband is trying to understand his feelings towards his wife and the breakdown of their marriage.

Kyle, the children, and Kendra develop a close relationship over time and she becomes almost a surrogate mother to the children. The strength and trust which they offer each other brings about changes in all of them and helps them deal with their problems. It is a lovely story full of hope, demonstrating how powerful love can be and how much it can help, and also that this help and love can be offered by unexpected people.

This is a really tantalising storyline – Celia is bought a house as a surprise present from her husband, yet (unknown to everyone else) Celia is actually Liza Barton who lived in this same house as a child until she shot her mother and stepfather! As she struggles to deal with the memories this causes, and also fearing her real identity will be discovered, people connected with the house (estate agent, handyman, etc) begin to be murdered.

What a wonderful set of coincidences and secrets and mysteries! This is a typically light-weight and entertaining story rather than an in-depth thriller, but still very enjoyable and guaranteed to have you reading ‘just one more’ chapter.

This is the first book I have ever read that I wanted to start again as soon as I finished it. That is not to say it is the best book ever written or that everyone will feel this way. Some books seem to resonate well with the reader’s mood. I have been in the habit of reading half a book and then giving up on it when it fails to deliver what I am looking for. I kept expecting The Night Watch to do just this: either to get monotonous or lose the consistency of its tone. It did neither of these. It is set in the 1940s and follows the interconnected lives of about 4 characters. It is written backwards, starting in 1947 and finishing a few years earlier, and this nearly put me off the book when I was buying it. I have come to dislike clever narrative devices that try to cover a lack of momentum in the plot or writing style. This book, however, justifies the device by giving such tension to the characters that the reader is dying to find out what happened in the past to cause it all.
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The story is about Nicholas Nickleby and his life, the people he meets, the difficulties he faces, and decisions he makes. I also think Smike is equally, with Nicholas, the main character of the book and I cared more about him and his progress than I did about Nicholas. I do wonder sometimes why the book was named after Nicholas and not after Smike? There are many memorable characters; some loving and generous, and some cruel and selfish, and some with interwoven histories and links later to be discovered by the reader.
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Dan Brown is one of the most accomplished & smartest writers. His book “The Da Vinci Code” is about a secret code hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, a secret organization “Priory of Sion” & the Lineage of Jesus Christ. The descriptions in this book is simply awesome. I loved this book!

There is a wonderful mix of different people, from different times. And, although many entries are of dramatic events, (and I found it fascinating to read ones from the day Princess Diana died, and the day the end of the 2nd World War was declared), there are lots that tell of just ordinary days where nothing momentous happened at all and I found these just as interesting as it reinforced the ordinariness of people’s lives.
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This is the story of Cassia and how a windfall of money changes her life. On the surface this would appear a wonderful gift, but Cassia soon realises that, rather than solving all her problems, this money actually causes its own new problems and difficult choices, and that not only she, but those she loves, are changed by it. She gradually alters from being the polite, quiet, agreeable, submissive wife and mother, to a determined and independent woman with a career but, although she gains independence, she also risks damaging many important relationships along the way. The story is set in the 1920s and 30s which is a period I love reading about, as women were just beginning to become more independent, but still facing many struggles. I think Penny Vincenzi adores writing about this time too - her enthusiasm shines through, with her wonderful descriptions of clothes and fashion, the lightheartedness of this period after the war, and the growing freedom of women.
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