Helen Fielding - Bridget Jones' Diary

I've read this before (and seen the film several times) and it's quite an easy going light hearted read. It hasn't taken a great deal of time and I think the diary style has helped as it breaks up the story into such manageable sections.

I think there's probably some way in which nearly everyone can relate to Bridget at some point in the story and I think that's what makes her books so popular. She doesn't have the perfect home/job/family/love life and is a very average sort of person with many flaws. 

I've been recommended the new installment in her life and look forward to reading it, once I've re-read The Edge Of Reason.

For now though, it's time to return to the dreaded. Lord of the rings uh oh. I don't think I'll have trouble sleeping for the next few bus journeys...I mean nights! I think I'm actually about halfway through it and I don't intend to start again, but I will finish it this time...3rd time lucky!!

Michael Morpurgo - Little Foxes

I know I started it just before NY but have finished my first book of 2014 Little Foxes by Michael Morpurgo. It was a good story but not one of my favourites by Michael Morpurgo. I tend to prefer the stories he writes about people rather than animals. 

In the story Billy Bunch is a young boy wi a stutter who is fostered and unhappy. He discovers a Wilderness and saves the life of a beautiful young swan who keeps returning to check up on him (though not always seen by him). He later rescues a young fox and is told "the fox goes or you both go" you can probably guess what he decides...Billy and his fox go on the run under cover of darkness to avoid being taken back home and split up.  The story comes to a happy end (as usual I shed a small tear) 

Think I'll go for an easy read next before I continue with Lord of the Rings and Treasure Island!

Yikes! So many to read!

I can't believe it. I've just counted up the books on my shelf that I haven't read...92 on my shelf and I know I've loaned some to my mum! And I haven't counted the ones on my kindle!! This year I don't intend to buy any more books until I've read a number of the ones I already own! 

I've set a target on Goodreads to read 30 books in 2014 but I'd like to smash this. I've currently got 4 part read ones but I may have to start one again as it's so long since I started it.

A Hopeless Romantic by Harriet Evans - I started this over a year ago and then misplaced it on the bookshelf downstairs. From what I remember it was chick-lit and a fairly easy read but I may have to start it again to pick up the story again.

Treasure Island by R L Stevenson - I started this in November but then got totally busy and I now have it on Audible so I'm listening and reading on the bus when i travel!

Lord of the Rings Fellowship of the Ring by JRR Tolkein - I WILL finish this this year. I'm definitely struggling with it. I'm about halfway through and can't wait to finish it! But it's a difficult read!

Little Foxes by Michael Morpurgo - I'm not enjoying this as much as other Michael Morpurgo books but I do prefer the ones about people rather than animals. I'll soldier on though. It's good...just not his best. Probably be the one I finish first!

Finished books

I've been a bit rubbish at reading recently. I have however finished The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot and My Friend Walter by Michael Morpurgo. They we both good for children's books but didn't really engage me as an adult. I'm user all kids would love the, though. I've added a number of books to my to eat list and hopefully Santa will have delivered some more Nicholas Sparks books at home when I get there on Friday. A New Years resolution is to read a lot more so I'm hoping to keep up with this blog better next year! If work allows! Merry Christmas everyone xx

Books to finish

Over recent months (years in one case) I've started 4 books and for one reason and another I haven't finished them, so my next mission is to finish them before I start anything new.

1 - J.R.R. Tolkien - The Lord of the Rings - Fellowship of the Ring - I started this nearly 2 years ago immediately after reading The Hobbit, which I had enjoyed. I just couldn't get into this though. I've tried to pick it up a couple of times and its hard going. But I'm determined to finish it!

2 - Meg Cabot - The Princess Diaries - I started this as a light in the bath read a while ago and managed to leave it in the bathroom. Just discovered it in the cupboard this weekend so I shall finish it one night this week hopefully!

3 - Michael Morpurgo - My Friend Walter - I started this just before my holiday (so only a week ago) as a nice easy per-holiday read but I was so tired I kept nodding off. As a result I've only read about 20 pages so far. So I shall finish that some time this week.

4 - Robert Louis Stevenson - Treasure Island - I'm about half way through this I think. Need to check the exactly which page I'm on. This was a bus read before the holidays and I haven't been on many buses really! So this is now to finish once term starts again. Or just on an evening when I haven't much else to do (haha!)

Then I shall read something different...maybe by someone I've not read before :)

Nicholas Sparks - The Rescue

I've loved every Nicholas Sparks book I've read so far and this was no exception. It took me 3 days to read on the sun terrace and curled up in bed while on holiday. It was only after I'd read the first few chapters that i realised I thought I'd read it before. It must have been the first of his books I started to read, though for one reason or another it mustn't have been renewed at the library as I didn't remember the ending. 

It did follow the same sort of thread to other books by Nicholas Sparks so there weren't really any surprises. That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy every word. The story begins with a mother, Denise, recalling the life of her young son as she drives home from yet another appointment with a doctor/specialist while he sleeps in his car seat. A storm is raging and inevitably there is an accident. A volunteer fireman comes to her rescue and as she comes round, she realises her little boy is missing...he knows how to get out of the car. The only problem is, the storm isn't letting up and Kyle won't answer if his name is called. The fireman (Taylor) is the one who finds the boy and from the beginning it's clear that he and Kyle have a special connection and that soon this connection will be made with Denise too.

But Taylor has his own demons to face, and believes that he is to blame for events in his past and therefore he doesn't deserve to be happy. Because of this he pushes Denise away and in turn hurts young Kyle. But with his friends and family believing that Denise was the girl for him, does that mean she will be the one to help him face his past?

I sat and cried openly reading this story. With both sadness and happiness. There were a couple of things I found myself waiting for...the inevitable breakdown between Taylor and Denise, and the moment that would make all the hard work She has put in teaching Kyle really mean the world to her.

Not sure what will be next. Now I'm home it might be 2 books. One for kindle while travelling and one on paper for reading at home! 

Brooke Powley - The Missing Half

It took just 2 days to read this debut novel written by a friend from uni. And I was going to save it for my holiday but thought, I'll read a couple of pages to get an idea of it. Then I couldn't stop reading!! I'd have read the whole thing in one if I'd had the time!!

The book is written in 2 parts. The first part is from the point point of view of a mother, Alice, who is writing to her daughter, Grace. One day, while her father and twin sister, Hope, were shopping, Grace was left outside in her pushchair sleeping. When they left the shop, Grace was gone. Alice writes to Grace telling her all that has happened in the 10years since she disappeared and all the efforts that have been made to find her and bring her home. She is determined that the daughter who was taken from her is still alive and will not stop looking until she is found.

The second part of the story is written from the points of view of a number of other characters who all had a role in Grace's life after she had disappeared. It's hard to write without giving away what happens, but we hear from a PI who has been employed to look for Grace, we hear more from Alice, and from others who play a role in this case.

I loved this book (and I'm not just saying that because I know the author!). I will openly admit I cried at various points! I particularly liked reading the point of view of Edd and learning about his story and his motivations for doing what he does. I thought at several points as I was reading that to name the remaining twin Hope was a stroke of genius as hope is the emotion that keeps the characters going through the challenging times. I loved that the story was written from the point of view of each character. It helped to fill in any gaps that might be emerging and to understand why each acted in the way they did.

I really enjoy stories like this, as I find I can really engage the characters and love a good page turner. I hope this isn't the first and last book from Brooke...I'd definitely buy another by her!!


Not sure what's up next, it may be a Michael Morpurgo book just to get me through to holiday as they're fairly quick reads on my shelf.