Winner of Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay

The winner is:

Nam68

Well done ..... Send us your postal address via our email and we will post the book out to you !!

Winner of Meridian by Amber Kizer

The winner is

Donna

Well done !!!!! .... send us your postal address via our email and we will post it out to you !!!

"13 to Life" by Shannon Delany [5]

Everything about Jessie Gillmansen's life changed when her mother died. Now even her hometown of Junction is changing. Mysterious dark things are happening. All Jessie wants is to avoid more change. But while showing a hot new guy around Junction High, she's about to discover a whole new type of change. Pietr Rusakova is more than good looks and a fascinating accent - he's a guy with a dangerous secret. And his very existence is sure to bring big trouble to Jessie's small town. It seems change is the one thing Jessie can't avoid.

Wow, wow, wow. I loved the cover to this book as soon as I saw it and then reading the review thought yep that sounds interesting. Well that's an understatement ... this book was fantastic, I just could not put it down and that hasn't happened for a little while now. First I must warn you the next installment isn't until Feb 2011 so you might be tearing out your hair while waiting ... I know that I will be!

So Jessica or Jessie to her friends has had a pretty rough last year, her mother was killed right in front of her in a car crash and her best friend was in a coma for a week. Now she has been asked to show the new guy around the school and while he might be handsome he is also arrogant and dangerous. But as Jessie gets to know Pietr better she realizes that they have things in common but that he is also hiding a dark secret. Torn between showing her loyalty to her best friend and fighting her attraction toward Pietr, she secretly starts to become involved in his life, and this will change everything.

This novel is so well written that you totally get engrossed and before you realize you've finished it. I loved the way the author has a real sweet relationship starting to develop between the two main characters and how the friendship between girls is important and shouldn't come between boys. Sacrifice is a strong theme throughout this novel and it's interesting to see how the characters deal with it. It's fast paced, full of suspense and action, add a little touch of danger and romance and you have the perfect teen read. I can't wait to read the next installment to find out what happens. This would be a great christmas stocking filler for your girls.

Totally Enjoy.

I rate this book 5 stars.

Sarah's Key

Book Club read for October

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten-year-old girl, is taken with her parents by the French police as they go door-to-door arresting Jewish families in the middle of the night.

desperate to protect her younger brother, sarah locks him in a bedroom cupboard -

their secret hiding place - and promises to come back for him

as soon as they are released.

Sixty years later: Sarah's story intertwines with that of Julia Jarmond, an American

journalist investigating the roundup. In her research, Julia stumbles onto a trail of secrets that link her to Sarah, and to questions about her own romantic future.

"Betrayal" by Gillian Shields [4]

When Evie Johnson started at Wyldcliffe Abbey School for Young Ladies, her life change in ways she couldn't have envisioned: the discovery of her link with Lady Agnes, her special bond with Helen and Sarah, and their sisterhood in the astonishing secrets of the Mystic Way. Above all, Evie's love for Sebastian has turned her world upside down.

Now Evie returns to Wyldcliffe for another term and more danger. Surrounded by enemies, she lives every day in fear that Sebastian will fall into the darkness of servitude to the Unconquered Lords. The Wyldcliffe coven is plotting to destroy Evie and use Sebastian to secure their own immortality. Evie and her sisters must master the power of the Talisman before it is too late. But could it be Sebastian himself who will ultimately betray Evie?

This is the stunning sequel to "Immortal", the story of Evie Johnson who is sent to a private boarding school in the north of England, where she finds she is related to the school's patroness, Lady Agnes. She also discovers that along with her two best friends that they have been given the gifts of the Mystic Way. Evie falls in love with Sebastian Fairfax, but the problem with that is he is dead. Not dead in the true sense but immortal, but in peril of losing his life to the dark side. In this sequel Evie has to find the strength and courage to master her abilities of the Mystic Way if she is going to be able to help Sebastian. Through friendship and love the girls conquer the dark sisters and release Sebastian from his peril.

Filled with romance, mystery, and suspense this companion to Immortal has everything to finish the story off. It is fast paced and beautifully written and has a wonderful conclusion to the story. It is a modern take on the classic Gothic novel and a must read for all teenage girls. First love and eternal friendships are the theme for this series and it is lovely to see the support the girls give to each other through the trials they go through. I also loved the way the past was threaded into the current present. A great series for 14 -15 year olds to read.

I rate this book 4 stars.

"The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance [4]

23 wickedly witty, racily romantic,
and sublimely sensual short stories.

A Rake by any other name is still a rake,

no matter how handsome ... or sexy.

A Duke, on the other hand, an Earl, or a Marquis -

now there's a suitable man to capture a girl's affections. A man and a marriage, that's on the cards, but what to do about all those dashing scoundrels?

Caught between family, intolerable longing, and impossibly tight corsets, the young ladies of the Regency era navigate the fashionable waters of High Society in the name of love and desire. Keeping one eye on their reputations and the other on their fragile hearts, they cavort with devilish rogues who attempt to charm them out of their gowns and into impropriety - will any of them escape with their innocence intact?

For all those lovers of Regency Romance out there this is the book for you. 23 short stories with all the glitz and glamour of the Regency era. I've rated the book overall 4 stars but that doesn't mean that there were good and bad stories within. This is as usual a light read and what I would call a fluff read because it's not to be taken seriously. All the stories were easy to read and I must admit some I wish could of gone on longer so that you knew more about the characters e.t.c but that's not what short stories are about, they give you enough to just tease and tantalize you into wanting more. A fun book you won't put down until you've finished.

"Ice" by Sarah Beth Durst [5]

When Cassie was a little girl,

her grandmother told her a fairy tale about her mother,

who made a deal with the Polar Bear King and was swept away to the ends of the earth. Now that Cassie is older, she knows the story was a nice way of saying her mother had died. Cassie lives with her father at an Arctic research station, is determined to become a scientist, and has no time for make -believe.

Then, on her eighteenth birthday, Cassie comes face-to-face with a polar bear who speaks to her. He tells her that her mother is alive, imprisoned at the ends of the earth. And he can bring her back - if Cassie will agree to be his bride.

That is the beginning of Cassie's own real-life fairy tale, one that sends her on an unbelievable journey across the brutal Arctic, through the Canadian boreal forest, and on the back of the North Wind to the land east of the sun and west of the moon. Before it is over, the world she knows will be swept away, and everything she holds dear will be taken from her - until she discovers the true meaning of love and family in the magically realm of Ice.

This is such a beautiful book and I'm not just talking about the cover ... it is based on a fairy tale from Norway, which I haven't heard of but is really lovely.

So basically Cassie has grown up with her grandmother telling her this fairy tale and in a round about way the death of her mother. As she becomes older she doesn't believe in this fairy tale any more until she actually meets a bear who talks and her world explodes around her. She makes a deal with the Polar Bear King to rescue her mother and then she will wed him. Through spending time with him she starts to fall in love with him, but all doesn't go smoothly and Cassie has to use all her survival skills to rescue the love of her life.

This lovely fairy tale reminds me a little of 'Beauty and the Beast' but with a few slight twist. A beautifully written story about friendship and love and the lengths you would go to rescue those you love. It is a fast moving story and one you can read in just one sitting, flows beautifully and easy to read, Cassie and the Polar Bear King are the main characters and you fall in love with both of them. I loved this novel and hope the author might write a second to continue the story of Cassie and her Polar Bear King. A lovely book for the 13-14 year old range or even us adults. Pick it up for a light read and fall in love with the magic of Ice.

I rate this book 5 stars.

"Devil's Kiss" by Sarwat Chadda [4]

As the youngest and only female member

of the Knights Templar, Bilqis SanGreal grew up knowing she wasn't normal. Instead of hanging out at the mall or going on dates, she spends her time training as a warrior in her order's ancient battle against the unholy.

Billi's cloistered life is blasted apart when her childhood friend, Kay, returns from Jerusalem, gorgeous and with a dangerous chip on his shoulder. He's ready to slide back into Billi's life, but she's met someone new: amber-eyed Mike, who seems to understand her like no one else and effortlessly stakes a claim on her heart.

But the Templars are called to battle before Billi can enjoy the thrilling new twist to her life. One of the order's ancient enemies has resurfaced, searching for a treasure that the Templars have guarded for almost a thousand years - King Solomon's cursed mirror, a source of unimaginable power. To save the lives of millions, Billi will have to put her heart aside and make sacrifices greater than she could have imagined.

First a warning ... this novel has religious context in it that has been misconstrued and for those that are not able to read it as just a story you might not want to read at all.

I actually really enjoyed reading this novel in spite of the liberty the author has taken with the religious side of the story. So it's about a young 15 year old girl who has grown up in the Order of the Knights Templar, and they fight the evil unholy, which is what they have been doing for thousands of years. But Billi only being 15 wants a normal life, she is sick of fighting and training and just wants to be like all the other girls her age. Her best friend left for Jerusalem and she hasn't heard from him in a year, her Father doesn't love or care for her like normal Father's and the Knights of the Order don't want her there either. Billi meets Mike and he gets her in every way possible that the others don't and she wants to leave. Things come to a head when an old enemy arrives and everything is thrown into confusion and Billi has to make some life altering decisions.

This novel was actually really well written, it is fast paced so that you don't lose interest in the story, the characters are all very interesting and you get to like them, and there are enough twists in it that keep you reading. It is a dark type of story and deals with the evil side of life, so it's not a novel for young people. The author has twisted the concept of some of the Christian beliefs as well as others but you need to bare in mind that this is just a book and it's not to be taken seriously ... there might be those of you out there that would be offended by this but I think if your strong in your faith it really isn't a problem ... just don't read it if that is the case. I think people get offended over the silliest things, everyone has a right to an opinion, and again it is just a story written in a book. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading the next installment ... 'Dark Goddess'.

I rate this book 4 stars.

"Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins [5]

I stare down at my shoes, watching as a fine layer of ash

settles on the worn leather. This is where the bed I shared with my sister, Prim, stood. Over there was the kitchen table. The bricks

of the chimney, which collapsed in a charred heap, provide

a point of reference for the rest of the house. How else could

I orient myself in this sea of grey?

"If we burn you burn with us"

Katniss Everdeen's final battle has begun ...

This is the final installment in the Hunger Games Triolgy, and definitely

a stunning and terrifying conclusion.

After coming back from her second hunger game Katniss Everdeen is a totally shattered and shell shocked young woman and while the fight with the Capitol is still waging on she doesn't have the strength or willpower to help in any form. This is a side to Katniss that we really haven't seen before as she is usually strong and determined and seeks revenge for those that have died by the Capitol's hands. So it takes a little getting use to this young and vulnerable girl who is trying to piece together her life and that of Peeta being taken hostage.

Katniss is soon put into a position where she has to make the choice of doing something to help with the war, but who does she trust, and how can Peeta ever be rescued. This third book is quite dark and it deals with a lot of terrifying and thought provoking scenes in which torture is invoked. How far would you be willing to go to ensure your outcome to the war, that is the question that Katniss and her friends have to deal with. A fantastic conclusion to the Hunger Games Trilogy.

A warning ... this series is not for young children or perhaps even young teens until they can understand the complex issues in these books. It is something that you might which to discuss with your older children as it is definitely thought provoking. So well written, it leaves you thinking about it days after reading it. It will be very interesting to see how the movie version will be done.

I rate this book 5 stars.

"White Cat" by Holly Black [3 1/2]

CASSEL is CURSED

Cursed by the memory of the fourteen year old girl he murdered.

Life at school is a constant trial. Life at home even worse. No-one

at home is ever going to forget that Cassel is a killer. No-one at

home is ever going to forget that he isn't a magic worker. And now

he is being haunted by a white cat ...

Cassel's family are magic workers. Ever since magic was

prohibited in 1929 magic workers have been driven underground

and into crime. And while people still need their touch, their luck,

their curses, their magical killings, their transformations, times

have been hard. His grand-dad is a black-fingered death-dealer,

his mother is in prison and his brothers detest him as the only one

of their family who can't do magic.

But there is a secret at the center of Cassel's family and he's about to inherit it. It's terrifying and that's the truth.

Finally finished this novel, it has taken me two weeks and I thought I was about to give up on it. Not a good Omen is it.

So the first chapter is totally enthralling and you think wow this book is going to be fantastic, you won't be able to put it down until your done .... sorry but it gets worse before it gets better. I know this is Holly Blacks new series and I get that you need to put in all the background information into the story, but gosh it was just so boring to read, it went on and on and I wanted to throw the book out. Finally close to a 100 pages left and that's where the story and action picked up and then I couldn't put it down.

So the character of Cassel is kind of annoying, to me he seemed like he's whinging all the time and at school he's a little bit of a loser. You do start to understand him a little better as you persist with the story and you actually come to like him. Lila the girl that he killed is an interesting character, she has something to prove and is a gusty girl. The brothers are ... well there is just something about them that just makes you not want to like them at all. The author has done a good job getting all her characters personalities right and this makes the story interesting especially when she rights the next ones.

It is well written, there is some bad language in it and some slight adult concepts so I wouldn't give it to young teenagers or under. Holly Black's style of writing does seem to be a little on the dark side so I wouldn't give this book to younger kids to read. A little slow to start with but it does get better. Look forward to seeing where the story goes.

I rate this book 3 1/2 stars.

"Ballad" by Maggie Stiefvater [3 1/2]

James Morgan has an almost unearthly gift for music. And it has attracted Nuala, a soul-snatching faerie muse who fosters and then feeds on the creative energies of exceptional humans until they die. James has plenty of reasons to fear the faeries, but as he and Nuala collaborate on an achingly beautiful musical composition, James finds his feelings towards Nuala deepening. But the rest of the faeries are not as harmless. As Halloween - the day of the dead - draws near, James will have to battle the Faerie Queen and the horned king of the Dead to save Nuala's life and his soul.

I have so been looking forward to reading this next novel in the Lament series ... well I was just a little disappointed. It took me what seemed forever to get into the story. The first part of the book deals with James and his coming to music school and how Nuala and James meet up. There is a lot of background information that is also setting up the story for you, but it just seemed to take forever to get into the juicy bits. The last 100 pages or so is where all the action picked up and it only took me an hour to finish the book from there. James is an interesting character who has this devil may care sort of attitude and is totally typical of the sarcastic youth of today ... he is quite likable. Nuala is part faerie part human and is a little tortured in her life and for some reason or another has chosen not to make a deal with James but can't seem to leave him alone either. The two of them together make an unusual couple but it does seem to work and you want them to find happiness together. Dee has really only a minor role in this story but it is all about her in the end and how James and Nuala can save themselves and Dee from the Faerie Queen.

I did finally enjoy reading Ballad but for me it wasn't as good as the first book, where you just couldn't put it down until you'd read it all. I do look forward to seeing where the story goes, and there would be some interesting characters to write about. One thing that I do love is the covers of this series, they are unusual but quite pretty too.

I rate this book 3 1/2 stars.

Teaser Tuesday

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers

I tell him I'm okay,

and there's nothing he can do

because I just buried my boyfriend

and of course I'm really not

that

okay.

Page 54 of I heart you, You haunt me by Lisa Schroeder

Discussion Questions for The Independence of Miss Mary Bennett by Colleen McCullough

1. Did you get off to a slow start or were you straight in?

2. What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away from the story?

3. Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?

4. How did your feelings change as you read through the book?

5. How do the ongoing lives of Jane‚ Lydia and Kitty compare to the lives you imagined for them? And how do you think Jane Austen might have felt about these newly created futures?

6. How do you feel about the state of Lizzie and Fitz?s marriage? Is the marriage that Colleen McCullough paints a realistic one?

7. Ned Skinner has a great sense of loyalty to Fitz‚ but also a darker side. After Ned?s actions‚ can there be redemption for him?

8. In what ways do Caroline Bingley?s words affect Charlie and his relationship with his father? How is Fitz and Charlie?s relationship repaired in the book?

9. How realistic is Mary?s quest at the beginning at the book compared to the task she undertakes at the end of the book?

10.. In what ways do the women of this novel exert their independence and to what extent is that independence respected by the men around them?

11. Did certain parts of the book make you uncomfortable? If so, why did you feel that way? Did this lead to a new understanding or awareness of some aspect of your life you might not have thought about before?

12. Did you feel that the book fulfilled your expectations? Were you disappointed?

13. How did the book compare to other books by the author (or other books in the same genre)?

14. How realistic was the characterization? Would you want to meet any of the characters? Did you like them? Hate them?

15. Were there any bits you would have written differently?

16. Did you like the cover/look of the book? Would you have chosen
to read it, and why (or why not)?

17. As this is a sequel do you think it would be hard to write a sequel to such a well known book?

18. How should the book have ended?