A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian by Marina Lewycka

(324 pages)



For years, Nadezhda and Vera, two Ukrainian sisters, raised in England by their refugee parents, have had as little as possible to do with each other - and they have their reasons. But now they find they'd better learn how to get along, because since their mother's death their aging father has been sliding into his second childhood, and an alarming new woman has just entered his life. Valentina, a bosomy young synthetic blonde from the Ukraine, seems to think their father is much richer than he is, and she is keen that he leave this world with as little money to his name as possible. If Nadazhda and Vera don't stop her, no one will. But separating their addled and annoyingly lecherous dad from his new love will prove to be no easy feat - Valentina is a ruthless pro and the two sisters swiftly realize that they are mere amateurs when it comes to ruthlessness. As Hurricane Valentina turns the family house upside down, old secrets come falling out, including the most deeply buried one of them all, from the War, the one that explains much about why Nadazhda and Vera are so different. In the meantime, oblivious to it all, their father carries on with the great work of his dotage, a grand history of the tractor.

This was definitely amusing, although not hilarious. The relationships between the characters were interesting, and the eastern european eccentricites were really entertaining. I really hated the wife (Valentina), but she was probably one of the funniest characters in the book. I felt really badly for the dad by the end, although alls well that ends well. One i would certainly recommend, but not an essential read.

Light on Snow by Anita Shreve

(272 pages)



'I watched my father run forward in his snowshoes the way one sometimes does in dreams, unable to make the legs move fast enough. I ran to the place where he knelt. I looked down into the sleeping bag. A tiny face gazed up at me, the eyes wide despite their many folds. The baby was wrapped in a bloody towel, and its lips were blue.'
The events of a December afternoon on which a father and his daughter find an abandoned infant in the snow will forever alter twelve-year-old Nicky Dillon's understanding of the world which she is about to enter and the adults who inhabit it: a father who has taken great pains to remove himself from society in order to put behind him an unthinkable tragedy; a young woman who must live with the consequences of the terrible choices she has made; and a detective whose cleverness is superseded only by his sense of justice. Written from the point of view of thirty-year-old Nicky as she recalls the vivid images of that fateful December, hers is a tale of love and courage, of tragedy and redemption, and of the ways in which the human heart always seeks to heal itself.

I've been wanting to read this book for quite some time, but I had been nervous about starting it as a couple of other books by Anita Shreve I had't enjoyed at all. I have to say that this was a really good and well told story.
It moved along at a very slow pace, and not very much happened, but this allowed for masses of character development which was fantastic. The story of the aftermath of finding the baby in the woods was built up along side the back story of the family tragedy.
It was really well done, and the development of the story led to an extremely believable conclusion.
It has certainly made me want to read other books by this author!

Lucy the Giant by Sherri L Smith

(224 pages)



Distraught over the death of a stray dog she's adopted, and worn out after a lost childhood spent deflecting jabs at her towering height and picking up after her alcoholic, unemployed father, 15-year-old Lucy ("the Giant") escapes from her Sitka, Alaska, home north to Kodiak, and temporarily reinvents herself as an adult. Lucy, now known as Barbara, winds up on a crabbing boat, with a motley crew that is destined to help her along the painful path to self-discovery.Fast-paced and poignant, Sherri L. Smith's first young adult novel will appeal to anyone who has ever felt like an outsider in her or his own world. Readers will root for Lucy, never doubting that she will come out ahead... eventually. Her struggles--both physical and emotional--are authentic and beautifully portrayed. Smith's descriptions of the grueling yet rewarding work on the Bering Sea are vivid, and reflect nicely the inner work of her protagonist. We hope this is only the first of many novels from this gifted new author.

I had to read this book as soon as I read the Blurb for it. Having been the subject of bullying at school I wanted to see how writers for young adults in the 21st century handled and I was certainly NOT disappointed!
Lucy is the kind of person that I wish I could have been. Yes she is picked on and thats really horrid, but she has an amazing sense of strength and chose the time to push herself to improve her life. She had had enough of being pitied and depended upon by an alcoholic parent and made a tough choice and lived a hard gruelling life, which eventually gave here a marvellous family and an amazing set of friends.
The tone of the book and the voice of Lucy are really strong and I really couldn't weait to find out what happened next. Whilst Iwish the ending had been different, I understand that not everything can end in perfection.
I recommend this to people who want to look inside the heart of an amazind character without all the frills of a perfect life, and I really cannot wait to read more stuff by this author. Fabulous :D

The Abortionist's Daughter by Elisabeth Hyde

(285 pages)



'The problem was Megan had just taken the second half of her ecstasy when her father called with the news'. Nineteen-year-old university student Megan Thompson is beautiful, cool, clever and sexy - the kind of girl boys fall in love with. She's mostly steered clear of family life since the death of her younger brother. That is until the day she hears her mother, Diana, has been found floating face down in their swimming pool. Diana, as Director of the Center for Reproductive Choice, was a national figure who inspired passions and made enemies. Detective Huck Berlin is brought in to investigate the case when it becomes clear that Diana was murdered. Several people have quarrelled with Diana on that fateful day, not least Frank, her husband of twenty years, and her wayward child. Now, father and daughter are thrown together in an unexpected twist of family life. Set in a small town in Colorado, The Abortionist's Daughter is an utterly compelling novel of family secrets, dark passion and, ultimately, catharsis for those whose lives have become so strangely entwined.

I thought that this was a really well written book, and whilst it could simply have gone down the road of a bog-standard 'whodunnit' it took an entirely different direction. The identity of the murderer was not the central issue in the story, instead there were fabulous character developments with lots of family history and relationships being explored. The only thing that irritated me is that there were plenty of mentions of and a couple of arguments about Ben, but he simply wasn't explored enough. For 285 pages it was amazing how compact the story was without losing anything too serious. Great!!!
Overall I really did enjoy this and am so glad that I finally got around to reading it :) Recommended to all those who like Jodi Picoult style books, especially if you are after a faster read!!

Hannibal Rising by Thomas Harris

(323 pages)



HE IS ONE OF THE MOST HAUNTING CHARACTERS IN ALL OF LITERATURE.
AT LAST THE EVOLUTION OF HIS EVIL IS REVEALED
Hannibal Lecter emerges from the nightmare of the Eastern Front, a boy in the snow, mute, with a chain around his neck.
He seems utterly alone, but he has brought his demons with him.
Hannibal’s uncle, a noted painter, finds him in a Soviet orphanage and brings him to France, where Hannibal will live with his uncle and his uncle’s beautiful and exotic wife, Lady Murasaki.
Lady Murasaki helps Hannibal to heal. With her help he flourishes, becoming the youngest person ever admitted to medical school in France.
But Hannibal’s demons visit him and torment him. When he is old enough, he visits them in turn.
He discovers he has gifts beyond the academic, and in that epiphany, Hannibal Lecter becomes death’s prodigy.

I really cannot speak highly enough of this book. Admittedly it doesn't have all the sensationalism and extreme violence of the other Lecter books, but as the beginning to a series it is fabulous. When reading the other books about Hannibal, there are plenty of gaps in the backstory, leaving the reader with masses of questions, the most predominant being "why?".
Hannibal Rising attempts and succeeds in filling in these gaps by describing in sometimes horrific detail, the early life experiences if Hannibal Lecter. The reader is still left with a sense of shock and horror, even though the gaps are filled (not entirely however).
I absolutely loved how the story of what actually happeneng in the hunting lodge built up gradually and the consequences involved.
Way to go Mr. Harris!

Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook

(242 pages)



This utterly charming second novel by Cook (Ready To Fall) is a fun read, perfect for whiling away an afternoon on the beach. Sarah Hurlihy is 40 years old, divorced, and happily teaching preschoolers a multicultural curriculum. But her interfering, overzealous Boston Irish family thinks that she should be dating, and with much love she is pushed into answering a personal ad from a gentleman seeking a lady "who enjoys elegant dining, dancing and the slow bloom of affection"; the clincher is that he's a man who "loves dogs." That man turns out to be the last man on earth any woman would want to date, but Sarah pushes on, slowly falling headlong into the dating game with decidedly mixed results. Meanwhile, Sarah's widowed father has his own dating troubles, brother Michael is deep in marital problems, and sister Carol is having difficulty at home with her temperamental teenage daughter, who turns to her favorite aunt for comfort and body-piercing support. Somehow, they all seem to end up on Sarah's doorstep at the most inopportune moments, keeping the laughs going all the way to the not-quite-storybook-perfect ending.

I found this really enjoyable and was chuckling along in many places. Boy am I glad my family isn't as insane as Sarah's!!!
A good soppy fun read, that doesnt turn out quite as expected.

The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore

(275 pages)



Little Joshua Barker is sure that he saw Santa take a shovel to the head, and now the seven-year-old prays for Santa to come back from the dead. There's an angel waiting in the wings, but he's botched his sacred mission and sent the residents of Pine Cove headlong into Christmas chaos.

This has to be one of the most bizarre Christmas Books I have ever read!!
I did enjoy it, and the sick humour and the Christmas surprises at the church were hugely entertaining and more than a little bit warped, but it really wasnt what I expected...
It has made me want to read more of his stuff, but I am still undecided...
Certainly not a Christmas story for the faint hearted!!!

The Lost Slayer by Christopher Golden

(592 pages)



A single moment of bad judgement catapults Buffy into an alternate future dimension where vampires reign supreme. Imprisoned in the body of her 24-year-old-self-and confronting friends and foes the likes of which she'd never imagined-the Slayer must uncover her past misstep and correct it, or risk facing a terrifying monster that she herself has created..

This was a really good and engrossing read. The full collection of the Four Lost Slayer books in one volume it was a really fantastic read. All the characters that I love frome the series were there, with some gruesome ends for a few.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves Buffy the series as it give s view into a possible, if not rosy future for everyone. It is set near the beginning of series four (for those who are interested)!

The Black Echo by Michael Connelly

(384 pages)



LAPD detective Hieronymous (aka Harry) Bosch is a loner and a nighthawk. Called out on a routine drug overdose case, Bosch soon realises that the victim found lying in the Mullholland Dam drainpipe is no accident case. Billy Meadows was a fellow 'tunnel rat' in Vietnam and Harry swears to bring the killer to justice.

Yet another enjoyable Bosch story. They just keep you gripped from the outset and yet again I didn't figure out whodunnit!!!! I just love Harry!!

Crazy For You by Jennifer Crusie

(325 pages)



Quinn McKenzie has always lived what she calls a "beige" life. She's dating the world's nicest guy, she has a good job as a high school art teacher, she's surrounded by family and friends who rely on her, and she's bored to the point of insanity. But when Quinn decides to change her life by adopting a stray dog over everyone's objections, everything begins to spiral out of control. Now she's coping with dog-napping, breaking and entering, seduction, sabotage, stalking, more secrets than she really wants to know, and two men who are suddenly crazy...for her.

I did really enjoy this book. It was full of hunour, whilst also looking at what happens when your long term relationship gets boring. I wouldnt necessarily go as far as Quinn and Darla to shake things up, but in true chick lit style, things dd turn out well in the end. Katie was adorable and I hated Bill and BP with a vengencw. as for the Ziegler brothers.... well..... phew!!!! LoL.
This isnt the first Crusie book I have read, and I have decided it wont be the last. Any book that can shock you, make you laugh and have a warm fuzzy feeling inside is okay by me!!!

Woman Walks Into a Bar by Rowan Coleman

(115 pages)



A Friday night out with the girls changes Sam's life forever ...28-year-old single mother Sam spends her days working in the local supermarket and her Friday nights out with her friends, Joy and Marie, letting her hair down at the White Horse. Life has never been easy for Sam, but she's always hoped that one day she'll meet The One. After a series of terrible dates with men she's met through an internet dating agency she's starting to lose heart - until her friends tell her they've set her up on a blind date. Sam's horrified but finally she agrees to go - after all you never know when you might meet the man of your dreams ...

This was a really quick and really fun read :) I was especially fond of the flashbacks that filled in the gaps of Sam's life. Reading about the bullying I began to feel really attached to her and wanted there to be a happy ending as it was exactly what she deserved, and I wasn't disappointed :)
I enjoyed it so much I may go hunting for more books by this author.

The Wizard, The Witch & Two Girls From Jersey by Lisa Papademetriou

(273 pages)



When mortal enemies Veronica Lopez and Heather Simms get hit by a bar code scanner while fighting over the last copy of Queen of Twilight, it takes them a moment to realize that they aren’t in a New Jersey bookstore anymore. In fact, they’re in the novel. Too bad they don’t realize it until after they accidentally kill the book’s heroine, Princess Arabelle, aka "The One." Only The One can restore light and peace to the land of Galma, long held in thrall to the evil Twilight Queen. Now Veronica and Heather have no choice but to try to save Galma from the Twilight Queen. But can the two girls find their way to the end of the story and home again without destroying Galma - or killing each other?

I loved this soooo much :D I devoured it in a day, i simply couldn't put it down!! I loved te characters, although Heather drove me insane at first (I mean a health spa in a cave with assassin bugs :o for goodness sakes!!)!!! Lol!
The additional characters of Chattergee, Karn and especially Dogget, not forgetting all the monsters and creepy crawlies, made the story rattle along at a fine pace, with plenty of things going on to keep me hooked.
I couldn't wait to see how it ended, and just as woth the movie Shrek, I felt that there was a moral undercurrent running through that left me with a big smile on my face :)
What a great read!!!

The Siege by Helen Dunmore

(304 pages)



Leningrad, September 1941. German tanks surround the city, imprisoning those who live there. The besieged people of Leningrad face shells, starvation, and the Russian winter. Interweaving two love affairs in two generations, THE SIEGE draws us deep into the Levin's family struggle to stay alive during this terrible winter. What is it like to be so hungry you simmer your leather manicure case to make soup? So cold you burn first your furniture and then your books? THE SIEGE is a story about war and the wounds it inflicts on people's lives. It is also a lyrical and deeply moving celebration of love, life and survival.

This was a well written and moving book, however I did feel rather detached from the characters. It was very well written, with some great attention to detail, but it lackled a certain something to make it a great book.

The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier

( pages)



Stunned by his mother's recent death and appalled by the way his father sleepwalks through life, Jerry Renault, a New England high school student, ponders the poster in his locker-Do I dare disturb the universe?
Part of his universe is Archie Costello, leader of a secret school societ-the Virgils-and master of intimidation. Archie himself is intimidated by a cool, ambitious teacher into having the Virgils spearhead the annual fund-raising event-a chocolate sale. When Jerry refuses to be bullied into selling chocolates, he becomes a hero, but his defiance is a threat to Archie, the Virgils, and the school. In the inevitable showdown, Archie's skill at intimidation turns Jerry from hero to outcast, to victim, leaving him alone and terribly vulnerable.

This was a very intersting read, and about 40 or so pages in i remembered that i had read it before. The story is well written and the characters rounded, but I unfortunately felt as though i was reading as part of a school assignment (like the first time) rather than for fun :( Still worth the read though :D

The BFG by Roald Dahl

(208 pages)



The BFG is a big, friendly giant who spirits a child out of bed one dark night. Fortunately, this giant really is friendly, but his countrymen in the land of giants are inveterate child-eaters. Can the child enlist the aid of his kidnapper in stopping the nightly massacre?

I remember reading this as a child and loving it, so I really couldne wait to read it again :) I wasn't disappointed :D I sat down, started reading and simply couldn't stop! It is a wonderfully written, magical story and definitely one of my favourite Roald Dahl books, everyone should read it!

The Diary of a Killer Cat by Anne Fine

(58 pages)



Tuffy was in big trouble - on Monday he killed a bird, on Tuesday a mouse and on Wednesday he dragged a dead rabbit through the catflap. This caused pandemonium for Ellie and her parents as it was their neighbour's pet rabbit, Thumper.

This was really funny. I mean how often do we see the world throught he eyes of our beloved cats. It wasn't Tuffy's fault that the bird attacked him, or that the mouse was dead not to mention poor Thumper!!!!
A must for all cat loving kiddies out there :D