Fishbowl by Sarah Mlynowski

(360 pages)



Allison can't wait for Jodine and Emma to move in to her apartment — until she realizes having roommates means living in a fishbowl:You are never alone.When one small, slightly accidental fire leads to one big repair bill, all efforts to avoid each other are finally abandoned: They've got to raise money... fast ("Insurance? You mean you have to pay for that?"). This means joining forces. Bonding? Well, at least they're talking to each other!
Amazingly, they agree on a plan: shamelessly exploit their combined expertise on the male species for hard cash.Tactics: sell tickets to their swanky soirées and How To Pick Up Women seminars.... But their grand scheme sweeps away any last shreds of privacy with startling consequences. Now that they're forced to take a long, hard look at themselves, Allie, Jodine and Emma's lives — and budding friendship — are about to change, in ways they never imagined....

This was a nice and fun read. Allie, Jodine and Emma were all adorable in their own way, and I couldnt help but laugh out loud in places :)
The story managed to successfully get inside the dynamic of the female relationship, probably because it was viewed from all three perspectives as well as the narrators poit of view. Fab!!!

The Tale of Murasaki by Liza Dalby

(448 pages)



Liza Dalby's enchanting book The Tale of Murasaki is a brilliantly imagined fictional biography of the 11th-century Japanese writer Murasaki Shikibu, author of The Tale of Genji--the world's first novel. The Heian period produced at least two great works of world literature: Murasaki's The Tale of Genji and Sei Shonagon's Pillow Book; Dalby's fine first novel draws directly from the surviving fragments of Murasaki's own diary and poetry (as well as the occasional echo of Sei Shonagon) to create a vivid and emotionally detailed portrait of an intelligent, sensitive and complex woman drawn initially to writing stories about the amorous encounters of Prince Genji as a means of entertaining her friends and expressing her own richly creative temperament. As the stories become public, however, she is forced, against her own natural reticence, to take up a position at court, and the Genji stories become a conduit for commenting on the mores and intrigues of court life. Struggling to write and to stay true to her literary vision, her last tales are inflected by Buddhist thought on the transience and beauty of the world.

This was a beautifully written book with amazing clear descriptions of the land and the people of 11th century Japan. At times it was a little dry, but was certainly worth persevering.

Jewel by Brett Lott

(535 pages)



In the backwoods of Mississippi, Jewel and her husband Leston are blessed with five healthy children. All this changes with the birth of Brenda Kay in 1943. This is the story of a woman's devotion to a child who is both her burden and her blessing.

This was beautifully written and tackled some big issues in the south of the 1940's and onwards.
I liked some of the characters, but the story was a wee bt too slow moving for me.
Jewel was a fabulous mother, putting the welfare of her kids before everything else, but I couldnt help feeling that she was wraping Brenda Kay in cotton wool...... maybe it was because it was the 1940s :s.

Under The Duvet by Marian Keyes

(230 pages)



Setting the record straight about her life as a novelist (less glitz and glamour than sitting alone in a darkened bedroom with a laptop in front of her) Marian Keyes here presents a selection of her articles. These regular bulletins from a woman under the duvet include unpublished pieces.

This was really easy to read because it was broken down into such short 'stories'. In typical Marian Keyes style, she tackles real life with a gusto and huge sense of humour. Really good fun and highly reccomended.

Black And Blue by Anna Quindlen

(293 pages)



"The first time my husband hit me I was nineteen years old," begins Fran Benedetto, the broken heroine of Anna Quindlen's Black and Blue. With one sweeping sentence, the door to an abused and tortured world is swung wide open and the psyche of a crushed and tattered self-image exposed. "Frannie, Frannie, Fran"--as Bobby Benedetto liked to call her before smashing her into kitchen appliances--was a young, energetic nursing student when she met her husband-to-be at a local Brooklyn bar. She was instantly captivated by his dark, brooding looks and magnetic personality, but her fascination soon solidified into a marital prison sentence of incessant abuse and the destruction of her own identity. After an especially horrific beating and rape, Fran realizes that the next attack could be the last. Fearing her son would be left alone with Bobby, she escapes one morning with her child. Fran's salvation comes in the form of Patty Bancroft and Co., a relocation agency for abused women that touts better service than the witness protection program. Armed only with a phone number, a few hundred dollars, and the help of several anonymous volunteers, Fran begins a new life. The agency relocates her to Florida, where she becomes Beth Crenshaw, a recently divorced home-care assistant from Delaware. Fran and her son adapt, meeting challenges with unexpected resilience and resolve until their past returns to haunt them. Quindlen renders the intricacies of spousal abuse with eerie accuracy, taking the reader deep within the realm of dysfunctional human ties. However, her vivid descriptions of abuse, emotional disintegration, and acute loneliness at times numb the reader with their realism.

This was a wonderfu book. It was beautifully written, and the story gently unfolded displaying the true horror of domestic abuse. The characters were on the most part likeable, and I really felt involved with the storyline, especially young Robert. Anna Quindlen hasn't hesitated to hit us between the eyes with the subject matter, and in telling it like it is she has managed to weave a complex and gripping story. A great feature of it was the ending. It was bitter-sweet, not sugar coated as in most cases, this was fantastic, as although you wanted everything to work out perfectly, you are reminded that life isnt really like that. Wonderful.
This book has made me want to read all of Anna Quindlen's novels.... It must've been good!

The Butler Did It by Kasey Michaels

(377 pages)




Morgan Drummond, Marquis of Westham, expects his butler to be awaiting his return home – even when that return follows a five-year absence. But he doesn’t expect the horde of strangers who’ve taken up residence in his house, courtesy of that enterprising butler and a discreet classified ad. Morgan’s plan to toss his unwelcome tenants into the street is thwarted by a beautiful but indomitable débutante, Miss Emma Clifford – who’s not averse to a bit of blackmail for a good cause.

Now Morgan finds himself squiring the lovely Emma to the ton’s most fashionable events – and what’s more surprising, he’s beginning to enjoy it. Surely he’s not falling for such an infuriating woman? That butler has a lot to answer for – but then again, it’s so hard to find good help…


Typical Mills & Boon fluff but very funny woth it. A must for those with a soft centre and love of historical romance :)

The Asking Price by Caroline Upcher

(401 pages)



Hope is losing her grip. She has three unruly Children, a high power job, a glamorous ex-husband she is still in love with, plus a serious nanny crisis. In desparation Hope takes on Annabel, who seem to be the answer to her everyones prayers. But can Hope regain control of her life? And Why did Annabel leave England in such a hurry

This was Okay, with some likeable characters and a decent stiryline, but it didnt really grip me.

The Dewey Decimal System of Love by Josephine Carr

(251 pages)



After 15 celibate years, librarian Ally Sheffield is in love, and the object of her newfound affections is gorgeous maestro Aleksi Kullio, the latest conductor of the Philadelphia Philharmonic. The fact that Aleksi is already married is a mere obstacle for Ally, since she knows deep in her soul that the two of them were meant to be together. As Ally tries to figure out a way to get Aleksi to notice her, she discovers some interesting things about her friends, her coworkers, and herself. Carr's tale sparkles with sharp, clever, and occasionally earthy humor, and sassy, unconventional Ally is a terrific protagonist. The choice of which man is really right for Ally may be obvious early on to some readers, but much of the pleasure in this wonderfully amusing novel comes from Carr's realistic depiction of the everyday pleasures and occasional downsides to working in a library; her wonderfully quirky, all too real characters; and her delightfully acerbic prose.


I really did enjoy this. after a slow start and the rather bizzarre situation of a celibate for 15 years librarian I felt that it was going to be an unusual read..... however, the story panned out very nicely with a sweet and charming protagonist, a dashing leading man, quite a few laughs and a wee bit of mystery thrown in. I would reccommend this one to my girl-friends :)

Welcome To My Planet by Shannon Olson

(287 pages)



In Welcome to My Planet, the fictional Shannon Olson--who shares her creator's name--is witty but confused, whip-smart but unable to fully release her ties to bad boyfriends, childhood obsessions, and the "gassy expanse" of marginal jobs. With the help of a therapist known only as the counselor, this almost 30-year-old Midwestern neurotic gamely tries to steer her way past credit-card-fueled Target binges and a too close relationship with her mother, Flo, and to slowly inch toward the elusive land of adulthood. Comparisons to the charming neurotics found in Bridget Jones's Diary and The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing are inevitable, but beside the point: Shannon is less brittle, less self-consciously hip than those postmodern heroines. Contemplating living on her own again after a stint with her parents, she whines to the counselor, "I've never really lived anywhere else. What if I never find anyone? I may as well go out and adopt a bunch of cats and start wearing macramé ponchos."
Olson's debut easily pulls us in with a conversational, seemingly unadorned style that camouflages her well-crafted narrative technique as she moves back and forth in time. With her retro and up-to-the-minute pop-culture references to The Love Boat, grieving conferences, Prozac, Oprah, bachelorette parties, and the ravages of graduate school (where Babe the Gallant Pig is a "text"), the author clearly knows her target audience. Welcome to My Planet is an almost perfect coming-of-age story for an era in which public life, jazzed by lightning technological and commercial changes, leapfrogs away while emotional adolescence strangely extends into our 30s.

I had a really hard time getting into this, it was more like lots of disjointed little stories than a nice flowing novel. I did find myself chuckling in parts and it was worth the read, just not written in a style I enjoy.

The Narrows by Michael Connelly

(405 pages)



Former FBI agent Rachel Walling is working a dead-end stint in South Dakota when she gets the call she's been dreading for four years. The Poet is back. And he has not forgotten Rachel. He has a special present for her.
Harry Bosch is adjusting to life in Las Vegas as a private investigator and a new father. He gets a call, too, from the widow of a friend who died recently. Previously in his FBI career, the friend worked on the famous case tracking the killer known as the Poet. This fact alone makes some of the elements of his death doubly suspicious.
And Harry Bosch is heading straight into the path of the most ruthless and inventive murderer he has ever encountered ...

I did enjoy this, although not as much as its predecessor "The Poet". I struggled to get into it at first, as I havent read any of the books with Harry Bosch in them, and this made me feel as though I was missing out on some of the back story.
However once Harry met Rachel things rattled alonge really well with a very decent climax.

The Poet by Michael Connelly

(480 pages)



The apparent suicide of his policeman brother sets Denver crime reporter Jack McEvoy on edge. Surprise at the circumstances of his brother's death prompts Jack to look into a whole series of police suicides and puts him on the trail of a cop-killer whose victims are selected all too carefully. Not only that, but they all leave suicide notes drawn from the poems of writer Edgar Allan Poe in their wake. More frightening still the killer appears to know that Jack is getting nearer and nearer. An investigation that looks like being the story of a lifetime, might also be Jack's ticket to a lonely end.

I finally got round to this (i have the sequel to read and pass on so I had to) and I certainly wasnt disappointed.
The story moved at a really fast pace with lots of little twists and turns and shocks too.
I would reccomend this to anyone who enjoys a thriller and detective story where the lead isnt actually a detective in the traditional sense :)

I am now moving on to 'The Narrows' can't wait......

Homesick by Sela Ward

(272 pages)



This is a story about home . . .
At a time when much of America is yearning to recapture the spirit and feelings of a more innocent era, comes this exceptional new book from one of our most beloved actresses: a story of one woman's journey to reconnect with the landscape of her childhood.
Though best known today as the star of the television series Once & Again and Sisters, Sela Ward considers herself first and foremost a small-town girl. The eldest of four children, she was raised by a father who helped her believe in herself, and by a mother who taught her a sense of the importance of virtues like self-respect, grace, and sacrifice. In her hometown of Meridian, Mississippi, within a tightly-knit community of neighbors and kin, Sela learned ways that would remain with her throughout life -- humble virtues that were "forged in the hearth of a loving home."
After graduating from the University of Alabama, Sela left the South in search of the excitement of cities like New York and Los Angeles, and the creative rewards of an acting career. But as she started her own family, she found herself pining for the comforts of her small-town childhood -- and searching for a way to balance her children's West Coast upbringing with a taste of a more natural way of life. She and her husband built a second home on a farm there, where she and her family could retreat several times each year, and became involved in several projects designed to restore the vitality of the hometown she remembered so fondly. Even as Sela was reconnecting with the rhythms of home, though, her world was rocked by a crisis the family had long anticipated but never quite prepared for -- the death of her mother. As her family gathered around her mama's bedside, Sela's simple journey home became something far deeper: a turning point in her own life, as she pondered her mother's complicated legacy, and came to terms with just what it was she herself was searching for.
Filled with warmth, storytelling, and laughter, Homesick is a book to treasure: an exploration of the lessons we carry away with us from childhood, and a celebration of the bittersweet legacy of home.

I enjoyed this, and being a fan of Sela to start with it was nice to get an insight into her past :) One I would like to read again.

The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad

(288 pages)



This volume offers an intimate portrait of Afghani people.

This is a book telling the true story of the extended Khan family following the fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan. The bookseller of the title, is the patriarch of the family, Sultan. He is married with children and lives in a small apartment in Kabul with his extended family including his ageing mother and a nephew.
The focus of the story is upon the treatment of the Afghan women, including the situation of there now being no need to wear the prescribed Bhurkas (veils covering the entire body and face), and the growing want, and need, for independence. It also discusses the role and importance of faith and religion in the ‘new’ Afghanistan.
The story is told from a third person perspective, focussing upon the individual dramas faced by the family during the stay of the author in the Khan household. There are stories of crime and punishment, the stresses of courtship and the pilgrimage of a guilt-riddled son in an attempt to wash away his sins. The most fascinating, and moving story for me though was that of Leila, the 19 year old sister of Sultan, whose job it was to keep house for the entire family, and her desire to become more than a ‘slave’.
It is written in a very easy to read manner, and the story itself is highly compelling. The people are full of life, energy, emotion, individuality and determination, an amazing feat considering all that they have been through. The dramas are fascinating, addictive at times humorous and sometimes sickening, but they are the real-life stories of the Afghan people.
Having read this book (in just over 1 day – it is that gripping), I can now appreciate the difficulties there have been in trying to restore order and government into this war ravaged country, which to western eyes is still very old-fashioned. The west claims to have ‘liberated Afghanistan, but how can it have done so if it does not understand it?
I loved this book, and would recommend it to anyone and everyone!!

The Corset Diaries by Katie MacAllister

(344 pages)



No woman in her right mind would consent to wearing a corset for a month. Especially a "skinny-challenged" woman like Tessa. But dreams of being debt-free dance in her head at the offer of appearing in a reality TV show. "A Month in the Life of a Victorian Duke" is about real people pretending to live on an English estate, circa 1879. And Tessa's leading man-a real-life Duke-is so handsome she can barely breathe, with or without the corset...

this was a lovely fun light hearted read with plenty of laughs, just what I needed! :D

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

(320 pages)



From an isolated mountain cabin, Deanna Wolfe, a reclusive wildlife biologist is caught off guard by a young hunter. On a farm futher down the mountain, Lusa finds herself marooned in a strange place where she must declare or lose her attachment to the land that has become her own. A few more miles down the road a pair of elderly feuding neighbours tend their respective farms and wrangle about God.
Over the course of one humid summer, these characters find not only their connections to each other but a sense of the place they share.

this was a lovely book with losts of likeable charactes, extremely well written and highly addictive once you get into it :)

Night Swimming by Robin Schwarz

(352 pages)



An overweight New Hampshire bank employee is misdiagnosed with cancer and given a year to live in this first novel, a giddy, overblown romantic comedy. Wish-fulfillment is on the agenda for the unfortunately named Charlotte Clapp. After her doctor gives her the bad news, she decides to rob the bank where she works and run away to L.A. Miraculously, her daring life change is rewarded by unintentional weight loss—fortunate, because Skip, the pool boy at her luxury apartment complex, is a blonde Adonis (and a former lawyer), and Charlotte (now calling herself Blossom McBeal) plans to sit in a kimono by the pool, hoping desperately that he'll fall for her. Friendship is provided by Charlotte's dog-loving elderly neighbor, Dolly—and Charlotte needs it, because the police are still after her, slowly but surely tracking her to California. Schwarz's novel is as padded as Charlotte's waistline with purple prose ("The perfect silvery notes... hovered like breakable angels over the audience") and hyperbole ("One Krispy Kreme after another, until she resembled a cardboard clown with a ring of white powder around its mouth"). But those willing to read between the book's often-unwieldy lines will be rewarded with soap-operatic satisfactions.

i found this a really enjoyable read, nice and slushy with focus on the importance of friends and love. the sickly sweet ending was a little irritating, but the thing that spoilt it for me the most was the fact that Charlotte found love after becoming thin and beautiful.... what about the fat girls?

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

(192 pages)



The deliberately fanciful story spans a time period from the 16th to the 20th centuries and takes the hero, Orlando, from being a handsome boy of 16 to Lady Orlando, experiencing historical insights through encounters with figures of the time.

It didnt take long to reaf this, but unfortunately i dont think it was my kind of thing. Well written, i just didnt really enjoy the story :(