The Witch of Portobello by Paul Coelho

This book sent me a little crazy. Paul Coelho writes books that deal with the meaning of life and are generally inspirational in nature. However this one got under my skin, in some good ways and some very frustrating ways. The story is of a woman who is eventually seen as a witch – she [...]

A Room at the Top by Heath Ducker and Samantha Trenoweth

Heath Ducker is a young Australian who had a pretty harsh upbringing. His mother had 10 children and no income and they lived in dilapidated surroundings. While his mother was loving she was absent in many ways and Heath did not have the usual support that children need as they grow up. Despite many [...]

Twenty Chickens for a Saddle by Robyn Scott

This is a memoir about growing up in Botswana, Africa. LIke all memoirs there is a certain abstractness to the book, where we feel we are looking in on something but not actually there. However, the author does a much better job than most at making a readable story out of her life and making [...]

You or Someone Like You by Chandler Burr

This is an odd book. Its set in Los Angeles, in the midst of characters who are consumed with the movie industry. I have read books set in this environment before and they all have a shallowness to their characters which I now realise is deliberate. And not something I like. The characters in this [...]

Buddha Da by Anne Donovan

This is a great book. It tells the story of a Scottish man who takes up Buddhism and the effect it has on his very ordinary family. The story is told in alternating chapters – his own point of view and that of his wife and daughter. The downside to the book is that its [...]

Thanks for the memories – Cecelia Ahern

Cecelia Ahern is one my favourite authors. Her books are definitely chick lit but so much more intelligent than the average version and they inevitably contain a much quirkier storyline. This one deals with a character who has sudden unexplained memories and knowledge after a hospital visit. The characters are well developed and likeable and [...]

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult’s books are always somewhat confronting but this was particularly challenging for me. The thought of parents dealing with suicide is horrifying and an entire novel about such a thing is exhausting. It was very well written as always and covered all the angles. Apparently there is a movie of the book, which [...]