Top Ten Tuesday #25 - Places Books Have Made Me Want To Visit

Top Ten Tuesday is a Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where I will be picking from their top tens and attempting to reveal what my thinking is behind these choices.

Places books have made me want to visit:

1. Oslo/ Norway
The Witches, by Roald Dahl was one of my favourite books to read growing up. I loved this strange country where witches lurked around every corner and the funny, fierce old woman who lived there. I have always wanted to visit it. Also, Northern Lights  was another favourite, and it made me want to go there to experience the Aurora Borealis, so I'm twice as hungry for it.

2. Rural France
Lansquenet Sous-Tannes. I'm not even sure if it's a real place, but it feels real to me. First mentioned in Chocolat by Joanne Harris, it then features throughout a few more of her books, including my favourite, Five Quarters of the Orange. Although I have been to France before, I want to have the incredible experience of eating in patisseries and chocolateries and meld it all with a market village life along the banks of a beautiful river with gypsies living along the banks and irritable old ladies settling in shops for a mug of chocolat chaud.

3. New Orleans
The Casquette Girls is something I read quite recently, and I really enjoyed it! I want to put a city to a name now and stroll around in the historic french quarter. I want to see voodoo shops and street celebrations and really take in the history and the eerieness of the place. Oh, and did I mention it's the setting for Disney's The Princess and the Frog?

4. Narnia
It's quite not as dangerous as the likes of Westeros and you don't get stuck there, unlike Neverland. No time passes when you're there, so you can go off an have an adventure, see some mermaids and a giant friendly lion and come back to your boring life again. Plus, there are so many magical entities that I would love to spend time with! Hell, once I wished I was a Dryad.

5. Madrid
It's not often I get funny notions of going to big cities, but Carlos Ruiz Zafon's novels truly take me to Madrid, and I would love to see it and experience life there. It sounds like a great holiday destination with a lot of history and it can get a bit creepy at times I am sure.

6. Ancient Europe, Greece and Rome
Any Ben Kane novel can take me to this point in time, as well as the excellent David Gemmel series, Troy. I'm not really one for danger, and this is rife with it, so perhaps I would lay low. I think it would be incredible to go back to this time and see how people did things then. I love the mythology of these times and I think we could learn a lot from the way these people lived.

7. Ingo
I wish I was away in Ingo... I really do. This beautiful but treacherous undersea world, thought up by Helen Dunmore,  is filled with merpeople, and I love the idea that you can become one, and that people are actually able to breathe underwater if Ingo wants you to.

8. The Bayou
Ok, this is not dissimilar to New Orleans, but instead of going to the city, I would want to see the Bayou in all its glory. This was inspired by Teardrop, which focuses much more on the power of water and the Bayou feels like an extension of this power, as it floats in the background only to become part of a main event later on.

9. Italy, Rome and Venice
This is derived from Dan Browns novels, Angels and Demons, and Inferno. I am pretty obsessed over history, and it really liked the way the mystery fits in with the actual stuff in real life. I have been to Rome and seen a few of the landmarks in the book. Let me say they are stunning and well worth going to see.

10. Neverwhere
Who wouldn't want to travel to Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, an alternate version of our London, where nothing is as it seems and some things have been taken pretty literally. Black Friars really does have Black Friars in it while The Angel, Islington is an angel named Islington. I need to read this book again.

Kyra_x

Top Ten Tuesday #20 - Authors I Own The Most Books By

Top Ten Tuesday is a Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where I will be picking from their top tens and attempting to reveal what my thinking is behind these choices.

This week is all about the authors I own the most books by.

1. Joanne Harris: 14
Well, she is my favourite author. Out of these I think Five Quarters of the Orange and Blackberry Wine are my favourites!

2. Carlos Ruiz Zafon:5
Again, a favourite of mine. I am currently in dire need of Marina, a recent YA novel he has brought out.

3. Ben Kane: 5
This guy writes some really good historical fiction based in ancient Rome and Italy. His Forgotten Legion Chronicles were great!

4. Helen Dunmore: 4
Just inching out over the next author because I have all the book in her Ingo series, which is about mermaids.. it's really cool.

5. Kiera Kass: 4
So I was hooked on The Selection series and also bought The Prince (a novella), but strangely not The Guard as I don't care much for Aspen.

6. Cecelia Ahern: 4
I seem to just accumulate these books. I like them, yes, but I can't say I'm a massive fan. They're just very nice to read.

7. Ben Aaronovitch: 3

This is all of the books I own in the Peter Grant series.. so far. I can't wait to get my hands on the next!

8. A.R. Kahler: 3
His Immortal Circus Series is awesome. Enough said I think.

9. Shay West: 3
I got so into Dangerous Reflections, I couldn't help but snap up the opportunity to read the next two in the series.

10. Lauren DeStefano: 2
POssibly the woman who brought me into the strange world of YA dystopian fiction, and yet I don't actually own her third Chemical Garden book. Why? I have no idea..

Kyra_x

Wednesday Wishlist #10

Today's wishlist is all about compilations. I'm not a huge reader of short stories, so it takes me a while to get through books with lots in, but these few are books that I'm more than willing to read;

A Cat, a Hat, and a Piece of String - Joanne Harris
Another book to add to my ever-growing Joanne Harris collection. I have half a shelf of her works now, and I think I'm only missing this and Runelight in terms of fiction. I still have yet to read all of Jigs and Reels, but from what I've read so far, it's pretty good stuff!

A Cat, a Hat, and a Piece of String on Goodreads


Shards and Ashes - Melissa Marr, Kelley Armstrong et al
A series of dystopian stories, told by the likes of Veronica Roth, Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia. This is something I am dying to have a read of due to the amazing ideas that people can come up with for dystopias. Also, the cover is brilliant.

Shards and Ashes on Goodreads


The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories - Angela Carter
I had this one recommended to me after I told a friend about my love for all things fairytale. Apparently these are fairytale retellings with dark, sinister twists. It sounds exactly like my sort of thing! It has some amazing comments of Goodreads, so I'm really looking forward to reading it.

The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories on Goodreads

Top Ten Tuesday #6 - Awesome Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where I will be picking from their top tens and attempting to reveal what my thinking is behind these choices.

This Top Ten Tuesday is actually on a Monday, but don't worry, I haven't got mad quite yet; this is to make some room for tomorrow's post! Today I'm listing some of my favourite authors of all time - I hope you agree with me!

1. Joanne Harris
I've shown my love for this lady on many, many occasions, so it's only right that I put her right at the top of my post. Her writing is emotive, descriptive and her books are exquisite. Read one, read any one, and you will fall in love as well.

2. Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Every single book I read with this man's name on the front sends shivers up my spine. Some times in a good way, sometime in an 'I'm terrified' way (depending on which book I'm reading). His stories for children are equally as good as those for adults, and the adult ones are so deliciously complex, you are completely absorbed.

3. Ben Aaronovitch
If you haven't read the Peter Grant series yet, put it on the TBR pile, because you utterly need to. It's funny, serious, murderous and full of magic; exactly what you need in a good fantasy police drama. Rivers of London (that's Midnight Riot in some places), the first book, is creepy and cool in equal measure, and I love the way I can relate to these places, because once in a while I can say I've seen them.

4. Terry Pratchett
This man has the most vivid and eccentric imagination I have ever read. His books are witty and silly and engrossing, and the world he has given life to has even been adapted into TV Movies. If that's not a sign of good literature, I don't know what is.

5. Neil Gaiman
Stardust, Coraline, Neverwhere; this author's list of adapted works doesn't seem to end. His collaboration with Terry Pratchett (Good Omens) is absolutely brilliant and his other works are beautifully strange and wonderful. I love reading Neil Gaiman, because it doesn't matter which story you read, it always manages to pull you head-first into the world he has created. Oh, and he wrote a couple of purely awesome Doctor Who episodes.

6. Markus Zusak
I know I've only actually read one book by this man, but it is the best book I've ever read in my life. I love The Book Thief like I'd written it myself. It is a remarkable book, and therefore he is a remarkable author. I'm looking forward to reading more from him.

7. Brandon Sanderson
This guy has an incredible imagination. Have you read his Mistborn series? Trust me, they're so involved and so, so good! He was also chosen to ghost-write the end of the Wheel of Time series, so he's got to be good, right?

8. Philip Pullman
How could I leave this man out? His Dark Materials is a trilogy that I'll keep with me for the rest of my life. It was the first truly epic book series I ever read, that really verged on things I had never thought about before; other worlds, souls, death, trepanning (look it up, it's gross). Ok, Harry Potter did get epic, but I read this whole series before I read that whole series, and this somehow still holds the edge. Which brings me nicely on to...

9. J. K. Rowling
When you hear that name, a mention of Harry Potter soon follows. What a remarkable mind to go from a single vision of a wizard on a train to this all-encompassing battle between the natures of good and evil, personified in a young man and a dark lord. This series is my childhood, and I have spent most of my life absorbed in a Harry Potter bubble which burst not long ago, but it will never be forgotten.

10. George R.R. Martin
My new bubble arrived in the form of A Game of Thrones (well, and Doctor Who, but since were doing authors, I'll let that one slide). If there was anything to get anyone into fantasy, this series would be it. It is possible the most bloodthirsty set of books I've ever read, but still you read on, if only to find out who dies next. I'm halfway through this series, and it doesn't ever let up, no book is ever boring and no character is skippable. The TV show is immense, but to me the books will always be better. I guess I'm a traditionalist.

Are there any authors you would add to the list, any that you disagree with? Comment and let me know!

The Reading Pile #3 - Birthday Special

Gospel of Loki - Joanne M. Harris
You may have seen this book on a previous wishlist, well now I have it! I got this from my sister, because she knows how much of a huge fan of Joanne Harris I am. I am loving mythology stories at the moment, and Loki is the most awesome of the Norse Gods, so I can't wait to get into it.

A Game of Groans - George R.R. Washington
My sister's boyfriend got me this, and it sounds hilarious. 'A Parody of Slush and Soot', and a satire of The Game of Thrones, this book looks set to be a highly amusing read, and apparently the start of a series of little books on the subject.


What else did I get?


On the watching pile I have:

Help! I'm a Fish
A blast from the past into my childhood. I used to love the theme song to this and it was actually a pretty good little watch. Did you know that Alan Rickman voices the bad guy? I didn't but I do now!

Water for Elephants
Read the book and loved it, now for the film starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. I really hope they've done the book justice.

Doctor Who - Series 4 and 5
The boyfriend and I have been watching the series ever since Christpher Eccleston stepped on to the TV screens. Now we're re-watching, and series 4 is by far my favourite; David Tennant works so well with Catherine Tate.

Wednesday Wishlist #5

This week the wishlist has been taken over by Norse mythology. It all started with Percy Jackson and his Greek mythology, but then I found out Joanne Harris had released a Norse YA, Runemarks, and I had to read it (it was great). So of course it goes without saying that there is a sequel;

Runelight - Joanne Harris
The second book to the awesome Runemarks. Harris has left a lot open for this book; there are plenty of threads dangling, and although I may have to pick up the first one again before I immerse myself by into that post-Ragnarok world, I have a feeling it won't be too difficult to get back into.

The Gospel of Loki - Joanne Harris
A more adult take on Norse mythology by this bestselling writer, taking on the voice of the trickster God, Loki and giving his account of everything that happened before, during and after the fall of Asgard. This is going to be a great read, because Loki is by far the most interesting and (probably) misunderstood of all the Norse Gods. I mean, have you seen him in the Marvel movies? He's brilliant (thank you Tom Hiddleston for playing him so well).

The Woken Gods - Gwenda Bond
Ok, so this book has more of a mixed mythology, but I'm pretty sure there must be some Norse in there with the mention of Trickster Gods. So all the Gods from ancient mythology have awakened and Kyra (yeah, I know, she has my name!) is right in the middle of it, in Washington D.C. where all the pantheons of the Gods have settled, and where a mysterious society lurks, keeping God-human relations in check. After encountering two trickster Gods and narrowly escaping, Kyra is forced to go on a quest to find a missing Egyptian relic that her father stole, even though she has no idea where it is. Sounds intriguing, but it has a lot of mixed reviews, so I'll have to find out for myself!

Have you read any of these books and what did you think of them?

Author Love

I have hardly reviewed any of her books on this blog, but if I had, they would get nines and tens all around. You may have heard of Chocolat, and you may have watched the film (made more wonderful by the acting efforts of Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, not to mention a few other recognisable faces), but have you ever read the book?

Have you guessed who it is yet? Joanne Harris is the author I am giving love to today, because she is an utter marvel. Her books are wonderfully emotive, flawlessly descriptive and very distinctive. She will never give you the same book twice, and none of her stories seem to be regurgitated from other authors. She can write about murderers, online messaging, vampires, norse mythology and food, and make it all enthralling.

But enough gush, the real way to show you all what an incredible writer she is, is to give you a few quotes from her books, my favourite books.

Chocolat: 
'Nests of spun caramel with hard-shelled sugar eggs, each topped with a triumphantly plump chocolate hen; piebald rabbits heavy with gilded almonds stand in rows, ready to be wrapped and boxed; marzipan creatures march across the shelves.'

Blackberry Wine:
'The wasp crawled thickly against the glass, it's wings were clotted with syrup. He thought he could hear the insect inside the bottle. buzzing in a growing frenzy, but perhaps that was the wine itself calling, its hot bright scent distressing the air.'

Five Quarters of the Orange:
'This is something different again. A feeling of peace. The feeling you get when a recipe turns out perfectly right, a perfectly risen souffle, a  flawless sauce hollandaise. It's a feeling which tells me that any woman can be beautiful in the eyes of a man who loves her.'

As you can probably tell, my favourites are the foodie one, but I have to say that Gentlemen and Players is also an exceptional read. The story is intense and intriguing, leaving you hanging on a thread to find out how the book will finally fit together.

If you do one thing this year, pick up a Joanne Harris book and give it a read.

Peaches for Monsieur le Cure - Joanne Harris

The third book in Joanne Harris's Chocolat series promises another beautifully written adventure from Lanquenet-sous-Tannes.

It has been 8 years since Vianne Rocher left Lansquenet, and things have changed drastically. Les Marauds now houses a huge population of Magrebins, and the minaret of their Mosque looms above the houses. The catholic church is in disarray, and Reynaud is in trouble. And then there is Ines Bencharki, whose prescence in the village distrubs everyone - French and Muslim alike.

One of the most wonderful things about Harris's writing is the way that her characters are so realistic and compelling. Vianne Rocher is a much-loved character who we can really sympathise with, and it is brilliant that the author has once again given her legions of readers another story with her in it. The writing style is also exactly what we have come to expect from Joanne Harris. Her decriptions caress your senses and the plot is just fast enough to  keep your interest without becoming actiony.

The plot and the ending will keep you on your toes. The plot builds slowly but keeps forming questions in your head, but the cresendo is fast and keeps you turning the pages. There are a couple of lovely twists in there too; the mystery surrounding Ines Bencharki is interesting and it is only revealed at the very end of the book. You never guess who she is until she tells you, and her story is compelling, startling and emotional.

The themes of this book are interesting too. There is a lot of emphasis on religion, which is a theme she has delved into before in 'Holy Fools' and in 'Chocolat'. A theme that recurs in the series is prejudice, as the people of the village seem to have so many of these, this time against an unmarried woman with a child. Sound familiar?

However, this book was not quite as engrossing as the first two. There is not as much 'magic' and  it is not as much to do with the food as to do with the people of the village this time. Hardcore Harris fans may miss this, but for the rest of the population, this will be an excellent book full of human interest.

For the most impact, read the first two books. References to the past are plentiful, so if you havn't read them, chances are that you won't get the whole picture or why certain things are so distressing.

Even though the plot isn't quite as enchanting as the other two, this book still gets an 8 out of 10 from me. My favourite is still 'The Lollipop Shoes'.

Runemarks - Joanne Harris

Five Hundred years after the end of the world, and the goblins had been at the cellar again.

This is everyday life for Maddy, who was born with a strange coppery symbol on her hand, known as a runemark. It marks her out in her simple village as an outsider and someone not to be trusted. Her only friend is an old man called one-eye, who suddenly wants her to travel into Red Horse Hill, where the goblins come from. Maddy's world is soon ripped apart as secrets are revealed, enemies and allies resurface from the old world and all Hel breaks loose.

If there's one thing Joanne Harris can do and do well, it's to tell a great story. This book is no exception. But what we have to remember is that this is her first novel for Young Adults, and is therefore slightly less sophistiated than what we are used to from her. As a result, her characters are lacking a little in complexity. The protagonist, Maddy, doesn't really star as much as she should, instead making The Captain (don't worry, you'll work it out when you read it) a much more prominent character in the readers eyes. She also does what she's told most of the time, which isn't the most spunky attribute in a protagonist. However, she is so integral to the plot, I can almost forgive this minor lapse. And anyway, I've always had a soft spot for The Captain.

However her plot is, as always, beautifully thought through. The action is in place from the beginning, which gets you right int the plot. Her descriptions perfectly capture imagination and the imagery puts you right in the middle of the story. Fantasy teen fiction is usually to do with education, groups, a selfish streak and almost always has a love interest. 'Twilight' is a nice example of this, as is the likes of 'Matched' or 'Divergent'. 'Runemarks', like the popular 'Hunger Games' trilogy, is so much more than a simple teen story. It turns away from angst and romance, and into the fray instead. It talks about religion, mythology, family, betrayal and a battle of wills. Maddy has so much more on her shoulders than your usual teen heroine - ie: the end of the universe.

Finally, I have to comment on the subject matter. Norse mythology is something that I haven't really taken a great interest in compared to the likes of Greek and Roman myth. When 'Thor' came out, I took a bit more interest in the matter, but now I think I definitely need to read up. I commend Joanne Harris for choosing this mythology as her basis. Not a lot of people are educated in the liked of the World Tree and Ragnarok, but I certainly hope that this book helps with that.

Oh, and one more thing.. this is no Percy Jackson.

8 out of 10. Only because I wasn't quite prepared for the amazing contrast to her other works and the change to her style because of the teen genre.

Runelight, the sequel, is out now.

Birthday Books

So it was my 21st Birthday on Friday, and of course I got a lot of books. That's the beauty of an Amazon Wishlist - no thinking required apart from which item to give on their part, and I get the books I'm interested in reading.

There is no doubt in my mind that I will be reviewing them, so I thought Id list them for you:

Bumped - Megan McCafferty
0.4 - Mike Lancaster
Runemarks - Joanne Harris
Wither - Lauren DeStefano
Green Rider - Kristen Britain (I also got The High King's Tomb, which is actually the third book in the series)

Three out of these books are dystopian, which is suspect is becoming a little bit of a pattern with me. But there is something about dystopian literature that really sits well with me at the moment. maybe it's because I feel the need to read something about a world that is entirely different to my own. I think that might be why I also like fairytales, sci-fi and fantasy so much. They are so different, and normally almost entirely a fabrication from someone's mind. It's a perfect chance to really see who an author is.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to reading these books and reviewing them for you. With any luck, they won't be too difficult to read and I'm sure they will be as interesting and enjoyable as their blurbs sounded to me.

Sleep, Pale Sister - Joanne Harris

This book is a totally different genre to what we know Joanne best for, and so some readers may be shocked to learn that she dabbles in a bit of Gothic ghost stories, or murder, or the Internet. This is the second book she wrote, and while it didn't sell too well initially, I hope it will make a nice comeback soon.

The book blurb reads:
'Henry Chester, a domineering and puritanical Victorian artist, is in search of the perfect model. In nine-year-old Effie he finds her. Ten years later, lovely, childlike and sedated, Effie seems like the idea wife. But something inside is about to awaken. Drawn by her lover, Mose, into a dangerous underworld of intrigue and blackmail, she meets Fanny Miller, the brothel-keeper, and her shadowy daughter, Marta - murdered ten years ago on the day of Henry's weekly visit... And as friendship becomes possession and Henry's secret past is revealed, Effie and Marta plan their revenge together.'

Now, this sounds very interesting to me, but unfortunately the blurb makes the book sound better than it is and gives most of the story to the reader at the same time. I've only quoted it to you because you're bound to read the blurb anyway.

The storyline is pretty interesting, but to me it does take a while for things to get going. The intrigue at the beginning of the novel is really nice though. We get a real sense of Henry as a character. His guilt is palpable, and we only feel sorry for him to begin with, albeit a little weirded out. The story is told well, and is confusing in such a way so that you don't really understand what is going on until she tells you.

The multiple first person narrative can be a bit tricky, but luckily each character has a specific personality so usually you can figure out how it is rather quickly. This is very effective as we really get a sense of how the characters think and feel, and know everything that is going on. Considering this is a story where three main characters are completely oblivious of one fact or another at certain times, I feel that this is a good thing.

I think what Joanne Harris is good at is giving us a perfect sensory experience. At some points, I was truly a little scared. While at others I could perfectly imagine the effects of the drugs that the characters were taking.

Overall, the book is a good read, but not up to scratch with her usual work. I'd give it the benefit on the doubt, though, as it was only her second book.

Despite the fact that she is my favourite author, it's a 5 out of 10 from me.

The Language of Flowers - Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Victoria is an 18 year-old orphan, who is now homeless. But there is one thing that may save her; the language of flowers.

As we read through the book we discover there is more to her than we first thought. There is a bitter, hidden past that seethes underneath the narrative. there are some good memories too, but all of this has an undercurrent of guilt mingled with longing.

The book is written very well, with a lot of emotion being displayed as well as an interesting fascination with flowers and their meanings. The content makes the reader want to learn more about the main character and her past and she is so multi layered we wonder where her emotions come from. In fact, all of the characters are quite complex and realistic, making the reader feel like they know them personally.

One of the things that could be improved on is the ending. Although it is realistic enough, it comes as a slight shock. As it is written in the first person, the reader gains a good insight into the mind of the character. However, the change in her mind that we see seems rather abrupt compared to the thoughts we are privy to throughout.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the story is the context concerning the language of flowers. In the Victorian period, couples forbidden to see each other or marry would often use bouquets to send messages. Each flower had a different meaning that the recipient would find out before sending a reply. For example, in the book Hazel means reconciliation and a yellow rose means infidelity.

The way that this idea is entwined into the life of an orphan girl is simple and well thought through. As a young girl she learns the language of flowers and then later uses it in floristry to develop a good business.

The main themes of the story seems to be the lack or abundance of love and emotion, and how it affects people's lives. The protagonist shows a need for love, and yet a hatred of others. We see why in the many flashbacks from her past.

There are claims that this author could be the next Joanne Harris (the author of Chocolat). This may be a little bit too much of a presumption as it needs a bit of work to get to that kind of standard. Joanne describes foods to the point of you salivating, therefore we as readers need to almost smell the roses, so to speak. Unfortunately the authors style is in need of a bit of a fine tune, and as previously stated, the ending needs a bit of work as it didn't quite flow with the rest of the book.

Maybe with a bit of work, Vanessa Diffenbaugh could be capable of some very poignant literary works. As for now, The Language of Flowers gets an 8 out of 10.



For the Wikipedia page on the language of flowers, click this. For flowers and their meanings, click this.

Blueeyedboy - Joanne Harris

Joanne Harris shows us her darker, more twisted side with this stunning novel about a murderous blue eyed boy and his life.

Completely online, the book shows us the posts of the protagonist; the fiction, open to the public, and the restricted posts, where his true nature comes alive. The online world becomes a sort of cocoon from the rest of the world for him; it allows him to have friends and a life away from his suffocating mother. The way the book is written means that the lines of fact and fiction blend together so well you don't know what's real in his story. Could the dark fiction really be a guise for the truth?

The story is full of twists to keep the reader interested, as well as the intriguing murder of an innocent blind girl. Family relationships take centre stage in this story, as we see an overbearing and violent single mother juxtaposed with what might have been a lovely family. But life is never that simple, and that family were not all that lovely, in the end.

Death, of course, features largely in the book. It exists rather a lot in the main characters fiction, in the place where he goes to do things he otherwise would not do. Mental health is also a subtext, as most of the characters seem more than a little unbalanced.

Joanne Harris writes in an almost flawless manner, giving her characters scarily realistic personalities and pushing those unwanted thoughts of ours to foreground. What if the boy next door was a murderer? What if what people write in their stories was actually an autobiography?

All I can say is that this has one heck of a finale. For anyone who has a slightly darker imagination, or anyone particularly interested in online writing and murderers, this one may be for you. For Joanne Harris readers, you may like to know that there are a couple of friendly places lurking among this story that may just please you.

10 out of 10 for a wonderfully compelling and gripping read.

(For a similar read, try Joanne Harris's Gentlemen and Players)

Holy Fools - Joanne Harris

My favourite author has yet again done a beautiful job of bringing to life something of both normality and pure emotion as well as something a little darker.

This time, the story is set around the flame haired nun, Juliette, and the Abbey she resides in. But there is so much more to this story than meets the eye.

Joanne Harris artfully involves a colourful background of theatre, circus and performance to the plot, rendering the Abbey only a stage for an old and beguiling friend, if you could call him that.

Culminating in a tense and powerful ending, and featuring scared nuns who talk of demons, ghosts and the involvement of the devil, the book grabs hold of you and dares you not to let go.

I could find few flaws in this book, and yet somehow I found it was quite easy for me to put down. I think this is due to a lack of empathy with the main character, as I am not a mother, and a large amount of time was given to the motherly emotions of the main character as her daughter is stolen from her.

However, as always, I implore you to read Joanne Harris. This may not be for the average reader, as it can be slightly difficult to get into this particular style of hers, but it is definitely worth a read. I give it an 8 out of 10.

The Book of Lost Things - John Connolly

Chosen by 'The Times Books Group', The Book of Lost Things is an absolute page turner. It has action, suspense, intrigue and a dash of dark fairy tales to sink your teeth into.This book is the most interesting read I have had for a little while now. I dare say it may have topped even Joanne Harris's 'Five Quarters of the Orange', which i particularly enjoyed. John Connolly may just be a genius.

Although many of the factors contributing to the book are from commonly known fairy tales such as Rumpelstiltskin and Snow White, there is a distinctly adult air about it. However, I do think that children will be able to read it and enjoy the book in much the same way that I did.

The plot was very well planned, and didn't go where I expected it to in the slightest. it has a little bit of gore, but nothing that could cause a child any nightmares as such. It does remind me of a certain Alice in Wonderland, where she meets several different characters throughout her journey, after losing the previous one.

The story is set in the second world war, but is mainly inside a world very different and yet strangely not so different, to ours. It is first and foremost, about a boys transition into a young man. It deals with themes such as the death of a loved one, jealousy, betrayal and guilt all in a very adult way. This element is very interesting, considering this is meant to be a children's book. I think that children may not be able to fully grasp these themes as adults do, but nevertheless will enjoy reading them.

Fairytale are the stories that I enjoyed most ad a child, and i can see myself reflected in the main character; their love of reading, their inwardness. I think what the author has done here is cleverly made it so we all can see ourselves in the main character, in both children and adults. After all, no-one is exempt from feelings of anger, sadness and jealousy, just as no-one hated fairy tales when they were younger.

I especially like the way that the fairytale have been integrated into the story. Some, for example, red riding hood, are told as stories to the protagonist, whilst others are characters he meets, like Snow White. It is interesting to note that all of these stories have been changed in some way to add to to main plot of the story. Sleeping Beauty has been drastically altered, and yet you still recognise exactly which fairytale the book refers to.

The book is also very helpful. Not only does it have the actual novel, it also includes a question and answer from the author and some very interesting notes on the fairy tales and myths that he chose to use, including the script of the actual stories to read. I don't think it could get any better.

Overall this is an enticing, if dark, story with everything you could ever want to read involved. I can't get over how good this book was, and I therefore think I shall give this one 10/10. A really good read.

Five Quarters of the Orange - Joanne Harris

Joanne Harris is one of my all time favourite authors. She wrote the beautiful, sensuous book that is 'Chocolat', and it's sequel, 'The Lollipop Shoes', which is equally as wonderful.

A lot of her books are set in France: Les Laveuses, Lansquenet sous Tannes, Les Salants. I find this very interesting as a lot of her books have something to do with food. From Chocolate to Wine and Oranges, Joanne Harris is exceedingly good at describing the food in such a way that the reader salivates at the thought and longs for the taste.

Not only does Harris write about food, she also has written some short stories as well as some psychological thrillers. I particularly enjoyed her first book, 'The Evil Seed', which is about a man who rescues a mysterious and strangely eerie woman from drowning, who then goes on to torment him throughout his life. I won't give away the ending though, just in case you want to read it.

I have recently finished 'Five Quarters of the Orange', a book about a widow named Framboise, who comes back to Les Laveuses, her childhood home, with a dark secret in tow.

The blurb reads:
Beyond the main street of Les Laveuses runs the Loire, smooth and brown as a sunning snake - but hiding a deadly undertow beneath it's moving surface. This is where Framboise, a secretive widow named after a raspberry liqueur, plies her culinary trade at the creperie - and lets her memory play strange games.#

Again, this book is a writing triumph for Harris, whose descriptions of places, food and people never fail to disappoint me. The story was slow to start, but after a couple of pages I was hooked. The beauty of her storytelling is as apparent here as it is in the highly acclaimed 'Chocolat'. There are twists and turns that even I, as an avid fan, did not guess at.

The end, although quick, was done quite neatly and answered all of my questions - something I like in everything that I read or watch. Her character development, too, is exquisite. It feels like I know all her characters intimately after I finish a book, which means a happy ending makes me happy, again, something i personally prefer.

Overall this is a perfect portrayal of a childhood in wartime France as well the workings of an old woman and her family history of betrayal. It is dark, perhaps the darkest out of her food trilogy ('Chocolat' and 'Blackberry Wine' being the other two), but I know it will never leave me, as with all her books so far.

The cover, Five Quarters of the Orange