pages: 422     published: 2013

 Ruth lives on a remote island in Canada. One day, walking along the beach, she stumbles upon a plastic bag which she picks up, with the idea of throwing it in the bin when she gets home. But when she does get home, she realises that the contents of the bag may not be trash but treasure: a Hello Kitty lunch box containing a young Japanese girl's diary and old letters dating from WWII. We unravel the story of the young girl's diary alongside Ruth as she starts reading the diary and tries to decipher the old letters.

What a strange and peculiar book. I think I would have prefered if the story hadn't taken such a strange and mystical twist near the end. But other than that, an interesting storyline, that very well depicts and denounces the tough and sometimes unforgiving Japanese culture. I read quite a few negative reviews on this book, where people claimed that it was "not believable" for Nao (the young girl who wrote the diary) to have gone through such torments without alerting some kind of adult intervention. Unfortunately, and as crazy and unbelievable as it may sound, it is the case that a lot of violence and bullying happens in Japan, without adults intervening to put a stop to it. 

Pages: 352 Published: 2013

I really enjoyed this book. It's the story of Emily, a woman who is running from herself and everyone she knows, unable to cope with a traumatic event that has turned her life upside down. She wants to start over, to bury the past and forget. Needless to say that running away is never the answer.

***SPOILER ALERT*** If you want to read this book, don't read the rest of the review. ***SPOILER ALERT***

I was surprised to see that this book had quite a few negative reviews. A lot of the reviews did not appreciate the fact that the author led the reader into thinking that Charlie was Emily's son and not her dog. At first I wasn't sure why the author had decided to go with this deception. I didn't understand the point of it, it seemed counter-intuitive to create such a big misunderstanding. However, after giving it some thought, I find it quite clever. It goes to show that our minds are always interpreting what we see or read or hear. I never once questioned whether Charlie was a little boy. And yet, at the very end of the book, with one single sentence, the whole misunderstanding is cleared up and my vision became clear. I think there is a parallel here with the communication difficulties between Emily and her husband. I read other reviews complaining that if Emily and her husband had just communicated properly after their son's death, the whole book could have been avoided and they could have just kept on going with their lives. The "Charlie" misunderstanding underlines that it's not always that simple. Sometimes things seem absolutely crystal clear in people's mind and they are so convinced that they are correct, they don't even think to question it. I never questioned whether Charlie was Emily's son or not. Had I questioned it, yes, the misunderstanding might have easily been cleared up. Had Emily been less convinced of her guilt, of her husband blaming her for the death of her two children, maybe she would have tried to verbalise her fears. But she was convinced, so she reacted to what she truly believed to be the truth.

pages: 103    published: 1843

Who doesn't know this Christmas classic? Old Scrooge is a grumpy old man, who doesn't have the Christmas spirit. Until, one year, he is visited by the Ghost of Christmas past, the Ghost of Christmas present and the Ghost of Christmas to come. 

Although I've known this story since I was a child, I'd never actually read the original book by Charles Dickens. I'd had the story told to me as a child, I'd seen a movie version on TV, the usual. So when my 2016 "Year in 52 books" challenge prompted me to read a classic book with less than 200 pages, this seemed like a good choice. I enjoyed the read but I was overall a little bit disapointed. I guess I've already heard/seen so many variations of the story, that in the end, the original seemed a little bland, too easy, too short.

pages: 120   published: 2007

As she's walking her dogs, the Queen stumbles upon a mobile library. Feeling obliged to borrow a book, she does so, and quickly becomes engrossed by this new hobby. This does not go down too well with her entourage.

A short, easy read. Good idea for a plotline, but I was disapointed with how the author decided to go with this story. I wouldn't have gone in the same direction. Furthermore, despite it being a short book, I became bored quite quickly. Nothing much happens, except for the "big surprise" at the very end of the book (so much at the end of the book, that it's literally the last line of the book and that was a little disappointing too). This just felt like page after page of the Queen enjoying reading, and people disapproving, the Queen reading some more, and more people disapproving. Ok, got it. Didn't need 120 pages for it.

pages: 308    published: 2015

Charmaine and Stan live in a society that is seemingly struggling to get back on it's feet after some kind of economic crash. Jobs are scarce, life on the street is dangerous. Everyone dreams of a better life. When Charmaine sees an advertisement for a social experiment that promises a perfect life (a safe community, jobs for everyone), she convinces Stan that this is their best hope. The key to this social experiment? An alternate lifestyle, one month of freedom and happiness and one month of living in a prison cell...

I really enjoyed this book. For my 2016 "Year in 52 books" challenge, I had to read a book on the topic of a dystopia. I learnt that this term meant "a community or society that is undesirable or frightening". Funny that I didn't know this term, because I'm actually a HUGE fan of three books in particular that fall into this category: 1984, A brave New World, Animal Farm. These are three books that I think everyone should read. I'm adding "The heart goes last" to this list.

pages: 288     published: 2005

A snippet into the lives of five women and one man who decide to start a Jane Austen book club. Every month they read a different book by Jane Austen and meet to discuss. 

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I had read more Jane Austen books. As it was, I kind of skipped over the book club discussion parts, which were probably the more interesting bits. The rest of the storyline is simple. Good for a summer/holiday read.

pages: 96    published: 2010

No summary possible for this book. Just beautfiful drawings, with humorous notes on friendship.

Awesome!

pages: 288    published: 2002

Esperanza is the daughter of a wealthy mexican family of land owners. But a family tragedy forces her to cross the border into the United States of America in the middle of the Great Depression, looking for an escape. She has now fallen to the lowest rank on the social ladder, she will need to learn a new way of life.

This book is not so much about telling a story but more about bearing witness to the life lead by immigrants in the United States during the Great Depression. 

pages: 116   published: 2010

This is a classic. The title has always rung a bell but I actually had no idea what the story was about.

Frank is a drifter. After stopping for lunch in a road-side diner in California, he accepts to stay to work for the owner. It is a turning point in his life. Lust, love, murder, betrayal will follow. I can't really say much more without giving too much away. Don't look for an explanation in the title, there is no postman in the story.

A short book, but well written and a good plotline, with intrigue and unexpected twists.

pages: 352   published: 2007

Jo is in her fifties and her husband has left her for a younger woman, so she's left the family home and moved onto a barge for a change of life. Dora is in her twenties, and has practically left her fiance at the altar, she needs to get away from everyone she knows for a while, so she moves in with Dora. 

Total chicklit. Heartbroken women getting back on their feet. I like the ocasional chicklit for a holiday read, but I guess the feminist in me is starting to have a hard time with the terrible way women are treated in these books. Shouldn't chicklit strive to make women feel more confident about themselves and want to reach their full potential? I mean, ok, they are not books on feminism, so I shouldn't expect them to end on a woman being single and happy about it. It's going to end with her in a relationship. But couldn't these books at least provide the women with decent men? Jo used to fancy a guy when she was in her twenties, but she barely knew him because at the time she was already with her fiance. Now that she is divorced, 30-years later, she meets him again and suddenly she's in love... Um, excuse me but she doesn't know him. She barely knew him when she was 20, thirty years on he's bound to have changed a little, as she would have too, surely? Oh, and he's a serial dater, who only goes out with beautiful younger women but treats them like shit. Wouldn't that put you off any man? Not Jo (who, let me remind you has just been ditched by her husband for a younger women, so you'd think she'd have a problem with men dating younger women), because this guy is hot and he likes her, so yeah, why try and do better?

Head shake in despair!!