LauraLoves Reads 2011

[lauraloves]

10 Reasons Not to Fall in Love - Linda Green

 

 

Synopsis - Jo Gilroy is done with love. And who can blame her, after her partner Richard walked out on her on their son's first birthday? Richard, unfortunately also Jo's boss at TV news station Spotlight North West, is now happily esconsed with the station's stick-thin weather girl. And what's more, he's demoted Jo, an award-winning news reporter, to covering the fluffy 'And finally' stories at the end of the news. Can the humiliation get any worse? But then Jo meets Dan, a mysterious balloon sculptor, whose creations enchant her son Alfie. Jo is determined not to lose her heart again - but she may have just met her match...

 

My thoughts - I was really looking forward to reading this book because it sounded really quite good, but unfortunatly it didnt stand out from the crowd very well. Don't get me wrong, it was enjoyable, but it was nothing spectacular. I did enjoy the contrast between the chick lit side, with the more harrowing side to the story, I like it when a story is told from both sides.

 

This is a good book if you like your chick lit stories, unfortunatly for me I think I'm a little bit Chick-lit'tted out at the minute, maybe I would have enjoyed it more if I was liking the genre.

 

Rating - 3/5

[frankie]

Confessiobs of a Shopaholic - Sophie Kinsella

 

 

 

 

My Thoughts - I have had this on my shelf for a while, and have had it recommended for me quite a few times. I really really love this book, and I wish I had read it sooner.

 

Yay for finding a new series you like! There are quite a few books to the series so you'll be busy for a while. I've read all of them except for the latest, Minishopaholic, and I enjoyed all of them except for Shopaholic and Sister which in my opinion was a little off and whack.

 

I forget, have you read any other books by Sophie Kinsella? Twenties Girl was superb, I fully recommend it

[lauraloves]

Yay for finding a new series you like! There are quite a few books to the series so you'll be busy for a while. I've read all of them except for the latest, Minishopaholic, and I enjoyed all of them except for Shopaholic and Sister which in my opinion was a little off and whack.

 

I forget, have you read any other books by Sophie Kinsella? Twenties Girl was superb, I fully recommend it

 

I'm so pleased that I've found a good series, I'm hoping that the books are just as good as the series goes on.

 

I read Remember Me this year too, but I didnt enjoy that as much. I've heard good things about Twenties Girl, will have to add it to my wishlist!

[frankie]

I've decided what I want for Christmas . . . A KINDLE!!!! I've been dropping some not so subtle hints to my boyfriend, but I'm thinking that it might be a bit late for him to get me one now.

 

But I've decided that I might aswell jump on the Kindle wagon, as so many people seem to love theirs. I had a bit of a play on one in a shop the other day and I really thought it was quite easy to navigate, but we shall see if I manage to get one.

 

Fingers crossed I get one

 

The not so subtle hints worked I'm very delighted for you! And you thought it might be too late for him to get you one, well I'm pleased you were wrong! Happy playing with your Kindle

 

I'm so pleased that I've found a good series, I'm hoping that the books are just as good as the series goes on.

 

I read Remember Me this year too, but I didnt enjoy that as much. I've heard good things about Twenties Girl, will have to add it to my wishlist!

 

I had to google Remember Me, because I didn't remember Her, or well, the book. I suppose I didn't like it that much either because I had no idea what it might be about and that I've actually read it. So don't go by that. Some people on here really enjoyed Undomestic Goddess but I found it to be Kinsella's weakest novel. Can You Keep a Secret was enjoyable, but Twenties Girl is definitely my favorite, it's even better than the Shopaholic series IMO. I'm looking forward to seeing how you progress with the series and whether you read any more of the stand alones

 

Happy reading in 2012!

[lauraloves]

The not so subtle hints worked I'm very delighted for you! And you thought it might be too late for him to get you one, well I'm pleased you were wrong! Happy playing with your Kindle

 

 

 

I had to google Remember Me, because I didn't remember Her, or well, the book. I suppose I didn't like it that much either because I had no idea what it might be about and that I've actually read it. So don't go by that. Some people on here really enjoyed Undomestic Goddess but I found it to be Kinsella's weakest novel. Can You Keep a Secret was enjoyable, but Twenties Girl is definitely my favorite, it's even better than the Shopaholic series IMO. I'm looking forward to seeing how you progress with the series and whether you read any more of the stand alones

 

Happy reading in 2012!

 

I'm so pleased he took up the hint, I did think that it might be a bit too expensive for him to buy me, but he has, along with a lovely pink case! I've downloaded a few of the free books, and today I'm going to have a little look at the paid books, but I need to be a bit restrained!

 

I may have Undomestic Goddess on my shelf I think, or on my wishlist, its on one of the two anyway. I will have to look at getting Twenties Girl I looked at the synopsis and it sounds really good! I have the second in the Shopaholic series somewhere too so I'm going to try and dig that out in the next couple of days.

 

Happy reading in 2012 to you aswell, hope you have a good year too

[lauraloves]

I've been having a bit of a play on the Kindle store and have downloaded the following books.

• Broadmoor Revealed – Mark Stevens
  
• Dracula – Bram Stoker
  
• The Girl Who Couldnt Say No – Tracy Engelbrecht
  
• The Glass Wall ( #1 The Glass Wall) – Carmen Caine
  
• Frozen in Time – Ali Sparkes
  
• Hollowland (The Hollows #1) – Amanda Hocking
  
• The Golden Acorn – Catherine Cooper
  
• The Illad – Homer
  
• The Jungle Book – Rudyard Kipling
  
• A Tale of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
  
• Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
  
• Little Woman – Louisa May Alcott
  
• Grimms Fairy Stories – Brothers Grimm
  
• Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
  
• Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
  
• The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  

[lauraloves]

Thanks For The Memories - Cecelia Ahern

 

 

Synopsis - Lose yourself in the magical new novel from Cecelia Ahern - the No.1 bestselling author of PS, I Love You How can you know someone you've never met? Joyce Conway remembers things she shouldn't. She knows about tiny cobbled streets in Paris, which she has never visited. And every night she dreams about an unknown little girl with blonde hair. When she leaves hospital after a terrible accident, with her life and her marriage in pieces, Joyce moves back in with her elderly father. All the while, a strong sense of deja vu is overwhelming her and she can't figure out why! Justin Hitchcock is divorced, lonely and restless. He arrives in Dublin to give a lecture on art and meets attractive doctor Sarah, who persuades him to donate blood. It's the first thing to come straight from his heart in a long time. When Justin receives a basket of muffins with a note simply saying thank you,he is sure someone is playing a trick on him. But then a series of gifts begin to arrive. Intrigued and disturbed, Justin is determined to find out who is sending them. What he discovers will change his life forever.

 

My Thoughts - I am a huge fan of Cecelia Aherns books I find they never fail to disapoint and are always a good read. This book centres on Joyce, who through loosing a baby has to have a blood transfusion. In another part of Ireland, a lecturer gives blood in the hope of impressing a female doctor. Following on from that strange things keep on happening. I wont go into what happens as I don't want to spoil it for anyone that wants to read it in the future.

 

I thought thia book had a fantastic plot to it, it was a lovely story with an element of magic or something not all that normal thrown into it. A little bit like If You Could See Me Know. It makes a nice change to read something that has that sort of twist to it. Another thing that I liked was the story was told by the two main characters, Joyce and Justin, I always think its nice to get different perspectives within a book .

 

Cecelia Ahern has a beautiful way of writing and is fast becoming one of my favourite authors. Although this book wasnt on the same level as PS I Love You or Where Rainbows End, it was still a fantastic storyline that I kept delving into. A really good book, highly recommended to anyone that hasnt yet read it.

 

Rating - 4/5

[lauraloves]

Me And Mr Darcy - Alexandra Potter

 

 

Synopsis - He's every woman's fantasy.

 

After a string of nightmare relationships, Emily Albright has decided she's had it with modern-day men. Shed rather pour herself a glass of wine, curl up with Pride and Prejudice and step into a time where men were dashing, devoted and honourable, strode across fields in breeches, their damp shirts clinging to their chests...

 

So when her best friend invites her to Mexico for a week of margaritas and men, Emily decides to book a guided tour of Jane Austen country instead.

 

She quickly realises she wont find her dream man here. The coach tour is full of pensioners, apart from one Mr Spike Hargreaves, a foul-tempered journalist sent to write a piece on why Mr Darcy's been voted the man most women would love to date

 

Until she walks into a room and finds herself face-to-face with Darcy himself. And every woman's fantasy suddenly becomes one woman's reality. . .

 

My Thoughts - Well the first thing I must say is I havent yet read Pride and Prejudice, on which this novel is based. It is one my list of books to read one day, but I havent got around to it yet. However I am of course familar with who Mr Darcy is. Shameful confession over with, now time to get on with the thoughts.

 

The main character in the book, Emily, is a huge bookworm and Austen fan. Now, most bookworms that I know love reading books about bookworms. Even more exciting, she is the manager of a bookstore in New York. She decides to take a trip over to England, on a Jane Austen tour, and that is where her fun begins. I wont go into what happens as I don't want to spoil it, but I do think sometimes fantasies should sometimes be kept in your head.

 

This book would be good for any Austen fan, as through fiction, it describes various places in her life that were important to her. This was fascinating to me, and it had definitaly made me want to read Pride and Prejudice.

 

This is the second Alexandra Potter book I have read this year, I read Be Careful What You Wish For, and like that story it has a kind of magical element to it. I am so pleased that I picked up this book as it made a welcome change to the normal predictable chick lit.

 

A lovely book to curl up and read, especially good for any Austen fan.

 

Rating - 4/5

[lauraloves]

Broadmoor Revealed: Victorian Crime and the Lunatic Asylum - Mark Stevens

 

 

Started - 25.12.11

Finished - 31.12.11

Format - Kindle

 

Synopsis - Broadmoor Revealed gives the reader a glimpse behind the walls of England’s first Criminal Lunatic Asylum.

 

Focused on the Victorian period, the book tells the stories of some of the hospital’s best-known patients. There is Edward Oxford, who shot at Queen Victoria, and Richard Dadd, the brilliant artist and murderer of his father. There is also William Chester Minor, the surgeon from America who killed a stranger in London, and then played a key part in creating the world's finest dictionary. Finally, there is Christiana Edmunds, ‘The Chocolate Cream Poisoner’ and frustrated lover.

 

To these four tales are added new ones, previously unknown. There were five women who went on to become mothers in Broadmoor, giving birth to life when three of them had previously taken it. Then there were the numerous escapes, actual and attempted, as the first doctors tried to assert control over their residents.

 

These are stories from the edge of where true crime meets mental illness. Broadmoor Revealed recounts what life was like for the criminally insane, over one hundred years ago.

 

My Thoughts - This was the first book that I read on my Kindle. This book was really insightful into what life was like within the victorian prison system. I did think that it was slightly shocking sometimes into what people in that time went to prison for, and sometimes sentanced to death for, for example stealing a coat or simular things like that.

 

This book covered various topics like the most well known broadmoor inmates, both male and female, broadmoor babies, security, escapes, what life was actually like within the prison. It also focused on a few key people that lived within the prison and it was fasinating to read about what they had done to land themselves in prison and how they lived while in the prison too.

 

I havent read all that much non fiction before but this was really good and interesting and the best part was it was actually a kindle freebie. This is really recommended.

 

Rating - 4/5