lauraloves

Thank you Its still going well as I've now finished The Worlds Most Shocking Ghost Stories by Samie Larcene and I've started Casino Royale by Ian Fleming.

#38 - Stolen Child - Laura Elliot Started - 17/12/13 Finished - 19/12/13 Format - Paperback Book Synopsis - When Carla Kelly and Robert Gardner marry, they seem destined for happiness. But tragedy strikes when their two-day-old baby, Isobel, is stolen. When Carla Kelly and Robert Gardner marry, they seem destined for happiness. But tragedy strikes when their two-day-old baby, Isobel, is stolen. Distraught and bewildered, they must cope with the media frenzy that follows. As hope of finding her fades, their marriage disintegrates under the strain and they divorce. Robert moves to Australia and Carla, who had been a successful model, becomes reclusive and retreats into anonymity in order to escape the glare of publicity. Meanwhile, many miles away in a small town, Joy Dowling, miracle baby, is the adored only child of Susanne and David. Her mother is over protective and attempts to rear Joy in isolation, but as a wilful and headstrong child, Joy will not be held back and comes into conflict with her mother. Susanne Dowling has her reasons for wanting to keep Joy out of sight but some things can't stay hidden forever. As the years pass, hopes of finding Isobel fade, but Carla Kelly never gives up her search. Her love for her Stolen Child burns fiercely and soon, secrets long kept will be brought into the light. Stolen Child is a love story about two families who are torn apart by deception and the consequences of a reckless act that shaped their futures. My Thoughts - Every now and again a book comes along that really captures your mind and hooks you in and you never want to put it down. For me this was a book that did this I absolutely loved it. This book is about two very different families. Carla Kelly has it all. She is famous, is beautiful, has a loving husband and a lovely house and has a baby on the way. On the other side of the story there is Susanne. She is in a marriage where there is love but not for each other. She cannot carry a child full term and also carries the sadness of this. When Carla has her baby she is almost immediately stolen and this book tells the story of this. The story is told though short chapters of the various characters. I really like books that do this as you get the story from the different characters perspective. There is the story of what happened before the event, during and also the many years of fall out that happened because of one event. I liked the character of Carla and really felt so sorry for her. I loved her attitude of never give up no matter what. Joy Dowling was also a lovely character so lovable and she almost had the air about her that she was different. There were so many twists and turns to this book and I just could not put it down once I had picked it up. Everytime I thought I had guessed what was going to happen the story changed again and I couldnt guess what would happen next. It was written so well and I just could not put the book down. This was such a brilliant book and while I hadn't really heard of this author before I am definitely going to read more by her because even if they are only half as good as this one they will be brilliant. I cannot sing this books praises enough I really enjoyed it! Rating - 5/5

Wow what detailed book lists!

My mojo is really good at the minute it seems! I finished Stolen Child by Laura Elliot and I've started The Worlds Most Shocking Ghost Stories by Samie Larcene (which doesn't seem very shocking at the minute!)

Thank you for my Christmas card It had got hidden underneath my mums doormat and only came across it today Hope you have a great Christmas

Thank you I really hate writing not so nice things about a book but I do feel like I have to be honest sometimes!

Happy Birthday Frankie And great books aswell

#37 - Starstruck - Pat Tucker Started - 15/12/13 Finished - 17/12/13 Format - Kindle E-book Synopsis - Hollywood High is where child actors go to become stars. When sixteen-year-old fraternal twins, Bella and Zoey Alexander, arrive at the elite prep-school, during Hollywood’s famed Pilot season, the competition is almost immediate. However, a secret rival between the sisters threatens to destroy everything their mother has worked hard to achieve. For seventeen-year- old Raymond Landou Jr. and his father, Pilot Season 2012 is going to be their year, or will it? At the end of three months, dreams will be realized, hearts will be broken, and some families destroyed. But from the midst of devastation, a child star will rise. From author Pat Tucker comes the debut Young Adult series Starstuck Kids, about the drama-filled school where child actors learn to soar. My Thoughts - I downloaded this book back in 2012 when I first had my kindle as it was free and I thought that I would be the sort of book that I would be interested in. This book is about twins Bella and Zoey who go to Hollywood High 'to make it big' along with there over-controlling mother. Another character that is in this book is Raymond who goes to the school with his father. To me the plot of this book once I started reading it was very far fetched. Would a parent really take six months of there lives watching there teenage children sit through acting lessons constantly and would they constantly follow there children around a town or city? Also Bella and Zoeys mother constantly focused on Bella and almost forgot about Zoey. The reason behind this was explained in the book but I just didnt think a mother would do this. Now Raymond. His father comes with him to Hollywood High and its actually his father that lands a part in a major movie without even trying to. It just seems very far fetched to me. The actual formatting of this book wasnt very good either. It was full of spelling mistakes and the grammar wasn't in a way that I could really follow. All in all I didn't enjoy this book. Maybe a teenage girl would have done but it wasn't a book for me. Rating - 2/5

I've finished Starstruck by Pat Tucker and I've started Stolen Child by Laura Elliot.

I agree with everything you said. It seems that the people that lived in this cult were lovely people spoiled by a few that thought they could brainwash others into doing really nasty things. And yes you are right, the main ringleader was he former husbands son, which probably made it all the more difficult for her. I am so pleased that I picked up this book and read it as it really made me think how brave she was to stand up and speak her mind.

Thank you Its very sad to think that things like this could happen again

#36 - The Witness Wore Red by Rebecca Musser Started - 7/12/13 Finished - 15/12/13 Format - Hardback Book Synopsis - Rebecca Musser grew up tightly wound in fear, concealing her family's polygamous lifestyle from the 'dangerous' outside world. Covered neck-to-calf in strict, modest clothing, she received a rigorous education at Alta Academy, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints' school headed by Warren Jeffs. Always seeking to be an obedient Priesthood girl, she was forced in her teens to become the nineteenth wife of her people's prophet: 85-year-old Rulon Jeffs, Warren's father. Finally sickened by the abuse she suffered and saw around her, she pulled off a daring escape and sought to build a new life and family. The church, however, had a way of pulling her back in - and by 2007, Rebecca had no choice but to take the witness stand against the new prophet of the FLDS in order to protect her little sisters and other young girls from being forced to marry at shockingly young ages. The following year, Rebecca and the rest of the world watched as a team of Texas Rangers raided the Yearning for Zion Ranch, a stronghold of the FLDS. More than 400 children were taken into protective custody, causing a national uproar. Rebecca's help in the trenches led to more authentic understanding of her people, although her subsequent testimony would reveal the horrific secrets taking place behind closed doors of the temple, sending their leaders to prison for years and Warren Jeffs himself for life. THE WITNESS WORE RED is a gripping account of one woman's struggle to escape the perverse embrace of religious fanaticism and sexual slavery and a courageous story of hope and transformation. My Thoughts - My boyfriend brought this book for me when he heard it on the radio and thought that it would be the sort of book that I would be interested in. This book is written by Rebecca Musser and it tells her story growing up in a Polygamous Cult in America during the 1980's and 1990s. She grew up with a lot of brothers and sisters (he father had three wives) and they were part of the FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) She remembers that her early life was going to school and worshiping the prophet. When she reached the age of 18 she was married off to the 80 year old leader of the cult much to her objection. When he husband dies she is accused of having an affair with another man (which is forbidden) and ends up escaping the cult. This book is the story of her struggles to come to terms with life on the outside and what happens when she ends up taking on the cults leaders. When I started to read this book I struggled with the fact that while this actually happened during the 1990s it sounded like it happened during the 15th Century or something. The treatment that Rebecca went through during her life was absolutely horrible and how one person could go through all that and come out the end a strong person is beyond me. This book is truly shocking and it is almost to hard to belive that these events happened. But still a very good book by a person that is very strong and inspiring. Rating - 5/5

I finished The Witness Wore Red by Rebecca Musser and I've started Starstruck by Pat Tucker.

Eeek! I love reading everyones book lists at this time of the year. I must get mine planned out for the next year

The Lone Ranger - A really good film and funny in places

I must have downloaded the same version as you as this was the first book I read on my kindle. I really enjoyed it too

Great review of World War Z. I have this on my kindle and really need to read it

Thank you I'm definitely going to get more in the series Oooh do add it I thought it was really good The doctor one was very good. Very much worth a read

#35 - Confessions of a GP - Dr Benjamin Daniels Finished - 8/12/13 Format - iBook Synopsis - Benjamin Daniels is angry. He is frustrated, confused, baffled and, quite frequently, very funny. He is also a GP. These are his confessions. A woman troubled by pornographic dreams about Tom Jones. An 80-year-old man who can't remember why he's come to see the doctor. A woman with a common cold demanding (but not receiving) antibiotics. A man with a sore knee. A young woman who has been trying to conceive for a while but now finds herself pregnant and isn't sure she wants to go through with it. A 7-year-old boy with 'tummy aches' that don't really exist. These are his patients. Confessions of a GP is a witty insight into the life of a family doctor. Funny and moving in equal measure it will change the way you look at your GP next time you pop in with the sniffles. My Thoughts - I downloaded this book onto my iPad a little while ago as the Confessions Series really interests me. This is a book that is written by a real GP and tells the story of his many years in Practice. Obviously many names have been changed because of client confidentiality by the story is very good. This book is split into lots of chapters each telling a different story. Some are about general medical conditions and others about particular patients. A lot of the time its the author giving his opinion on various things like government targets and smoking rules. Although there were some funny parts to this book like sniffles and the reasons behind why patients have injuries and things like that there were also some serious issues in this book like death and the sudden aspect of it and the authors own fears for his pregnant wife and baby. What is particully striking about this book is that GPs are very overstretched the service they provide and what they mean to people is great. For example for many elderly people seeing the GP might be the only time they get out of the house and manage to speak to people. This was a brilliant book and one that I could dip in and out of. Other books in the Confession Series Confessions of a Police Constable Confessions of a Showbiz Reporter Confessions of a Male Nurse Further Confessions of a GP Confessions of an Undercover Cop Confessions of a New York Taxi Driver I will definitely be reading more in this series. Rating - 4/5

#34 - The Queen Bee of Bridgeton - Leslie DuBois Started - 4/12/13 Finished - 7/12/13 Format - Kindle e-book Synopsis - When fifteen-year-old Sonya Garrison is accepted into the prestigious Bridgeton Academy, she soon discovers that rich girls are just as dangerous as the thugs in her home of Venton Heights. Maybe more so. After catching the eye of the star, white basketball player and unwittingly becoming the most popular girl in school, she earns the hatred of the three most ruthless and vindictive girls at Bridgeton. Can she defeat the reigning high school royalty? Or will they succeed in ruining her lifelong dream of becoming a world class dancer? My Thoughts - I downloaded this book back in 2012 as I used to really be into ballet and this sounded like the sort of book that I would be interested in. This book is about Sonya who is fifteen who attends Bridgeton Academy and specializes in Ballet Dancing. She lives on the rough Venton Heights which is a housing estate riddled with gangs, shootings and murders. She cleans her local ballet studio in return for ballet lessons as her dream is to get into professional ballet dancing in Italy. She lives with her sister Sasha who really doesnt want to world to know how poor they really are or where they live. Sonya starts to get it all, good grades in school, a best friend in her sister, is a brilliant ballet dancer and discovers boys for the first time. However as quickly as all this came along it can all go away again. I did enjoy this book I read it over a couple of days and thought that it would be brilliant for teenage reading. It dealt with the issue of racism really well and I thought this was a big plus to the book. I did find the end with Sasha slightly unbelievable but that is probably because I am older than the target market. Overall a good book and perfect for teenage reading. There is a follow up book to this and if I see it about I'll probably read it. Rating = 3/5

Thank you Can't wait to start on the second book now! Thank you. I'm having another day that I'm feeling better so thats another good thing Thank you I have all mine in my living room shelves so they look at me a lot at the minute

Well I had rather a busy reading day yesterday. I finished The Queen Bee of Bridgeton by Leslie DuBois and I started The Witness Wore Red by Rebecca Musser. Then when I went to bed I couldn't sleep so I finished Confession of a GP by Dr Benjamin Daniels.

#33 - City of Bones - Cassandra Clare Started - 24/11/13 Finished - 4/12/13 Format - Paperback Book Synopsis - Sixteen-year-old Clary Fray is an ordinary teenager, who likes hanging out in Brooklyn with her friends. But everything changes the night she witnesses a murder, committed by a group of teens armed with medieval weaponry. The murderous group are Shadowhunters, secret warriors dedicated to driving demons out of this dimension and back into their own. Drawn inexorably into a terrifying world, Clary slowly begins to learn the truth about her family - and the battle for the fate of the world. My Thoughts - I got given the whole Mortal Instruments Series for my birthday back in March this year but I have only just got around to reading it and I wish that I hadnt waited to read it. This book is about Clary, a normal girl that lives with her mother since her father died before she was born. When she visits a club with her best friend Simon and sees a group of people trying to kill another its the first of many strange events. Its even stranger as she can see them when others around her cannot. She has an argument with her mother and ends up on her own and this is where her eyes are opened to a whole new world. I have to say I really enjoyed this book. I was hooked within about 20 pages and couldnt put it down. I really got into the world of Shadowhunters and warlocks and demons and good and evil. Its a fantastically created world by Cassandra Clare and I cannot wait to read more. The best thing about this book in my opinion was the character of Jace. He is one of the Shadowhunters at the Institute and he is really the first person that Clary comes into contact with in this new to her world. There is something else about Jace that Clary cant quite put her finger on with Jace and its not until the end that it is revealed. Also Simon is another person that is interesting in the book. He is 100% in love with Clary but she cannot see it. I have a feeling that this will be brought up more in the following books. I cant wait to read the next book in the series I am going to leave it a little while before I do just to draw it out! A fantastic read!!! Rating - 5/5 I loved it!!!

Thank you I am feeling a little better lately so hopefully whatever is causing my legs to hurt so much is finally going away

Hehe, its a hard job but someone has to do it He did almost fall over in shock when I gave him the list hehe In other book news I finished City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (which I loved!) and have started The Queen Bee of Bridgeton by Leslie DuBois. I also downloaded Its All About Treo: Life and War with the World's Bravest Dog by Dave Heyhoe yesterday.