Star

I've made a start on the hunger games. thought it was about time. what with the first film coming out this week.

sorry I did try to do the spoiler tag but since the site has changed I haven't been able to work it out. I followed the instructions but no luck. I managed it in the past so not sure what went wrong. its been aired now so keep up he he ;-) x

looks like they might have to as of next week ;-) loads of zombies like the first series next week. can't wait but last episode. roll on season 3. told u it was going to be big!!! there is NO eye candy now!!!

Great thanks for that very helpful. I will check that out. OMG really she's been around for that long?? I'm shocked. I didn't realise

Thanks Chalie. You were right about it I cannot wait for JoJo to write more. For a debut novel aswell I honestly don't think I have EVER read a book as good as that. It really moved me. If I thought I had read one then this has topped it because I can't even remember it lol. It will take some beating thats for sure. Any recommendations on anything similar? I tend to like the sad books, I like to feel moved. I loved Will in the end. The bit about the mushed up carrots in his food as she was feeding him really made me laugh. Oh and when he bought her those tights for her b'day made me cry. Will read this again without a doubt

I have One Child on my list too. Sounds a very moving book.

Might sound a bit depressing but I like books that don't always have a happy ending. I like to feel moved after and not be able to stop thinking about it. (Tends to be the sad ones for me) Any suggestions on some good ones please? For example on my wish list is ....... Mums List by St John Greene (about a dying mother leaving a list of things for her husband to teach their 2 boys to do and become as they grow up) Thanks x

It’s getting fab reviews at the moment and people are saying it will be book of the year. I think it will be hard to top this. From the cover - Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. What Lou doesn't know is she's about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane. Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he's going to put a stop to that. What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other for all time. My review – Will Traynor is in his early thirties loves life and lives it to the full. He enjoys travelling, being a powerful businessman, sports, sex and much more. That is until he is involved in a motorcycle accident that leaves him paralysed pretty much from the neck down. Will doesn’t enjoy life anymore. He hates being restricted to a wheelchair, being spoon fed like a baby, having decisions made for him, being bathed, having to rely on others to change his tubes, being in constant pain and on medication for the rest of his life and knowing that he won’t get any better. His independence has gone. He doesn’t have his own place anymore and has had to move back in with his parents. He wants to end his life by going to Dignitas in Switzerland. His mother hires a carer named Louisa Clark to look after him on a 6 month contract to try and change his mind and show him that he can still live a happy life. Lou is such a warming caring character who I really felt I connected with. We see her change from this unambitious person who couldn’t think of anything worse than wiping a person’s bottom to this outgoing courageous young lady. I didn’t like Will at the beginning. He was so grumpy and sarcastic that he made me angry but as the book goes on and the bond between Lou and Will grows he changes too. I started to like him and found him funny and witty. The writing is fantastic, the characters are believable and it makes you think about the every day things we take for granted. Jo Jo Moyes has done her homework here and researched it well. It is such a believable plot. It’s an incredibly moving book that will make you feel grateful for what you have. I will recommend everyone to read it. It’s much, much more than a love story. Don’t be put off by the girly cover. I couldn’t put it down. I loved every single page of it. It made me laugh out loud and made me cry too. I don’t think I will read a book that will even come close this year. It will stay with me for a long time, maybe even for life. Truly a beautiful read that everyone must put on their wishlist this year!!!!!!!!

OMG you will not believe what is going to happen in episode 12 guys (which I believe is this week) BIG TWIST !!!!!!!!! and another death OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!! It's going to be a good one. I love this programme!!!!

Review: Title Lovers and Liars Author Nina Bell Sypnosis (from back of book): A passionate love affair. A happy young family. And a successful 30-year marriage. But which one will be destroyed by the truth? Sophie and her sister, Jess, grow up knowing that a few little lies are necessary: You look great. It was only a joke. He's just stressed. It doesn't matter. Everything's fine. Everybody does it, don't they? But what about the big lies - about love, power and money? When Sophie discovers her father's secret, and Jess falls in love with the charismatic Jake, Sophie has to look at her own life again. Should she keep quiet or tear her family apart with the truth? And if she tells, who will pay the ultimate price? My Review This is a story about domestic abuse. When I hear of domestic abuse I automatically think of physical abuse but that isn’t always the case as this novel clearly points out. Bill and Paige have been married for 30 years and have 2 grown up daughters, Sophie and Jess. Bill is a builder and an extremely good businessman. They live a very wealthy lifestyle thanks to his hard work (which he doesn’t let them forget). He is money orientated and is always watching the pennies and controlling what Paige can and can’t spend the money on. He doesn’t like her socialising, working, having hobbies and doesn’t treat her nicely. He treats Jess his youngest daughter badly and makes nasty comments to her. He is a very manipulative man who likes a lot to drink and doesn’t have any respect for women at all. Each chapter is a different character which can be hard to follow. I found it a little slow to get into at first but it soon got juicy and it was easy to see that Bill was a bully and Paige should leave him or stand up for herself. I was screaming out loud whilst reading this because Bell has done a wonderful job of creating the characters. Bill was awful to read about. He would play mind games with his family and treat Paige awfully. He would be nice as pie to other people and everyone in the community loved him and didn’t believe Paige. They thought she was out to get his money because he made people believe that and twisted things around. Even Sophie his eldest daughter didn’t believe Paige. It was only Jess who believed her because she had been on the receiving end all her life. It is obvious that Bell has done her research with this. It really does make you think about domestic abuse in a different way. I enjoyed Bells previous novel ‘Sisters in Law’ but I think the plot in this one is far better. Bell writes about family situations and relationships. Her style of writing is easy to read. Don’t let the cover put you off. What lies inside is far better than you may think. Give it a go!! My Rating 4*

Review: Title Pictures of Lily Author Paige Toon Sypnosis (from back of book): 'Will you marry me?' I think of you, then. I think of you every day. But usually in the quietest part of the morning, or the darkest part of the night. Not when my boyfriend of two years has just proposed. I look up at Richard with his hopeful eyes. 'Lily?' he prompts. It's been ten years, but it feels like only yesterday that you left. How can I say yes to Richard with all my heart when most of it has always belonged to you? I take a deep breath and will myself to speak...Ten years ago when Lily was just sixteen, she fell in love with someone she really shouldn't have fallen in love with. Now, living in Sydney and engaged to another man, she can't forget the one that got away. Then her past comes back to haunt her, and she has to make a decision that will break her heart - and the heart of at least one of the men who love her. My Review Lily is very reluctantly made to move to Australia at the age of 15 because her mom has met a new guy on the internet. She gets on well with Michael her moms new boyfriend and when he offers to take her with him to work at the local conservation park she doesn’t hesitate as she’s always loved animals. It’s here she meets Ben. He takes her under his wing at the park and they start spending a lot of time together in and outside work. Lily’s feelings for Ben deepen and she soon realises she is in love with him but she later discovers that Ben is getting married and is leaving for the UK to be with his fiancé. He loves Lily though doesn’t he? She hasn’t imagined it has she? Even though his 12 years older than her they can make it work can’t they? He could wait until she’s 18 couldn’t he? 10 years later and Lily is engaged to her boyfriend Richard yet she still thinks of Ben every day and the way he broke her heart. Then one day their paths cross again. But who will she pick? This is the first Paige Toon book I’ve read and I absolutely loved it. She is MY kind of author. I love all that mushy lovey romantic stuff. Toon knows how to write romance. I was tingling all over (I got this with Nicholas Sparks and Twilight) I felt like I knew the characters inside out and was longing for Lily to pick Ben. He was so nice and they should have been together from the start. You forget about the age difference. The first half of the book is 10 years ago and it’s nice reading about the kangaroos and koalas etc. and then it jumps to the present. It takes a while to get into again at this point as you adjust to Lily and her new friends and boyfriend etc. but then Ben appears again :-) You don’t find out who she picks right until the last 5 pages or so. I was sat on my seat screaming with frustration. I cannot wait to read more of her novels. I just wish life was like all these mushy love stories. It really made me want to pack it all in and escape to Australia to the sunshine and have my very own love story. (I can dream can’t I) My Rating 5*

One Perfect Summer by Paige Toon --- 10 May 2012 Do Me No Harm by Julie Corbin --- 7 Jun 2012

funny you should mention Jill Mansell I stumbled across her earlier & think I might try 'to the moon & back'. which is your favourite novel of hers? will check out the other recommendations too. x

Thanks for the replies guys. I'll check them out. I just stumbled across John Green and he sounds good although classed as YA but think I'll give him a try. Any others? x

I love Nicholas Sparkes and thats the kind of author I'm after but need some ideas. I've recently discovered Paige Toon and I'm about to try her Pictures of Lily which sounds just up my street not read any of hers previously. Any ideas please bearing in mind I love romance and all that mush. Thanks

I'm sorry to hear about your mom. Hope she makes a speedy recovery and is back to her old self soon. What a wonderful idea you have thought of. I cannot think of any short stories though. Maybe any book by Roald Dahl although not sure they are inspirational but are very popular childrens books. All the best xx