It's Monday What Are You Reading?

Hello all!

I've managed to read three books this week!

The first was The Light Between Oceans which is a
heart-wrenching story about a couple on an island who find a baby washed up on the shore in a boat, and decide to keep her, after experiencing three miscarriages of their own.

They know the father is gone, but they later find out the mother is still alive and mourns the loss of her daughter terribly. What they do, knowing this, is a difficult turn of events that makes you wonder, what would you do? 

The setting is an island off the coast of Western Australia, where the author describes the remote yet magical way of lighthouse living. The characters are engaging, and endearing, and we share their heartache as they explore the dark and  desperate feelings of  loss, guilt, and betrayal.

A superbly written story that you don't want to miss.

I also read a collection of stories by Cecelia Ahern called Every Year.

 Most of these stories, as with all Ahern's books, have a disenchanted protagonist who learns to look at the bright side of life after a wake-up call. There are some clever techniques in these stories, such as unexpected narrators, and ambiguous settings, which made me smile when I realised what was going on. This book is a very short read but some of the stories, especially Mallard and May, will leave a lasting impression. 

After reading this, I couldn't resist downloading the new Cecelia Ahern novel called One Hundred Names.

The premise of the book had me at hello, in that it is about a tarnished journalist, Kitty Logan, who tries to recreate her career by following an article idea left to her by her boss. There is a list of one hundred names of people and it is Kitty's job to find out who these people are, and how they are linked, to be able to produce just one incredible article about their lives.

While excited at first about the mystery behind the one hundred names, I felt a little disappointed by the way the story went along.  The characters seemed to be just a hodge podge thrown together, and while there was a link between them in the end, it just wasn't a wow kind of link. I missed the usual Cecelia Ahern magic that sweeps me away when reading her books. 

Linking up with Sheila now, over at Book Journey.

Have a great week of reading and other adventures!

xx

It's Monday, What Are You Reading?

Hello, my readerly friends!

I read another great Cecelia Ahern book this week, called The Gift. 

This is the story of Lou Suffern, a man who lives his life racing against the clock, always on time for appointments for his work, but never quite making the time to be with his family. His ambition absolutely consumes him, and he gives all he has, with the aim of achieving an upcoming promotion. 

Enter, Gabe, a homeless man, who speaks to Lou outside his building one day, actually slowing Lou down for a moment to consider the world around him. Gabe has seen things, and knows things, that could benefit Lou, so Lou gets him a job in the mailroom of the office building. 

Gabe is a fast mover, and impresses everyone with the way he can seemingly be in two places at once. 

Lou wants what Gabe has, but what happens when he gets it?

This, like many of Cecelia Ahern's other books, takes an unlikable protagonist, gives his values a good shake-up, and leaves us with an unpredictable ending. Magical, engaging and thought-provoking, this is a book that needs to be read by those who reach for the top, but leave everyone else behind them on the way. There are lessons to be learned here!

In other news, I'm still reading through my two big books, Foxmask and The Woman in White, but Foxmask has taken my interest more at the moment. I haven't had a chance to start Casual Vacancy yet, but it is on my bedside waiting patiently!

Hope you find some good reads this week! I'm coming to check out what you're up to at Book Journey:

xx