Connections – Sheila O’Flanagan

 

Synopsis – In this enchanting collection of warm, poignant and romantic interlinked short stories Sheila O’Flanagan transports her readers to the Caribbean island resort of White Sands, where visitors arrive hoping their dreams will come true – which they sometimes do.

In touching, poignant and delicious tales of life by the ocean, Sheila introduces some of the most likeable and interesting characters she’s created. There’s Tara, who’s arrived with the man she wants to marry only to find that a rejected lover is planning to get in the way; Grainne, who’s been sent with her husband by their children to celebrate their anniversary, and who thinks the time has come to move on. Rudy’s on an idyllic break with his young son which is set for an unexpected ending; and Isobel – of ISOBEL’S WEDDING – discovers her ex-lover Nico might be staying just next door. Romance is very much alive in the hot Caribbean nights…

My thoughts – This book is almost a collection of short stories about the various guests staying at the White Sands hotel. It’s quite simular to the film Love Actually with all the different caracters, however the caracters werent so interlinking as what they are in the film. It’s a chick lit book, with lots of romance. I did skip the part about isobel as it is a follow up book to Isobels wedding that is on my TBR pile and i didnt want to spoil it, so i will go back to the chapter once i have read the other book.
I thought that this book was a highly enjoyable read, once i had got into the book i couldn’t put it down. it is easy to get into and pick up when it is put down. i would highly recommend this book to anyone that hasn’t read this yet. I warmed to all the charaters, especially the ones that i didnt think i would. there were lots of twists and turns to the various stories that kept me guessing til the end of each chapter. i would love to read more about the charaters if their was any follow up books. I already have some books by this author on my TBR pile and i would love to read more as this book was so enjoyable.

Danielle Steel – Answered Prayers

synopsis – Faith Madison is the very picture of a sophisticated New Yorker. Slim, blonde, stylish, married to a successful merchant banker and having raised two daughters, Faith has a life many would envy. But Faith has overcome a childhood marred by tragedy, and has carried within herself a secret she could divulge to no-one. The sudden death of her stepfather sets off a journey of change and revelation. At the funeral, painful memories flood back – and an old friend re-enters Faith’s life. Brad, a long lanky boy from her childhood days who had teased, tormented and protected her. Now a busy lawyer in California, Brad re-enters Faith’s life just as she makes a decision that plunges her marriage into crisis. As these two childhood friends rediscover each other, Faith is finally ready to face the most painful step of all: of sharing a secret that has long been haunting her, and opening up her heart for the first time in her life.

my thoughts – this was the second Danielle Steel Book that i have read. I didnt enjoy this one as much as the last, but it was still fairly enjoyable. i thought for a thicker book, it had very little plot to it. It was an easy read, and once i got into it it was ok, but i just thought it was quite slow paced. The storyline was quite good, however i did find it slightly predictable. I enjoyed the book however it would not be one that i would read again. I would read more books by Danielle Steel if i came across them, not ones that i would specifically go out and buy.

Leap of Faith – Danielle Steel

Synopsis – A compelling story of the power of lies, the misuse of trust and one woman’s triumph over a devastating betrayal. Marie-Ange Hawkins has the kind of childhood that most people dream of – freedom, love and security in a beautiful old French chateau. But when she is just eleven, a tragic accident marks the end of this idyllic life. Orphaned and alone, she is sent to America to live with her great-aunt on a farm in Iowa, where she is forced to work while dreaming of returning to her beloved chateau. Only the friendship of a local boy, Billy Parker, offers comfort and hope. When an unexpected visitor brings some startling news, she returns to France and meets the chateau’s new owner, the Comte Bernard de Beauchamp – a dashing widower who invites her into his home and his heart. For a time they enjoy a magical life together, until Marie-Ange hears a shocking story, so chilling that she can scarcely believe it. Not even her dear friend Billy can help her now, As the darkness gathers around her she must find the courage to take one last, desperate step to save her loved ones… and herself.

My thoughts – This is a book about a girl called Marie-ange whose parents and brother die in a car crash, and she is sent away to live in a different country with a great aunt who doesnt like her very much. This is danielle steel’s fifty second novel, which in itself is a great achievement.

Once Marie-Ange gets to America she makes a friend in Billy, their relationship is a complex one and at times i felt myself wanting to bang their heads together and make them get together, indeed in the end of the book it is not clear if they will or not.

this was the first danielle steel book that i have read and will definitaly read more.

Crazy In Love Chrissie Manby

Synopsis – Golf resort heiress Birdie Sederburg’s life revolves around how visible she is on the latest celebrity watch blog. Until she (quite literally, in her Mercedes) bumps into hot new actor Dean Stevenson – after weeks of stalking. Dean’s agent manages to persuade him that being seen with Birdie is a good thing for his profile, and it’s just a short distance from that to engagement. At least in Birdie’s head. The course of true love, however, does not run smooth, and Birdie is forced to have herself kidnapped in order to convince Dean he really does love her. A recipe for disaster…

This is a Chick-lit book, very easy to read and a very easy plot to follow. It folows the character of Birdie who very much reminded me of a Paris Hilton type charater, who would go to any length to get the famous man of her dreams.

Birdie comes across at the start as  very materialistic, who only cares about money, social status and gossip columns. At the begining of the the book i couldn’t warm to her and wanted to slap her, but at the end i really ended up loving her.  She decides that her and Dean should be it ‘it’ celebrity couple, seen together at all the events together. Dean is the heartthrob of a soap opera, and in order to enhance his career, with the advice of his agent decides that he will use Birdie to do so. However, things turn sour and and Birdie decides that the only way to win him back is to get herself kidnapped.

I found the book funny at points, with some relivant mentionings, for example regular TV programmes and famous people. it was not a taxing read, very easy to get into and to stay into.

i would recommend this book to anyone who needed a light hearted read without having to concentrate to much. I have also added Getting Over Mr Right by the same author to my wishlist.

100 Years of Peter Pan.

I’ve just finished reading Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie and was surprised to find out that it was first published in 1911. I was well aware that it was a ‘classic’ but i wasn’t aware that it would be 100 years old next year (2011). It is an amazing story that has been made into films, magazines, childrens books and merchandise.

This was the cover of the book when it was published, however most young children would recognise Peter Pan in the Disney form

I am also aware of the 1991 film, Hook, which is the story of Peter returning to Neverland after he had grown up.  The character of Tinkerbell has also been adapted into its own brand, childrens dvd’s have recently been realesed showing her as a stand alone character.

hopefully next year their will be lots of fuss over the story of Peter Pan, as it is fully deserving.

The Rory Gilmore Challenge

Basically the Rory Gilmore Challenge is to read all the books mentioned by Rory Gilmore in the show Gilmore Girls. its a huge list over 200 books and i plan on reading them all, (eventually). i came across this challenge on  BCF (the Book Club Forum) and have since been going through the list and checking which ones i have read. The are as follows ;

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

The Da Vinci -Code by Dan Brown

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

as i’ve only read 8 of the books i’ve still got loads to go. I’m looking at this as a long term challenge, reading these books alongside my other books that i want to read.

Hellllooooo :D

Hello and welcome to my blog :D. I am so excited about having a blog, have finally got around to setting one up. Well the main thing to know about me is that i love love love to read books and write about them. i have almost 100 books on my shelf in my room to get through, yet for some reason I can’t stop buying more books! I have recently started the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge (which i’ll explain about later) so i’ll have lots more books to get through.

I’ll also be writing about authors that i like and more of their work that i would like to read. Once i have read one good book by an author i have a habit of buying every book by that particular author.

also i’ll be writing about anything interesting happening in my life

bye byes for now 😀