The New Leaf

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The Secret Scripture - Sebastian Barry

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December Bride - Sam Hanna Bell

Oddly difficult to get into at first, then oddly difficult to put down.

Recommended.

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Chocolat - Joanne Harris

Far, far better than the movie, could have been adapted far more accurately. I'm glad I saw the movie first though, because I wouldn't have been able to stomach the movie if I'd read the book first.

Recommended.

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Your Cheatin' Heart - Annie McCartney

Odd, entertaining, very easy read.

Recommended.

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The Zahir - Paulo Coelho

I'm a Coelho fan anyway, so I am biased, but I really enjoyed The Zahir.

Recommended.

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The Host - Stephanie Meyer

To be honest, I didn't know what to expect, but it was a very compelling read. Well worth a look.

Recommended.

el_tiddlero

Blush_01 wrote: »

The Host - Stephanie Meyer

To be honest, I didn't know what to expect, but it was a very compelling read. Well worth a look.

Recommended.

is that part of those Twilight books, or is it something else she wrote?

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It's something seperate. It's about a species of parasitic alien (called souls) who invade planets and what happens on earth to one particular "soul". It's pretty simple but it's very, very readable. It made me laugh and cry - in work, at lunchtime. A good read, in my book. (Sorry for the pun!)

Although her books are supposedly for the "young adult" market, I didn't find it particularly dumbed down in the way young adult fiction usually is.

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My Friend Leonard - James Frey.

Read Million Little Pieces first, but do read them both.

Recommended.

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Lady Oracle - Magaret Atwood

I'm a big Atwood fan, so needless to say I enjoyed this, however I think her later writing is better. Nonetheless, worth a read.

Recommended.

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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Steig Larsson.

Definitely recommended. Can't wait to read the sequel and for the third installment to be published!

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About Grace - Anthony Doerr

Easy to read, but it took me a little while to get into Doerr's novel. Very interesting as well as entertaining.

Recommended.

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Girl With A Pearl Earring - Tracey Chevalier

Very easy reading, interesting concept.

Recommended.

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Eve Green - Susan Fletcher.

At first I thought I disliked it, but as I kept reading it grew on me, and now I miss it. Pathetic, but a novel worth taking a look at.

Recommended.

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Leaf Storm - Gabriel Garcia Marques

I'm not sure I liked this novella. The concept was interesting, as was the idea that there's often a layer or two more to things than most people can see, but it lacked something for me.

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Middlesex - Jeffrey Euginedes

Fantastic story, wonderfully thought out, and written in quite a feminine style, which I didn't really expect.

Recommended.

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The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde.

Wonderful stuff. Lots of puns, which I adore, and a nice writing style.

Recommended.

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Lost in a Good Book - Jasper Fforde.

I think I'm becoming a fan.

Recommended.

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Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte.

Hardly surprising it's a classic.

Recommended.

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The Well of Lost Plots - Jasper Fforde

Thursday Next is back - and her work with Jurisfiction gives her a fantastic place to hide from the maddening changes in the real world which seem to be taking over her life.

Recommended.

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Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts

Bloody fantastic. I cannot recommend this book enough, if only for the amazing way it draws you in for total immersion.

Highly recommended.

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Sovereign - C J Sansom

Interesting but very predictable. If you're into Henry VIII then you might find it more interesting than I did. Not bad, but not great either.

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The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway

Simply told, but a wonderful story of an old sailor's struggle with the biggest fish he's ever encountered and his relationship with his quarry.

Recommended.

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Q & A - Vikas Swarup

Very enjoyable, a bit predictable but a lovely novel regardless.

Recommended.

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Confessions of a Fallen Angel - Ronan O'Brien

Wonderful story, perhaps not the best storyteller, but some lovely concepts. Definite belly-laugh phrases throughout.

Recommended.

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The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks.

Amazing imagination, some very sturdily creepy stuff.

Definitely recommended.

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Wormwood - G.P. Taylor

It lacked a certain something, and for a book that could have been great I was disappointed.

Not sure if I'd recommend it.

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The Poe Shadow - Matthew Pearl.

Oh dear, it was bloody difficult to read this book. I wouldn't put myself through it again in a fit. The fact it was recommended by Dan Brown should have tipped me off.

I'm sure someone will like it, just not me. Not sure if I'd recommend it. Ever.

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Theft: A Love Story - Peter Carey

Quite enjoyable, particularly the chapters narrated by Hugh, or "Slow Bones" as he is nicknamed. Fascinating in parts, I can't fathom how it took me so long to read it - should only have taken a day or two.

Recommended.

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The Private Lives of Pippa Lee - Rebecca Miller

A slightly predictable tale of a confused preacher's daughter who becomes eminently capable when she meets her husband, and the life she lead before she married him. Jumps back and forth a little, but not in an annoying or confusing manner.

I'd actually like to meet and talk with "Pippa", should she exist.

Recommended.

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This Charming Man - Marian Keyes

I've always been a fan of Marian Keyes' particular brand of chick lit escapism, and she does not fail to hit the mark with this offering. I laughed frequently, and loudly.

Recommended.