Title: Awake
Author: Natasha Preston
Genre: YA
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 336
Date read: March, 2016

Scarlett Garner doesn't remember anything before the age of four - until a car accident changes everything. She starts to remember pieces of a past that frighten her. A past her parents hid from her...and a secret that could get her killed.


I almost gave up on this book before I even started it, due to the surprisingly high number of 1-star reviews and DNF* shelvings on GoodReads. However, I'd requested an ARC from Netgalley, and figured I should at least give it a chance to make up my own mind.

I ended up being completely unable to put it down, and finished it in a day.

Mind you, I can still understand some of the things the other reviewers had problems with. The writing wasn't as tight as I could have hoped for, and there were obvious mistakes along the way (e.g. the main character was 16 when the book started and 15 when it ended...), but as it was an ARC, I could chalk that up to it being an uncorrected proof, and that these were issues that would (hopefully) be caught by an editor before actually being published.

But occasional sloppy writing aside, the plot just grabbed me from page 1 and wouldn't let me go. It had some awesome twists along the way, which left me gaping and I just had to know what happened next. The writing might have bothered me more in a less captivating book, but as it was, it diminished to just being something I noticed from time to time, but which didn't really pull me out of the book.

The quick romance didn't bother me. I've seen love at first sight happen too often to dismiss it as "unrealistic". It might not be the norm, but it's definitely not unheard of either.

So 5 stars for a gripping book I couldn't put down. Minus 1 star for the writing and slight plotholes near the end.

* Did-Not-Finish

Title: Only in Naples: Lessons in Food and Famiglia from My Italian Mother-in-Law
Author: Katherine Wilson
Genre: Memoir, Cultural
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 304
Date read: January, 2016

I love living vicariously through other people - especially on travels - so the minute I saw the description of "Only in Naples", I knew it would be right up my aisle. Katherine Wilson travels to Napoli - originally only for 6 months - and ends up falling in love with the city, the people, the mentality and the language... and when her future husband's family take her in as one of their own, she knew she was never going back.

The first few chapters were a bit slow-moving. I got slightly frustrated with Katherine at times, and wasn't sure where she was going with her memoir. As she became more familiar with the country and its customs the frustrations lessened though, and before long it came to the point that I smiled involuntarily just from picking up the book, because its charm had so completely captivated me that I felt like I knew these people, and were reading about friends of mine.

Originally I'd assumed it to be a travelogue, but it's more a story of an unexpecting ex-pat falling in love with a new country. As such, it didn't inspire my wanderlust, as much as it made me relive my own experiences abroad, and I therefore connected with the book on a different level than I had expected, and found it intensely relateable.

Highly recommendable.

Title: Memory House (Memory House Collection #1)
Author: Bette Lee Crosby
Genre: Chick-lit
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 178
Date read: November, 2015

Ophelia Browne has been granted the unique gift of finding and caring for forgotten memories. But now she's nearing ninety, and Browne women seldom live beyond ninety.

Before time runs out Ophelia must find a successor. Someone who can take hold of the gifts and keep the memories from fading.

When broken-hearted Annie Cross shows up on the doorstep of The Memory House Bed and Breakfast, Ophelia knows she is the one. The two women forge a bond of friendship as they sip magical dandelion tea and share stories. When Annie starts to sense the memories Ophelia is delighted, but then a thread of violence begins to unravel and Ophelia fears things have gone too far.


I was contacted by the publisher for an honest review.

Fair or not, experience has taught me to set my expectations low when I'm contacted for a review - especially when it's an author or a publisher I haven't heard of before - so I started this book with some reservations, which quickly turned out to be completely unfounded. I was very pleasantly surprised indeed by this book. Instead of the run-of-the-mill chick-lit/romance I'd expected, it's a charming tale of an unlikely friendship, and I ended up finishing it in just two sittings. It fit the bill perfectly when I was looking for some comfort reading yesterday morning.

I loved Ophelia and Annie, and really enjoyed reading about their growing friendship. They did get very close very fast - almost too fast for credibility perhaps - but it fit the story, so I could forgive that liberty. It did fit the pattern of there being areas of the story that were less polished than I could have wished for though (another example is Michael's actions - I didn't feel they were ever fully explained). It didn't detract from my overall enjoyment of the book - it just felt like it lacked the final editing to fully tighten up the writing.

I wish I hadn't read the author's note at the end though. Knowing that the memories were taken from some of Bette Lee Crosby's other books detracted from my enjoyment of it somehow. I preferred the memories to just stand on their own, with no real backstory. People who've read the other books may feel otherwise.

Title: De dunkle butikkers gade
Author: Patrick Modiano
Genre: Cultural
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 224
Date read: October, 2015

1965. Guy Roland er privatdetektiv på jagt efter svar. Femten år tidligere mistede han hukommelsen i en mystisk ulykke og blev givet en ny identitet. I takt med at han graver dybere og dybere ned i sin fortid, finder han ud af, at hans rigtige navn er Jimmy Pedro Stern. Han rejser fra Frankrig til Polynesien for at lede efter en barndomskammerat, men da han når frem, er vennen forsvundet, og Guy har kun en gammel adresse som eneste spor.


Jeg har meget svært ved at finde ud af hvordan jeg skal anmelde denne bog. Den er så fuldstændig ulig stort set alle andre bøger jeg nogensinde har læst, så det er ikke rigtig fair at bedømme den efter mine sædvanlige kriterier. Af samme grund har jeg valgt at give den 2.5 stjerner - en gennemsnitlig karakter til en gennemsnitlig bog. Den er absolut ikke dårligt skrevet, så mindre ville være urimeligt, men samtidig synes jeg heller ikke, at den er så fantastisk skrevet, at den fortjente nobelprisen i literatur.

Set ud fra et fuldstændig objektivt synspunkt kan jeg godt se at den er meget interessant skrevet, og benytter sig af skriveteknikker man ikke ofte ser - præcis fordi handlingen er så atypisk - men desværre virkede stilen ikke rigtig for mig, og jeg tvivler på, at jeg havde læst den færdig, hvis den ikke havde været så kort. Især fandt jeg det frustrerende at handlingsbeskrivelsen røbede de sidste sider af bogen og at historien nærmest bare stoppede spontant, uden at have nogen egentlig slutning.

Title: The Thing About Jellyfish
Author: Ali Benjamin
Genre: Childrens/YA
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 352
Date read: September, 2015

After her best friend dies in a drowning accident, Suzy is convinced that the true cause of the tragedy was a rare jellyfish sting. Retreating into a silent world of imagination, she crafts a plan to prove her theory--even if it means traveling the globe, alone. Suzy's achingly heartfelt journey explores life, death, the astonishing wonder of the universe...and the potential for love and hope right next door.


A quick read - I finished it in a day.

"The Thing About Jellyfish" is a sweet childrens/YA story that tackles a difficult subject - how do you cope with grief? Especially if your feelings about the deceased are conflicted.

I liked the way the story was interspersed with facts about jellyfish as well as flashbacks to Suzy's childhood and friendship with Franny. It worked well and gave us the background without resorting to telling rather than showing. I did think there were some things left unanswered or unexplored which pulled the end rating down to 3.5 stars, but as a whole, I enjoyed the book.

And it had was is possibly the best description of what ADHD is like - both with and without medication - that I've ever read. That was both very powerful and very poignant for a non-ADHD sufferer to read and gave me an understanding of it, that I hadn't had earlier.

Title: Rising Strong
Author: Brené Brown
Genre: Non-fiction
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 288
Date read: August, 2015


This is the first book I've ever read by Brené Brown, but I've already gotten hold of "Daring Greatly" as I definitely want to read more of what she has to say.

"Rising Strong" is all about getting back up again, after life has brought us to our knees (or face down in the arena). It's about realizing that the stories we tell ourselves aren't necessarily based on truth, but are usually based on fear and shame instead; and that we need to reckon (identify our feelings after a fall), rumble (find the truth of what caused the fall) and use these to inspire a revolution (using these findings to move forward and get back up again).

The concept of "telling ourselves stories" really resonated with me, as I find myself doing this far too often. Hopefully realizing it for what it is, is a good first step for me, and I can use Brené Brown's inspirating of "not skipping the second act", but instead rumble with my story to find the truth in it, and use it to move onwards in a constructive manner.

Title: Lesbian Assassins 2
Author: Audrey Faye
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 176
Date read: June, 2015

Jane and Carly are back -- only now their team has grown to include Rosie and Lelo. Jane worries that involvement with them will trarnish Lelo's innocence. But it is Lelo who finds their newest assignment -- one that will challenge their ingenuity.


The sequel to Lesbian Assassins did not disappoint - in fact, I think I might even have liked it a tiny bit better than the first one, as we now know the characters and the scene has been set. Also, I think I found the ending slightly more realistic than in the first book, which has bumped my rating up the extra half-star.

I love Carly and Jane, Rosie and Lelo, and wish the book had been twice as long, so there had been more page-time to devote to their relationships and secrets. Audrey Faye writes characters so well, and creates people you'd want to meet and befriend in real life.

Title: Burning Justice
Author: Helena Smreck
Genre: Romance
Rating: 1.5/5
# pages: 301
Date read: March, 2015

Pacifist Mennonite social worker Nora Martin is on the verge of opening a residential facility for first-time offenders. After years of planning, she'll finally be able to rescue young men from the violence of prison... or what has been their only other option, the violence of the military.

But then a stranger in camouflage and combat boots marches through her front door and claims to own her house. And he's not interested in letting Nora change it.

Who is Petty Officer Jacob Schwartz, and why does no one in the close-knit town of French Lick, Indiana want to acknowledge that he exists? What are they hiding? What had seemed like a safe community is now full of secrets and old heartaches, and Nora is caught in the dangerous middle. Her only ally is her best friend, FBI agent Alicia Yu, but even Alicia can't protect her from the way Nora's heart races every time Jacob's in the room.

Can she trust a man in uniform?

Nora and Jacob's choices have taken them down different paths, but God may still show them a safe way back.


I was contacted by the author for an honest review.

As I started reading "Burning Justice", I didn't really know what to think of it. I liked the plot well enough - small-town secrets are always a great way to pull me in - but thought the writing left quite a bit to be desired, as it seemed to occasionally get in the way of itself, with flowery passages and sometimes awkward imagery like "With a speed of a new laptop, I memorized other details that would possibly be useful in the future police report" and "The deep remorse and guilt I felt when I went to the hospital were only the messengers of a new heartbreak now on the horizon of my soul. They were like the sunrise in a barren desert, heralding the arrival of scorching heat that would bring death to those who dared to venture out unprepared". But though eye-roll inducing in places, it wasn't bad enough for me to actually put down the book, and I read the first 50-60% of the story pretty quickly, despite such dubious moments as the suddenly political twist, and when an FBI agent couldn't stop Nora from contaminating a crime scene.

However, at about the half-way point, it turned out that I'd entered into the book with completely wrong expectations. The novel was described as a "romantic suspense novel" and where my mind immediately focused on the "suspense" part, it really is first and foremost a romance novel. And unfortunately the romance part didn't really work for me. There was too much telling, and too little showing, so while I could believe in lust/attraction at first sight between Nora and Jake (as proven by phrases like "His good arm briefly caressed my back, and I felt as if my deepest cravings were satisfied), I never bought into there being any real feelings between them -- they barely spoke throughout the book and hardly knew anything about each other -- which made the ending both too saccharine and too unbelievable for my tastes.

At the end of the day I do think that Helena Smreck shows potential though, and my problems with the book are nothing that a good editor can't fix. So if you like romance novels, do check her out in the future. But if you found yourself wincing at the passages I quoted, better give this one a miss.

Title: Cupid is a Procrastinator
Author: Kate Hurley
Genre: Christian non-fiction
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 240
Date read: January, 2015

It's your eighth wedding this year. You are livening up the dance floor with a stirring rendition of YMCA when suddenly, the moment comes that separates the crowd. The slow dance. This one's for pairs. You are not a pair. You thought you would be married much sooner, but it hasn't worked out that way. You are trying to make sense of the unexpected single life.

Kate doesn't offer a magic formula that will bring your spouse to you, nor does she ask you to be content with your "gift" of singleness. With candid humor and refreshing honesty, she shares her own struggles and discoveries as a single person and invites you to come with her on a journey toward hope.


I was surprised by how much I liked this book, and especially by how relateable I found it. As an "old married woman" one could perhaps claim that I am not the intended target audience of this book, but even so I discovered that Kate Hurley had words of wisdom for me as well, and I found myself highlighting passages all over the place.

Because in the end, Kate Hurley's book is about "hope deferred" (Proverbs 13:12). For Kate Hurley, Cupid turned out to be a procrastinator. Others may be waiting on the stork, better health, a house, a job or any other milestone event. The "hopes" are different, but the way we can chose to respond and react really isn't, in the end.

"Cupid is a Procrastinator" is a refreshingly honest take on the issue of singleness, that doesn't offer platitudes ("Just wait! It'll happen when you least expect it!") but dares broach the subject of what to do if it never happens, and how to live a fulfilling life, even with a "hope deferred".

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC.

Title: Great Little Gifts To Knit
Author: Jean Moss
Genre: Craft
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 137
Date read: September, 2014

Great Little Gifts to Knit consists of 30 different patterns, ranging in size from taking just a few hours to knit, to being labelled a "vacation project".

The book expects the reader to know the basics of knitting, but explains the slightly fancier techniques in an appendix, and offers small projects to allow a newish knitter tackle the challenges of fair isle, beading, intarsia, cables and short rows on a more managable scale.

For the advanced knitter there are fewer challenges, but Jean Moss offers variations to some of the project (like the Cuddle Cocoon) that allows the knitter to knit "out of the box".

The patterns are split into four sections, "Baby", "Hers", "His" and "Home". Each section has a lovely introduction, as does each pattern, which gives the book a nice and personal feel.

Each pattern is clearly described and the charts and instructions are easy to read. For some of the patterns I could wish for more photographs, as there were parts of the patterns I couldn't make out from the photos given.

Unfortunately the patterns themselves are not as appealing or motivating as I would have hoped, with a total of 4 patterns I want to knit, and none where I find myself tempted to cast on right away.

All in all not a book I would have bought for myself if I'd picked it up in a shop, but that's due to the selection of the projects rather than how they're written, so if the patterns appeal to you, this would be a great book to get.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.