Sophie Kinsella - Can you keep a secret?

Publisher: Dell Publishing Company

ISBN: 9780440241904

My rating: 4/5



Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets:
Secrets from her mother: Sammy the goldfish in my parents' kitchen is not the same goldfish that Mum gave me to look after when she and Dad were in Egypt. Secrets from her boyfriend: I've always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken. From her colleagues: When Artemis really annoys me, I feed her plant orange juice. (Which is pretty much every day.) It was me who jammed the copier that time. In fact, all the times. Secrets she wouldn't share with anyone in the world: My G-string is hurting me.Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger. But come Monday morning, Emma's office is abuzz about the arrival of Jack Harper, the company's elusive CEO. Suddenly Emma is face-to-face with the stranger from the plane, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her. Things couldn't possibly get worse--Until they do. (fishpond.com.au)

My thoughts

This is the second by I've read by Sophie Kinsella and I have to admit I did like this one a lot more.

Emma Corrigan works for Panther Cola and after a disastrous business meeting in Glasgow she's on a flight back to London which is experiencing some turbulence. Afraid and thinking that's it, she spills all her secrets to the American sitting next to her - literally - how she lost her virginity, what she really thinks of her boyfriend, the petty stunts she pulls on co-workers, the way she killed her parents' goldfish while they were on vacation, and more. Safe and sound back in London, Emma hopes to never see the American again, yet, it's only a few days later that she finds out who he actually is and her life will never be the same. But he has a secret as well.

I liked it the way Emma grows over the weeks and the way she finds out that secrets can actually hold you back and most of the times you're better off telling the truth, even though it might initially hurt the other one. Life is about what you are no matter what. You don't have to be perfect in every sense, yet you have to accept yourself and things as they are.

I really am going to like the English Chick-lit which is on the market on the moment. I found this one a fast and easy read , which kept me staying up late at night and giggling along the way - even though I thought the story was pretty predictable and in places a bit "over the top". Well worth taking to the beach or on holidays !

Dan Brown - Deception Point

Publisher: Washington Square Press (2002)

ISBN: 978-0671027384

My rating: 4/5

Struggling to rebound from a series of embarrassing blunders that have jeopardized its political life at the start of this lively thriller, NASA makes an astounding discovery: there is a meteor embedded deep within the arctic ice. And it isn't just any meteor. Inside the huge rock, which crashed to earth in 1716, are fossils of giant insects proof of extraterrestrial life. Yet, given NASA's slipping reputation, the question arises: Is the meteor real or a fake? That uncertainty dogs NASA and its supporters in Brown's latest page-flipper, a finely polished amalgam of action and intrigue. Trying to determine the truth are intelligence agent Rachel Sexton and popular oceanographer Michael Tolland, both among the first to suspect something is amiss when the meteor is pulled from the ice. Their doubts quickly make them the targets of a mysterious death squad controlled by someone or something that doesn't want the public to hear the meteor may be a fraud. Together, Sexton and Tolland scramble across arctic glaciers, take refuge on ice floes, are rescued by a nuclear submarine, then find themselves trapped aboard a small research vessel off the coast of New Jersey. All the while, the nation's capital is buzzing as to whether NASA has engaged in deception. Or is NASA just a dupe for aerospace companies that have long wanted a bigger share of space contracts? Brown (Angels & Demons) moves into new territory with his latest. It's an excellent thriller a big yet believable story unfolding at breakneck pace, with convincing settings and just the right blend of likable and hateful characters. He's also done his research, folding in sophisticated scientific and military details that make his plot far more fulfilling than the norm. (Publishers Weekly)

My thoughts:

Not much more I could add as for the plot ....

Yes, I slowly am becoming a Dan Brown fan! I liked the book. In my view it was an interesting, intense and somehow thought - provoking story. It was much easier to read then "Angels and Demons", probably because the topic was more along the line of what I like. I was impressed by Brown's research (as usual), yet again, I thought some of the details were dragged out too much and too detailed.

The characters are well plotted - I liked Rachel Sexton from the very start. She's inquisitive, yet not overwhelming with her knowledge. I liked Brown's addition of Corky to lighten up the story.

"Deception Point" is another great read for Dan Brown fans, fast paced, interesting scenery and surprising ending.

PS - The love scene had me giggle a bit, though!

Cecelia Ahern - If you could see me now

Publisher: Harper Collins (2005)

ISBN: 978-0786891139

My rating: 4.5/5




From the internationally bestselling author of PS, I LOVE YOU, a lively and romantic novel about two lost souls who find each other in the most unexpected way.
Everything in Elizabeth Egan’s life has its place, from the espresso cups in her gleaming kitchen to the swatches and paint pots of her interior design business. Order and precision keep life under control—and keep Elizabeth’s heart from the pain and hurt she has suffered in the past. Being a reluctant mother to her six-year-old nephew while trying to keep her business on track is a full-time job for Elizabeth, and one that leaves little room for error—or fun.
Until, one day, Ivan unexpectedly comes into their lives. The mysterious Ivan is carefree, spontaneous and always looking for adventure—everything that Elizabeth is not. If You Could See Me Now is the extraordinary tale of Ivan and Elizabeth. Of how Ivan meets the love of his life before she even sees him, and how he teaches her that life is only worth living when it's blindingly colourful and the occasional mess. Yet just when Elizabeth is starting to trust him, it turns out that Ivan isn't at all who she thought he was.
Playful and at times intensely moving, this is a novel about how seeing isn't always believing. Full of Cecelia Ahern’s trademark warmth and poignancy, If You Could See Me Now is a story of enormous heart--and just a little bit of magic. (ceceliaahern.ie)



My thoughts

After reading “PS I love you” I felt like reading another book by Cecelia Ahern, and “If you could see me now” was the first one I was able to get hold off.

Elizabeth, an independent, well-organised and finicky person, is raising her carefree sister's six-year-old son, Luke. She has always been the responsible one in the family and as such has taken over this part. Life for both is lonely and loveless – until Ivan from “Ekam Eveileb” comes to visit Luke. But Ivan decides that Elizabeth needs some fun in her life, and to be shown how to let go of the past. What Elizabeth doesn’t know, though, is no one else can see Ivan.

Once I started the book and understood about “Ekam Eveileb”, I just had to read it right to the end. As a big believer of living the “now” I just loved the story and consider the book as one of my favourites.

If you have forgotten about the joys in life, please pick up this book, sit down in front of the fire with a cup of tea and give it a go!

Sophie Kinsella - Remember me?

Publisher: Random House

ISBN: 9780552772761

My Rating: 3.5/5

Lexi wakes up in a hospital bed after a car accident, thinking it's 2004 and she's a twenty-five-year old with crooked teeth and a disastrous love life. But, to her disbelief, she learns it's actually 2007 - she's twenty-eight, her teeth are straight, she's the boss of her department - and she's married! To a good-looking millionaire! How on earth did she land the dream life? She can't believe her luck - especially when she sees her stunning new home. She's sure she'll have a fantastic marriage once she gets to know her husband again. He's drawn up a 'manual of our marriage', which should help. But as she learns more about her new self, chinks start to appear in the perfect life. All her old colleagues hate her. A rival is after her job. Then a dishevelled, sexy guy turns up...and lands a new bombshell. What the **** happened to her? Will she ever remember? And what will happen if she does?

My thoughts

My first book I've read by Sophie Kinsella and I have to admit it was more a coincidence that I got to read the book.

Lexi is on a night out with her friends when she has a fall. She wakes up in a hospital thinking that it is still 2004: going out with Loser Dave, having crooked teeth, loads of friends and works in a low paid job in a carpet company. Yet it is in fact 2007: she's married to a gorgeous multi-millionaire, lives in a penthouse overlooking the Thames and is now a Director in the same company - and she has perfect teeth! But Lexi can't remember a thing about how she got to her life now.

It took a while until I got used to Kinsella's writing style. The initial idea with the amnesia sounds great, even though a bit "over used". It's a good book, and I have to say that even as a slow reader it "only" took me a few days to finish it. Yet, personally, I felt it somehow lacked a bit of spark - I found the amount of repetitions quite "distracting" after a while and I was a bit disappointed by the ending. It kind of left me wondering whether Kinsella was in a hurry to just end it.

Having said all this, I still believe Remember me? is a wonderful easy-going story for the beach or your holidays. I have heard from a few people now, that this book is not necessarily Kinsella's best effort, so I will give another one a try.

Dan Brown - Deception Point

Publisher: Doubleday (2009)

ISBN: 9780385504225 (US) - 9780593054277 (UK)

My Rating: 3.5/5



WHAT WAS LOST WILL BE FOUND ... Washington DC: Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned at the last-minute to deliver an evening lecture in the Capitol Building. Within moments of his arrival, however, a disturbing object - gruesomely encoded with five symbols - is discovered at the epicentre of the Rotunda. It is, he recognises, an ancient invitation, meant to beckon its recipient towards a long-lost world of hidden esoteric wisdom. When Langdon's revered mentor, Peter Solomon - philanthropist and prominent mason - is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes that his only hope of saving his friend's life is to accept this mysterious summons and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon finds himself quickly swept behind the facade of America's most historic city into the unseen chambers, temples and tunnels which exist there. All that was familiar is transformed into a shadowy, clandestine world of an artfully concealed past in which Masonic secrets and never-before-seen revelations seem to be leading him to a single impossible and inconceivable truth. A brilliantly composed tapestry of veiled histories, arcane icons and enigmatic codes, The Lost Symbol is an intelligent, lightning-paced thriller that offers surprises at every turn. For, as Robert Langdon will discover, there is nothing more extraordinary or shocking than the secret which hides in plain sight... (fishpond.com.au)

My thoughts

This was my first book from Dan Brown, after watching "The DaVinci Code" and "Angels and Demons", and I have to admit it was quite a page turner for me.

Robert Langdon comes to Washington to give a lecture, but instead of an audience he finds his friend's Peter's severed hand mounted on a wooden base - the fingers pointing towards the Rotunda ceiling fresco of George Washington. This is how it all starts, and with Mal'akh, a tattooed and steroid-swollen villain, Robert now has to put together the pieces of some ancient source of power.

I do have to admit, that some of the passages felt lengthy and unneccessary, sometimes even chapters where I thought it was just a filler - such as the extensive details about Science of Noetics. I'm still not sure whether it was me or whether it just had nothing to do with the whole story.

Not wanting to give anything away, but I didn't see the twist at the end coming.

I think anyone who likes the world of Robert Langdon and the hidden symbols in "The DaVinci Code" and "Angels and Demons" might probably be slightly disappointed, but will like it nonetheless.

Diane Krueger - Ein einziger Kuss

Publisher: Acabus (2009)

ISBN: 978-3941404908

Language: German

My Rating: 3.5/5

"Kiss one of them" - Angie and Kate are challenging her friend Carolyn at the Empire, a nightclub in London, during one of their regular Friday nights there. This is how it starts. Carolyn walks towards the twins, Matt and Luke - the two boys Angie and Kate can't take their eyes off.

But the 18-year-old Carolyn wasn't thinking about the consequences of that kiss with the result that the following weeks of a rollercoaster of emotions. And an unexpected meeting with her ex-boyfriend Josh doesn't help the cause, because her heart belongs now to only one person.

From now on, any encounters with the twins end either in complete happiness or tears. And while the twins are more and more successful with their plan to establish themselves as a pop-band ("the Thorntons"), Carolyn is facing her own decisions about her future: College or professional dancing. Then she meets the very talented dancer George, who she trust immediately, and the decision seems to have been made.

Carolyn faces new challenges and has to figure out who her heart belongs to. (http://www.dianekrueger.de/)

My thoughts

Carolyn cannot understand her friends' admiration for the twins Matt and Luke. So when she gets asked to give one of them a kiss she just goes ahead and does - starting a rollercoaster of events, emotions and lots of romance.

I liked it! I liked it mainly because I love the 80s and it was a wonderful journey back to that special time. This first novel from German Author Diane Krueger is mainly addressed to the young teenage reader or those -like me- who enjoy the reminiscence of the 80s. The book is not only telling us Carolyn's story in a wonderful bubbly language of the young, but also allows us to remember the music of the 80s which we all loved: Pet Shop Boys, Donna Summer, Taylor Dayne, Jimmy Summerville among so many other. With real dialogues and wonderful writing, I read this book within days.

PS - Yes, I do know the author personally, but the above reflects my honest opinion!

Jane Bash - 33 Bits

Publisher: Jane Bash

ISBN: 978 1 4392 4850 8

My rating: 3/5


Etta’s world is a narrow one. Living in a small town on the edges of the Arizona desert, she has had few opportunities to shine. But when the aspiring author wins a local writing contest, she’s rewarded with the prize of a lifetime: an all-expenses paid vacation to England. Upon arrival, however, a series of travel mishaps leave her alone in the unfamiliar city of Birmingham, England, with no money, luggage, or passport. Yet what begins as a disastrous trip gradually evolves into a life-changing adventure. The young woman is embraced by the city’s residents, and she finds friendship, love—and devastating betrayal—in the most unexpected places. The experience is recorded by the gold charms on Etta’s cherished charm bracelet, which she hides away after she returns home. Years later, her daughter discovers the bracelet, forcing Etta to face the painful memories of her past. Inspired by a real-life antique, 33 Bits is moving story of hope and forgiveness.

My thoughts

What a beautiful idea! Jane Bash found a charm bracelet on a journey to the UK and writes a story around it. As Jane lets us know at the start of her book, the thirty-three charms are detailing a woman's journey through life in Europe - with an attempt to find this woman, the owner of the bracelet. For this reason alone it is worth a read.

Etta Johnson is this woman. A young woman from Arizona, she wins a local competition: a trip to the UK. Her mother and sister give her a charm bracelet to which she can add during her time overseas. And so she does with every charm representing another chapter or event during this adventure which turns out nothing of what she had initially planned.

It's a beautiful book and beautifully written, though I have to admit I did struggle here and there with the attempt of the phonetically written Birmingham accent. It took me a few attempts to understand the gist of it.

Etta's story is an interesting one, though I thought very drawn out over more than 350 pages. More sounding like a fairytale I had to put the book aside a few times - all of Etta's luck seemed to be put on a bit much. And even though with the constant reminder that it's set in the 1970s, the romantic words were over the top and soapy.

Having said all this though, I'm glad I've read the book. It's a wonderful ending and I do hope that Jane will be successful with her quest to find the owner of the bracelet.