Kafka on the Shore Haruki Murakami

Author: Haruki Murakami
ISBN: 978-0-099-45832-6
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 505
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage.

"At fifteen, Kafka Tamura runs away from home, either to escape a gruesome oedipal prophecy or to search for his long-missing mother and sister. And the aging Nakata, who never recovered from a wartime affliction, finds his highly simplified life suddenly upset.Their odyssey, as mysterious to us as it is to them, is enriched throughout by vivid accomplices and mesmerizing events."

My son got me this book for xmas, and in the front he wrote a little note saying he thought he'd get a book that was a little different this time. Well, he was right about that, as this book was very different to what I would normally read.

The book was good, and I did enjoy it although there were a couple of issues in the book that were a bit risky, don't want to say what, as I don't want to give any spoilers away. But when I first started to read this I thought it was a young authors book, but it isn't. It is explicit in places. You can tell it's been written by a male author.

The book is basically like two stories in one book, so you get to read about two characters journey's, and also two worlds, but they both have something to do with what happens.

Kafka, a 15 year old boy, runs away from home to escape his father, and to find his mother and sister. He finds himself at a Library where he makes friends with the owners. I really felt his part in this book, his struggles as a teenager, all the frustrations etc a teenager may feel etc.

Mr Nakata an old man, can talk to cats and can cause fish to fall from the sky. He was my favourite character, I totally adored him.

In all this was a really good book, that was really good from start to finish. I am pleased I read it and I'll be reading more from this author.


4/5 stars from me.

Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

Author: Richard Bach
ISBN: 978-0-00-649034-0
Genre: Historical- Non Fiction.
Pages: 87
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Element

"Jonathan is sick and tired of the boring life in his sea-gull clan. He rather experiments with new, always more daring flying techniques. Since he doesn't fit in, the elders expel him from the clan. So he sets out to discover the world beyond the horizon in quest for wisdom."

This was a xmas present from one of my sons. It's a lovely little book of 87 pages, and is filled with a wonderful up lifting story. As I was reading this book, I was wondering whether if it had been made into a children's cartoon/movie? I can see it being one.

The story is about how Jonathan Livingston Seagull, wants to fly, he wants to break free from the restraints of his flock and show them, how free and wonderful it is and how you can push yourself to make your dreams come true.

But will the flock listen? You'll have to read for yourself. ;)

I really love this book. I read it in an hour, which anyone can do. It's has some really nice pictures of Seagulls in flight throughout the book as the story progresses.

A wonderful book for all ages, a great story to tell children. Especially special to me, because my son bought me it.

Solstice at Stonewylde by Kit Berry.

Author: Kit Berry

ISBN: 978-0-9551439-3-9
Genre: Fantasy - Fiction
Pages: 329
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Moongazy Publishing.

"The "Stonewylde" series, now into its third title, has developed a huge cult following. It's enjoyed equally by men, women and teenagers, and retailers find it hard to decide where to position the books in-store. The series defies categorisation because it has something for everyone and spans several genres. But above all, it has the secret ingredient essential to a best-selling series - an absolutely riveting plot that makes the books "unputdownable". "Solstice at Stonewylde" continues the story of Sylvie and Yul, their developing love for each other, and their battle to survive the cruelty and domination of Magus. Yul was left hovering at the gates of death in the last book - now he is subjected to a terrifying ordeal in the Stone Circle at Samhain (Hallowe'en) as Magus attempts to negate the old prophecy.."

After having read the first two installments of this book, I was really looking forward to this book. I can say that I totally loved this installment and thought it was brilliant! It was fast paced and exciting, I really liked professor Siskin I thought he was great. Yet again, I loved Yul, Sylvie, Mother Heggy and of course Magus. For some reason I 'loved' to hate him! LOL.

I have really enjoyed this series so far, and all we need now is for Kit to hurry and get the next book published 'Shadows at Stonewylde'.

Again, if you like to read Pagan fiction, then I think you'll really enjoy these books.

Moondance of Stonewylde by Kit Berry.

Author: Kit Berry

ISBN: 0-9551-4391-8
Genre: Fantasy - Fiction
Pages: 305
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Moongazy Publishing.

""Moondance of Stonewylde" is the second in this series of five titles, and follows on from "Magus of Stonewylde". The story is picked up again at the Summer Solstice, where Yul has incurred Magus' wrath by challenging him for the leadership of the community. The sunrise ceremony amongst the great standing stones was a disaster for Magus, with Yul lighting the Solstice Fire and receiving the powerful earth energy in his place. But Magus still holds the power, and embarks on another attempt to subdue the rebellious Village boy. The story unfolds throughout the glorious summer at Stonewylde, where crops are grown organically and the people are self-sufficient and productive. Beautiful descriptions flow of this idyllic place, a community steeped in magic and time-honoured traditions. There's an exhilarating cricket match on the Village Green at Lammas, and the harvesting of wheat in honour of the Corn Mother. Yul proves worthy of the wise-woman's prophecies, hardening himself to the brutality that Magus inflicts so casually, and waiting with growing impatience for the time when his destiny can be fulfilled.But Magus discovers Sylvie's secret gift, bestowed during the rising of each full moon, and sees a way to exploit her to boost his own waning power. "

I was really looking forward to reading this book. I really enjoyed the first installment 'Magus of Stonewylde', and so when I ordered this book from Kit Berry I was so eager to read it. I really enjoyed the story, it was fast paced and exciting. I love Yul in this series, he is one of my favourite characters. Sylvie is great too and I love Mother Heggy. She is definitely a favourite of mine. Once again, I love reading about the pagan way of life, the festivals, celebrations and Solstice's etc. I like the fight between Good (Yul) and evil (Magus). At the end of this book as I was learning more about a certain two characters, I was trying to work out and guess what's going to happen in Book 3 'Solstice at Stonewylde.' I was like a-ha! I see ......... lol.

I would love to see this series made into a movie, it would be a huge block buster!

Anyway, to end this. These are my most favourite pagan novels. Magus of Stonewylde still remains to be my favourite so far. Moondance was really good, but was the weaker one of the two imo, and I enjoyed MOS more. Anyway these books will be staying on my book shelf to be read again one day as I love them! Lets hope they do move to the movie screen one day in the near future!

Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer.

Author: Stephenie Meyer

ISBN: 978-1-904233-91-6
Genre: Fantasy - Fiction
Pages: 628
Format: Paperback
Publisher: atom

"'Bella?' Edward's soft voice came from behind me. I turned to see him spring lightly up the porch steps, his hair windblown from running. He pulled me into his arms at once, and kissed me again. His kiss frightened me. There was too much tension, too strong an edge to the way his lips crushed mine - like he was afraid we had only so much time left to us. As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob - knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death. But which is which? Following the international bestsellers Twilight and New Moon, Eclipse is the much-anticipated third book in Stephenie Meyer's captivating saga of vampire romance."

Well what can I say? I absolutely loved this book! I was a bit dubious as it has mixed reviews on Amazon and Play. I was a little worried I wouldn't enjoy it so much, but I loved it. Dare I even say I enjoyed it as much as Twilight.

I loved Jacob Black in this book, hearing about the history of his kind and his journey with Bella I really did enjoy it. Not knowing what choice Bella would make?

This book for me was packed with everything I love in a book, romance, emotion, action and so much more.

Edward was desirable as ever. He is of course my favourite character in the book. I loved reading about his onward journey with Bella, his trials with his jealousy and so on....

I can't wait to see this book made into a movie. I hope they do it justice.

New Moon - Stephenie Meyer.

Author: Stephenie Meyer

ISBN: 978-1-904233-88-6
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 563
Format: Paperback
Publisher: atom

"I stuck my finger under the edge of the paper and jerked it under the tape. 'Shoot,' I muttered when the paper sliced my finger. A single drop of blood oozed from the tiny cut. It all happened very quickly then. 'No!' Edward roared ...Dazed and disorientated, I looked up from the bright red blood pulsing out of my arm - and into the fevered eyes of the six suddenly ravenous vampires. For Bella Swan, there is one thing more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is more dangerous than Bella ever could have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of an evil vampire but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realise their troubles may just be beginning ..."

Having read Twilight I was excited about reading 'New Moon'. I couldn't wait to get started. Like Twilight I found this book easy to get into and fast paced in most places, although there was a section of the book I found a bit slow and wanted to get it over with. That section for me was when Alice enters. Also there are parts in the book where Bella seems really immature, but then I have to remind myself that she's only supposed to be a teenager in the book, just a kid.

As I was reading the book I guessed about the whole Jacob thing, it was pretty predictable but I enjoyed it. I did feel sad for Jacob but I really missed Edward the most. It was well worth it though when he made his appearance in the book.

Near the end of this book I was smiling all the way through it, I wanted to scream do it!!! But what and with whom to do it with, is for you to find out. :)

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, it's not as good as Twilight but still very enjoyable.

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.

Author: Stephenie Meyer.

ISBN: 978-1-904233-65-7
Genre: Fiction
Pages: 434
Format: Paperback
Publisher: atom

"When 17 year old Isabella Swan moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father she expects that her new life will be as dull as the town. But in spite of her awkward manner and low expectations, she finds that her new classmates are drawn to this pale, dark-haired new girl in town. But not, it seems, the Cullen family. These five adopted brothers and sisters obviously prefer their own company and will make no exception for Bella. Bella is convinced that Edward Cullen in particular hates her, but she feels a strange attraction to him, although his hostility makes her feel almost physically ill. He seems determined to push her away ? until, that is, he saves her life from an out of control car. Bella will soon discover that there is a very good reason for Edward's coldness. He, and his family, are vampires ? and he knows how dangerous it is for others to get too close."

I first heard about this book a couple of months ago, when hubby told me about a new movie that was coming out and he asked if I had read the book? When he told me it was 'Twilight' I told him I had never heard of it. So off I went and searched for reviews of the book on Amazon and Play.com. Funnily enough, I was put off by all the positive reviews the book got, as it seemed to be really hyped up and sometimes that puts me off. Anyway, after reading yet more positive reviews I decided to go ahead and buy it and read it for myself.

WOW! I was hooked from page one. I absolutely love Edward in this book. I'm 37 years old and I'm totally sad! LOL. His romance with Bella was so addicting to read and I just loved reading how their relationship progressed. I like the way this author made Edward so desirable, and I have an image of him in my mind, and it's not the image of the actor who plays Edward in the movie!

I enjoyed the whole book, it was romantic, sexy, intense and exciting, but the ending of this book I wasn't too overly keen on, as Bella just seems to be whining a lot. However I'm not complaining as I loved the book, and for me it is the best Vampire book I have read. I've only ever read Anne Rice's Interview with a Vampire and The Vampire Lestat, which were great books but I just enjoyed this book so much more. I guess it's because I like the relationship slushy stuff, which there is a lot of this in the book and quite a bit of sexual build up between Edward and Bella, which the book focuses on a lot.

If anything, this book is more about Edward and Bella building a relationship, rather than Vampires on the prowl etc.

I can't wait to read the other three books that follow; New Moon, Eclipse & Breaking Dawn.

If You Could See Me Now - Cecelia Ahern.

Author: Cecelia Ahern
ISBN: 0-00-719889-2
Genre: General Fiction
Pages: 410
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Harper Collins


"From the internationally bestselling author of PS, I Love You and Where Rainbows End comes an enchanting new novel - with more than a little magic...what if love was right there in front of you - you just couldn't see it? Elizabeth Egan is too busy for friends. As a reluctant mother to her sister Saoirse's young son, Luke and with her own business to run, every precious moment is made to count. But with Saoirse crashing in and out of their lives, leaving both her sister and her son reeling, Luke and Elizabeth are desperately in need of some magic. Enter Ivan. Wild, spontaneous and always looking for adventure, in no time at all Ivan has changed Elizabeth in ways she could never have imagined. But is Ivan too good to be true? Has Elizabeth opened her heart only to risk it being broken again? As for Ivan, he thought he was there to help Luke not Elizabeth - or himself!"

I borrowed this book from my sister who loves to read Cecelia Ahern.
This is a charming little read about imaginary friends. How Ivan comes to befriend Luke a 6 year old who he believes needs his help, but suddenly finds out Luke's aunt Elizabeth can also see him. This was a cute read, really sweet and lovely. It had me laughing out aloud at times, especially in the beginning of the book before Elizabeth can see him, as Luke demands another plate is set for Ivan. But it also had me in tears near the end of the book.

Everything flowed well in this book, it was an easy chick lit read. Beautifully written.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed this book, 'Where Rainbows End' still remains my favourite.

MAGUS OF STONEWYLDE - KIT BERRY

Author: Kit Berry
ISBN: 0-9551-4390-x
Genre: General Fiction
Pages: 312
Format: Paperback
Publisher: MOONGAZY PUBLISHING


"Stonewylde is a place of standing stones and earth energy -an idyllic refuge. But all is not quite as it seems. There's another side to Stonewylde; a darker side where brutality is rife. When Sylvie and her mother are invited to Stonewylde, an alternative community in Dorset, they believe their troubles are over. But gradually they discover the hidden aspects of life in a world ruled by one man, the enigmatic Magus. He promises them fulfilment; that they will lack for nothing. But there's a price to be paid for this sanctuary from the Outside World. There's a more sinister purpose behind the pagan rituals held in the Stone Circle than simply honouring the Earth Goddess and the elements of nature. One boy alone understands why Sylvie has been brought here - and what danger her arrival has triggered for both of them. Magus of Stonewylde is a story of ancient alchemy; of passion, cruelty and a prophecy to be fulfilled. Once you've entered the world of Stonewylde, you'll never be quite the same again."


I first heard about this book after I had been searching on Amazon one day for pagan novels, when this book was recomeneded. I looked at the reviews and saw how much people loved it and so purchased it.

When I started to read it I had two other books on the go and suddenly found myself in a weird book mood, which left me feeling uninterested in carrying on with the book. I had got 100 pages in at this time, but just felt like I didn't want to read it (I guess that's what you get for trying to read too many books at once).

Over the weeks I kept looking at the book but kept putting it back down. So yesterday I went to put the book back on my book shelf thinking I'd read it in a year or two, when I thought 'oh sod it' and I started to read it again. As I did 'WOW' I was hooked! I found myself unable to put the book down. I was gripped from then on and I totally loved the story. As I read I was able to easily visualize the characters in the book, and the environmental surrounding and I felt at home reading it.

Being a Pagan myself I loved reading about the paganism within this book which I felt was heavily integrated in the book. Well considering it is a pagan based novel written by a pagan author, it's not surprising. However it is not written in a way where it trashes other faiths which was really nice. This book brings the beauty of paganism alive.

I loved the characters, including the nasty one, Magus! Yul and Sylvie are brilliant in this novel, what two wonderful characters. I love them! I won't go in to the story, the quoted blurb is at the top of this review and so that will give you a slight intro of the book.

I definitely can't wait to read the other two installments, and yet there are two other books waiting to be written and published! As this novel is spread over into five books and only three have been published! I hope the other books are just as good as the first one, as I love this novel.

10/10 from me!

THE NOTEBOOK - NICHOLAS SPARKS

Author: Nicholas Sparks
ISBN: 978-0-7515-3891-5
Genre: General Fiction
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Sphere



"Set amid the austere beauty of the North Carolina coast, The Notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner recently returned form the Second World War. Noah is restoring a plantation home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content to live with only memories...until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again. Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just the beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. The result is a deeply moving portrait of love itself, the tender moments and the fundamental changes that affect us all. It is a story of miracles and emotions that will stay with you forever."


I purchased this book after I had watched the movie which, brought me to tears! At the end of the movie I was really sobbing and so had to watch it again and it had the same effect. :)

So I got this book and started it straight away. I was pretty hooked from page one and it is pretty easy to read, as it flows nicely and is a gentle read. I noticed the differences from movie to book or book to movie should I say, which didn't bother me at all, as I love the movie.

I don't really want to go into the story as I don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read it or seen the movie. But if you love to read slushy romance love stories and sentimental stuff, then this is for you.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, but for some reason I prefer the movie. For me, it's because the movie brought the characters alive more.