BOOKS AND GOOFY

Stars of Fortune by Nora Roberts My rating: 3 of 5 stars Blurb (from Goodreads): To celebrate the rise of their new queen, three goddesses of the moon created three stars, one of fire, one of ice, one of water. But then they fell from the sky, putting the fate of all worlds in danger. And now three women and three men join forces to pick up the pieces…  Sasha Riggs is a reclusive artist, haunted by dreams and nightmares that she turns into extraordinary paintings. Her visions lead her to the Greek island of Corfu, where five others have been lured to seek the fire star. Sasha recognizes them, because she has drawn them: a magician, an archaeologist, a wanderer, a fighter, a loner. All on a quest. All with secrets.  Sasha is the one who holds them together—the seer. And in the magician, Bran Killian, she sees a man of immense power and compassion. As Sasha struggles with her rare ability, Bran is there to support her, challenge her, and believe in her.   Bu...

All That I Am by Anna Funder My rating: 5 of 5 stars Blurb (from Goodreads): All That I Am is a masterful and exhilarating exploration of bravery and betrayal, of the risks and sacrifices some people make for their beliefs, and of heroism hidden in the most unexpected places. When eighteen-year-old Ruth Becker visits her cousin Dora in Munich in 1923, she meets the love of her life, the dashing young journalist Hans Wesemann, and eagerly joins in the heady activities of the militant political Left in Germany. Ten years later, Ruth and Hans are married and living in Weimar Berlin when Hitler is elected chancellor of Germany. Together with Dora and her lover, Ernst Toller, the celebrated poet and self-doubting revolutionary, the four become hunted outlaws overnight and are forced to flee to London. Inspired by the fearless Dora to breathtaking acts of courage, the friends risk betrayal and deceit as they dedicate themselves to a dangerous mission: to inform the British govern...

Healthy Brain, Happy Life by Wendy Suzuki My rating: 3 of 5 stars Blurb (from Goodreads) : Dr. Wendy Suzuki one day woke up and realized she didn’t have a life. As an almost-40-year-old award-winning college professor, world-renowned neuroscientist, she had—what many considered—everything: tenure as a professor at New York University; her own very successful neuroscience research lab; prizes for scientific discoveries on cognition and memory; articles published in prestigious scientific journals. As a woman and a scientist, she was the envy of her peers and lauded by her superiors. On paper, she had a stellar career and an impeccable record. What could she possibly be missing? Everything else. Suzuki was overweight. She was tired. She was lonely, had strained work relationships, and for the first time in her life, completely without direction. So she resolved to change her life. The first step--get moving. Everyone knows that exercise makes you feel better—that when you hit the ...

Thicker Than Water by Brigid Kemmerer My rating: 4 of 5 stars Blurb (from Goodreads):   On his own. Thomas Bellweather hasn’t been in town long. Just long enough for his newlywed mother to be murdered, and for his new stepdad’s cop colleagues to decide Thomas is the primary suspect. Not that there’s any evidence. But before Thomas got to Garretts Mill there had just been one other murder in twenty years. The only person who believes him is Charlotte Rooker, little sister to three cops and, with her soft hands and sweet curves, straight-up dangerous to Thomas. Her best friend was the other murder vic. And she’d like a couple answers. Answers that could get them both killed, and reveal a truth Thomas would die to keep hidden… My thoughts: Halfway through this book, I was feeling disappointed. I thought I was reading some cheesy teen romance - the genre said 'paranormal romance'; where was the paranormal ! But then things started to fall into place and I started to...

Present Danger by Stella Rimington My rating: 3 of 5 stars Blurb (from Goodreads): MI5 intelligence officer Liz Carlyle has just been despatched to Northern Ireland to monitor the brutal breakaway Republican groups who never accepted the peace process and want to continue their 'war'. The situation becomes perilous when her informant turns tail. My thoughts: This was a pleasant thriller/crime novel to read. I would give 4/5 for plot. I think what let me down a bit was the characterisation. Sometimes the characters felt stiff and a little too clichéd for my liking.

Time and Again by Jack Finney My rating: 3 of 5 stars Blurb (from Goodreads): Transported from the mid-twentieth century to New York City in the year 1882, Si Morley walks the fashionable "Ladies' Mile" of Broadway, is enchanted by the jingling sleigh bells in Central Park, and solves a 20th-century mystery by discovering its 19th-century roots. Falling in love with a beautiful young woman, he ultimately finds himself forced to choose between his lives in the present and the past. A story that will remain in the listener's memory, "Time and Again" is a remarkable blending of the troubled present and a nostalgic past, made vivid and extraordinarily moving by the images of a time that was...and perhaps still is. My thoughts: I didn't quite like the writing style of this book but the storyline was alright. I always pictured time travel to include a time machine but the method employed in this book seemed feasible enough. In reference to the plot...

Yes, it has been a while... I went into somewhat of a reading slump towards the second half of 2015 and sadly let other aspects of my life take over. But this year, I am keen to get into control of my life, to do things I love and improve my health. Here are 5 simple things I'd like to achieve this year: 1. Read more books (I will achieve my 30 book reading challenge!) 2. Practice yoga/meditation 3. Eat healthy 4. Keep a clean environment (home & work) 5. Be more organised I wouldn't call these New Year's resolutions; conversely a step towards making a better me. These are things I want to integrate into my life and continue past 2016. Do you have any goals you'd like to achieve? Hello from Morris the travelling moose!