BOOKS AND GOOFY

Brief blurb: The Husband's Secret  follows a few characters intrinsically linked by a secret from the past. Cecelia Fitzpatrick finds a letter addressed to her by her husband, John Paul, which is only to be opened after his death. Cecelia is curious but John Paul's reaction is even more bewildering. What is he hiding?  To read the Goodreads blurb, click here . My say: I really wanted to like this book. But it just didn't click for me. In the beginning, I thought this was because I couldn't make the connection between all the characters. What does Cecelia have in common with Rachel? How does Tess fit in? Needless to say, it is John Paul's secret that link the three women in a way that they wouldn't have dreamed of. When everything starts to fall into place, I however started to feel even more disconnected. While I understood why the story unfolded like it did, it just felt like all rationality broke loose. None of the characters had the strength or res...

Brief blurb:   The Messiah Code by Michael Cordy is a thriller that brings together science and religion. On one hand you have an ancient brotherhood awaiting a new messiah. On the other side of the spectrum, you have Dr. Tom Carter who is revolutionising the science world with his new DNA technology. In an assassination attempt gone wrong, these two worlds are brought crashing together. Can Tom's work help find the new messiah? Can Tom discover a miracle to save his dying daughter? To read the blurb on Goodreads, click here . My say: I like a good thriller.  While there were a few parts of the story that had me thinking " really? ", I was happy in the most part to ignore those little holes and enjoy the story-telling. I really enjoyed the science side of the story. There has already been a great leap in understanding the human genome and the part certain genes play, but is it possible that miracles aren't random, that they are due to your genetic make...

Has anyone read the book The Hundred-Foot Journey  by Richard C. Morais? I recently watched the movie starring Helen Mirren, Manish Dayal, Om Puri and Charlotte Le Bon. It has got to be my favourite movie this year and one of my favourites of all time. I absolutely loved it! I loved the storyline and the moral behind the story. It's not just about food, but also the clash and coming together of different cultures. The characters were excellent. You will laugh but love Om Puri's Papa and his thriftiness or stubbornness. Helen Mirren plays an excellent Madame Mallory. And Hassan and Marguerite (Manish and Charlotte), I could just watch their chemistry sparkle over and over again. So, has anyone read the book? I bought it on my kindle so it is on my reading list (which is currently really long!). If you've read it, I'd like to know what you think. If you've read it and watched the movie as well, what did you think? Does the movie compare with the book? Please ...

My say: I first heard of this book from one of Ingrid Nilsen's  monthly favourites and I was curious to learn more. Read the blurb on Amazon and bought this for my Kindle right away! Sam Kingston is popular. She's 18 years old, loves to party, has a popular/cute boyfriend. Then on a rainy Friday night in February, she dies in a car accident. "They say when you die, your whole life flashes before your eyes, but that's not how it happened for me." Like a recurring nightmare, Sam "wakes" up on the morning of her accident. Each time she does something different, changes an outcome, but each day ends the same. Initially, I have to admit, I didn't quite like Sam. I found her shallow and irresponsible. But perhaps that was Lauren Oliver's plan all along because as the story moved along, I came to like and even admire Sam. Each time she relives that fateful day, she learns more about herself and the people around her. She come...

My say: I had read many good reviews of the book and I told myself I'll buy it when I've gone through my stack of to-reads, which realistically could have taken forever. Then the movie came out. While I knew the basic analogy, the advertisements for the movie moved me - I wanted to watch this. "But, in fact, depression is not a side effect of cancer. Depression is a side effect of dying." I'm not sure about you, but I find it difficult watching a movie after reading the book. Often, the book is so much better than the movie. The plot. The portrayal of the characters. You build a picture in your mind of what the characters look like. You take to heart the storyline. Then you watch the movie and everything falls to pieces. The characters are nothing like you imagined. The movie is missing bits and pieces of your favourite scenes (I understand some things or feelings cannot be portrayed the same way in a movie but don't you still feel betrayed?!). So...

My Rating:  3/5 Finding Emma is about 3 year old Emma being taken from her family. Without giving away too much of the storyline, Finding Emma  essentially follows  Emma's family as they deal with her loss. It is now 2 years since Emma had been taken. Her mother, Megan, won't give up hope, seeing Emma everywhere. Her dad, Peter, is trying to find peace by, what I personally perceive, as giving up. One sister is regretful, believing Emma's disappearance is her fault. The other is struggling to find attention. The story also follows Emma (or Emmie) and the older couple she's been living with. Whilst guilty of taking her, you cannot help but feel for the older couple as their circumstances unravel. Regardless of the circumstances, they really do love her and have taken good care of her. The story ends with Emma being reunited with her family. While I found myself immersed in this book, there were a few things that bugged me. The relationshi...

Book 1 of the A Song of Ice and Fire  series down and onto the second volume! My rating:  5/5 My say : This really was a surprise. With all the hype behind the tv series, I thought I would read the books before I watched the series. I always feel a little apprehensive reading a hugely popular series. One part of me is so keen to jump onto the band wagon while the other me is very critical. Just because it is so popular, doesn't mean it's for me... The first book however didn't disappoint! It was well written and not too difficult to follow, despite the complex and layered storyline and the many characters. The characterisation itself was wonderful. There's a character for everyone - someone to hate, someone to love, someone to admire. Personally I loved young Arya Stark, who is feisty and strong-willed, and her step-brother Jon Snow, a strong character who is an outsider despite being of Stark descent. Also can't help liking Tyrion Lannister. A warning to...