Journeys Are My Diary

Life, Adventures, Entertainment and more - A little bit of everything blog!

Book Review – Love You More

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Love You More – by Lisa Gardner

WHO DO YOU LOVE?
A split-second decision and Brian Darby lies dead. His wife, state police trooper Tessa Leoni, claims to have shot him in self-defence and for Boston detective D.D. Warren it should be an open-and-shut case. But where is their six-year-old daughter?
As D.D.’s homicide investigation ratchets into a frantic state-wide search for a missing child, she must move quickly in order to learn all of Tessa’s secrets and understand what has happened to the little girl.
But for Tessa, the worst has not yet happened. She is walking a tightrope, with no one to trust and nowhere to turn, as the clock ticks down to a terrifying deadline. She has one goal in sight, and she will use every ounce of her training to do what has to be done. All that matters is her child and no one could love her more…

Two women. With one question…
HOW FAR WOULD YOU GO TO SAVE YOUR CHILD? 

As I finished January’s book really early, I started on “I Heart New York” around the middle of that month. However even by the end of the month, I was still struggling with it. So, on the 2nd February I decided to start on another book, “Love You More” by Lisa Gardner.

I really loved this book and it was very different to “The Perks of Being a Wallflower”. This was a sort of crime thriller, but a mild one. The book flicks between two storytellers – Detective D.D. Warren and Police Trooper Tessa Leoni. At first you begin the story quite confused (which is deliberate) and as the plot unravels, it both answers questions and adds more. However by about midway through the book, you’re starting to understand the bigger picture. The story builds and builds until it reaches its climax and ultimately the book is a very satisfying read.

I have never read anything by Lisa Gardner before and actually only picked up this book because it was a cheap Kindle read around the time I bought by kindle. However its taken me until now to actually read it and I’m so glad that I did.

Detective D.D. is apparently the main character in a series of books written by Lisa Gardner. I believe they are all stand alone books, though I haven’t read any others. I have to admit that after reading “Love You More”, I would definitely be tempted to pick up another of her books. However for now I’m starting with Divergent, as that is my March book.

A Spoonful of Stew in Zanzibar Zoo

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A Spoonful of Stew in Zanzibar Zoo, is an iBook with audio narration on each page.

“The Zebras of Zanzibar Zoo are enjoying their favourite stew. But when there is only one spoonful left in the pot, who will eat it? A fun story about food, friendship, manners and sharing, with quirky illustrations and rhyming verse by debut author Steph Caller and audio narration from Johnny Carne.”

The book itself is free to download on iTunes and should soon be available on Google Play. The other day, I sat down my two girls to have a look through it and see what they thought.

My two girls are 5 (almost 6) and 9. My youngest, Lily was absolutely enthralled by the book and loved that she could have it read to her. Megan on the otherhand could read it for herself, but still seemed to enjoy it – especially one of the Zebras being called Butt.

I would say, that despite the fact my kids liked the book, its probably far more suitable for younger children, or at least children at the age of Lily, not Megan. As a really nice addition to the book, there are also a range of products you can purchase if your children love the books. There are t-shirts available but also a whole collection of other items such as another story and even a game app coming soon.

If you like to give your kids new and interesting stories to read, then A Spoonful of Stew in Zanzibar Zoo is definitely something you and your little ones should check out. Download it for free, here.

Book Review – The Perks of Being a Wallflower

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower – by Stephen Chbosky
Charlie is a freshman. And while he’s not the biggest geek in the school, he is by no means popular. Shy, introspective, intelligent beyond his years yet socially awkward, he is a wallflower, caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it. Charlie is attempting to navigate his way through uncharted territory: the world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends; the world of sex, drugs, and The Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. But Charlie can’t stay on the sideline forever. Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a deeply affecting coming-of-age story that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up.
I started this book on 4th January and I was done reading it by 10th. In all honesty, had I been reading it solidly I’m sure I’d have been done within a day. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is an incredibly easy read. Its chapters – in the form of individually written letters – range from short to long which gives flexibility as to how much you have to read in any one sitting. Charlie is incredibly endearing in his style of writing, to a person he doesn’t even know and is reaching out to – just to have someone who’ll listen.
I don’t want to write a review that spoils the plot at all, as I know I personally wouldn’t want to read one of those. Instead I will say that lots of people seem to be very divided on how good this book is. I think some of that is the expectations you perhaps go into the book with. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” is an incredibly well known title, one that often features on “must read” lists. In fact, its now even a very successful movie. That said, I personally picked up the book knowing absolutely nothing about the storyline, or the plot of the movie. This was a deliberate decision on my part as I genuinely think that’s the best way to go into most books and/or movies.  I wasn’t at all disappointed with this book and thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish.
I can understand why some people might not like the end of the book. If you’re a quick reader or a skim reader, you may even miss what happens at the end, to cause the outcome of the book. Its incredibly subtly written and I suppose for some people that might even be the complaint. However for me, I thought it was perfect. I loved this book and I would recommend it to anyone. I intend to watch the movie over this next week. If you haven’t heard of this book, or you’ve heard of it but have no idea what its about, I genuinely think you should pick it up and give it a go. A very easy and enjoyable read. 
 

I have now started on a book called “I heart New York”, which is actually something I started to read some years ago and then just forgot to go back to it. This is a chicklit genre story so I figure it will be another easy read but while I’m getting back into the swing of reading, I figure that’s probably what I need.