Helen's bookshelf: all en-US Mon, 10 Feb 2025 17:18:19 -0800 60 Helen's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Children of Ever After 218597519
Brittney, a young mother abandoned by her children's father, struggles to raise three children in an apartment she can barely afford. Her neighbor reports her to the Department of Human Services and DHS decides the children are ‘unsafe,� an amorphous accusation no one can define.

As Brittney argues with a skeptical judge, caseworkers place her children with Rebecca, a forty-year-old professor at the University of Pennsylvania. Rebecca knows the children aren’t hers to keep, but once the patter of tiny feet fills the quiet halls of her Victorian home, she can’t imagine life without them.

The two women are on opposing sides of a custody battle, but under the shadow of an inept foster care system, they begin to realize they have more in common than they thought. Together, they ask the in an imperfect world, can they somehow forge their own versions of family, love, and motherhood?

“Yearwood’s dry wit and literary style will keep readers engrossed, fascinated by the complex, beautiful women she has created. A tender, heartbreaking, and exceptionally intelligent study of contemporary motherhood in all its complexity,� Kirkus Reviews

"This isn't just a novel about motherhood—it is a searing commentary on the failures of child welfare systems, class inequality, and the extreme standards imposed on women, dismantling the cultural myth of the "perfect mother" who must balance career, household, and parenting. This incisive, heart-rending novel makes a strong case for re-evaluating the various supports extended to low-income and marginalized families, all while it celebrates female agency and women's resilience," Booklife Review, EDITOR'S PICK
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310 Avery Yearwood Helen 4 4.34 2024 Children of Ever After
author: Avery Yearwood
name: Helen
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2025/02/10
date added: 2025/02/10
shelves:
review:

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Looking Out for Love 60666235

What Stella really wants is to find love. She wants all-consuming, can’t-think-about-anything-else, can’t-even-manage-to-eat kind of love. What she found beside her in bed that morning wasn’t love. But when a tall, handsome man in a well-fitting suit walks into a Notting Hill pub, she thinks she’s finally found The One.


Everything seems to be falling into place now Stella has met the man of her dreams and has an actual job working with a private investigator nicknamed ‘The Affair Hunter�. Although sadly, life is never that straightforward and Stella starts to question whether she’s been looking for love in the wrong places all along�


–ēēēēēēēēēēēēēēēēēēēēē�


Everyone LOVES the hilarious and heart-warming novels by Sophia Money-Coutts
‘Enjoyable and endearing� Katie Fforde



‘With laugh-out-loud moments, you’ll love this romcom�
Prima



‘Hilariously relatable� Sophie Cousens



‘For fans of Jilly Cooper…warm-hearted, hilarious and romantic�
Best



‘I laughed out loud throughout this� Laura Jane Williams



‘The perfect poolside page-turner!�
Woman Home



‘Super funny, super witty and so warm� Lia Louis



‘It wouldn’t be summer without a new romcom from Sophia Money-Coutts to deliver a hit of bookish serotonin�
Red



‘Funny, joyful, life-affirming� Cressida McLaughlin]]>
448 Sophia Money-Coutts 0008467072 Helen 4 3.58 2023 Looking Out for Love
author: Sophia Money-Coutts
name: Helen
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/01/09
date added: 2024/01/09
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The Other Woman 22686
As troubles mount, Ellie turns to her friends—glamorous Lisa, who always looks like she’s just stepped off a runway, and wonderfully frazzled Trish—and tries to rediscover the independence she once had, and the man she still loves. But it seems that having a child and saving a marriage means growing up in ways she’d never imagined . . .

A warm, witty, and wise look at mothers-in-law and what they teach us about ourselves, The Other Woman is sure to please Jane Green’s growing legion of fans.]]>
389 Jane Green 0452287146 Helen 0 3.72 2004 The Other Woman
author: Jane Green
name: Helen
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at: 2024/01/09
date added: 2024/01/08
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The Art of Keeping Secrets 29918417
They’ve been best friends since their sons started high school together, and Felicity, Emma and Neve share everything � or so they thought.

But Flick’s seemingly perfect marriage hides a shocking secret which, with one word, threatens to destroy her and her family’s happiness. Emma is in denial about a potential custody battle, her financial constraints, the exhaustion she can’t seem to shake off and the inappropriate feelings she has for her boss. And single mum Neve is harbouring a secret of her own; a secret that might forever damage her close-knit relationship with her son.

When the tight hold they have each kept on their secrets for years begins to slip, they must face the truth. Even if that truth has the power to hurt the ones they love, and each other.

Perhaps some secrets weren’t made to be kept.]]>
464 Rachael Johns 1489210539 Helen 5 3.97 2016 The Art of Keeping Secrets
author: Rachael Johns
name: Helen
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2017/01/16
date added: 2023/07/04
shelves:
review:
I think 31/2 stars would be better. The book was a light Summer read and as such was enjoyable. The plot was a little predictable.
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Truly Madly Guilty 27831371 The electrifying new novel from the international bestselling author, Liane Moriarty

Despite their differences, Erika and Clementine have been best friends since they were children. So when Erika needs help, Clementine should be the obvious person to turn to. Or so you'd think.

For Clementine, as a mother of a two desperately trying to practise for the audition of a lifetime, the last thing she needs is Erika asking for something, again.

But the barbecue should be the perfect way to forget their problems for a while. Especially when their hosts, Vid and Tiffany, are only too happy to distract them.

Which is how it all spirals out of control...

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517 Liane Moriarty 1250069815 Helen 5 3.59 2016 Truly Madly Guilty
author: Liane Moriarty
name: Helen
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2023/03/21
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Suspect (Joseph O'Loughlin, #1)]]> 477362
At forty-two, psychiatrist Joe O'Loughlin seems to have it all: a thriving practice, a beautiful wife, an adoring daughter. But Joe's snug, happy world is crumbling. Recently diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, he's dreading the inevitable and all too palpable deterioration of his body and mind. Then, when the police ask for his help in solving the brutal murder of a woman they assume is a prostitute, he's horrified to recognize the victim as a nurse he once worked with, and with whom he had a bit of a past. As Joe begins to suspect that one of his patients may be responsible, the police zero in on him.

Michael Robotham possesses the rare ability to create fully believable characters, fashion terrific dialogue, and generate nonstop suspense. Suspect is a powerhouse first novel, intricately crafted and chillingly authentic.]]>
384 Michael Robotham 0307275477 Helen 0 currently-reading 3.87 2004 Suspect (Joseph O'Loughlin, #1)
author: Michael Robotham
name: Helen
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2023/01/01
shelves: currently-reading
review:

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Wish You Were Here 57701764 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and The Book of Two Ways comes comes a deeply moving novel about the resilience of the human spirit in a moment of crisis.

Jodi Picoult once again proves she is the master of wading through the darkness to find the light. Wish You Were Here is a powerfully evocative story of resilience and the triumph of the human spirit.
--Taylor Jenkins Reid, New York Times bestselling author of Malibu Rising

Synopsis
Diana O’Toole is perfectly on track. She will be married by thirty, done having kids by thirty-five, and move out to the New York City suburbs, all while climbing the professional ladder in the cutthroat art auction world. She’s an associate specialist at Sotheby’s now, but her boss has hinted at a promotion if she can close a deal with a high-profile client. She’s not engaged just yet, but she knows her boyfriend, Finn, a surgical resident, is about to propose on their romantic getaway to the Galapagos—days before her thirtieth birthday. Right on time.

But then a virus that felt worlds away has appeared in the city, and on the eve of their departure, Finn breaks the news: It’s all hands on deck at the hospital. He has to stay behind. You should still go, he assures her, since it would be a shame for all of their nonrefundable trip to go to waste. And so, reluctantly, she goes.

Almost immediately, Diana’s dream vacation goes awry. Her luggage is lost, the Wi-Fi is nearly nonexistent, and the hotel they’d booked is shut down due to the pandemic. In fact, the whole island is now under quarantine, and she is stranded until the borders reopen. Completely isolated, she must venture beyond her comfort zone. Slowly, she carves out a connection with a local family when a teenager with a secret opens up to Diana, despite her father’s suspicion of outsiders.

In the Galapagos Islands, where Darwin’s theory of natural selection was formed, Diana finds herself examining her relationships, her choices, and herself—and wondering if when she goes home, she too will have evolved into someone completely different.]]>
310 Jodi Picoult 1984818414 Helen 2 Disappointing book. 3.86 2021 Wish You Were Here
author: Jodi Picoult
name: Helen
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2022/09/16
shelves:
review:
Disappointing book.
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The Choke 35106686
Abandoned by her mother as a toddler and only occasionally visited by her volatile father who keeps dangerous secrets, Justine is raised solely by her Pop, an old man tormented by visions of the Burma Railway. Justine finds sanctuary in Pop's chooks and The Choke, where the banks of the Murray River are so narrow they can almost touch—a place of staggering natural beauty that is both a source of peace and danger. Although Justine doesn't know it, her father is a menacing criminal and the world she is exposed to is one of great peril to her. She has to make sense of it on her own—and when she eventually does, she knows what she has to do.

A brilliant, haunting novel about a child navigating an often dark and uncaring world of male power, guns and violence, in which grown-ups can't be trusted and comfort can only be found in nature, The Choke is a compassionate and claustrophobic vision of a child in danger and a society in deep trouble. It once again showcases the Miles Franklin Award-winning author as a writer of rare empathy, originality and blazing talent.]]>
369 Sofie Laguna 1760297240 Helen 0 4.18 2017 The Choke
author: Sofie Laguna
name: Helen
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at: 2021/09/06
date added: 2021/09/06
shelves:
review:

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The Bad Mothers' Book Club 43844126 'I needed a funny easy book because of the days we're living in and The Bad Mothers' Book Club was perfect.' Maria, 5 starsThe laugh-out-loud new comedy about family relationships from the ebook bestseller!Meet Emma, the new Mum on the block. Since moving to the Liverpudlian seaside after her husband's career change, her life consists of the long walks on the beach (with the dog), early nights (with the kids) and Netflix (no chill). Bored and lonely, when Emma is cordially invited to the exclusive cool school-mums' book club, she thinks her luck may finally be about to change. But she soon finds the women of the club aren't quite what they seem - and after an unfortunate incident involving red wine and a white carpet, she finds herself unceremoniously kicked out. The answer? Start her own book club - for bad mothers who just want to drink wine and share stories. But will this town let two book clubs exist? Or is there only room for one queen of the school gates...? Perfect for fans of Why Mummy Drinks.]]> 229 Keris Stainton 1409175871 Helen 4 3.59 The Bad Mothers' Book Club
author: Keris Stainton
name: Helen
average rating: 3.59
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2019/07/07
date added: 2021/08/29
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<![CDATA[The Woolworths Girls (Woolworths, #1)]]> 28212833 Can romance blossom in times of trouble?It's 1938 and as the threat of war hangs over the country, Sarah Caselton is preparing for her new job at Woolworths. Before long, she forms a tight bond with two of her the glamorous Maisie and shy Freda. The trio couldn't be more different, but they immediately form a close-knit friendship, sharing their hopes and dreams for the future. Sarah soon falls into the rhythm of her new position, enjoying the social events hosted by Woolies and her blossoming romance with young assistant manager, Alan. But with the threat of war clouding the horizon, the young men and women of Woolworths realize that there are bigger battles ahead. It's a dangerous time for the nation, and an even more perilous time to fall in love . . .The first in Elaine Everest's Woolworths series, The Woolworths Girls is followed by the festive sequel, Christmas at Woolworths.]]> 449 Elaine Everest 1447295498 Helen 4 4.32 2016 The Woolworths Girls (Woolworths, #1)
author: Elaine Everest
name: Helen
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2020/02/15
date added: 2020/02/14
shelves:
review:
Good light read, a little predictable but it didn't matter.
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<![CDATA[The Dragon Man (Peninsular Crimes, #1)]]> 815139 Meet Hal Challis, Detective for the Mornington Peninsula police force in Southeast Australia, in the first investigation in this prize-winning crime series

A serial killer is on the loose in a small coastal town near Melbourne, Australia. Detective Inspector Hal Challis and his team must apprehend him before he strikes again. But first, Challis has to contend with the editor of a local newspaper who undermines his investigation at every turn, and with his wife, who attempts to resurrect their marriage through long-distance phone calls from a sanitarium, where she has been committed for the past eight years for attempted murder�his.]]>
239 Garry Disher 1569473951 Helen 3 3.66 1999 The Dragon Man (Peninsular Crimes, #1)
author: Garry Disher
name: Helen
average rating: 3.66
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/31
date added: 2020/01/31
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review:

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<![CDATA[Quilt as Desired (Harriet Truman / Loose Threads Mystery #1)]]> 1135104 236 Arlene Sachitano 1934135259 Helen 2 3.73 2007 Quilt as Desired (Harriet Truman / Loose Threads Mystery #1)
author: Arlene Sachitano
name: Helen
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 2020/01/15
date added: 2020/01/14
shelves:
review:
I bought this book in Houston at the Quilt Convention where I met the author. I found it ok but felt the writing was correct grammatically but lacked something. It was readable but I didn't connect with the characters or the storyline.
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Left Neglected 8492768 Between recruiting the best and brightest minds as the vice president of human resources at Berkley Consulting; shuttling the kids to soccer, day care, and piano lessons; convincing her son’s teacher that he may not, in fact, have ADD; and making it home in time for dinner, it’s a wonder this over-scheduled, over-achieving Harvard graduate has time to breathe.

A self-confessed balloon about to burst, Sarah miraculously manages every minute of her life like an air traffic controller. Until one fateful day, while driving to work and trying to make a phone call, she looks away from the road for one second too long. In the blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her jam-packed life come to a screeching halt.

A traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world, and for once, Sarah relinquishes control to those around her, including her formerly absent mother. Without the ability to even floss her own teeth, she struggles to find answers about her past and her uncertain future.

Now, as she wills herself to regain her independence and heal, Sarah must learn that her real destiny - her new, true life - may in fact lie far from the world of conference calls and spreadsheets. And that a happiness and peace greater than all the success in the world is close within reach, if only she slows down long enough to notice.

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324 Lisa Genova 1439164630 Helen 3 3.97 2011 Left Neglected
author: Lisa Genova
name: Helen
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/06
date added: 2020/01/06
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Back on Blossom Street (Blossom Street, #4)]]> 366337
When Susannah and Colette both join Lydia Goetz’s new knitting class, they discover that Lydia and her sister, Margaret, have worries of their own. Margaret’s daughter, Julia, is the victim of a random carjacking, and the entire family is thrown into emotional chaos.

Then there’s Alix Townsend, whose wedding is only months away. She’s not sure she can go through with it, though. A reception at the country club, with hundreds of guests she’s never met—it’s just not Alix. But, like everyone in Lydia’s knitting class, she knows there’s a solution to every problem…and another woman can usually help you find it!]]>
400 Debbie Macomber 0778324516 Helen 3 4.16 2007 Back on Blossom Street (Blossom Street, #4)
author: Debbie Macomber
name: Helen
average rating: 4.16
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2020/01/03
date added: 2020/01/02
shelves:
review:

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The Husband's Secret 17802724 At the heart of The Husband’s Secret is a letter that’s not meant to be read

My darling Cecilia, if you’re reading this, then I’ve died...

Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret—something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .

Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all—she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia—or each other—but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband’s secret.

Acclaimed author Liane Moriarty has written a gripping, thought-provoking novel about how well it is really possible to know our spouses—and, ultimately, ourselves.]]>
396 Liane Moriarty 0399159347 Helen 4 3.94 2013 The Husband's Secret
author: Liane Moriarty
name: Helen
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2019/08/28
date added: 2019/08/28
shelves:
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The Mother's Promise 29939223 The Things We Keep and The Secrets of Midwives.

With every book, Sally Hepworth becomes more and more known for her searing emotional portraits of families—and the things that test their bonds. In The Mother’s Promise, she delivers her most powerful novel yet: the story of a single mother who is dying, the troubled teenaged daughter who is battling her own demons, and the two women who come into their lives at the most critical moment.

Alice and her daughter Zoe have been a family of two all their lives. Zoe has always struggled with crippling social anxiety and her mother has been her constant and fierce protector. With no family to speak of, and the identity of Zoe’s father shrouded in mystery, their team of two works—until it doesn’t. Until Alice gets sick and is given a grim prognosis.

Desperate to find stability for Zoe, Alice reaches out to two women who are practically strangers, but who are her only hope: Kate, her oncology nurse, and Sonja, a social worker. As the four of them come together, a chain of events is set into motion and all four of them must confront their sharpest fears and secrets—secrets about abandonment, abuse, estrangement, and the deepest longing for family. Imbued with heart and humor in even the darkest moments, The Mother’s Promise is an unforgettable novel about the power of love and forgiveness.]]>
368 Sally Hepworth 1250077753 Helen 5 4.10 2017 The Mother's Promise
author: Sally Hepworth
name: Helen
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2019/08/04
date added: 2019/08/04
shelves:
review:

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Big Little Lies 33516773 An alternative cover edition for this ISBN can be found here.

From the author of Truly Madly Guilty and The Husband s Secret comes a novel about the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.

A murder...A tragic accident...Or just parents behaving badly? What’s indisputable is that someone is dead.

Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny, biting, and passionate; she remembers everything and forgives no one. Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare but she is paying a price for the illusion of perfection. New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for a nanny. She comes with a mysterious past and a sadness beyond her years. These three women are at different crossroads, but they will all wind up in the same shocking place.

Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the little lies that can turn lethal.]]>
460 Liane Moriarty 0399587195 Helen 5 4.40 2014 Big Little Lies
author: Liane Moriarty
name: Helen
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2019/02/25
date added: 2019/07/30
shelves:
review:

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Truly Madly Guilty 26247008
Sam and Clementine have a wonderful, albeit, busy life: they have two little girls, Sam has just started a new dream job, and Clementine, a cellist, is busy preparing for the audition of a lifetime. If there’s anything they can count on, it’s each other.

Clementine and Erika are each other’s oldest friends. A single look between them can convey an entire conversation. But theirs is a complicated relationship, so when Erika mentions a last minute invitation to a barbecue with her neighbors, Tiffany and Vid, Clementine and Sam don’t hesitate. Having Tiffany and Vid’s larger than life personalities there will be a welcome respite.

Two months later, it won’t stop raining, and Clementine and Sam can’t stop asking themselves the question: What if we hadn’t gone?

In Truly Madly Guilty, Liane Moriarty takes on the foundations of our lives: marriage, sex, parenthood, and friendship. She shows how guilt can expose the fault lines in the most seemingly strong relationships, how what we don’t say can be more powerful than what we do, and how sometimes it is the most innocent of moments that can do the greatest harm.]]>
432 Liane Moriarty 1250125561 Helen 5 3.49 2016 Truly Madly Guilty
author: Liane Moriarty
name: Helen
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2016
rating: 5
read at: 2019/04/28
date added: 2019/07/30
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review:

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Any Ordinary Day 40637139 The day that turns a life upside down usually starts like any other, but what happens the day after?Dual Walkley Award-winner Leigh Sales investigates how ordinary people endure the unthinkable.As a journalist, Leigh Sales often encounters people experiencing the worst moments of their lives in the full glare of the media. But one particular string of bad news stories � and a terrifying brush with her own mortality � sent her looking for answers about how vulnerable each of us is to a life-changing event. What are our chances of actually experiencing one? What do we fear most and why? And when the worst does happen, what comes next?In this wise and layered book, Leigh talks intimately with people who’ve faced the unimaginable.From terrorism to natural disaster to simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Expecting broken lives, she instead finds strength, hope, even humour.Leigh brilliantly condenses the cutting-edge research on the way the human brain processes fear and grief, and poses the questions we too often ignore out of awkwardness. Along the way, she offers an unguarded account of her own challenges and what she’s learned about coping with life’s unexpected blows.Warm, candid and empathetic, this book is about what happens when ordinary people, on ordinary days, are forced to suddenly find the resilience most of us don’t know we have._____________'Warm, wise and humble.' ANNA FUNDER'Masterfully written, revelatory and genuinely uplifting.' BETTER READING'Asks questions most of us would only dare to think.' THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD]]> 244 Leigh Sales 1760144177 Helen 3 4.13 2018 Any Ordinary Day
author: Leigh Sales
name: Helen
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2019/07/15
date added: 2019/07/30
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Milkman 36047860
Milkman is a tale of gossip and hearsay, silence and deliberate deafness. It is the story of inaction with enormous consequences.]]>
352 Anna Burns 0571338763 Helen 2 dnf 3.51 2018 Milkman
author: Anna Burns
name: Helen
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2019/06/04
date added: 2019/06/04
shelves: dnf
review:

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<![CDATA[The Next Girl (Detective Gina Harte, #1)]]> 37889327 Deborah Jenkins pulls her coat around her as she sets out on her short walk home in the pouring rain. But she never makes it home that night. And she is never seen again...

Four years later, an abandoned baby girl is found wrapped in dirty rags on a doorstep. An anonymous phone call urges the police to run a DNA test on the baby. But nobody is prepared for the results.

The newborn belongs to Deborah. She’s still alive.]]>
302 Carla Kovach 1786813858 Helen 5 3.84 2018 The Next Girl (Detective Gina Harte, #1)
author: Carla Kovach
name: Helen
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2019/04/11
date added: 2019/04/10
shelves:
review:
Totally loved this book, an easy ready mystery. Can't wait for further books in the series.
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Rags to Riches 29959880 400 Maggie Ford 0091956692 Helen 0 4.09 Rags to Riches
author: Maggie Ford
name: Helen
average rating: 4.09
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2019/03/29
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Canvas 43725854
Alice McKinley inherits Dunedin, the family’s crumbling pastoral estate in Victoria’s Western District and soon discovers the sprawling sheep station is on the brink of bankruptcy.

A posthumous gift from her grandmother, Cecily reveals a Pandora’s box of riddles, clues and cryptic correspondence, including a journal written by her ancestor, Florence.

Alice is catapulted into a frantic search for something she’s not even sure is real � a missing masterpiece commissioned by her family in the 1870s. It’s an heirloom rumoured to be worth millions and would save Dunedin from financial ruin.

As Alice delves deeper into the family archives, she uncovers more than she bargained for—a tangled web of intrigue stretching from the giddy world of colonial squattocracy, the wool boom of the 1950s and the realities facing rural families in the new millennium. Can she save her family’s great legacy?

REVIEWS:

Reader Praise for Canvas:

“Couldn’t put it down!�

“Sarah Hope is a natural storyteller�

“Better than the Thorn Birds�

“An absolute page turner with brilliant twists�

“Didn’t want it to end!�

“Loved it. Well written across the generations. The family history entwines to solve a long time family mystery. GREAT read.�

“It was fabulous and well done!�

“So well written and interesting! I have enjoyed it immensely. Thank you.�






ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SARAH HOPE grew up in Melbourne, Australia where she discovered a passion for writing, art and theatre from an early age. She has since lived most of her life in country Victoria, Australia and raised a large family there. She has an honours degree in Fine Arts from the University of Melbourne, and for a number of years was a senior newspaper journalist and advertising copywriter. As well writing, she is a practising artist and potter with a mild obsession for beautifully curated interiors, homewares and rambling gardens.

Canvas is Sarah’s first novel and you can find out more about her at , where you can also follow her travel blog; on Instagram at @sarahhope_author, @artisantradingco and @australiancountryhouse and .




Time is running out...

Filled with tales of hidden love, dark family secrets, and chance encounters, Canvas is a sharply observed and compelling family drama, interwoven across generations and set in the heart of Australia’s iconic grazing country...





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537 Sarah Hope Helen 2 4.15 2018 Canvas
author: Sarah Hope
name: Helen
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2019/03/16
date added: 2019/03/15
shelves:
review:
Didn't actually finish this book, I think I had expected so much it just didn't deliver. Found the writing not to my taste, in saying that I will probably try it again in a few months time.
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An American Marriage 33590210
This stirring love story is a profoundly insightful look into the hearts and minds of three people who are at once bound and separated by forces beyond their control. An American Marriage is a masterpiece of storytelling, an intimate look deep into the souls of people who must reckon with the past while moving forward—with hope and pain—into the future.]]>
308 Tayari Jones 1616201347 Helen 4 3.90 2018 An American Marriage
author: Tayari Jones
name: Helen
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/03/11
date added: 2019/03/11
shelves:
review:

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The Rumour 39685241
There's a killer among us.

That's all it takes.

She stabbed little Robbie Harris.

To change a life -

She's living under a new name.

For ever.

She's reformed. So they say . . .

Joanna is going to regret the day she ever said a word.]]>
8 Lesley Kara Helen 5 Is there a child murderer in this small town under the witness protection scheme? Rumours say so....]]> 3.71 2018 The Rumour
author: Lesley Kara
name: Helen
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2019/02/19
date added: 2019/02/18
shelves:
review:
Wow! Loved this book. Easy to read, real page turner, keeps you guessing.
Is there a child murderer in this small town under the witness protection scheme? Rumours say so....
]]>
The Great Alone 34912895 Unpredictable. Unforgiving. Untamed.
For a family in crisis, the ultimate test of survival.

Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.

Thirteen-year-old Leni, a girl coming of age in a tumultuous time, caught in the riptide of her parents� passionate, stormy relationship, dares to hope that a new land will lead to a better future for her family. She is desperate for a place to belong. Her mother, Cora, will do anything and go anywhere for the man she loves, even if it means following him into the unknown.

At first, Alaska seems to be the answer to their prayers. In a wild, remote corner of the state, they find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the Allbrights� lack of preparation and dwindling resources.

But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.

In this unforgettable portrait of human frailty and resilience, Kristin Hannah reveals the indomitable character of the modern American pioneer and the spirit of a vanishing Alaska―a place of incomparable beauty and danger. The Great Alone is a daring, beautiful, stay-up-all-night story about love and loss, the fight for survival, and the wildness that lives in both man and nature.]]>
435 Kristin Hannah Helen 4 4.44 2018 The Great Alone
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Helen
average rating: 4.44
book published: 2018
rating: 4
read at: 2019/02/10
date added: 2019/02/10
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Not Your Average Nurse: From 1970s London to Outback Australia, the True Story of an Unlikely Girl and an Extraordinary Career]]> 35081481
We follow Maggie's highs and lows as she becomes a highly skilled nurse and sets sail for a new life in Australia.

From the watchful gaze of stern ward sisters and the ordeals of nursing at a poor housing estate to becoming an industrial nurse at the iconic Sydney Opera House, Maggie shares her stories of mistakes and mayhem, tea and sympathy, and the life-affirming moments that make it all worthwhile.]]>
349 Maggie Groff 0143785354 Helen 2 4.18 2017 Not Your Average Nurse: From 1970s London to Outback Australia, the True Story of an Unlikely Girl and an Extraordinary Career
author: Maggie Groff
name: Helen
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2017
rating: 2
read at: 2019/01/27
date added: 2019/01/27
shelves:
review:

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The Trader S Reward 35221467
When Fergus Deagan's wife dies, leaving him to care for their small children, he doesn't know how to manage. He's always been envious of his older brother Bram's good fortune but now he reluctantly knows he needs his help, and sets off with his family for Western Australia. When he gets there, he finds that the problems with Bram's ice-making venture are threatening to ruin his brother. Can Fergus help find a solution and make amends with Bram at last?]]>
Anna Jacobs 1473609739 Helen 4 ]]> 3.94 2014 The Trader S Reward
author: Anna Jacobs
name: Helen
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2018/05/11
date added: 2018/10/24
shelves:
review:
I haven't read the first book but enjoyed 'tis book. It is a light read good for a read after reading a few more complex books.

]]>
<![CDATA[The Trader's Wife (The Traders, #1)]]> 13444808
Two years later Bram Deagan arrives in Singapore, determined to make his fortune as a trader. Mr Lee sees a way to expand his business connections and persuades Isabella to marry Bram.

Bravely, she sets sail for a new land and life. But the past casts a long shadow and together they face unexpected dangers. Will they find a way to achieve their dreams of a successful trading business?]]>
325 Anna Jacobs 1444725173 Helen 4 4.15 2011 The Trader's Wife (The Traders, #1)
author: Anna Jacobs
name: Helen
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/05/12
shelves:
review:

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Jasper Jones 8407173
Rebellious, mixed-race and solitary, Jasper is a distant figure of danger and intrigue for Charlie. So when Jasper begs for his help, Charlie eagerly steals into the night by his side, terribly afraid but desperate to impress. Jasper takes him to his secret glade in the bush, and it's here that Charlie bears witness to Jasper's horrible discovery.

With his secret like a brick in his belly, Charlie is pushed and pulled by a town closing in on itself in fear and suspicion as he locks horns with his tempestuous mother; falls nervously in love and battles to keep a lid on his zealous best friend, Jeffrey Lu.

And in vainly attempting to restore the parts that have been shaken loose, Charlie learns to discern the truth from the myth, and why white lies creep like a curse.

In the simmering summer where everything changes, Charlie learns why the truth of things is so hard to know, and even harder to hold in his heart.]]>
397 Craig Silvey 1742372627 Helen 5 4.08 2009 Jasper Jones
author: Craig Silvey
name: Helen
average rating: 4.08
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2018/03/04
date added: 2018/03/04
shelves:
review:

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The Mill Girls of Albion Lane 26219466 **Don't miss Jenny Holmes's latest wartime series, The Air Raid Girls. Part 3 - The Air Raid Wartime Brides - is available now!** ----------------------------On the cobbled streets of a Yorkshire mill town in 1931, Lily Briggs does all she can to keep trouble at bay for her and her family.She works hard at Calvert Mill to make ends meet and take care of her parents and younger siblings. Saturday nights at the dance hall and dressmaking with her two best friends keep Lily upbeat, and now there's a blossoming romance with childhood friend Harry Bainbridge to put an extra spring in her step, too.But then a run of misfortune threatens Lily's work, home and personal life, and she has to rely on the community at the mill to rally together for support. With so many others to worry about, will Lily always put them first or can she find her own happy ending?A heart-warming, nostalgic tale of triumph over adversity that readers of Katie Flynn, Donna Douglas and Call the Midwife will adore.---------------------------- Readers love Jenny 'There wasn't anything I didn't like about this book' 5 star review 'I couldn't put this book down' 5 star review 'Loved the whole story' 5 star review 'This is a totally absorbing book' 5 star review 'An excellent read put together in fine style' 5 star review]]> 310 Jenny Holmes Helen 4 4.37 2015 The Mill Girls of Albion Lane
author: Jenny Holmes
name: Helen
average rating: 4.37
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2018/02/25
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[A Stranger in Honeyfield (Honeyfield #2)]]> 32673516 Georgie, Philip's sister, is in trouble having broken her engagement and fled from her bullying family. Who can she turn to for help when she needs it most?
When the worst happens, Bella must manage on her own, though there are shocks and dangers she did not foresee ahead. Thankfully, Philip's best friend Tez, injured in France, steps in to offer assistance. Can he also help Bella build a new life?]]>
282 Anna Jacobs 0749020202 Helen 4 4.40 A Stranger in Honeyfield (Honeyfield #2)
author: Anna Jacobs
name: Helen
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2018/01/30
date added: 2018/01/30
shelves:
review:

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A Boy Made of Blocks 36487851
A father who rediscovers love

Alex loves his wife Jody, but has forgotten how to show it. He loves his son Sam, but doesn't understand him. He needs a reason to grab his future with both hands.

A son who shows him how to live

Meet eight-year-old Sam: beautiful, surprising - and different. To him the world is a frightening mystery. But as his imagination comes to life, his family will be changed . . . for good.]]>
391 Keith Stuart 0751563293 Helen 0 adult-fic 4.19 2016 A Boy Made of Blocks
author: Keith Stuart
name: Helen
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2016
rating: 0
read at: 2018/01/18
date added: 2018/01/18
shelves: adult-fic
review:

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Wish You Well 87745 432 David Baldacci 0446699489 Helen 1 adult-fic Rubbish 3.98 2000 Wish You Well
author: David Baldacci
name: Helen
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2000
rating: 1
read at: 2018/01/12
date added: 2018/01/12
shelves: adult-fic
review:
Rubbish
]]>
Eleanor & Park 15745753 "So did Jerry Lee Lewis," Eleanor answers.
"I'm not kidding," he says.
"You should be," she says, "we're 16."
"What about Romeo and Juliet?"
"Shallow, confused, then dead."
"I love you," Park says.
"Wherefore art thou," Eleanor answers.
"I'm not kidding," he says.
"You should be."

Set over one school year in 1986, Eleanor & Park is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.]]>
328 Rainbow Rowell 1250012570 Helen 3 ya-fic First love depicted well]]> 3.92 2012 Eleanor & Park
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Helen
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2018/01/09
date added: 2018/01/09
shelves: ya-fic
review:
An interesting read. Found myself reading it at every chance, however I probably wouldn't read this author again. I felt at times I wanted to delve further into the characters than the author took me.
First love depicted well
]]>
Past the Shallows 10762662 272 Favel Parrett 0733626572 Helen 0 dnf 3.90 2011 Past the Shallows
author: Favel Parrett
name: Helen
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at: 2018/01/05
date added: 2018/01/05
shelves: dnf
review:

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The Break 34511798 'Myself and Hugh . . . We're taking a break.'
'A city-with-fancy-food sort of break?'

If only.

Amy's husband Hugh says he isn't leaving her.

He still loves her, he's just taking a break - from their marriage, their children and, most of all, from their life together. Six months to lose himself in south-east Asia. And there is nothing Amy can say or do about it.

Yes, it's a mid-life crisis, but let's be clear: a break isn't a break up - yet . . .

However, for Amy it's enough to send her - along with her extended family of gossips, misfits and troublemakers - teetering over the edge.

For a lot can happen in six-months. When Hugh returns if he returns, will he be the same man she married? And will Amy be the same woman?

Because if Hugh is on a break from their marriage, then isn't she?

The Break isn't a story about falling in love but about staying in love. It is Marian Keyes at her funniest, wisest and brilliant best.]]>
576 Marian Keyes 0718179722 Helen 5 chic-lit 3.81 2018 The Break
author: Marian Keyes
name: Helen
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2018/01/03
date added: 2018/01/03
shelves: chic-lit
review:
Good Summer read. Fun storyline, great characters, maybe no literary prize but a darn good read.
]]>
City Lives 714971 Patricia Scanlan 0553812912 Helen 4 4.01 City Lives
author: Patricia Scanlan
name: Helen
average rating: 4.01
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2017/08/25
shelves:
review:
I liked this book, I realise it has inaccuracies but it got my reading mojo back.
]]>
<![CDATA[Royal Flush (Her Royal Spyness Mysteries, #3)]]> 5981169 A Royal Spyness mystery starring Lady Georgiana, thirty-fourth in line for the throne - and the mystery world's favorite penniless heiress.

With its posh clientele in the country for the summer, Georgie's housecleaning business has fizzled. So she tries hiring herself out as a dinner-and-theatre companion. But her first client has quite the wrong idea. To avoid further scandal, Georgie's shipped home to Castle Rannoch, where her summer plans include honoring a promise to Her Majesty to keep Castle Rannoch's divorcée houseguest from seducing the Prince of Wales. She's also been coerced into helping Scotland Yard with a top-secret mission - namely keeping an eye on the shooting party at Balmoral and preventing someone from shooting the Prince. And Georgie must manage all this without strangling her odious sister-in-law Fig or spineless brother Binky.]]>
306 Rhys Bowen 042522788X Helen 3 3.94 2009 Royal Flush (Her Royal Spyness Mysteries, #3)
author: Rhys Bowen
name: Helen
average rating: 3.94
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2017/03/06
date added: 2017/03/06
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Playing with Fire (Inspector Banks, #14)]]> 382885 368 Peter Robinson 006019877X Helen 4 4.00 2004 Playing with Fire (Inspector Banks, #14)
author: Peter Robinson
name: Helen
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 2017/02/16
date added: 2017/02/16
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Overruled (The Legal Briefs, #1)]]> 22923997 Emma Chase, New York Times bestselling author of the Tangled Series, returns with the first installment of the Legal Briefs Series.

As a DC defense attorney, Stanton Shaw keeps his head cool, his questions sharp, and his arguments irrefutable. They don’t call him the Jury Charmer for nothing � with his southern drawl, disarming smile and captivating green eyes � he’s a hard man to say no to. Men want to be him and women want to be thoroughly cross examined by him.

Stanton’s a man with a plan. And for a while, life was going according to that plan.

Until the day he receives an invitation to the wedding of his high school sweetheart and mother of his beloved ten-year old daughter. Jenny is getting married � to someone who isn’t him.

That's definitely not part of the plan.
***

Sofia Santos is a city raised, no-nonsense litigator who plans to become the most revered criminal defense attorney in the country. She doesn’t have time for relationships or distractions.

But when Stanton, her "friend with mind-blowing benefits" begs for help, she finds herself out of her element, out of her depth, and obviously out of her mind. Because she agrees to go with him � to The-Middle-Of-Nowhere, Mississippi � to do all she can to help Stanton win back the woman he loves.

Her head tells her she's crazy...and her heart says something else entirely.
***

What happens when you mix a one stop-light town, two professional arguers, a homecoming queen, four big brothers, some Jimmy Dean sausage and a gun-toting Nana?

The Bourbon flows, passions rise and even the best laid plans get overruled by the desires of the heart.]]>
290 Emma Chase Helen 3 3.77 2015 Overruled (The Legal Briefs, #1)
author: Emma Chase
name: Helen
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2017/01/06
date added: 2017/01/05
shelves:
review:
This is the first in a series and was ok, but I won't bother with rest of series. Found the storyline lacking, a bit like a Mills and Boon.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Quilter's Kitchen (Elm Creek Quilts, #13)]]> 2881228
Anna Del Maso had known that she wanted to be a chef since she was in the seventh grade. “Somehow everything in my life ends up being about food,� she realizes, as she begins the latest of her food-themed quilts. Her twin passions have converged in a brand-new position as head chef for Elm Creek Quilts, Waterford, Pennsylvania’s popular quilting retreat.

As she joins the circle of quilters at historic Elm Creek Manor, Anna is eager to preserve the manor’s culinary heritage, dating to 1858, while also celebrating the new favorites of their many guests. Yet as Master Quilter Sylvia Bergstrom Compson well knows, the manor’s kitchen, last updated in the 1940s, can’t create food that compares to the state-of-the-art quilting instruction for which Elm Creek Quilts is renowned.

A full renovation of the kitchen must be completed by the start of the new camp season. Though the task is daunting, Anna is assured in her belief that “A kitchen is the heart of a home.� As she and Sylvia begin to dismantle the old to make way for the new, Sylvia’s reminiscences remind them both of just how many of the manor’s traditions have involved food and celebrations. Whether the feast is one of the holiday menus prepared and enjoyed by generations of Bergstroms, or one of the Welcome Banquets and Farewell Breakfasts that have become hallmarks of Elm Creek Quilt Camp, there is a story for every recipe, and a recipe for every story.]]>
224 Jennifer Chiaverini 1416583297 Helen 2 3.48 2008 The Quilter's Kitchen (Elm Creek Quilts, #13)
author: Jennifer Chiaverini
name: Helen
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 2016/11/13
date added: 2016/11/12
shelves:
review:
I have read a few of the earlier books in this series and enjoyed them. To me this book is cashing in on a name , poorly written boring storyline. Even the recipes alluded to in the text don't match up in position in the book.
]]>
<![CDATA[Just What Kind of Mother Are You?]]> 16071790
What if your best friend's child disappears? And it was all your fault.

A searing and sinister thriller for readers who liked Gone Girl.What if your best friend's child disappears? And it was all your fault. This is exactly what happens to Lisa Kallisto, overwhelmed working mother of three, one freezing December in the English Lake District. She takes her eye off the ball for just a moment and her whole world descendsinto the stuff of nightmares. Because, not only is thirteen-year-old Lucinda missing, and not only is it all Lisa's fault, but she's the second teenage girl to disappear within this small tightknit community over two weeks. The first girl turned up stripped bare, dumped on a busy high street, after suffering from a terrifying ordeal.

Wracked with guilt over her mistake and after being publicly blamed by Lucinda's family, Lisa sets out to right the wrong. But as she begins peeling away the layers surrounding Lucinda's disappearance, Lisa learns that the small, posh, quiet town she lives in isn't what she thought it was, and her friends may not be who they appear, either.]]>
320 Paula Daly 0385680074 Helen 5 3.76 2013 Just What Kind of Mother Are You?
author: Paula Daly
name: Helen
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2016/11/10
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Her Royal Spyness (Her Royal Spyness Mysteries, #1)]]> 383514
So far she has managed to light a fire and boil an egg... She's gate-crashed a wedding... She's making money by secretly cleaning houses... And she's been asked to spy for Her Majesty the Queen.

Everything seems to be going swimmingly until she finds a body in her bathtub... and someone is definitely trying to kill her.]]>
324 Rhys Bowen 0425215679 Helen 4 3.79 2007 Her Royal Spyness (Her Royal Spyness Mysteries, #1)
author: Rhys Bowen
name: Helen
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2016/06/12
date added: 2016/06/12
shelves:
review:
A good fun mystery, easy to read. The characters were quite easy to picture, will read more of this series.
]]>
<![CDATA[Hostage (Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht, #4)]]> 25111140
Kaparna vill riva upp beslutet att utvisa en man som av Säpo ses som en säkerhetsrisk. Regeringen ställs inför valet att rädda livet på de fyrahundra passagerare som hålls gisslan på tiosen meters höjd eller att fullfölja utvisningen.

Kriminalkommissarie Alex Recht utreder kapningen tillsammans med den färgstarka Eden Lundell på Säpos kontraterrorenhet. Fredrika Bergman, som jobbar temporärt på justitiedepartementet, är inblandad i utvisningsärendet och blir kontaktperson mellan regering och polis. De förstår snart att planen bakom kapningen är långt mer ondskefull än de någonsin kunnat föreställa sig.

Timmarna går och Fredrika och Alex inser med växande fasa att de snart förlorat varje möjlighet att rädda planet och dess passagerare. Kampen mot klockan blir också en kamp mot de amerikanska myndigheternas skräck för nya terrorattentat.

Och snart är bränslet i planet slut …]]>
387 Kristina Ohlsson 1476734038 Helen 2 3.77 2012 Hostage (Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht, #4)
author: Kristina Ohlsson
name: Helen
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2016/06/12
date added: 2016/06/12
shelves:
review:

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One Step Too Far 17404760 352 Tina Seskis 0957544324 Helen 4 3.49 2013 One Step Too Far
author: Tina Seskis
name: Helen
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2016/04/12
date added: 2016/04/11
shelves:
review:
Enjoyed this book, very easy to read. However really wondered where it was going. The genre sticker my library had on it was " murder mystery" and it took a while (270pages to be exact) for the story to take on a meaning. In saying that, the lead up was interesting just not mysterious.
]]>
The Natural Way of Things 25876358
Doing hard labour under a sweltering sun, the prisoners soon learn what links them: in each girl's past is a sexual scandal with a powerful man. They pray for rescue - but when the food starts running out it becomes clear that the jailers have also become the jailed. The girls can only rescue themselves.]]>
320 Charlotte Wood 1760111236 Helen 2 3.51 2015 The Natural Way of Things
author: Charlotte Wood
name: Helen
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2015
rating: 2
read at: 2016/01/17
date added: 2016/01/16
shelves:
review:
I'm with Kathy here, I could not connect with the book nor did I feel I really knew the characters. I felt I was reading for the sake of reading.
]]>
Without a Trace 25160737
Coronation Day, 1953.

Molly Heywood has always been a pillar of strength for her local community, so when her friend Cassie fails to attend the Coronation Day party in the village, it is Molly who heads out in the rain to look for her.

But nothing can prepare Molly for what she is going to discover.

Now with Cassie gone and her six-year-old daughter Petal missing, it is up to Molly to head to London to uncover the past Cassie kept so well hidden.

But will Molly discover the truth before it's too late? Or has Petal disappeared forever?]]>
416 Lesley Pearse 0718159071 Helen 3 3.99 2015 Without a Trace
author: Lesley Pearse
name: Helen
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2016/01/13
date added: 2016/01/14
shelves:
review:
This book took a while to get into. The story was readable but probably not one that will leave a lasting memory. I prefer some of the authors other works.
]]>
I'll Give You the Sun 20820994
Years later, they are barely speaking. Something has happened to change the twins in different yet equally devastating ways... but then Jude meets an intriguing, irresistible boy and a mysterious new mentor. The early years are Noah's to tell; the later years are Jude's. But they each have only half the story, and if they can only find their way back to one another, they'll have a chance to remake their world.

This radiant, award-winning novel from the acclaimed author of The Sky Is Everywhere will leave you breathless and teary and laughing—often all at once.

Printz Award Winner Stonewall Honor Book.]]>
371 Jandy Nelson 0803734964 Helen 0 to-read 4.14 2014 I'll Give You the Sun
author: Jandy Nelson
name: Helen
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/12/09
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[My Brilliant Friend (My Brilliant Friend, #1)]]> 13586707 331 Elena Ferrante Helen 0 to-read 3.91 2011 My Brilliant Friend (My Brilliant Friend, #1)
author: Elena Ferrante
name: Helen
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/12/09
shelves: to-read
review:

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The Nightingale 21853621 In love we find out who we want to be.
In war we find out who we are.

FRANCE, 1939

In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says good-bye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France…but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive.

Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gaëtan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.]]>
564 Kristin Hannah 0312577222 Helen 5 4.63 2015 The Nightingale
author: Kristin Hannah
name: Helen
average rating: 4.63
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/10/24
shelves:
review:

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While My Sister Sleeps 4071018
Molly and Robin Snow are sisters, and like all sisters they share a deep bond that sustains them through good times and bad. Their careers are flourishing—Molly is a horticulturist and Robin is a world-class runner—and they are in the prime of their lives. So when Molly receives the news that Robin has suffered a massive heart attack, she couldn’t be more shocked. At the hospital, the Snow family receives a grim Robin may never regain consciousness.

As Robin’s parents and siblings struggle to cope, the complex nature of their relationship is put to the ultimate test. Molly has always lived in Robin’s shadow and her feelings for her have run the gamut, from love to resentment and back. The last time they spoke, they argued. But now there is so much more at stake. Molly’s parents fold under the devastating circumstances, and her brother retreats into the cool reserve that is shattering his own family. It’s up to Molly to make the tough decisions, and she soon makes discoveries that destroy some of her most cherished beliefs about the sister she thought she knew.

Once again New York Times bestselling author Barbara Delinsky brings us a masterful family portrait, filled with thought-provoking ideas about the nature of life itself, how emotions affect the decisions we make, and how letting go can be the hardest thing to do and the greatest expression of love all at the same time.]]>
326 Barbara Delinsky 0385524927 Helen 4 3.84 2009 While My Sister Sleeps
author: Barbara Delinsky
name: Helen
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2015/02/20
shelves:
review:

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When the Night Comes 22043013 The hauntingly beautiful story of a young girl transformed by the power of kindness from award-winning author Favel Parrett.

Running away from the mainland was supposed to make their lives better. But, for Isla and her brother, their mother's sadness and the cold, damp greyness of Hobart's stone streets seeps into everything.

Then, one morning, Isla sees a red ship. That colour lights her day. And when a sailor from the ship befriends her mother, he shares his stories with them all - of Antarctica, his home in Denmark and life onboard. Like the snow white petrels that survive in the harshest coldest place, this lonely girl at the bottom of the world will learn that it is possible to go anywhere, be anything. But she will also find out that it is just as easy to lose it all.

For Isla, those two long summers will change everything.

Favel Parrett delivers an evocative and gently told story about the power fear and kindness have to change lives.]]>
256 Favel Parrett 0733626580 Helen 5 3.76 2014 When the Night Comes
author: Favel Parrett
name: Helen
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2015/02/01
shelves:
review:

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Hattie Big Sky (Hattie, #1) 207798 289 Kirby Larson 0385733135 Helen 0 to-read 4.01 2006 Hattie Big Sky (Hattie, #1)
author: Kirby Larson
name: Helen
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2006
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2015/01/02
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Little Shop of Hopes and Dreams]]> 23160913 Nicole, a born organiser and true romantic, has created her dream job when she sets up the Hopes & Dreams proposal agency � staging YouTube worthy proposals…until she’s hired to plan a proposal by gorgeous photographer Alex Black’s girlfriend.

Alex is the New Year’s kiss that Nicole hasn’t been able to forget � and now she’s planning his wedding to someone else! But if she lets herself fall for Alex’s charms, her reputation and business will be ruined before it’s even got off the ground! Suddenly the girl whose always prepared is at a loss…and falling head over heels.]]>
400 Fiona Harper 147205489X Helen 1 3.65 2014 The Little Shop of Hopes and Dreams
author: Fiona Harper
name: Helen
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2014
rating: 1
read at: 2014/12/30
date added: 2014/12/30
shelves:
review:

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Stella Bain 17333237
When an American woman, Stella Bain, is found suffering from severe shell shock in an exclusive garden in London, surgeon August Bridge and his wife selflessly agree to take her in.

A gesture of goodwill turns into something more as Bridge quickly develops a clinical interest in his houseguest. Stella had been working as a nurse's aide near the front, but she can't remember anything prior to four months earlier when she was found wounded on a French battlefield.

In a narrative that takes us from London to America and back again, Shreve has created an engrossing and wrenching tale about love and the meaning of memory, set against the haunting backdrop of a war that destroyed an entire generation.]]>
272 Anita Shreve 0316098868 Helen 3 3.43 2013 Stella Bain
author: Anita Shreve
name: Helen
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2014/12/28
date added: 2014/12/28
shelves:
review:

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I Miss Mummy 6566295
Cathy spends three anxious days worrying about her whereabouts before Alice is found safe, but traumatised. Alice is like a little doll, so young and vulnerable, and she immediately finds her place in the heart of Cathy's family. She talks openly about her mummy, who she dearly loves, and how happy she was living with her maternal grandparents before she was put into care. Alice has clearly been very well looked after and Cathy can't understand why she couldn't stay with her grandparents.

It emerges that Alice's grandparents are considered too old (they are in their early sixties) and that the plan is that Alice will stay with Cathy for a month before moving to live with her father and his new wife. The grandparents are distraught � Alice has never known her father, and her grandparents claim he is a violent drug dealer.

Desperate to help Alice find the happy home she deserves, Cathy's parenting skills are tested in many new ways. Finally questions are asked about Alice's father suitability, and his true colours begin to emerge.]]>
362 Cathy Glass 0007267444 Helen 4 4.43 2010 I Miss Mummy
author: Cathy Glass
name: Helen
average rating: 4.43
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2014/07/28
date added: 2014/07/28
shelves:
review:

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The One Plus One 18186807
With two jobs and two children, Jess Thomas does her best day after day. But it's hard on your own. And sometimes you take risks you shouldn't. Because you have to . . .

One chaotic family

Jess's gifted, quirky daughter Tanzie is brilliant with numbers, but without a helping hand she'll never get the chance to shine. And Nicky, Jess's teenage stepson, can't fight the bullies alone.

Sometimes Jess feels like they're sinking . . .

One handsome stranger

Into their lives comes Ed Nicholls, a man whose life is in chaos, and who is running from a deeply uncertain future. But he has time on his hands. He knows what it's like to be lonely. And he wants to help . . .

One unexpected love story

The One Plus One is a captivating and unconventional romance from Jojo Moyes about two lost souls meeting in the most unlikely circumstances.]]>
516 Jojo Moyes 1405915579 Helen 0 to-read 3.97 2014 The One Plus One
author: Jojo Moyes
name: Helen
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/07/09
shelves: to-read
review:

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Italian Shoes 5660487
From the prize-winning “master of atmosphere� comes the surprising and affecting story of a man well past middle age who suddenly finds himself on the threshold of renewal ( The Boston Globe ).

Living on a tiny island that is surrounded by ice during the long winter months, Fredrik Welin is so lost to the world that he cuts a hole in the ice every morning and lowers himself into the freezing water to remind himself that he is alive. Haunted by memories of the terrible mistake that drove him to this island and away from a successful career as a surgeon, he lives in a stasis so complete that an anthill grows undisturbed in his living room.

When an unexpected visitor disrupts this frigid existence, Frederik begins an eccentric, elegiac journey―one that displays the full height of Henning Mankell’s storytelling powers. A deeply human tale of loss and redemption, Italian Shoes is “a voyage into the soul of a man� expertly crafted with “snares that Mankell has hidden with a hunter’s skill inside this spectral landscape� ( The Guardian ).

“Beautiful.� � The Boston Globe

“A fine meditation on love and loss.� � The Sunday Telegraph

“Intense and precisely detailed.... A hopeful account of a man released from self-imposed withdrawal.� � The Independent

“The creator of police detective Kurt Wallander presents a tale of mortal reckoning in which all the deaths are natural but none the less powerful.� � Kirkus Reviews]]>
247 Henning Mankell 1595584366 Helen 1 dnf 3.77 2006 Italian Shoes
author: Henning Mankell
name: Helen
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2006
rating: 1
read at: 2014/06/14
date added: 2014/06/14
shelves: dnf
review:
Not impressed, I guess I wanted murder and mystery.
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Into My Arms 17452510 Into My Arms is a searing love story and a gripping family drama - a shocking, haunting novel in the tradition of Jodi Picoult and Caroline Overington.

The kiss ignited something, blew it into being, and afterwards, all Skye could think about was Ben. One day a woman meets a man and falls instantly and irrevocably in love with him. It hits her like a thunderbolt, and she has to have him, has to be with him, regardless of the cost, of the pain of breaking up her existing relationship. She has never felt more in synch-or in love-with anyone in her whole life. So this is how it feels, she thinks to herself, this is what real love feels like.

It's like that for him too; he wants her in a way he's never wanted anything or anyone before: obsessively, passionately, all-consumingly.

She has found her one true love, her soulmate, and he has found his. What happens next will tear them apart and unleash havoc onto their worlds.

This brave, brilliant, electrifying novel from the acclaimed author of After the Fall and Last Summer, will move you deeply and shock you to your core. Love, lust and longing have rarely wielded such power, nor family secrets triggered such devastation.]]>
352 Kylie Ladd 1743314582 Helen 2 to-read, adult-fic 3.50 2013 Into My Arms
author: Kylie Ladd
name: Helen
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2014/06/13
date added: 2014/06/13
shelves: to-read, adult-fic
review:
I wasn't very excited about this book. It was okay and easy enough to read, just the subject reminded me of a television programme I watched about twenty years ago.
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The Last Runaway 15705011 New York Times bestselling author of Girl With a Pearl Earring Tracy Chevalier makes her first fictional foray into the American past in The Last Runaway, bringing to life the Underground Railroad and illuminating the principles, passions and realities that fueled this extraordinary freedom movement.

In New York Times bestselling author Tracy Chevalier’s newest historical saga, she introduces Honor Bright, a modest English Quaker who moves to Ohio in 1850, only to find herself alienated and alone in a strange land. Sick from the moment she leaves England, and fleeing personal disappointment, she is forced by family tragedy to rely on strangers in a harsh, unfamiliar landscape.

Nineteenth-century America is practical, precarious, and unsentimental, and scarred by the continuing injustice of slavery. In her new home Honor discovers that principles count for little, even within a religious community meant to be committed to human equality.

However, drawn into the clandestine activities of the Underground Railroad, a network helping runaway slaves escape to freedom, Honor befriends two surprising women who embody the remarkable power of defiance. Eventually she must decide if she too can act on what she believes in, whatever the personal costs.

A powerful journey brimming with color and drama, The Last Runaway is Tracy Chevalier’s vivid engagement with an iconic part of American history.]]>
305 Tracy Chevalier 0525952993 Helen 4 other books by Tracy Chevalier. As a patch worker I liked reading about quilts during the novel. ]]> 3.81 2013 The Last Runaway
author: Tracy Chevalier
name: Helen
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2014/06/05
date added: 2014/06/05
shelves:
review:
This book was enjoyable but not really up to the standard of some of the
other books by Tracy Chevalier. As a patch worker I liked reading about quilts during the novel.
]]>
Mercy (White Collared #1) 22044340 The first sexy installment in Shelly Bell's four-part serialized erotic thriller about a young law student who must go undercover at a sex club to prove her client is not guilty of murder.

Driven by ambition�
Third-year law student Kate Martin outran her tragic past to become an intern for her idol and secret crush, the powerful attorney Nicholas Trenton. She is thrilled when Nick assigns her to represent his best friend and client, millionaire Jaxon Deveroux � the prime suspect in his submissive wife Alyssa's murder.

Seduced by desire�
Kate knows they have only a few days to find the real killer, and since signs point to a member of the BDSM community, she volunteers to go undercover as Jaxon's submissive at Benediction—the private sex club where he is a member—to covertly investigate Alyssa's last few months. For years, Kate has kept her dark fantasies a secret � but a chance to explore them with sexy, dominant Jaxon is just too tempting to pass up.]]>
176 Shelly Bell 0062336797 Helen 0 to-read 3.89 2014 Mercy (White Collared #1)
author: Shelly Bell
name: Helen
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/06/02
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[Wings of Fear (Border Watch #1)]]> 7844322
Above the crystal-blue waters of North Queensland, Captain Morgan Pentland patrols the vast Australian coastline. When Customs Agent Rafe Daniels joins her crew, she is immediately suspicious. Why is he boarding her plane when she isn’t there? And why is he asking so many questions?

What Morgan doesn’t know is that Rafe has her under surveillance. Critical information about their Border Watch operations is being leaked and she is the main suspect, but when Morgan and Rafe are shot down in a tragic midair attack, they realise they have to start working together � and quickly. One of Australia’s most loved icons is the next target and they have only nine days to stop it.

Will they uncover details of the plot in time, or will the tension that is growing between them jeopardise everything?]]>
242 Helene Young Helen 4 4.13 2010 Wings of Fear (Border Watch #1)
author: Helene Young
name: Helen
average rating: 4.13
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2014/05/17
date added: 2014/06/02
shelves:
review:

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The Lavender Garden 16130405 An aristocratic French family, a legendary château, and buried secrets with the power to destroy two generations torn between duty and desire.

La Côte d’Azur, 1998: In the sun-dappled south of France, Emilie de la Martinières, the last of her gilded line, inherits her childhood home, a magnificent château and vineyard. With the property comes a mountain of debt—and almost as many questions . . .

Paris, 1944: A bright, young British office clerk, Constance Carruthers, is sent undercover to Paris to be part of Churchill’s Special Operations Executive during the climax of the Nazi occupation. Separated from her contacts in the Resistance, she soon stumbles into the heart of a prominent family who regularly entertain elite members of the German military even as they plot to liberate France. But in a city rife with collaborators and rebels, Constance’s most difficult decision may be determining whom to trust with her heart.

As Emilie discovers what really happened to her family during the war and finds a connection to Constance much closer than she suspects, the château itself may provide the clues that unlock the mysteries of her past, present, and future. Here is a dazzling novel of intrigue and passion from one of the world’s most beloved storytellers.

Note to readers: In the UK, this book is published under the title The Light Behind the Window.]]>
403 Lucinda Riley 1476703558 Helen 0 to-read 4.14 2012 The Lavender Garden
author: Lucinda Riley
name: Helen
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/04/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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When Sparrows Fall 10182154
A widow and mother of six, Miranda Hanford leads a quiet, private life. When the pastor of her close-knit church announces his plans to move the entire congregation to another state, Miranda jumps at the opportunity to dissolve ties with Mason Chandler and his controlling method of ruling his flock. But then Mason threatens to unearth secrets from her past, and Miranda feels trapped, terrified she’ll be unable to protect her children.

Collegeprofessor Jack Hanford is more than surprised when he gets a call from his estranged sister-in-law’s oldest son, Timothy, informing him that Miranda has taken a serious fall and he has been named legal guardian of her children while she recovers. Quickly charmed by Miranda’s children, Jack brings some much-needed life into the sheltered household. But his constant challenging of the family’s conservative lifestyle makes the recovering mother uneasy and defensive—despite Jack’s unnerving appeal.

As Jack tries to make sense of the mysterious Miranda and the secrets she holds so tightly, Mason’s pressure on her increases. With her emotions stirring and freedom calling, can Miranda find a way to unshackle her family without losing everything?]]>
352 Meg Moseley 1601423551 Helen 1 Did not finish this book. 3.86 2011 When Sparrows Fall
author: Meg Moseley
name: Helen
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2011
rating: 1
read at: 2014/02/26
date added: 2014/03/01
shelves:
review:
Did not finish this book.
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<![CDATA[The Prodigal Daughter (Kane & Abel, #2)]]> 78987 With a will of steel, Polish immigrant Florentyna Rosnovski is indeed Abel’s daughter. She shares with her father a love of America, his ideals, and his dream for the future. But she wants more: to be the first female president.
HIS FUTURE IS WEALTH.
Golden boy Richard Kane was born into a life of luxury. The scion of a banking magnate he is successful, handsome, and determined to carve his own path in the world―with the woman he loves.
BUT THEIR PAST HOLDS A SECRET�
With Florentyna’s ultimate goal only a heartbeat away, both are about to discover the shattering price of power as a titanic battle of betrayal and deception reaches out from the past―a blood feud between two generations that threatens to destroy everything Florentyna and Richard have fought to achieve.]]>
485 Jeffrey Archer 0312997140 Helen 3 adult-fic 3.95 1982 The Prodigal Daughter (Kane & Abel, #2)
author: Jeffrey Archer
name: Helen
average rating: 3.95
book published: 1982
rating: 3
read at: 2014/02/25
date added: 2014/02/25
shelves: adult-fic
review:

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Thurston House 59904 416 Danielle Steel 0751505617 Helen 1 dnf 3.93 1983 Thurston House
author: Danielle Steel
name: Helen
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1983
rating: 1
read at: 2014/02/06
date added: 2014/02/06
shelves: dnf
review:
Found this book dull and decided not to finish it. Life is too short to read rubbish.
]]>
<![CDATA[The Chase (Fox and O'Hare, #2)]]> 18283101 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERJanet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg, bestselling authors of The Heist, return in this action-packed, exciting adventure featuring master con artist Nicolas Fox and die-hard FBI agent Kate O’Hare. And this time around, things go from hot to nuclear when government secrets are on the line. Internationally renowned thief and con artist Nicolas Fox is famous for running elaborate and daring scams. His greatest con of convincing the FBI to team him up with the only person who has ever caught him, and the only woman to ever capture his attention, Special Agent Kate O’Hare. Together they’ll go undercover to swindle and catch the world’s most wanted—and untouchable—criminals. Their newest target is Carter Grove, a former White House chief of staff and the ruthless leader of a private security agency. Grove has stolen a rare Chinese artifact from the Smithsonian, a crime that will torpedo U.S. relations with China if it ever becomes public. Nick and Kate must work under the radar—and against the clock—to devise a plan to steal the piece back. Confronting Grove’s elite assassins, Nick and Kate rely on the skills of their ragtag crew, including a flamboyant actor, a Geek Squad techie, and a band of AARP-card-carrying mercenaries led by none other than Kate’s dad. A daring heist and a deadly chase lead Nick and Kate from Washington, D.C., to Shanghai, from the highlands of Scotland to the underbelly of Montreal. But it’ll take more than death threats, trained henchmen, sleepless nights, and the fate of a dynasty’s priceless heirloom to outsmart Fox and O’Hare.Praise for The Chase “The action never stops in The Chase, and a humorous tone keeps everything moving at a fun clip. . . . The characters are exciting, and the story escalates as the [plot] becomes more elaborate. Readers familiar with Evanovich’s novels will love this series, and hopefully there will be more adventures by this writing duo.�—Associated Press “Great fun, with plenty of twists and action.�—Sacramento Bee “If you are looking for an entertaining tale, you would be hard pressed to find one better than this page turner.�̧油Ա.dzFrom the Hardcover edition.]]> 320 Janet Evanovich 0345543106 Helen 0 to-read 3.70 2014 The Chase (Fox and O'Hare, #2)
author: Janet Evanovich
name: Helen
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/02/01
shelves: to-read
review:

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That's What I'm Talking About 12362030
When Shane Crawford debuted for Hawthorn Football Club in 1993, little did he know what an amazing future awaited him. The kid from tiny Finley in New South Wales would become a champion of the game, the heart and soul of his club, and a successful media performer.

With behind-the-scenes accounts from the people who are close to Shane on and off the field, this is the candid story of a larrikin who did things his own way while always inspiring the team. Never one to shy away from the cameras, he earned the respect of his peers for his talent, his extraordinary fitness, his generosity of spirit and his never-say-die attitude.

Crawf's sixteen years at the club took in a decade of disappointing results, a proposed merger, controversial sackings and major injuries. But his loyalty to the brown and gold was rewarded when he finally reached Australia's biggest stage � grand final day at the MCG � where, against all odds, his stellar football career had a fairytale ending.

About The Author

Shane Crawford debuted with Hawthorn Football Club in 1993 and has had a distinguished AFL career. He was a Brownlow medallist in 1999, runner-up in 2003, captain for six years between 1999 and 2004 and has been awarded best and fairest four times and made the All Australian team four times. Shane played 304 AFL games before attaining his first premiership in his 305th and final match. He is a regular panelist on Channel Nine's The Footy Show, and a presenter on Postcards and Money for Jam. He has two boys with his partner, Olivia.]]>
344 Shane Crawford 1921518391 Helen 3 autobiography 3.88 2010 That's What I'm Talking About
author: Shane Crawford
name: Helen
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2014/01/25
date added: 2014/01/25
shelves: autobiography
review:

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<![CDATA[Me Before You (Me Before You, #1)]]> 15507958 Discover the love story that captured over 20 million hearts in Me Before You, After You, and Still Me.

They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation and perfect for fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?]]>
369 Jojo Moyes Helen 4 adult-fic 4.24 2012 Me Before You (Me Before You, #1)
author: Jojo Moyes
name: Helen
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2014/01/18
date added: 2014/01/18
shelves: adult-fic
review:
Great book. Very thought provoking, had humour, drama and teary moments,
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Kane & Abel (Kane & Abel, #1) 78983 592 Jeffrey Archer 0312995059 Helen 4 adult-fic 4.31 1979 Kane & Abel (Kane & Abel, #1)
author: Jeffrey Archer
name: Helen
average rating: 4.31
book published: 1979
rating: 4
read at: 2014/01/09
date added: 2014/01/09
shelves: adult-fic
review:
Great read, story spanning generations...
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The Invention of Wings 18079776
Sarah Grimké is the middle daughter. The one her mother calls difficult and her father calls remarkable. On Sarah's eleventh birthday, Hetty 'Handful' Grimké is taken from the slave quarters she shares with her mother, wrapped in lavender ribbons, and presented to Sarah as a gift. Sarah knows what she does next will unleash a world of trouble. She also knows that she cannot accept. And so, indeed, the trouble begins ...

A powerful, sweeping novel, inspired by real events, and set in the American Deep South in the nineteenth century, The Invention of Wings evokes a world of shocking contrasts, of beauty and ugliness, of righteous people living daily with cruelty they fail to recognize; and celebrates the power of friendship and sisterhood against all the odds.]]>
384 Sue Monk Kidd 0670024783 Helen 0 to-read 4.24 2014 The Invention of Wings
author: Sue Monk Kidd
name: Helen
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2014
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/01/04
shelves: to-read
review:

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Beneath the Shadows 13100208 In this thrilling gothic suspense debut by Sara Foster in the tradition of Rosamund Lupton and Sophie Hannah, a young mother searches Yorkshire’s windswept moors for the truth behind her husband’s mysterious disappearance.

The answers are hiding Beneath the Shadows

When Grace’s husband, Adam, inherits an isolated North Yorkshire cottage, they leave the bustle of London behind to try a new life. A week later, Adam vanishes without a trace, leaving their baby daughter, Millie, in her stroller on the doorstep. The following year, Grace returns to the tiny village on the untamed heath. Everyone - the police, her parents, even her best friend and younger sister - is convinced that Adam left her. But Grace, unable to let go of her memories of their love and life together, cannot accept this explanation. She is desperate for answers, but the slumbering, deeply superstitious hamlet is unwilling to give up its secrets.

As Grace hunts through forgotten corners of the cottage searching for clues and digs deeper into the lives of the locals, strange dreams begin to haunt her. Are the villagers hiding something, or is she becoming increasingly paranoid? Only as snowfall threatens to cut her and Millie off from the rest of the world does Grace make a terrible discovery. She has been looking in the wrong place for answers all along, and she and her daughter will be in terrible danger if she cannot get them away in time.

Runtime: 9.66 Hours]]>
320 Sara Foster 0312643365 Helen 0 to-read 3.53 2011 Beneath the Shadows
author: Sara Foster
name: Helen
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/12/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium #1)]]> 2732977 Henrik Vanger, head of the dynastic Vanger Corporation, is tormented by the loss of a child decades earlier and convinced that a member of his family has committed murder.

The Journalist
Mikael Blomkvist delves deep into the Vangers' past to uncover the truth behind the unsolved mystery. But someone else wants the past to remain a secret an will go to any lengths to keep it that way.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Lisbeth Salander, the enigmatic, delinquent and dangerous security specialist, assists in the investigation. A genius computer hacker, she tolerates no restrictions placed upon her by individuals, society or the law.]]>
538 Stieg Larsson Helen 4 adult-fic 4.15 2005 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium #1)
author: Stieg Larsson
name: Helen
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/11/27
shelves: adult-fic
review:
Slow to begin but then it hooked me right in...
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The Mountain Shadow 6393122 872 Gregory David Roberts 1408701626 Helen 0 to-read 3.65 2015 The Mountain Shadow
author: Gregory David Roberts
name: Helen
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2015
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/11/05
shelves: to-read
review:

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Secret Daughter 6905012
The same year in India, a poor mother makes the heartbreaking choice to save her newborn daughter's life by giving her away. It is a decision that will haunt Kavita for the rest of her life, and cause a ripple effect that travels across the world and back again.

Asha, adopted out of a Mumbai orphanage, is the child that binds the destinies of these two women. We follow both families, invisibly connected until Asha's journey of self-discovery leads her back to India.

Compulsively readable and deeply touching, SECRET DAUGHTER is a story of the unforeseen ways in which our choices and families affect our lives, and the indelible power of love in all its many forms.]]>
339 Shilpi Somaya Gowda 0061922315 Helen 0 to-read 3.99 2010 Secret Daughter
author: Shilpi Somaya Gowda
name: Helen
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2013/11/05
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Rosie Project (Don Tillman, #1)]]> 16181775
Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful� husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

The Rosie Project is a moving and hilarious novel for anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of overwhelming challenges.]]>
292 Graeme Simsion 1476729085 Helen 4 adult-fic 4.00 2013 The Rosie Project (Don Tillman, #1)
author: Graeme Simsion
name: Helen
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2013/09/10
shelves: adult-fic
review:

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<![CDATA[Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder, #1)]]> 6115138 321 Linda Castillo 0312374976 Helen 5 murder-mystery 4.02 2009 Sworn to Silence (Kate Burkholder, #1)
author: Linda Castillo
name: Helen
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2013/07/31
date added: 2013/07/31
shelves: murder-mystery
review:
Loved this book, in the end it was such a page turner. Have to read more by this author!
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The Housemaid's Daughter 15744963
A life affirming story of friendship across a divide, which everyone is calling a South African 'The Help'.]]>
401 Barbara Mutch 0755392094 Helen 0 to-read 4.05 2010 The Housemaid's Daughter
author: Barbara Mutch
name: Helen
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/08/06
shelves: to-read
review:

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The House on Willow Street 12506613 Every picture-perfect village tells a story. . . .

The Irish seaside town of Avalon is a tourist’s dream of quaint shops and welcoming cafés. Avalon House, perched at the end of Willow Street, was in Tess Power’s family for generations. Now Tess ekes out a living from her antiques shop while the crumbling mansion awaits a new owner. Her marriage and business may be floundering, but her affection for Avalon is undimmed. The same can’t be said of her glamorous sister. Suki left without a backward glance and married into an American political dynasty. Only a muckraking biographer could send her slinking back to Ireland to escape a scandal.

Postmistress Danae watches from the sidelines, doling out gentle advice while locking away her own secrets. Then her unconventional niece Mara comes to stay and draws her lonely aunt back into the world. As autumn gives way to winter, the four women encounter old loves, embrace new friendships, and begin to look beyond the past to the possibilities just beginning to unfold.]]>
448 Cathy Kelly 0007373619 Helen 2 chic-lit 3.72 2012 The House on Willow Street
author: Cathy Kelly
name: Helen
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2012/08/06
date added: 2012/08/06
shelves: chic-lit
review:

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Tea with Arwa 13557258 Arwa El Masri Helen 4 autobiography 3.72 Tea with Arwa
author: Arwa El Masri
name: Helen
average rating: 3.72
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2012/07/19
date added: 2012/07/19
shelves: autobiography
review:

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<![CDATA[Sizzling Sixteen (Stephanie Plum, #16)]]> 7023554
BAD LUCK:
Vinnie, of Vincent Plum Bail Bonds, has run up a gambling debt of $786,000 with mobster Bobby Sunflower and is being held until the cash can be produced. Nobody else will pay to get Vinnie back, leaving it up to Stephanie, office manager Connie, and file clerk Lula to raise the money if they want to save their jobs.

GOOD LUCK:
Being in the business of tracking down people, Stephanie, Lula, and Connie have an advantage in finding Vinnie. If they can rescue him, it will buy them some time to raise the cash.

BAD LUCK:
Finding a safe place to hide Vinnie turns out to be harder than raising $786,000. Vinnie’s messing up Mooner’s vibe, running up pay-per-view porn charges in Ranger’s apartment, and making Stephanie question genetics.

GOOD LUCK:
Between a bonds office yard sale that has the entire Burg turning out, Mooner’s Hobbit-Con charity event, and Uncle Pip’s lucky bottle, they just might raise enough money to save the business, and Vinnie, from ruin.

BAD LUCK:
Saving Vincent Plum Bail Bonds means Stephanie can keep being a bounty hunter. In Trenton, this involves hunting down a man wanted for polygamy, a turnpike toilet paper bandit, and a drug dealer with a pet alligator named Mr. Jingles.

GOOD LUCK:
The job of bounty hunter comes with perks in the guise of Trenton’s hottest cop, Joe Morelli, and the dark and dangerous security expert, Ranger. With any luck at all, Uncle Pip’s lucky bottle will have Stephanie getting lucky--the only question is . . . with whom?

Sizzling Sixteen . . . so hot, the pages might spontaneously combust!]]>
371 Janet Evanovich 0739377728 Helen 3 adult-fic 3.97 2010 Sizzling Sixteen (Stephanie Plum, #16)
author: Janet Evanovich
name: Helen
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2012/07/01
date added: 2012/07/08
shelves: adult-fic
review:
Typical Evanovich, good fun read, not taxing.
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The Best of Times 5547182 768 Penny Vincenzi 0755320875 Helen 3 chic-lit 3.73 2009 The Best of Times
author: Penny Vincenzi
name: Helen
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2012/07/01
date added: 2012/07/08
shelves: chic-lit
review:
This was a good book to read after reading a couple of heavier books, that is in content not weight. Just light stuff, not award winning stuff but a good read none the less.
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Shantaram 33600
So begins this epic, mesmerizing first novel set in the underworld of contemporary Bombay. Shantaram is narrated by Lin, an escaped convict with a false passport who flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of a city where he can disappear.

Accompanied by his guide and faithful friend, Prabaker, the two enter Bombay's hidden society of beggars and gangsters, prostitutes and holy men, soldiers and actors, and Indians and exiles from other countries, who seek in this remarkable place what they cannot find elsewhere.

As a hunted man without a home, family, or identity, Lin searches for love and meaning while running a clinic in one of the city's poorest slums, and serving his apprenticeship in the dark arts of the Bombay mafia. The search leads him to war, prison torture, murder, and a series of enigmatic and bloody betrayals. The keys to unlock the mysteries and intrigues that bind Lin are held by two people. The first is Khader Khan: mafia godfather, criminal-philosopher-saint, and mentor to Lin in the underworld of the Golden City. The second is Karla: elusive, dangerous, and beautiful, whose passions are driven by secrets that torment her and yet give her a terrible power.

Burning slums and five-star hotels, romantic love and prison agonies, criminal wars and Bollywood films, spiritual gurus and mujaheddin guerrillas—this huge novel has the world of human experience in its reach, and a passionate love for India at its heart. Based on the life of the author, it is by any measure the debut of an extraordinary voice in literature.]]>
936 Gregory David Roberts 192076920X Helen 5 4.27 2003 Shantaram
author: Gregory David Roberts
name: Helen
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2003
rating: 5
read at: 2012/06/01
date added: 2012/07/08
shelves:
review:
I really enjoyed this book. I read it whilst in China on holiday and could see some similarities of Mumbai and Beijing. Towards the end of the book I did find myself skimming some of the more "philosophical" text, but I found the whole book a great read.
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Annexed 7898618 I look out the window into the street...I'm meant to be at Mr. Frank's workplace in a few hours. We're arriving separately, all of is. We'll walk into the building just like it was any other visit - only this time we'll never walk out again.

What was it like hiding in the Annex with Anne Frank? To be with Anne every day while she wrote so passionately in her diary? To be in a secret world within a world at war - alive on the inside, everything dying on the outside?

Peter Van Pels and his family have lost their country, their home, and their freedom, and now they are fighting desperately to remain alive.

Look through Peter's eyes.

He has a story to tell, too.

Are you listening?]]>
352 Sharon Dogar 0547501951 Helen 2 3.79 2010 Annexed
author: Sharon Dogar
name: Helen
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2010
rating: 2
read at: 2012/07/08
date added: 2012/07/08
shelves:
review:

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The Italian Wedding 2417053 The Italian Wedding is a feast of food and love. It's about discovering who your family really are. And who you really want to be.]]> 304 Nicky Pellegrino 0752888684 Helen 3 chic-lit, adult-fic 3.86 2008 The Italian Wedding
author: Nicky Pellegrino
name: Helen
average rating: 3.86
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2012/04/11
shelves: chic-lit, adult-fic
review:

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Kal 696451 611 Judy Nunn 0091835070 Helen 3 4.04 1996 Kal
author: Judy Nunn
name: Helen
average rating: 4.04
book published: 1996
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2012/04/11
shelves:
review:

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<![CDATA[Talking about Jane Austen in Baghdad: The True Story of an Unlikely Friendship]]> 6929734 371 Bee Rowlatt 0141038535 Helen 3 adult-non-fic 3.74 2010 Talking about Jane Austen in Baghdad: The True Story of an Unlikely Friendship
author: Bee Rowlatt
name: Helen
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2012/03/18
date added: 2012/03/18
shelves: adult-non-fic
review:
I found the eresting but remarkably slow to read. It was interesting to see an Iraqui's (spelling?) point of view. In saying that sometimes I found the book a bit slow. I realize the book was the emails swapped betwen the ladies so the pace was pre determined, but I found myself skimming from time to time.
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Araluen 2198767
Judy Nunn weaves an intricate web of characters and locations in this spellbinding saga of the Ross family and its inescapable legacy of greed and power.]]>
624 Judy Nunn 0330355961 Helen 5 adult-fic, saga 3.86 1994 Araluen
author: Judy Nunn
name: Helen
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1994
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2012/03/13
shelves: adult-fic, saga
review:
I really liked this book, perhaps it was tyhe right book for the time. A good easy read, fast paced page turner.
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<![CDATA[The Cheater (Lily Forrester, #3)]]> 6071362
Nancy Taylor Rosenberg has constantly been praised for her intense, dramatic suspense, breathing real life and trouble into her action-packed thrillers. Her fourteen years in law enforcement have always given her novels great authenticity, often pulling inspiration from the very cases she has worked. Now comes The Cheater.

Returning to her most beloved character, Lily Forrester, from the New York Times bestsellers Mitigating Circumstances and Buried Evidence, Rosenberg proves once again that she is a master of the suspense thriller, as Forrester finds herself in yet another mix of bizarre circumstances that lead her onto the trail of a vicious criminal mind. Along the way we meet:

FBI Agent Mary Stevens—She is tracking a killer who murders husbands who are cheating on their wives, their mutilated bodies disposed of in ghastly ways and strange locations.
Bryce Forrester—Lily’s husband—calls her from a Las Vegas jail where he’s been arrested for attempted rape…even though Las Vegas was not on his itinerary.
Anne Bradley—Bryce’s accuser, like Lily, is a woman with an eerie past…an enigmatic figure to whom Lily is strangely drawn.

The trail leads back to a Web service that provides alibis for cheating spouses and into a thick web of deception that puts both Lily’s and Mary’s lives in jeopardy. Do you know where your husband is?
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320 Nancy Taylor Rosenberg 0765319020 Helen 2 3.37 2009 The Cheater (Lily Forrester, #3)
author: Nancy Taylor Rosenberg
name: Helen
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2009
rating: 2
read at: 2012/03/13
date added: 2012/03/13
shelves:
review:

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The Very Thought of You 6622006
Torn from her mother, eight-year-old Anna Sands is relocated with other children to a large Yorkshire estate which has been opened up to evacuees by Thomas and Elizabeth Ashton, an enigmatic childless couple. Soon Anna gets drawn into their unhappy relationship, seeing things that are not meant for her eyes - and finding herself part-witness and part-accomplice to a love affair, with tragic consequences.

A story of love, loss and complicated loyalties, combining a sweeping narrative with subtle psychological observation, The Very Thought of You is a haunting and memorable debut.]]>
311 Rosie Alison 1846880866 Helen 2 dnf 3.19 2009 The Very Thought of You
author: Rosie Alison
name: Helen
average rating: 3.19
book published: 2009
rating: 2
read at: 2012/02/16
date added: 2012/02/16
shelves: dnf
review:
didn't actually finish this book, it was far to "jumpy" and I just couldn't get into it..I may try again when less tired.
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Finding Davey 7979257 288 Jonathan Gash 0750525355 Helen 0 to-read 3.76 2005 Finding Davey
author: Jonathan Gash
name: Helen
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/02/14
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Other Side of Dawn (Tomorrow, #7)]]> 71867
Since their town was invaded by enemy soldiers and transformed into a war zone, Ellie and her four surviving friends have been fighting for their lives. One year later, a resolution may finally be in sight. But as enemy forces close in on her hideout, Ellie discovers that the final battle may be the most dangerous yet. And not every soldier is fated to see the end of every conflict.

There are no more hiding places left in this exhilarating conclusion to Ellie's struggle for freedom, dignity, and, above all else, a sense of peace.]]>
336 John Marsden 0439858054 Helen 3 ya-fic 4.21 1999 The Other Side of Dawn (Tomorrow, #7)
author: John Marsden
name: Helen
average rating: 4.21
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2012/02/01
date added: 2012/02/14
shelves: ya-fic
review:
I found this the last in the series a little disappointing. I don't really know why and I can’t imagine what would have made it better. Perhaps it was all too neat and not entirely unexpected.
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<![CDATA[Cell 8 (Grens & Sundkvist, #3)]]> 11080460 Detective Superintendent Ewert Grens of THREE SECONDS returns in a riveting mystery that centers on perhaps the most controversial subject in the modern criminal justice system: the death penalty.
In Ohio, seventeen-year-old John Meyer Frey rots on Death Row for the brutal murder of his girlfriend. The victim's father hungers for revenge, while a prison guard is torn by compassion for the young man. When Frey unexpectedly dies of heart disease before he either receives his just punishment or achieves redemption, the wheels of justice grind to a halt.

Six years later, on a ferry between Finland and Sweden, a singer named John Schwarz viciously attacks a drunken lout harassing a woman, leaving the man in a coma. The Stockholm police arrest Schwarz for aggravated assault, but when Grens learns that the assailant has been living in Sweden under a false identity, he begins to suspect that something darker and more complex underlies the incident. Following his intuition, Grens launches an investigation that spans from Sweden to the United States and reveals a startling connection between the Frey and Schwarz cases.

Featuring a multilayered plot with a killer twist, CELL 8 takes readers on a gripping, page-turning journey that explores the devastating repercussions of the death penalty as well as the fallout from the conflicting desires for public justice and private retribution.]]>
370 Anders Roslund 1402787154 Helen 2 murder-mystery 3.76 2007 Cell 8 (Grens & Sundkvist, #3)
author: Anders Roslund
name: Helen
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 2012/02/14
date added: 2012/02/14
shelves: murder-mystery
review:

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<![CDATA[London Belles (Article Row, #1)]]> 10416442
Four lives. One war that will change them all.

When tragedy strikes, Olive is forced to seek lodgers. Three girls come knocking at her door, each in need of a roof over their heads.

Sally has left Liverpool to work as a nurse in London and when she arrives she is a shell of her former self. Where once stood a vivacious, sociable girl, now stands one plagued by homesickness and a betrayal that is devastatingly fresh in her mind.

Dulcie is living the high life in the West End, a world away from her home in Stepney. Working at Selfridges gives her access to the most fashionable clothes and makeup, but at home she is the black sheep of the family; always second to her sister. So she decides it's time to make a bid for freedom.

Agnes grew up in an orphanage, having been left on the steps as a new-born baby. But with war looming, and the orphanage relocating to the country, she must now seek out a job and lodgings. But with change comes exciting new opportunities, worlds away from the life she's known�

As the women prepare for war, all of their futures hang in the balance. Soon their lives will change irrevocably and the home that binds the London Belles is no longer the sanctuary they once sought.]]>
438 Annie Groves 0007361505 Helen 3 adult-fic, saga "London Belles is a tale of four very different young women thrown together by war. Finding freedom and independence As the women prepare for war, all of their futures hang in the balance. Soon their lives will change irrevocably and the home that binds the London Belles is no longer the sanctuary they once sought. "
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4.05 2010 London Belles (Article Row, #1)
author: Annie Groves
name: Helen
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2012/01/28
date added: 2012/01/29
shelves: adult-fic, saga
review:
I used to read sagas all the time but got a little bored with them. I picked this one up at the library and must say I enjoyed the escapism it provided. A good nonthinking Christmas read.
"London Belles is a tale of four very different young women thrown together by war. Finding freedom and independence As the women prepare for war, all of their futures hang in the balance. Soon their lives will change irrevocably and the home that binds the London Belles is no longer the sanctuary they once sought. "

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<![CDATA[The Scent of Rain and Lightning]]> 6606456
The three bring shocking news: The man convicted of murdering Jody’s father is being released from prison and returning to the small town of Rose, Kansas. It has been twenty-six years since that stormy night when, as baby Jody lay asleep in her crib, her father was shot and killed and her mother disappeared, presumed dead. Neither the protective embrace of Jody’s uncles nor the safe haven of her grandparents� ranch could erase the pain caused by Billy Crosby on that catastrophic night.

Now Billy Crosby has been granted a new trial, thanks in large part to the efforts of his son, Collin, a lawyer who has spent most of his life trying to prove his father’s innocence. As Jody lives only a few doors down from the Crosbys, she knows that sooner or later she’ll come face-to-face with the man who she believes destroyed her family.

What she doesn’t expect are the heated exchanges with Collin. Having grown up practically side by side in this very small town, Jody and Collin have had a long history of carefully avoiding each other’s eyes. Now Jody discovers that underneath their antagonism is a shared sense of loss that no one else could possibly understand. As she revisits old wounds, startling revelations compel her to uncover the dangerous truth about her family’s tragic past.

Engrossing, lyrical, and suspenseful, The Scent of Rain and Lightning captures the essence of small-town America—its heartfelt intimacy and its darkest secrets—where through struggle and hardship people still dare to hope for a better future. For Jody Linder, maybe even love.]]>
320 Nancy Pickard 0345471016 Helen 0 to-read 3.81 2010 The Scent of Rain and Lightning
author: Nancy Pickard
name: Helen
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

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Wench 6751356 An ambitious and startling debut novel that follows the lives of four women at a resort popular among slaveholders who bring their enslaved mistresses

wench \'wench\ n. from Middle English "wenchel," 1 a: a girl, maid, young woman; a female child.

Tawawa House in many respects is like any other American resort before the Civil War. Situated in Ohio, this idyllic retreat is particularly nice in the summer when the Southern humidity is too much to bear. The main building, with its luxurious finishes, is loftier than the white cottages that flank it, but then again, the smaller structures are better positioned to catch any breeze that may come off the pond. And they provide more privacy, which best suits the needs of the Southern white men who vacation there every summer with their black, enslaved mistresses. It's their open secret.

Lizzie, Reenie, and Sweet are regulars at Tawawa House. They have become friends over the years as they reunite and share developments in their own lives and on their respective plantations. They don't bother too much with questions of freedom, though the resort is situated in free territory–but when truth-telling Mawu comes to the resort and starts talking of running away, things change.

To run is to leave behind everything these women value most–friends and families still down South–and for some it also means escaping from the emotional and psychological bonds that bind them to their masters. When a fire on the resort sets off a string of tragedies, the women of Tawawa House soon learn that triumph and dehumanization are inseparable and that love exists even in the most inhuman, brutal of circumstances–all while they are bearing witness to the end of an era.

An engaging, page-turning, and wholly original novel, Wench explores, with an unflinching eye, the moral complexities of slavery.]]>
290 Dolen Perkins-Valdez 006170654X Helen 0 to-read 3.72 2009 Wench
author: Dolen Perkins-Valdez
name: Helen
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/01/23
shelves: to-read
review:

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<![CDATA[The Night Is for Hunting (Tomorrow, #6)]]> 82553
Amidst a brutal war with no end in sight, Ellie and her four remaining friends discover that their hidden refuge becomes a crowded place when they decide to care for an uncooperative crew of orphans. Things only get worse when Ellie and Homer learn that mysterious visitors have discovered their sanctuary. Has the enemy found them out?

Five ordinary teens brave the worst in this electrifying continuation of their battle to stay safe and sane in a war zone that was once their home.]]>
243 John Marsden 0439858046 Helen 4 ya-fic 4.15 1998 The Night Is for Hunting (Tomorrow, #6)
author: John Marsden
name: Helen
average rating: 4.15
book published: 1998
rating: 4
read at: 2012/01/20
date added: 2012/01/21
shelves: ya-fic
review:
THis book was a little different as it focused more on a grup of children that Ellie and her frineds "met" rather than the war. I quite liked it and am looking forward to the last installment in this great series.
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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 14891 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a poignant and moving tale filled with compassion and cruelty, laughter and heartache, crowded with life and people and incident. The story of young, sensitive, and idealistic Francie Nolan and her bittersweet formative years in the slums of Williamsburg has enchanted and inspired millions of readers for more than sixty years. By turns overwhelming, sublime, heartbreaking, and uplifting, the daily experiences of the unforgettable Nolans are raw with honesty and tenderly threaded with family connectedness -- in a work of literary art that brilliantly captures a unique time and place as well as incredibly rich moments of universal experience.]]> 496 Betty Smith 0061120073 Helen 0 to-read 4.29 1943 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
author: Betty Smith
name: Helen
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1943
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/01/16
shelves: to-read
review:

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Never Knowing 10169662
Sara’s birth mother rejects her—again. Then she discovers her biological father is an infamous killer who’s been hunting women every summer for almost forty years. Sara tries to come to terms with her horrifying parentage � and her fears that she’s inherited more than his looks � with her therapist, Nadine, who we first met in "Still Missing." But soon Sara realizes the only thing worse than finding out your father is a killer is him finding out about you.

Some questions are better left unanswered.]]>
410 Chevy Stevens 0312595689 Helen 4 adult-fic, murder-mystery 3.87 2011 Never Knowing
author: Chevy Stevens
name: Helen
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2012/01/16
date added: 2012/01/16
shelves: adult-fic, murder-mystery
review:
A real page turner. It was one of those books once you stared you stole every spare minute to read a page ..or two! The ending was a little dissappointing, perhaps too neat? Anyway I will be watching out for more of this authors works.
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