Review - Second Glance by Jodi Picoult

Second Glance by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

(re-read) Time Taken To Read - 3 days

Blurb From Goodreads

Do we love across time? Or in spite of it?

A developer has slated an ancient Abenaki Indian burial ground for a strip mall, and now strange happenings have the inhabitants of tiny Comtosook, Vermont, talking of supernatural forces at work. Ross Wakeman is a ghost hunter who's never seen a ghost -- all he's searching for is something to end the pain of losing his fiancee, Aimee, in a car accident. He tried suicide -- any number of times. Now Ross lives only for a way to connect with Aimee from beyond. Searching the site for signs of the paranormal, Ross meets the mysterious Lia, who sparks him to life for the first time in years. But the discoveries that await Ross are beyond anything he could dream of in this world -- or the next.

My Review

This is another re-read although I hadn't remembered any of it until I got to part two. The first part of the story didn't really grab me and I doubted my original 4 star rating. Ross is our main character and works on a ghost hunter show, trying to find his own loved one he lost and hasn't been able to move on from. Ross has a whole host of issues stemming from his heartbreak and as the story progresses you will understand his character and behavior. The rest of the first part introduces a whole host of characters which makes it hard to get drawn into as your trying to remember who is who and what their story is while trying to figure how they will link in to the story.

Flick to the second part and I couldn't put it down. We visit the past and some of the background of what is causing the haunting and soon the link between all the characters becomes evident as the story pulls you in.

It is a story filled with ghosts, love, loss, heartache and raises a few emotions along the way. I do think for most people you will love or hate it and if you have any interest in the afterlife and ghosts I think you will enjoy this. Certainly different and a slow and fairly puzzling start but stick with it as it is a great wee story, 4 out of 5 for me again this time.

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June's Pre-Loved Giveaway is Children Of The Night by David Stuart Davies

This book is in near perfect condition with just a few light ruffles in the cover, the spine itself is uncreased. A fairly thin book of short vampire stories.

Blurb From Goodreads

Vampires, those dark children of the night, who rise from their coffins to suck the blood of the living, continue to hold a strange fascination and dread. In this unique collection of vampire stories you will find some of the earliest depictions of these fearful creatures as in John Polidori's The Vampyre and James Malcolm Rymer's Varney the Vampyre, a tale which held readers in thrall when it was first published in the mid-nineteenth century. As well as these rare stories and those featuring the more well known bloodsuckers such as Le Fanu s Carmilla and Stoker s Dracula, there is a clutch of lesser known but equally frightening tales written by expert practitioners in the art of raising goose pimples. Children of the Night is a volume filled with the rich blood of chilling vampire fiction.

As usual the competition runs to the end of the month, you can enter by using the contact link Click here to contact me via my email link

and for an additional chance just leave a comment on this post.

Review - Fifty Shades Of Grey by E.L. James

Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time Taken To Read - 4 days

Blurb From Goodreads

When literature student Anastasia Steele is drafted to interview the successful young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, she finds him attractive, enigmatic and intimidating. Convinced their meeting went badly, she tries to put Grey out of her mind - until he happens to turn up at the out-of-town hardware store where she works part-time.

The unworldly, innocent Ana is shocked to realize she wants this man, and when he warns her to keep her distance it only makes her more desperate to get close to him. Unable to resist Ana’s quiet beauty, wit, and independent spirit, Grey admits he wants her - but on his own terms.

Shocked yet thrilled by Grey's singular erotic tastes, Ana hesitates. For all the trappings of success – his multinational businesses, his vast wealth, his loving adoptive family – Grey is man tormented by demons and consumed by the need to control. When the couple embarks on a passionate, physical and daring affair, Ana learns more about her own dark desires, as well as the Christian Grey hidden away from public scrutiny.

Can their relationship transcend physical passion? Will Ana find it in herself to submit to the self-indulgent Master? And if she does, will she still love what she finds?

My Review

Anastacia Steele (Ana), is a student doing her friend a favor by interviewing the billionaire Mr Christian Grey. What follows is a world wind of raw sexual education, some out there, dark and erotic tastes and a blow by blow account of Ana's teachings into a world most of us haven't ever dream pt of going.

There is so much controversy about this book and a lot of you love it or hate it, I'm not in any of those camps. I found it hilarious, irritating, repetitive, mortifying, educative and some moments of - to quote Ana "oh my". I visibly blushed reading some of it yet I found it hard to put down. For anyone who has wondered at the world of bondage/dominating/submissive this paints a very graphic picture. If your easily offended, like your books to be of high literature standing and of depth avoid this like the plague. If however you fancy something different with a whole host of silliness and naughtiness this is the book for you.

The only other thing I would say is there is a lot of repetitiveness in it. Constant use of the words "oh my" and referring to her inner Goddess which grates after a while, not forgetting the constant rolling her eyes and scenes kicking off with her biting her lower lip. I will be reading the next in the series as I have to know what happens next for Ana and Mr Grey but this one for me is a on the fence 3/5. Also if you fancy a giggle, go check out the reviews on amazon, particularly the one stars, some of them are pure comical genius.

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The Time Will Come #1

The Time Will Come #1
- The Time Will Come - Every Thursday l am going to list a book which l really want to read/keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books which have been on my shelf for awhile now but don't have to be, maybe you got it two weeks ago and really want to read it!



Want to join in? - Pick a book you have been meaning to read - Do a post telling us about the book - Link the post up in the linky - Visit the other blogs! ~ http://www.booksforcompany.com/2012/06/time-will-come-66.html?showComment=1339114347178#c8591180766592164173

A Lifetime Burning by Linda Gillard.

Blurb From Goodreads
Flora Dunbar is dead. But it isn’t over.
The spectre at Flora’s funeral is Flora herself, unobserved by her grieving family and the four men who loved her. Looking back over a turbulent lifetime, Flora recalls an eccentric childhood lived in the shadow of her musical twin, Rory; early marriage to Hugh, a handsome clergyman twice her age; motherhood, which brought her Theo, the son she couldn’t love; middle age, when she finally found brief happiness in a scandalous affair with her nephew, Colin... “There has been much love in this family – some would say too much – and not a little hate. If you asked my sister-in-law, Grace why she hated me, she’d say it was because I seduced her precious firstborn, then tossed him on to the sizeable scrap heap marked ‘Flora’s ex-lovers’. But she’d be lying. That isn’t why Grace hated me. Ask my brother Rory.”

I have most of Lindas books on my tbr, I do this every so often, find an author I like - get all their books and then save them

Christopher Brookmyre Waterstones book launch

So happy I went along. The new book is the second in a new series mr Brookmyre is writing, with the 3rd currently being penned. I had been upset after reading his last book (the first of the new series) he had dropped his unique style of un-pc humour in this series, however I am delighted to say he is bringing the funny back. He has a new book (not this new one he was doing the launch for) but a new (hopefully series)sci-fi one with the old humour in toe. Cannot express how happy I am and it has also delighted hubby. He explained why he had changed his style and they had abbreviated his name, read out a few emails from fans (side bustlingly funny) and a few exerts from the new book. He made us laugh quite a bit today and his wife was along to support him, if you haven't seen him before and get a chance you should go along.
Today also saw a mini meet from some of our book group getting together. Sadly some of them couldn't make it so it was just the four of us but we had a fantastic day. Sadly I didn't get a pic of all of the books but here is a wee looky at some of them
This is the 3rd meet up in Glasgow (some have been in Ireland and various places in England) but for 2 of the ladies it was their first ever meet up and they had a good time(I hope) and hoping to do it again weather permitting for Brookmyres book launch in January.

And lastly Christopher signing the book for my hubby

Edited to add, the kitty must have smelt Pennys kitty as she has just knocked my tower of books down whilst investigating!

Review - Where Has Oprah Taken Us? By Stephen Mansfield

Where Has Oprah Taken Us? by Stephen Mansfield
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 3 days

Blurb From Goodreads
An evocative exploration of Oprah Winfrey's religious beliefs, from her rejection of her Baptist upbringing to her controversial rise as "an icon of church-free spirituality."

Born into poverty in Mississippi in 1954 and rising through talent, hard work and despite tragedy-she was raped at the age of nine and lost an infant son at 14-Oprah Winfrey has become one of the wealthiest, most powerful, and most popular women of her age. These facts alone would make Winfrey worthy of study, yet what makes her of even more profound impact on American society is her decision to champion the cause of "New Age Christianity." She is, as "Christianity Today" has proclaimed, "a postmodern priestess-an icon of church-free spirituality." Rejecting her Baptist roots, Winfrey has become a champion of the "Course in Miracles," a seminar in which Christianity is reinterpreted in terms of self-actualization, personal divinity, and self-empowerment. She has also become a disciple of Eckhart Tolle, the increasingly popular teacher of a form of spirituality that blends Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Christianity.

Author Stephen Mansfield explores the Winfrey spiritual phenomenon-much as Mansfield has with figures like George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Pope Benedict XVI, and Winston Churchill.

My Review

Like most people I had heard of Oprah but didn't know much about her other than her role in the color purple (love that film/book) and she does a chat show. So I selected this book to review in order to learn a bit more about her.

The first part of the book focuses on her life, from childhood and upbringing, struggles as a teen, career choices up to present day. What I didn't know or expect was how much religion plays a part in her life and the unique path she takes with it.

The author is very much present in this book and after writing something of Oprahs view on one religion or another he puts his feelings about it afterwords in italics. He explains why he feels the views of Oprah and her religious gurus are wrong and how he feels they contradict each other. I did enjoy the first part of the book but then it was very much about religion and what was available when Oprah was a child, when she was a teen etc and not focusing on her so much. At one point I felt the book should actually have been called Oprahs religious views and why I think they are wrong as a huge chunk of the book focuses on this.

I think some people will find this book and some of Stephen's views perhaps offensive (some will no doubt agree whole heart-idly) and others interesting. I have certainly learned more about the other beliefs and religions out there which is fine but I had picked this up hoping to read more about Oprah so for that reason it's a 2/5 for me.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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May Pre-loved Giveaway winner is.........

Lewis Pearce (no website given), well done and thank you to everyone who took part. The winner has been notified and if the prize isn't claimed within 48 hours, as always, another winner will be picked.

June's pre-loved giveaway will be announced in the next few days and apologies this is a few days behind but I have been caught up with work and preparing for Race For Life which I will be doing tomorrow in Glasgow. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time and sponsored me, I have smashed my target. If you haven't already and wish to do so it isn't too late and the link is on the top right hand side of this page.

I will also be listing another Amazon kindle 3 cover giveaway soon so keep an eye out for that.