The Pierced Heart by Lynn ShepherdMy rating: 5 of 5 stars In my opinion The Pierced Heart is Lynn Shepherd’s best work to date. I was surprised to find the story on average 100 pages shorter than her previous three books, but as so often the reader is reminded that it isn’t really about the length of the book that defines its quality. With only ca. 230 pages the author created a story of suspense, grotesque, eeriness and the possibility of the supernatural. As with all books in a series, it is impossible to review this book in a standard manner, since various elements of the overall story may be…

Siddhartha by Hermann HesseMy rating: 4 of 5 stars I was already in the middle of reading two other books when I decided to pick up Siddhartha, mostly because the one book (an ebook) was too spine tingling to read late at night in bed, while the other was a print book that would have been too straining on the eyes to read in bed with minimal light. The main reason for deciding to read Siddhartha now, was my impending 30th birthday and the mini mid-life crisis I was experiencing. So, in the hope of finding some advice or soothing comfort, I embarked on this journey of classic German literature…

If I Stay by Gayle FormanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars I can’t really comment too much on this story, since I would unintentionally give part of the story’s intent away.In general, I have to say that it was a good story. It addressed a few topics that could provide much food for thought.It was mostly centered around the main character, Mia, who has a sense of humour, is a bit feisty and possesses the usual adolescent insecurities, we all know and have lived through.The plot is interesting, adolescent-focused, but mature enough for a wider audience. I appreciated the jumps back and forth between the past and the present as…

The Bookman’s Tale by Charlie LovettMy rating: 4 of 5 stars When I began reading this story I had no idea what it would be about and what exactly would be in store for me. Therefore, it seemed that every page and every chapter was another puzzle piece in my journey to solve the mystery of the book as well as the story being told. Generally speaking I enjoyed reading this story; however, I have a few minor points worth discussing that could have been accomplished differently.Characters: I understand that the protagonist is a grieving husband and therefore might not be as stable as a person/character that is not emotionally…

Stolen Songbird by Danielle L. JensenMy rating: 5 of 5 stars What an epic fantasy tale! I adored this story from the beginning until the last page. I have had this book for a while and I was always hesitant to start reading it, because fantasy is not really my forte; however I was proven wrong and I am glad. I didn’t want to write this review, because this would prove my acceptance that the story was actually over…for now and waiting the countless months until the second installment is to be published was just too much for me to handle. Needless to say, the last time I was this…

The Arrivants: A New World Trilogy by Edward Kamau BrathwaiteMy rating: 4 of 5 stars A good collection of poems that address the topics of slavery and black Atlantic literature. As with all collections, some poems will speak more to the reader than others.The poems range from almost story-like in narration to very metaphorical and lyrical.As part of my Black Atlantic Literature class, this collection is a nice supplement to the autobiographical texts I had to read up to this point. View all my reviews

One Potion in the Grave by Heather BlakeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars Better than the first installment in this new series by Heather Blake, One Potion in the Grave had me hooked from the very first chapter.The author is starting to feel at ease with the new series and the new group of characters and this shows in the easily flowing writing style.The characters were funny, eccentric, entertaining and multidimensional and a joy to follow along in this story.As with all of the author’s mystery stories, I was unable to really figure out who the culprit was. The author keeps the story intriguing and fun.This installment is a definite…

The Winter Sea by Susanna KearsleyMy rating: 1 of 5 stars I am not quite sure how an author could turn an interesting idea and premise for a story into such rubbish. For the majority of the book I was under the impression that my inability to connect with the story was due to the fact that I was only ever able to read at best one chapter at a time. However, once I hit the 70% mark in the story, I knew that the problem was not with me, but rather with the author’s writing, the characters and the non-existing plot. I was so mad that I spent two…

Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life by Byron KatieMy rating: 3 of 5 stars When I started reading this book I had a very strange sense of deja vu until I remembered that the first chapter had been assigned as required reading in a previous course. I was glad that I had the opportunity to read the entire book, since the first chapter did hold some interesting points.In this book the author introduces her concept The Work, which provides a person the ability to see reality for what it is, reduce cognitive confusion and make peace with the uncontrollable aspects in life. The author simplifies that…

Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness by Rita CharonMy rating: 1 of 5 stars I really did not want to review this book, because every time I think about it I get too worked up and frustrated to form any coherent sentences that do not resemble a very long rant. But alas, let me start by asking a very sarcastic question: Who knew that physicians would actually be better in treating their patients, if they only listened?Well, the author uses that as her main argument for her book Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness, although not much “honoring” is actually present in this collection of personal experiences the…