The Book Thief - Marcus Zusak

This was an interesting one because the reviews for this book were through the roof. Everyone loved it. So let me just say that going into it I had very high expectations.
The begining was a bit strange as it took me a while to get my head around the concept of who the narrator was and who the book was about. After that it was a nice read. The storyline was good and the characters were excellent. I did enjoy this book however I can't say it was amazing. Maybe my expectations were a bit undeliverable. What I can see is that the storyline appeals to nearly everyone. Males, females, younger or older. There is a character in there for everyone to relate to. Very smart.

What I liked about the book is that even though the storyline was based during the worst time in the human race, the author showed how it could still be someones best time of their life. Very skillful to pull that off.

I did laugh in some sections and my heart did break in others. It was a rollercoster of emotions and the knowledge behind the stories was very interesting.

It's definately a book to read and enjoy.

The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald

It's hard to write a review if the book your writing about didn't stir up any emotions whatsoever. This is how I feel about The Great Gatsby.
Yes it was well written, and yes there was a good storyline but it was flat. The characters were ok, but the whole time I'm reading it I had to force myself to try and remember what I read last.
It did pick up at the end of the book, as there was a bit of action and drama, but it left you feeling a bit depressed. But not even in a real way, sort of a 'oh, ok, poor guy'.
Maybe the author's intention was to make you feel the way everyone felt about Gatsby. There's this huge hype about him and the book, but you don't really feel anything for him. Same as him in the book. Everyone talked about him and attended his weekly parties but in the end no-body felt enough for him to see him through to the end. That's my insight into this book anyway.

Lesson Learnt:
Don't waste your life chasing an illusion, or you will end up with nothing.

My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult

This is one of the best books I have read in a long time.

At first I was a bit hesitant to read it as my friend who read it before me said it was very depressing and I wasn't sure if I was in the mood to read something sad. I just started to flip through the first pages and got hooked immediately. You definately didn't have to wait to get into it.

Even though the book was based on a very sad and tragic story, it was terrific.
The characters were outstanding, I loved the writing style used by the writer as you got everybody's perspective and really got to know them individualy.
The storyline isn't something I have really thought about before, and it really opened my eyes to the whole situation and gave me a new perspective. I love books that make you think about topics you haven't been subjected to before and open your eyes.
My favourite character was Anna and it was interesting reading about the relationship she had with her mother. I also sympathised with the mother and even though she was supposedly the bad guy, you could feel the horrifying situation she has had to deal with as a mother.

All in all 5/5.

Lesson Learnt:
I am becoming a donor.

Love in the Time of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

I've heard some mixed reviews when it comes to this book and was curious to see what my take would be, and I ended up loving it. It's funny because now that I have to come up with some reasons why I loved it I don't really have a definite answer. There wasn't much action, it just described the lives of a few people and the love between them. I felt like I really understood what the author was trying to get across and some paragraphs really touched me and made me think about marriage in a new light.
The characters were strong and somewhat sombre but I didn't mind it. I actually think that the author did a good job depicting love and how it affects our lives. How it can be the only thing keeping you going, even if it's just an illusion.

I'm not sure if I liked the ending all that much but it wasn't bad. I just did not see the ending that the author chose. It felt somwhat deflated. It would've been better with a more pronounced ending.

Lesson Learnt:
(Direct Quote from book)
'It was against all scientific reason for two people who hardly knew each other with no ties at all between them, with different characters, different upbringings, and even different genders, to suddenly find themselves committed to living together to sleeping in the same bed, to sharing two destinies that perhaps were fated to go in opposite directions. The only possible bond that can keep them together is something as fickle and improbable as love'.

Gone with the wind - Margaret Mitchell

When I borrowed this book from the library I was feeling a bit overwhealmed because it had 1448 pages. It felt as heavy as a brick. So I knew that reading this book would take persistance. However I was pleasantly suprised as it wasn't much of an effort to read. It hooked me from the begining.

I did watch this movie with my parents when I was little and remembered the general plot but only now as an adult can I appreciate all the characters and the authors great depth and writing style. It was very informative in regards to the war and slavery and I enjoyed every aspect of the storyline.

The only negative point I can mention is to do with the ending.
"Spoiler Alert!"
The book did not end as happily ever after, which came as a physical blow and after I closed the book I just sat there stunned that I didn't get my feel good rush as I do from every other love story book. But after a few moments of thought I realised that we come to need the happy endings because we are so used to them. However it's not realistic and I now am starting to appreciate the courage and honesty in which the author wrote this book. I really would have loved to have a sequel written by Margaret Mitchell because you do still think and desperately want to know what happens next.

This book definately deserves to be rewarded as one of the best books of all time. Okay so it doesn't shock you and break any writing barriers, like The Naked Lunch, (which I couldn't even read), but it's got a great storyline, awesome characters and you will be sucked into this book and remeber it forever. When someone says the name Scarlett you will automatically think of this character and remeber how this book changed you. And that in my opinion is what a great book should be.

Lesson Learnt:
Don't complain and be upset at the world because you didn't get what you wanted out of life. The successful people get what their given change it to suit them and fight for what they want. There are two types of people - Fighters or Dreamers. Which one are you??

The Sheltering Sky - Paul Bowles

I started reading this book during summer and the weather outside was just over 30 degrees. Probably not a good book choice as it was based in Africa. So reading this book I felt everything that was going on in the book so much more. I felt the heat that they were feeling and thus it magnified their emotions and loneliness.

I always wanted to go to Africa, but sadly this book as somewhat changed my mind about how great it was going to be. The two main characters were married and going through a rough patch in their relationship and considering the location they were in the author protrayed perfectly how lonely these two characters were and how differently they both were handling it.

I enjoyed reading about Eric and his mother as they always brought a bit of drama with them and left complete questions and chaos behind them. The character of Turner was also good, and totaly relatable.

In the end it got a bit out of control, not so much with Port dying, as that is believable, but in Kit's becoming a sex slave and being locked up for months. Not sure if I would have ended the book that way, but the author gets points for suprising me...

I quite enjoyed reading this book. It was refreshing to read about something different as the African Sahara and about characters that were very far from perfect. The author didn't describe either of the characters which was good as it doesn't really matter.

The book showed that there are very different places in the world and don't just go somewhere without a little research...

7/10

The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

I wanted to read this book before I found out too much about it during it's movie release. Also I heard it's an excellent book and is listed as the people's choice for one of the best books of all time. So I had some elevated expectations and I have to say that it did deliver.

It took me a while to get my head around the whole time travelling thing. The skipping from time to time and getting to know what age is Henry currently speaking and where everyone is. But once I got into the groove of the book I very much enjoyed it. Yes it is a book about love but it's done in such a great way that brings a romance book to a whole new level.

I really enjoyed the lead female character of Clare who was not overshadowed by the strong presence of Henry and his time traveling. I liked the aspect that Henry showed vunerability at his dealing with his genetic disease. Even though this book is considered a romance, the characters do not fall into the typical romance novel stereotypes and because of this are a pleasure to read.

Yes it is a bit unrelistic and througout the book you do realise this at some points however it is written well which enables you to forgive this and overlook it.

I really enjoy reading books that are totaly different than anything out there and this book was one of them. I really enjoyed it.

8/10

The Bronze Horseman - Paullina Simons

I was recommended this book by a good friend of mine, who has a soft spot for romance novels. I don't mind a romance book every now and then so I thought I'd give it a go.

I've re-written this review a few times because I can't word my thoughts properly. I'm a bit confused as to how to put them on paper as they are a bit shuffled.

Yes, I enjoyed the book
but
Yes I found it very annoying to read
and
Yes it did everything that I feared and detest in Romance novels

So writing a review is very hard because I don't know how to explain all these contradictions but still say that it was enjoyable to read.

The main character Tatiana is the typical female character that annoys me in Romance books. Naive, weak, clumsy and a push-over, who falls in love with her sisters boyfriend. The male character, Alexander, is strong, smart, dependable and totaly protective, who of course falls head over heals with his girlfriends sister. There are also complications to do with Alexander being an American and his best friend Dimitri.

The other characters were good to read, and I found that the Cinderella storyline where everyone treated her badly and used her excessively was a bit over the top. Reading how others took advantage of her was one of the hardest bits to read and it made you so frustrated that she could be so weak. But of course Alexander came to the rescue.
Another annoying part of the book was the constant reassuring that Alexander had to do to convince Tatiana that he loved her. He would just finish telling her that she's the one, and something would happen where she would storm off and it would start all over again.
The book felt as if it was a bit slow in some areas where it would repeat some things over and over where it just wasn't necessary.

The Tatiana character did start to get stronger as the book went on so it started to get easier to read. However the author then went from one extreme to the other as she then became so strong that it was almost impossible to believe, almost sub-human. But it's less frustrating.

I loved reading about the war and what people went through, because in today's environment it was a huge eye opener. You really started to appreciate how good we have it now, thanks to the people that fought during the war. The storyline was good, if you forgive the stereotypical characters. By the end I wanted to know more and will move onto the next installment in the trilogy a bit later.

This book is like a friend who is annoying and frustrating when they are around, but you miss them when they are gone.

It wasn't a book that affected me deeply, but it kept me interested and I enjoyed it. Not sure if I would agree that it's one of the best books of all time but then again I'm not really into romance novels.

6/10