52 in 52 - book 24 - The Five Greatest Warriors - Matthew Reilly

We are back again with Jack West Jr, not dead, but very much alive (spoiler written on the back cover of the book, not really a major spoiler when the book is a Jack West Jr book, clearly he can't be dead...) the saga continues, the world is still in peril, to forces unbeknown.

Again, love this book, this one was finished on September 18th or 19th, and again I haven't made it to blogger until now! I highly recommend anything written by Matthew Reilly! 

52 in 52 - book 23 - 6 Sacred Stones - Matthew Reilly

Absolutely aching for the 4th book in this series, due out next month, so in preparation I've embarked on reading the series again. I've had issues with finding time to blog, paired with IOS10 blogger issues, I finished this book on September 17th :) 

As always, Matthew Reilly is an amazing writer who keeps you on the edge of your seat! I can't recommend this series enough! 

52 in 52 - book 20! Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - JK Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne

Somehow news of the Harry Potter saga continuing escaped my radar until the play manuscript had been published as a book! Whilst I am not a Potterhead, and have no interest in the movies or fandom, I do genuinely love the books and enjoyed reading each of the first 7 as they were released whilst I was in primary school. I have very fond memories of sleepovers with my best friend, and her *patiently* waiting for me to finish the chapter she had just finished so that we could talk about it- that's love, no spoilers!- and so my Kmart checkout impulse purchase was this book. 

I work a half day on Fridays, and my beloved is out of town for work, so I decided that my body needed some time in the great outdoors, something that gets pushed to the back of the schedule far too often! And why not bring a book. 

Winter is such a dreadful season, unless you are in paradise! Gorgeous weather. Sunshine, pleasant breeze, and a glorious beach, all to myself. 

Three hours of serious relaxation and the adventure is already over - don't be deceived, a manuscript is formatted to take up more space than a novel, it's sadly shorter than I would have liked! 

But it is a good read, dealing with family dynamics and the crippling effects of history and choices on the present and future.

Take an afternoon off. Open a book! 

52 in 52 - book 19 - Prince of the Blood - Raymond E. Feist

 I finished another book! Whilst the reality that I need 33 books in roughly 16 weeks seems an impossible reality to finish this challenge, I'm going to persist and see how many I can complete anyway. 

Prince of the Blood was another re-read, a book I haven't read for several years. Fantasy and adventure, it is excellently written and unputdownable. 470 pages. 

Twin princess think their father, Prince of Krondor, is unreasonable and takes the fun out of life. The death of their only male cousin, and the news that no other make heir could arise due to the queen's ill health, forces their father to drive home the gravity that the elder twin, Borric, is now the heir to the kingdom- and needed to begin to think and behave as such. And his twin Erland would never be King, but must always publicly support his brother, no matter his actual opinion, lest the kingdom be thrown into civil war at the hands of disagreeing factions. 

A diplomatic assignment to travel to the land of Kesh to attend the Empress' 75th jubilee is required, and Prince Arutha takes this as the opportunity to teach his spoiled court-born sons about the world. It's a risky mission, the Keshians are known for murder and underhanded dealings. 

Just days before they are due to depart, an attempt is made on Prince Borric's life, by none other than a member of the Keshian royal family. 

To prevent risk of offence and war, plans are changed and a small party is sent off along a less direct route, to foil any others from a second attempt. 

A stopover at the magician's academy on Stardock Island sees much change- Jimmy the Hand turned Baron James falls deeply in love with Gamina, daughter of Pug, who can speak and hear thoughts - whilst reviving James who nearly drowned, she learned every secret of his life, and loved him. With this intimate knowledge of his history, he couldn't help but love her back- she was the first person he had no secrets from, the true sense of intimacy. 

The party was delayed for a wedding celebration, and then Gamina joined the travellers on their mission to Kesh. 

A sandstorm gave bandits the perfect opportunity to attack the party, looking for things of value, and prisoners to sell as slaves. Having lost his sword and won magicians robes to replace his own lost tunic in a game of poker, Borric is captured and manages to live through the deadly walk to Durbin. Though barely. 

The rest of the party regroup, and search for the Prince. They must eventually assume him to be the one dead at the bottom of a rock fall where his shoe was found, and prince Erland- now Heir to the Kingdom, must push on and not show grief to those of Kesh, he must behave as the heir. 

With the assistance of a beggar turned failed their, Borric escapes the slavers yards, but the massive hunt put on for him indicated they were aware of his identity but unwilling to share it- saying instead he had murdered the Governor's wife. 

Near death experiences follow them to the docks, a stolen boat, chase by the sea patrols looking for the escaped prisoner, and a full day of bailing out the water of the sinking boat. A rescue by a larger vessel saves the day, they work hard, the captain is fair, but suspicious, and so puts them out before the pilot boards to take the ship into Kesh. 

I wasn't planning on writing this much! I need to get to work! I may update later, if not, awesome read. You should check it out. 

52 in 52 - book 18 - A Darkness at Sethanon - Raymond E Feist

Instalment 3 in The Riftwar Saga, the continued battle against the army of 'the enemy' 

Another incredible work of fantasy, unputdownable engaging stories seamlessly intertwining the paths of characters from different cities, cultures, planets and times. 

More then one pot of tea was enjoyed with this saga! 

527 pages of excitement! The best bit is that despite The Riftwar Saga being now complete, there are still 27 other works in Midkemia and Kelewan for me to reacquaint myself with! 

I think next is a change of pace with "who switched off my brain" and then perhaps some Matthew Reilly to prepare for his new book release!

Despite being in week 27 and having only finished 18 books, I am hopeful that I may yet catch up! Dare to try :) 

Happy reading ( ps, read everything Raymond E Feist, and Matthew Reilly) 

52 in 52 - book 17 - Silverthorn - Raymond E Feist

Quickly following its prequel was Silverthorn, second in the series and the saga. The war has ended, but there is other trouble afoot. The new prince's almost wife is is on the verge of death, and no one knows the cure. 432 pages of adventure and battle, fantasy at its best. I highly recommend everyone who loves fantasy to read these books!

 

52 in 52 book 16 - Magician - Raymond E Feist

To get back into the groove of reading, I've chosen a saga I've read before, starting with Magician, a book published before I was born and will be a classic long after I'm dead I am sure. 

681 pages of exceptional fantasy that I lost myself in at once. Following the life of an orphan boy, his best friend, and the 'Royal family' in a a small rural community, through exceptional twists and turns. The book covers about 30 years, and it's unputdownable

52 in 52 - book 14 - Pandora's Box - Giselle Green

Pandora's box. "Contains all the evils in the world" in Greek mythology, and although the parallels are drawn here, it is not the goddess Pandora, but the mother/grandmother of the protagonists.

A handy guide on the back of this book lets you prepare yourself- 50% tear-jerker, 20% drama, and 15% each friendship and love.  

For me, the 435 pages held no tears, but it was dramatic, easy to read, and I did stay awake half the night (having started reading at 11pm), two nights in a row to finish it. 

The story of terminally ill Shelly, who has watched her friend with the same disease die a horrible, painful, and drawn out death decides she will not endure the deterioration, she will take matters into her own hands. 

And 2 years as a single mother with full time care of her dying teenage daughter has left Rachel feeling lonely and deserted- by her ex husband, by her best friend as their lives take different courses, and by her mother Pandora who is emigrating to Australia (book set in UK), but not before sending "Pandora's box" full of childhood memories, pain, and best-forgotten-secrets. 

There is love, there is pain, and moral and ethical complexities which make the story interesting and thought provoking. Great read! 

52 in 52 book 13 - Crazy Love - Francis Chan with Danae Yankoski

Amazing. Powerful. Challenging. 

175 pages plus Q&A with the author, this is a hard hitting and challenging book that urges us to walk the talk. Be literal in faith. Don't leave God at church on Sunday. Don't let anyone be surprised when they find out you're Christian- that should be evident in every breath, if you love God and behave as if you do. 

Another book I recommend and I will read again. The call to action in this book has the power to change the world. 

52 in 52 - Book 12 - All The Light We Cannot See - Anthony Doerr

A book loaned to me by my sister, and it was amazing. 

Not QUITE unputdownable, but pretty close! 

It's been a while since I've been captured in the world of a book whilst "getting on with real life" 

The book is a fictional story based in WWII following the stories of a French girl, Marie-Laure, being raised by her widdower father; and an orphan German boy, Werner, growing up with his younger sister Jutta, and many other orphans under the care of a French house mother, Frau Elena. 

Marie-Laurie spends her days exploring and learning from professors in the museum where her father is the locksmith and master of keys. Despite losing her eyesight at age 6, she is able to use her other senses to perceive the world in colours of a different kind. 

Rumours abound of a cursed diamond, that has made its way through the rise and fall of nations and kingdoms, being stored at the museum. And when the invasion begins, it is with a precious stone that Marie-Laure and her father leave Paris on foot, walking past gridlocked traffic, a standstill caused by the occupants of the city fleeing invasion.  Marie-Laure is unaware of the stone her father carries, and he, not knowing whether it is the cursed diamond or one of 3 copies, anguishes over the risk they will be under the curse. 

The safe house arranged for them is deserted and being looted when they arrive, forcing them to press on to the seaside village his father grew up in, to the family home still occupied by his uncle, Etienne. A man haunted by ghosts of The Great War, Etienne has not left the house in decades, his radio collection allows him to be in touch with the world. 

Werner, being an orphan, will be forced into work in the coal mine as soon as he turns 15. The very place his father died. He and Jutta spend their days exploring, scavenging for extra food for the orphanage, finding odds and ends that have been discarded, and Werner's bright mind sees the patterns, asks questions, invents. He wants to be an engineer, an inventor... He fixes a found radio, then improves it, and before he knows it he is renowned as the radio repairman for the village. It is through this that he is tested and taken in to a excellent school, not knowing at the time of acceptance that he was being trained for war. 

As you can probably tell, this book has made an impression upon me. I will not spoil any more. It is a great read. 530 pages, excellently written. I highly recommend it. 

52 in 52- book 11 - Bad Girls of the Bible - Liz Curtis Higgs

So! The bible full of bad girls? I've just read about 10 of them! Eve Potiphar's wife, Lot's wife, the woman at the well, Delilah, Sapphira, Rahab, Jezebel, Michal, and "the sinful woman" 

The "badness" of these ladies varied between one bad attitude or decision, to a lifetime of sinful attitude and bad behaviour. 

But do you know what? It's far easier to relate to the imperfect than the perfect. We aren't all shiny and unblemished. We have made bad decisions and spoken in anger and without thought... But we are forgiven through faith, just like some of these women. Eve was God's hand crafted masterpiece, not made from dust like Adam, nope, created from Adam's rib. And she made a tremendous mistake in engaging in conversationwith the serpent, exaggerating God's word, and playing the blame game!! But she still went on to be the mother of humankind. She was forgiven. Women of ill repute were forgiven, just a matter of believing Christ is God and the saviour of all, and forgiveness is there for the asking. 

In May I'll be doing a 15 minute talk on one of the ladies from this book, I haven't chosen who yet, but I'm excited. Might even get some photos! 

52 in 52 - Book 10 - Communicating for a Change - Andy Stanley

I've listened to this one! I have listened to very few audio books, however they are quite enjoyable. This one I started months ago (in Jan) whilst driving around the south west. It was Brad's suggestion and so we put it on and I was instantly engrossed. Not only is it well written, it's easy to follow and educational (what more could a girl ask for!) the first half of the book is a story, followed by the second half, which consolidates the theories discussed in the story. I'm currently taking a public speaking course which follows this book, so already I am part way through listening (yep, weird!) to this book a second time. I think it is great, the theories in the book seem like they will require gradual implementation coinciding with growth in public speaking skill and experience. Highly recommend for anyone who does speak publicly, whether they enjoy it or loathe it- because even if you hate speaking, if you somehow get sucked into it, you should probably brush up on it! 

52 in 52 - Book 9 - The Princess Bride - S. Morgenstern, abridged by William Goldman

Ok! The Princess Bride is one of my favourite movies ever! And u was a little sad when I picked up this book and found it was abridged, what had they done?! But!! I quickly discovered that the movie was only the way it is because of the abridging! 

A classic tale of true love and high adventure. I loved it. Easy read, good fun. I love it and want to watch the movie again now! 

52 in 52 - Book 7 - The Life Left Behind - Edith Copeman

I was privileged enough to be the first one to read the first draft of this book, written by none other than my sister. My real-life-author, little sister. I am so proud of her. I read this as a ebook from iBooks, but it's also available to order online as a paperback or beautiful hardcover book.

This book tells a fictional tale on a very non-fictional topic - Mental Health. In Australia, and from what I understand many other countries and cultures around the world, mental health is stigmatised enormously. This actually exacerbates many mental health issues, balloons the issue quickly as the person doesn't feel they can get help to deal with it without judgement or being ostracised by those they love... And often times they are right.

The Life Left Behind covers addiction, depression, anxiety, guilt, and much more. I know more than a couple of John Green books grace the author's library, and his very raw and relatable style is echoed as the characters come to life on her pages. 

I wouldn't give this book to a child or young teen, but I urge everyone else to read it. We need to embrace those around us who need our help, and that means the mental health stigma needs to go. There is no place for it. 

52in52- Book 3 - Go Set a Watchman - Harper Lee

A very late night last night involved tea, spa bath, bubbles, and book! On the 7th day of Jan I am celebrating finishing another book! 

Go Set a Watchman is something of a sequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, published in 1960, which has become classic literature and a staple for students to study. Harper Lee was born in 1926, this year she is 90!! And last year (2015) she released Go Set a Watchman. If that's not inspirational, I'm not sure what is. 

Another book following the life of "Scout" - Jean Louise Finch - who is now in her mid 20s and has been living in New York for a number of years. She is back home in Maycombe and is broken by what she sees and hears from the local men in the county regarding the push to prevent the Negro population from having equal rights. Something Jean Louise doesn't even think is a question- everyone is human and should be treated as such. 

 It is well written and I thoroughly enjoyed it, it has been a bit over a decade since I've read To Kill a Mockingbird! Perhaps that's one that needs revisiting. 

Only a few days left of our holiday. We have seen so many friends and loved ones and were even able to help by looking after our friends children whilst she put on her nurses hat and went to assist with a serious boat incident that occurred next to the cafe we were eating at. Very emotionally draining to witness incidents like that, but so blessed to have been there to (attempt) to entertain the girls whilst their mum saved the day! Today we are avoiding bush fires to try and venture back to Perth. Might take 4 hours longer than it should... But that's all part of the adventure isn't it! 

God bless!