I got quite sick so didn't read much for a while and instead opted for trash in the form of a Mills and Boon. Only read it because it was about a librarian. Easy trash, happy ending yadda, yadda....
Summary: This work was set in Berlin, 1942. When Bruno returns home from school one day, he discovers that his belongings are being packed in crates. His father has received a promotion and the family must move from their home to a new house far far away, where there is no one to play with and nothing to do. A tall fence running alongside stretches as far as the eye can see and cuts him off from the strange people he can see in the distance. But, Bruno longs to be an explorer and decides that there must be more to this desolate new place than what meets the eye. While exploring his new environment, he meets another boy whose life and circumstances are very different to his own, and their meeting results in a friendship that has devastating consequences.
Summary: Flora Parker is sassy and stylish with a mouth as big as Wembley Stadium and a tendency to act before she thinks, which is how she ends up getting drunk and on the front of a newspaper in her Wonderbra and not much else. Filled with self-loathing she retreats to her aunt's house in the country to look for a little meaning in her life. Instead she finds an overbearing uncle, a farm on the brink of bankruptcy, a child who won't come out of the airing cupboard and a precocious 10-year-old who lists all Flo's faults. As if she didn't already know them. But, being Flo, instead of running away she itches to put it all right...especially when the farmer next door announces an intriguing bet: he will give his farm and glorious farmhouse to whichever of his handsome nephews finds a wife by Michaelmas. So Flo takes up matchmaking full-time, ignoring the fact that it might be she who is the object of their affections. Meanwhile she finds she's falling in love herself...with a way of life that is muddy, smelly and under threat. But is she prepared to put her head on the altar to keep it?
Summary: Blue Skies tells the inspirational story of a young woman battling to save the family farm no matter what it takes. Armed with an honours degree in Agribusiness, Amanda Greenfield dreams of employing all the skills she's learnt at college to help her father turn the family farm from a debt-ridden, run-down basket case into a thriving enterprise.
Summary: In RaW Voices: True Stories of Hardship and Hope, Vanessa Feltz meets men and women who have overcome great difficulties to change their worlds, and asks each to tell their own story.These extraordinary people were brought together from all walks of life by the BBC's Reading and Writing campaign (RaW), and they all show us what we can do to take control of our future, achieve new goals and reach ever-greater heights. These amazing real-life journeys are a tribute to the strength of the human spirit. Gripping, funny, sometimes sad and always inspiring, they will strike a chord in us all. 
Summary: Kathy and her partner had spent months agonising over whether to have a third child, then, at thirty-five, Kathy decided it would be now or never. When Caoimhe was born there was nothing to suggest anything was wrong. The following day a midwife baldly told Kathy her baby had Down syndrome. Tuesday’s Child tells of Kathy's journey through shock, anger and grief to, ultimately, a kind of acceptance. From the bombshell of diagnosis - the defining moment that was to reshape her life - she charts her initial obsession with 'Why?', the impact on the family, the often hurtful, ignorant responses of strangers (and friends), and, most importantly of all, the battle to reclaim Caoimhe as an individual, not just a 'Downs child'. As Kathy wrote in her original article: ‘I don’t know where she fits in society, but a family is a world in microcosm. And I do know that right here, right now, she fits perfectly within my arms.’ A compelling mix of heartfelt personal story and insightful journalism, Tuesday’s Child highlights society's attitudes to difference and the ongoing ethical debate about genetics, as well as examining the minefield that is prenatal testing.
I really enjoyed reading this book and it actually sent me on a book bender (see next post). Anyway, true story, she had $25,000 in credit card debt and set up a website asking for donations. She details the bumpy road that got here there in the first place and how she got out of it. Just a great little read. Highly recommend it!
Synopsis: Lucy's family is famous for two things in Italy: soccer and fashion. Her pushy mother wants her to model for the family's fashion label. Even worse, Lucy's father - captain of Milan's premier soccer team - agrees. But Lucy has been leading a double life, playing soccer on the side when she isn't modeling. When she and her mother move from Milan to Sydney to be closer to her grandparents, Lucy has the chance to come clean about who she really is and what she really wants to do with her life.
Ah, my favourite Aussie author is back. I loved this book. Raced through it so quickly. Synopsis:
Born on the rugged Dargo High Plains and raised by her cattleman father, Emily Flanaghan has lost her way in life. Locked in an unhappy marriage in the suburbs, Emily misses the high country with a fierce ache. To make matters worse, her heritage is under threat. A government bill to evict the mountain cattlemen is about to be passed, and the Flanaghans could be banned from the mountains their family has looked after for generations.
When a terrible accident brings Emily to the brink of death, she realises she must return to the high country to seek a way forward in life; healing herself, her daughters and her land. Along the way, she finds herself falling in love with a man who works for the government - the traditional opposition of the cattlemen - new Parks ranger, Luke Bradshaw. But just as she sees that the land and Luke are the keys to regaining her life, Emily faces losing them both in the greatest challenge of all . . .
Set in the beautiful snowgum country of the Victorian Alps, The Cattleman's Daughter is a haunting and unforgettable tale of love, self-discovery and forgiveness.
LOVED IT!!! HURRY UP AND RELEASE THE NEXT ONE!
This is a wonderful book about a family transported from England to the new colony of New South Wales in the early 1800's. It is brilliantly written by Kate Grenville based on research into her own family history. Well worth reading to get an insight in early Australian history and the relationships between the new settlers and the indigenous population. Everyone at bookgroup loved it too. As my Australian history is a bit rusty it just really helped me think about what it would have been like, way back then. Though Grenville doesn't necessarily take sides, before even beginning the book the dedication reads "to the aboriginal people - past, present and future" which did make me feel that I had been preached to even though she gave both sides of the story. All in all though, it was just brilliant! A top read.
I have read other works of Bill Bryson and whilst I enjoyed this one, it wasn't one of his best. Bookgroup also had a split reaction. As someone else said: Bryson has a keen eye for the amusing and unusual details of British life and culture and he writes some very witty and memorable lines. I enjoyed much of this but at times it seemed he was stretching his idea a bit and the book became repetitive.
June Nealon’s daughter needs a heart transplant, and the man on death row for killing the rest of her family wants to donate his. Can June accept his heart?
I really loved this book! It was so good! I was actually quite shocked by just how engrossing the story really was - not to mention how surprisingly sad it was for such a cheerful cover. Really, it was just so riveting. While reading it, I didn't know how I wanted it to end... nor was I able to really predict the ending, either. I just loved reading this and I am anxious to read her other books! 
