River Readers

I enjoyed this review by Swapna Krishna from curledup.com -

One day, Michael is taken ill outside Hanna’s apartment and she takes him in, cares for him, then sends him on his way. When he returns to her apartment to express his gratitude, he is mesmerized by how beautiful she is, in her own way. Eventually, Hanna takes Michael as a lover. The more he sees her, the more Michael realizes he knows nothing about Hanna. And there is a reason for that – Hanna is a woman with a secret, a secret that does not become clear until many years later.

When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.

On Tuesday, October 9, 2012, when she was fifteen, she almost paid the ultimate price. She was shot in the head at point-blank range while riding the bus home from school, and few expected her to survive.

In the past . . .
On a blisteringly hot August afternoon in Crystal Palace, once home to the tragically destroyed Great Exhibition, a solitary thirteen-year-old boy meets his next door neighbor, a recently widowed young teacher hoping to make a new start in the tight-knit South London community. Drawn together by loneliness, the unlikely pair form a deep connection that ends in a shattering act of betrayal.

In the present . . .

Listening to this second book gave me new insights into my favorite series. I keep uncovering things I don't remember reading or have forgotten since watching the movies after reading the book. Jim Dale once again transports the listener back to Hogwarts and makes you feel such a part of the action. I can visualize the characters and the places with ease - even ones I had forgotten about. As always it was fun to rediscover Dobby, the Forbidden Forest and the beginning of Harry and Ginny's love.

This was not exactly what I was expecting. It was a much darker look at the fairy tales I love. While I enjoy a good fractured tale or a remake, this book had me looking at the stories in too much of a literal tunnel. The idea of Snow White being a 7-9 year old girl who "marries" the dwarves or the more pagan/Wiccan rituals that are suggested were not my cup of tea. I know Grimm's stories are much darker than Disney's, but that doesn't mean I enjoy looking at them through the eyes of a pedophile either.

As the hunt for the Star of Ice leads the six guardians to Ireland, Doyle, the immortal, must face his tragic past. Three centuries ago, he closed off his heart, yet his warrior spirit is still drawn to the wild. And there’s no one more familiar with the wild than Riley—and the wolf within her...

Sasha Riggs is a reclusive artist, haunted by vivid dreams and nightmares that she turns into extraordinary paintings. Desperate to understand her visions, she finds herself drawn to the Greek island of Corfu.

I liked this book because it was nothing like I thought it would be. The idea of a magical book always catches my interest. The fact that this one had been around for years and seemed to still be effective was intriguing. I would read more of her work.

Lou was unhappy in her life. She feels responsible for the death of her mother and her brothers blame her. When she goes to the abandoned old mansion on the hill she slips through a time warp and ends up in 1913 at the pinnacle of the house's existence. Welcomed heartily by the family of the manor, the Mandeville's, she was expected by them.
Lou soon finds that her mission is to help the Mandeville's and to try to prevent the family tragedies that unfold in the future.

Hercule Poirot is vacationing on the Cornish coast when he meets Nick Buckly. Nick is the young and reckless mistress of End House, an imposing structure perched on the rocky cliffs of St. Loo. Hercule Poirot is vacationing on the Cornish coast when he meets Nick Buckly. Nick is the young and reckless mistress of End House, an imposing structure perched on the rocky cliffs of St. Loo.