Four Books in Review

Last week I read four books.  I have a lot of reading to catch up on, if I am going to meet my Goodreads 2013 book challenge goal.


The first book that I read was 'Chocolat' by Joanne Harris.  Now,  I love the movie adaptation of this book.  Love it!  I had no idea it was a book until I found it at the thrift store a few years ago.  I finally got to reading it and I liked it.  Of course there were a few differences here and there between the book and the movie, which is to be expected.

I do love that in the movie Pontoufle, the daughters imaginary friend/pet is a kangaroo.  That is some exciting stuff!  In the book it is a rabbit... not as exciting.

I like the characters.  I like that they in the end choose what they feel is right for them and don't really allow themselves to be bullied into a certain lifestyle.  Check out the movie while you are at it!

I would recommend this book. 3 out of 5 stars- I liked it!

'The Commander's Desire' by Jennette Green. Do not let the horrible cover turn you away!  My friend let be borrow this book and 'Surrender The Heart'.  I sat down last weekend and said that I would only read for an hour, so that I could work on a quilt.  Well, if by an hour, I meant seven, then I did just that.  I literally read this book in one sitting.  A princess is sent by her King brother to marry the king of a nearby castle, for peace... or treachery?!  She ends up with someone other than the king and that's all I can say, without giving this fun and easy read away!

4 out of 5 stars- I really liked it!

'Surrender the Heart' by MaryLu Tyndall, was another quick read and I enjoyed it a lot.  Toward the end, I thought that the main character Marianne was really quite dramatic and that we could have reached the happy ending maybe 15 pages sooner.  However, the book was a good story and a reminder to trust in God.  The first and last chapters seems to be the only ones where the characters have their feet on solid ground, for the rest of the book takes place at sea.  I enjoyed the incorporation of history.  I have been on the USS Constitution and found it neat to read about it in this book, whether the facts are true or not.  Time period: 1812

4 out of 5 stars- I really liked it!

'Stardust' by Neil Gaiman.  I saw the movie when it first came out and discovered that it too was a book, first.  I have had the book for a few years now and suddenly felt the urge to give it a go.  As I read, I was picturing the movie in my head and I was surprised by how close the two are.  Of course, as I stated above for 'Chocolat', there are a few changes, but overall I feel that they did not take too many liberties when creating the movie.

A young boy goes on an adventure to win the love of his life.  But, in the end he gets more than he has bargained for and realizes that the love of his life isn't the girl back home, but a star, that has fallen straight from the sky.  The movie is amazing!

3 out of 5 stars-  I liked it!

Next on my list is 'Slaughterhouse-Five' by Kurt Vonnegut.  Happy reading!