Book number 9 in my Goodreads Reading Challenge is The Reader on the 6.27 by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent.

‘Guylain Vignolles lives on the edge of existence. Working at a book pulping factory in a job he hates, he has but one pleasure in life . . .

Sitting on the 6.27 train each day, Guylain recites aloud from pages he has saved from the jaws of his monstrous pulping machine. But it is when he discovers the diary of a lonely young woman, Julie – a woman who feels as lost in the world as he does – that his journey will truly begin.’ (Thanks Amazon!)

Firstly I should mention that I am an avid reader on my Kindle (I love real books; the smell, the feel of them, the look of them on my bookshelf – it’s just the Kindle is so darn convenient.  How else am I supposed to hide the 104 books I have purchased but not yet read from my husband?).  Anyway, back to my point.  Reading on a Kindle is very deceptive, you never really know how long a book actually is.  So when I finished The Reader on the 6.27, I thought it was a short story.  Turns out however, it is not.  Instead it was just me, devouring it rather quickly.  Which can only be a positive thing.  Except that it ended too quickly. Darn it.

So anyway, back to the specifics of the book.  As we all know, I love a book about books.  Except this is a book about the outrageous murder of books.  In fact, it’s about a book lover murdering books. Confused?

Guylain Vignolles hates his job.  I don’t think hate is even a strong enough word, he despises it.  The only light in his day is when he rescues a few random pages ready for his daily reading on the 6.27 train each morning.  He reads anything that he has managed to save to an enraptured audience on that early morning train until he comes across the torn pages of a diary.  These diary pages capture his imagination like nothing else he has read before, setting himself on a journey that will open his world up to new experiences and possibilities.

That’s all i’m going to say about the content of the book as I don’t want to ruin it for anyone.  I found the book translation to make sense (translations don’t always unfortunately), and the essence of the book was certainly not lost in translation.  I wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked up this book, but I loved it.  I loved the characters, I loved the setting and I loved the plot.  I enjoyed the simplicity of it and I wanted to know where Guylains life journey would take him.  I also loved how this novel highlighted that reading, even if it’s only for a few minutes, can change your day.  The commuters on the 6.27 waited for Guylain.  It didn’t matter what he read to them, what mattered was that he did read to them.

“For all those fellow commuters, he was the reader, the bizarre character who each weekday would read out, in a loud, clear voice, from the handful of pages he extracted from his briefcase.” Jean-Paul Didierlaurent, The Reader on the 6.27

Despite the downright despicable destruction of so many books, all I can do is recommend this book.

Make a cup of tea (or pick up a glass of wine, I know which I prefer!), settle in for the evening and dive into this book!

Rating: 📖 📖 📖 📖

So book number 8 in my Goodreads Reading Challenge is Tangled Up by Erin Nicholas.

‘Storm chaser Max Grady can already feel it: there’s a tornado coming to his hometown of Chance, Nebraska. Max is going after it, and the only person he wants by his side is police officer Bree McDermott, fellow adrenaline junkie, his best friend, and the woman Max has secretly been in love with for years. But when a close call with a tornado leaves them lip-locked, Max knows that the danger is only beginning.

Bree is always up for excitement. Her close and sexy encounter with Max is unlike anything she’s felt before, and she wants more. As they work together to help clean up Chance, the air between them crackles with sexual tension. But Bree has a tendency to look ahead to the next thrill, and Max knows it. Now they’re all tangled up as they chase the strongest force of nature on earth: love.’ (Thanks Amazon)

So book number two in the Taking Chances series is Tangled Up.  I really enjoyed reading about Bree and Max, who I was first introduced to in Twisted Up which centred on their friends Avery and Jake.  I do enjoy a book series which involves books that can be read as standalones, or as part of a series.

Max and Bree have been best friends forever, spending all their spare time together since they were children.  After moving away, Max returns regularly to get his adrenalin filled moments with Bree as they spend holidays together skiing, sky diving and doing other crazy activities.  What they don’t do though is spend quiet time together, going for meals, watching a movie…what is interesting about this novel is seeing some typical male/female stereotypes reversed.  Instead of the female lead settling for what the male wants, in Tangled Up you see Max taking what he believes is all that Bree can give him – moments rather than a life together.  Whilst I did find it somewhat annoying at times (sometimes Max just needed to take some control of the situation and go after what he really wanted), it was refreshing to see that it was a man in this position.  Do not think however that Bree was an emotionless character – she is complex and really enjoyable to read about.  I liked following her story as she discovered more about herself and what she really wanted from life.  The evolution of characters in this novel is really based around Bree, but that evolution is believable as you follow her story.

I really do enjoy learning more about characters that are touched upon in other novels, and the Taking Chances series is no exception.  I look forward to reading Turned Up when it is released in August!

Rating:📖 📖 📖 📖

 

 

Book number six in my Goodreads Reading Challenge is Wish Upon A Star by Trisha Ashley.

‘Single mum Cally’s life is all about her little girl Stella. She’s resigned to the fact that the only romance she’s going to get is from the rom-coms she watches and with her busy job and her daughter; she doesn’t have time to even think about love.
But when Stella gets sick, and Cally is forced to move in with her mother in the remote village of Sticklepond, to save money for Stella’s operation, Cally realizes how tough it can be to go it alone. Still, the last thing Cally wants to do is fall in love. All she wants is a Christmas miracle to save Stella. Can laid-back, charming Jago unlock Cally’s frozen heart and show her that the best gifts aren’t always found under the tree?’ (Thanks Amazon!)

So this is my final festive read before we reach November/December, although I do appreciate it is currently April! This is the story of Cally and her daughter Stella, a young girl in desperate need of life saving surgery.  Cally has brought up Stella all alone, after being left whilst pregnant and has therefore dealt with all of her medical issues with only the support of her mother and close friends.

This novel follows Cally as she seeks to raise the money for the life saving surgery in America by selling her London home and moving in with her mother.  What ensues is a whirlwind of fundraising, as the local community embrace both Cally and Stella in a way that Cally could never have imagined. In the midst of the health scares and fundraising, Cally meets Jago, a local baker whom she had met previously in London.  Their friendship blossoms as he supports her through her troubles.

Again, there are very few surprises in this novel.  You have a main character who has to overcome adversity, a budding romance, family and community spirit.  It is a lovely novel, and I particularly liked the references to Winter’s End, Sophy and Seth which featured heavily in Trisha Ashley’s novel, A Winter’s Tale (read this first, but do read it). If you’re looking for a light novel (which at some points can be slightly heart-wrenching), then read this.  Although I wouldn’t blame you if you add it to your TBR list for nearer Christmas 😉.

Rating: 📖 📖 📖