21. Trading Up - Candace Bushnell ★★★★
An easy book to fall into and an eventful storyline full of twists and turns. Janey first appears as a vile, hardened woman who would do anything, and anyone, to find her way to fame and fortune. She doesn't change much throughout the book but it becomes clear that Janey's hard exterior comes from years of hard graft and turmoil. I couldn't really connect with Janey but I found her, and the story fascinating and it was a good, easy read.
22. Ultraviolet - RJ Anderson ★★★★★
An absolutely fascinating and moreish read; I couldn't put it down and wanted to carry on reading even after the story had finished. With a plot twist that came out of nowhere and an ending that totally ambushed me 'Ultraviolet' was a brilliant read. We follow the main character, a synesthete, through her experiences of this fascinating condition, her time in a mental institution and the meeting the intriguing Dr. Farraday. Brilliant, wonderful, fantastic read!
23. Quite Ugly One Morning - Christopher Brookmyre ★★★
'Quite Ugly One Morning' is an unusual one. It's a classic murder mystery style novel, and it makes no attempt to try and hide it and pretend to be anything else. The storyline was a little predictable at times but the interesting characters kept me reading on. It was an okay read, not one I'd recommend but I did enjoy it.
24. The Necromancer - Michael Scott ★★★★
This was a really good read, brilliant in fact, that kept me gripped and interested all the way to the end. It's a part of a series, which should have screamed "start at the beginning" but this book, like many others in a series, stood quite happily on it's own and didn't leave you confused as to who anybody was and what was happening.
The problem I had with this book, which caused it to drop from the 5 stars it deserved to 4, was the ending. It just kind of...stopped. A total cliff-hangar that leaves you wanting to read the next book, which is good if you have the series but if not, it leaves you wondering if it's worth buying the next book or if it'll end in a similar fashion. It kind of annoyed me a bit, it felt a little lazy, and the book deserved a proper end to it. It didn't need everything summing up, it is part of a series after all, but it needed more than an ending that just stops halfway through all of the drama.
25. Tom's Midnight Garden - Phillipa Pearce ★★★★
Somehow, I missed 'Tom's Midnight Garden.' It was a book that's always been on my radar but I'd never really gotten around to reading. So when my Mother-in-Law offered to lend me her copy I jumped at the chance. I really enjoyed the story and the magic of the garden and it's inhabitants. It reminded me a little of 'The Secret Garden' but, somehow, it managed to be even more magical. I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to readers young and old.
26. Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll ★★★
I read 'Alice in Wonderland' last year and really enjoyed it so I was surprised that I wasn't as taken with 'Through the Looking Glass.' I'm not entirely sure why I didn't enjoy it; Alice was much the same and the other characters in the story echoed Wonderland but I just didn't get into it the same. It was almost as if there was too much going on, which is strange as that was the best part about Alice in Wonderland. Enjoyed it though and worth a read.
27. One Thing Led to Another - Katy Regan ★★★★
The blurb of this book doesn't match up to what's between the covers in the slightest so I was blind-sided a little by this one. Within the first few pages you discover Tess' unplanned pregnancy and you follow her through it and all the awkward hazards and roadblocks she encounters. It's the sort of story I would usually avoid, after having had two difficult pregnancies/births myself I tend to steer clear of anything vaguely similar. I must admit I'm quite glad I stumbled onto 'One Thing Led to Another,' it was nothing like I expected and I found it a really good, easy to read book. I won't spoil the ending for you but I was pleasantly surprised with how cleverly everything pulled together...even if I did want to scream at the pages in frustration at some of Tess' decisions.
28. The Great Indoors - Sabine Durrant ★★★★
Durrant's main character, Martha, feels like the odd one out in her family and like she doesn't really fit in anywhere. She's 38, single and childless and spends her days working in her Antiques shop. She like things to be 'just right' but as she begins to delve into her past and uncovers some old school friends and ex-boyfriends her social life begins to blossom and her world is changed. I really enjoyed 'The Great Indoors,' it was a great read.
29. Snow Blind - PJ Tracy ★★★★
I've read a couple of books by PJ Tracy over the years and really enjoyed them (this Mother and Daughter writing team remind me a lot of Harlan Coben, one of my favourite authors, in their writing style) but for some reason I never got around to reading any more. 'Snow Blind' pulled me straight in and wouldn't let me go until I'd reached the very last page; no matter how hard I tried or how much I needed to get on with other things I just couldn't stop turning the pages.
The story sent me off in all directions, twisting and turning so much I had no idea who or what was responsible for the crimes committed. I absolutely loved it and I loved the ending, it was very cleverly put together and somehow managed to complete the story but also leave it open for me, as the reader, to think about what could or should happen to those responsible. Fantastic read and highly recommended.
30. Stardust - Neil Gaiman ★★★
Tristran, left in a basket as a baby at the 'gap in the wall' for his Father from his Mother (who dwells in the land of Faerie), sets off on an adventure to, initially, capture a fallen star to prove his love to the most beautiful girl in the village. Along the way he discovered much about this land and his part within in.
I struggled with 'Stardust' to begin with and just couldn't get into it at all. Some of the characters and rhymes remind me a lot of 'Alice In Wonderland' but this tale is much darker. I persisted with the book and I'm glad I did as it soon turned into a good read with really lovable characters.
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