Moral Disorder by Margaret Atwood

This is supposedly a series of short stories and they probably each could stand on their own but as they all revolve around the life of one woman, I think I read it more as a novel.

Its about a life and the other lives that intertwine with it and nothing exceptional happens but the ordinary and sometimes messy elements of that life. Atwood is brilliant at getting inside her characters heads and in particular – something I’ve always admired – the minds of children and teenagers through the difficult process of growing up and trying to understand the adult world. She’s also pretty good at the feelings and frustrations engendered by ageing.

She touches on all sorts of themes, including attitudes to mental health and to marriage and adultery, to survival at various levels – but most of all I think this is about memory and story telling and how they intertwine, an appropriate theme for an author with a long career and rich life behind her.

As usual with Margaret Atwood's books it has left me feeling quietly satisfied and rather thoughtful.

I always enjoy reading her books and find that they linger in my mind.

The Laird of Stonehaven by Connie Mason

He appeared nightly in her dreams -- magnificently, blatantly naked. A man whose body was sheer perfection, whose face was hardened by desire, whose voice made it plain he would have her and no other. Blair MacArthur was a Faery Woman, and healing was her life. But legend foretold she would lose her powers if she gave her heart to the wrong man. So the last thing she wanted was an arranged marriage. Especially to the Highland laird who already haunted her midnight hours with images too tempting for any woman to resist.

Blair is a strong and powerful woman. She is a faery woman, with the powers of healing and foresight. Blair must fight against people who try to take her life, claiming her to be a witch.
The hero is so hot! Brave, honorable, strong, everything you want in a man.

The Concubine's Tattoo by Laura Joh Rowland

When the shogun's favorite concubine is found poisoned, the discovery interrupts Sano's wedding feast as well as unleash a host of concerns. Was the killing an attempt to keep the shogun from begetting an heir? Will someone use the crime as a pretext for getting a rival out of the way?

Sano has good reason to be doubly concerned about the case: failure to find the culprit could mean a visit to the execution ground for himself, his assistant and his family.

Sano is also distracted by his bride, who is spirited and unconventional.

The well-researched picture of ancient Japan is fascinating, and the mysteries are quite good.

Bonk by Mary Roach

Few things are as fundamental to human happiness as sex, and few writers are as entertaining about the subject as Mary Roach. Can a woman think herself to orgasm? Is your penis three inches longer than you think? Why doesn't Viagra help women - or, for that matter, pandas? Does orgasm boost fertility? Or cure hiccups? The study of sexual physiology - what happens, and why, and how to make it happen better - has been taking place behind closed doors for hundreds of years. In this fascinating and funny book, Mary Roach steps inside laboratories, brothels, pig farms, sex-toy R&D labs - even Alfred Kinsey's attic - to tell us everything we wanted to know about sex, and a lot we'd never even thought to ask.

Mary Roach has a gift for language and uses it, taking material that could be somewhat dry and turning it into page turning reading.

I couldn't help chuckling to myself at times, which got me weird looks at work when I was asked what I was reading and I'm sure my family enjoyed me telling them the highlights of whay I had read that day over the dinner table.

Lucky Child by Loung Ung

Lucky Child contrasts life for Loung as a refugee in America, with her sister Chou's life in rural Cambodia, and it's a revealing and moving comparison. Loung, with lasting feelings of guilt for those she'd left behind, found it difficult to fit in, whilst Chou, resigned to her fate, displayed the resilience and inner strength that is apparent in so many of her fellow countrymen and women.

A riveting story whose tragedy, depth, and detail is only matched by its beauty, grace, and strength.

Hazel's Journey: A Personal Experience of Alzheimer's by Sue Pieters-Hawke

An interesting read about Hazel Hawke and how she and her family are affected by the "big A".

The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson

This is a tale about people who are completely nuts. Unfortunately, many of these people who are completely nuts hold or have held senior positions in the United States military.

The Hills of Tuscany by Ferenc Mate

A sensuous valentine to author Ferenc Máté's adopted homeland, The Hills of Tuscany brims with lush descriptions of golden dales, scrumptious meals, rich wines, and friendly natives.

After years of nomadic roaming from Central America to Canada, Máté (a writer) and his wife, Candace (a painter), visit Tuscany and impulsively decide that this is where they will settle down. A year later they return and begin the hunt for their dream house.

As the likeable Mátés (they're funny and suitably grateful for the chance to live in one of the world's garden spots) troll the countryside with a series of colorful Tuscan middlemen, it's impossible not to become emotionally involved in their quest. And when they finally discover the perfect abode--La Marinaia, a tastefully renovated stone farmhouse set amid scenery that Ferenc describes as "like being in the middle of a painting"--you're thrilled right along with them.

Subsequent chapters follow the Mátés' growing friendship with their neighbors, who not only help rototill the garden but also reveal where to find porcini mushrooms and truffles in the nearby woods.

A wonderful tale of following your dream and finding the perfect place for you. Completely cpativated me.

I absolutely loved this book.

Love Finds A Way by Rachelle Edwards

Lord Crandon was considered one of the most charming and handsome Corinthians of the ton. And the news that he would soon wed Miss Laura Montescue shattered the hopes of many and infuriated a fe - especially Miss Allegra Montescue, the bride-to-be's sister. Truth be told, Allegra had good reason to dislike the marquess intensely. So great was his arrogance and consequence she doubted he could possibly be in love with or any other creature. Yet, she was decidedly unsettled to find his company so stimulating, despite their disagreements and his piercing scrutiny - not to mention the memory of his stolen kiss that burned vividly and most disturbingly bright....

The usual sort of kiss-me-quick. A few misunderstandings, a few cases of not talking to each other, but all comes right in the end.

Nobody's Child by Kate Adie

What's your name? Where were you born? What is your date of birth? Simple questions that we are asked throughout our life - but what if you didn't know the answers? Kate Adie uncovers the extraordinary, moving and inspiring stories of just such children - without mother or father, any knowledge of who they might be, or even a name to call their own. With a curiosity inspired by her own circumstances as an adopted child, Kate shows how the most remarkable adults have survived the experience of abandonment. From every perspective Kate Adie brings us a personal, moving and fascinating insight into the very toughest of childhood experiences - and shows what makes us who we really are."

Stories of people who were foundlings, abandoned as babies. There are also bits on the history of abandoning babies and the beginning of orphanages.

Overall a very interesting read.

Fred Hollows:An Autobiography with Peter Corris

Fred Hollows is no saint and doesn't pretend to be one.

I found out lots of stuff I didn't know about him. He certainly led an interesting life.

Survivng Antartica by Andrea White

Grade 6-10-In 2083, all education in the United States is conducted through television. Shows re-creating historical events like the Battle of the Alamo are used to teach history, and also to give losers in the educational dice roll a chance to earn fame and money. The Secretary of Entertainment, worried about falling ratings, has come up with a splendid idea-re-create Robert F. Scott's 1912 expedition to the South Pole, using 14-year-old kids, most of whom have never even experienced snow. And make sure they are completely isolated by implanting tiny digital cameras directly into their corneas, thus avoiding the need for pesky camera crews who might interfere with the drama.

The five participants are the usual band of misfits, including Grace, an Iñupiat Eskimo transplanted to Arizona after Alaska is turned into a nuclear waste dump, and Billy, who desperately wants to be voted MVP, but hides snack food from his starving companions. There's also Polly, who has an amazing memory and a surprising capacity for leadership; Robert, great with engines and sheer determination; and Andrew, searching for his special talent and finding unexpected depths of courage.

Back in the television studio, a few brave employees surreptitiously help the kids and try to figure out a way to stop the madness. Brisk action, interesting characters, and intriguing details make this a compelling story.

I loved the storyline and the characters. The ending seemed a bit abrupt to me.

Ugly by Constance Briscoe

Briscoe suffered dreadfully from the demented behavior of a narcissistic mother. Yet she consistently had the perseverance to keep trying to make sense of and overcome that totally unsolicited cruel treatment.

At times depressing but at the end it was wonderful that Constance followed her dream.

The Snow People by Marie Herbert

The fascinating story of a year of Arctic adventure spent living with the Inuit Eskimo people.

Slow Talkin' Texan by Mary Lynn Baxter

A kiss-me-quick. She's just out of a 2yr bad marriage, he's a single dad who's wife walked out on him leaving him with a newborn baby.

I didn't like either main character and there were some very obvious inconsistencies

Even After All This Time by Afschineh Latifi

In the spring of 1979 when Latifi was only 10, her father, a colonel in the Shah's army was executed for crimes against the state by Khomeni loyalists.

Life had been getting progressively worse in the months leading up to the Islamic revolution, and what makes Colonel Latifi's death doubly tragic is the fact that he likely could have fled the country with his family, as many others in the middle and upper classes did at that time. The elder Latifi never stopped believing that he had a duty to his country, and so he stayed.

The death of the family patriarch preceeds a long battle for his widow to get her children out of Iran, however she could, and to safety.

A very interesting read that had me involved in the story.

Murder In The Dark by Kerry Greenwood

It's Christmas, and Phryne has an invitation to the Last Best party of 1928, a four-day extravaganza being held at Werribee Manor house and grounds by the Golden Twins, Isabella and Gerald Templar. She knew them in Paris, where they caused a sensation. Phryne is in two minds about going when she starts receiving anonymous threats warning her against attending. She promptly decides to accept the invitation - after all, no one tells Phryne what to do. At the Manor, she is accommodated in the Iris room, and at the party meets two polo-playing women, a Goat lady (and goat), a large number of glamorous young men and a very rude child called Tarquin. The acolytes of the golden twins are smoking hashish and dreaming, and Phryne finds that the jazz is as hot as the drinks are cold and indulges in flirtations, dancing, and mint juleps. Heaven.

It all seems like good clean fun until two people are kidnapped, one of them the abominable child, and Phryne must puzzle her way through the cryptic clues of the scavenger hunt to retrieve the hostages and save the party from disaster.

Another excellent Phryne adventure. I would have liked to know more about the goat lady.

The Way We Were by Paul Burrell

Paul Burrell served Diana, Princess of Wales, as her faithful butler from 1987 until her death in 1997. He was much more than an employee: he was her right-hand man, confidant and friend. She described him as 'the only man she ever trusted.'

This was at times an interesting look behind the scenes at the last few years of Diana's life. I don't think it was a flattering loo at her. She could be very compassionate and was a fantastic mother, but she also seemed to be childish, stubborn and self-centred.

Angel With Attitude by Michelle Rowan

Falling naked into the killer whale tank at MarineLand is always bad news, but it's a real bummer when you've just been kicked out of Heaven. Former angel Valerie Grace is determined to reverse her banishment -- Earth's just no fun. Her best friend is a slightly perverted human-turned-rat (note to self: never cross a powerful witch) and she's being tailed by a sexy Tempter Demon named Nathaniel who's trying to lure her to Hell with kisses that are almost worth the trip.
With the talking rodent sneaking peeks down her shirt and Nathaniel getting more irresistible every minute, this ex-angel has only one hope: find the stolen Key to Heaven and go home.

A very light and fluffy read.

Full Moon Rising by Keri Arthur

Riley and Rhoan Jenson are twin dhampires, the product of a werewolf mother and a vampire father. Both were kicked out of their pack once reaching adulthood and have tried to keep their heritage a secret since then. Rhoan is a guardian for the Melbourne Directorate of Other Races while Riley is part of the office staff. The Directorate was created to protect humans from the supernatural races and to police within the supernatural races without involving humans. Riley has not yet met her soulmate and thus has two wolves, Talon and Misha, with whom she regularly mates with when the heat of the moon rises within her. She has little interest in gaining other mates until a naked vampire named Quinn shows up at the home she shares with her brother. Riley is attracted to Quinn but is also very suspicious as she senses that Rhoan is in trouble. She locates and rescues Rhoan with the assistance of her boss and the head of the guardian division, Jack. Meanwhile, someone is trying to kill Riley while one of her mates has betrayed her and is trying to impregnate her against her will.

I enjoyed this take on werewolf and vampire realtionships. Sure, there was lots of sex, but I didn't find it to be too much.

The Snake Charmer by Sanjay Nigam

A snake charmer wakes up one morning in Delhi, little knowing that by evening his whole world will have been turned upside down, his life irrevocably changed. Married to an embittered wife, the father of two indifferent sons, Sonalal's closest relationship is with his elderly snake, Raju--a defanged cobra with whom he has worked for 15 years. On this day, Sonalal and Raju set up shop in front of a popular tourist destination and for nine straight hours the charmer plays while the snake dances. At the end of the evening, just as he is about to stop for the day, Sonalal is tempted to perform one last time by the arrival of a busload of foreign journalists. At first, Raju refuses to cooperate and Sonalal is embarrassed. Then he begins to play "variations on Raju's favorite tune, such beautiful variations that, had they been recorded, might have guaranteed Sonalal's immortality. It was as if the finest music of his ancestors--seven generations of charmers--had condensed into the enchanting combination of notes now coming from his new been." Raju dances, the journalists shower the charmer with money and in his excitement, Sonalal begins to play wrong notes. Raju becomes enraged and bites; Sonalal, in a moment of madness bites back, severing the snake in two."