Please don't make me go - John Fenton 2009- * * * *

This story really touched a nerve. I'm not sure if it was the way the boy had been brought up to believe that violence was a normal part of life, or the fact he was so religious despite all the trauma he went through including being sexually abused and beaten and caned by the sadistic Brothers at his school - St Vincent's.
Written in a very easy style to read I skimmed through this book in no time.

Started 23rd February
Finished 26th February

Evil Psychopaths - Gordan Kerr 2009* * * *

I have quite a few books based around this subject but am always on the look out for more and so I was pleased to find this in my library. It covers quite few killers that I've heard of already and know of quite well but also shows a few lesser known characters who have the ability to shock and disgust all the readers.
A good book but with some obvious mistakes such as spelling.

Started 22nd February
Finished 26th February

The Most Evil Women in History - Shelley Klein 2003 * * * *

This book had it's good and bad parts. The selection of women was interesting and there were a few that I hadn't heard of which is very rare for me. However a few of the women mentioned at the beginning of the book were simply double acts to their powerful husbands and were drunk on the power of what he could do instead of being ruthless killing machines themselves. There will always be a difference on opinion on books like this as certain people find certain female killers worse than others and so the definative list will never be 'correct.'
Each woman however was covered with a lot of information and each of their stories was interesting/gruesome to the extreme.

Started 19th February
Finished 23rd February

Don't Tell Mummy - Toni Maguire 2007* * * *

I devoured this book in just over a day. I simply could not stop reading it and finding myself moved beyond belief. When Toni is questioned about her father's actions by the police they actually ask her if she enjoyed what he did to her because she had not mentioned what was happening for so many years! How depraved is that in a society where the police are supposed to help and support instead of patronise and insult the victims.
Spell-binding read.

Started 17th Febraury
Finished 18th February

Mummy Knew - Lisa James 2009* * *

Another vile and depraved story about a girl who is sexually abused by her father with her mother's full knowledge. How a mother can literally sit back and let something like this happen is beyond belief. Her claims were that he would 'take it out on her if he didn't get what he wanted from Lisa' when in reality a normal and sane person would have run to the police taking her little girl with her to get away from this monster.

Started 12th February
Finished 15th February

Punished - Vanessa Steel 2009* * * *

An absolutely disgusting and heartbreaking story of a little girl who is abused systematically first by her mother and then by her grandfather while her mother does nothing. These books really do draw me in and I can't stop reading them for their dreadful stories.
Had me on the edge of my seat as I read.

Started 11th February
Finished 12th February

Remember Me? - Sophie Kinsella 2008* * * *

Totally hilarious as always, Sophie Kinsella is one of my favourite chick lit writers and everytime she brings out a new book I have to read it. This was particularly funny based around a woman who wakes up after a night out and finds that time has gone forward by years and years and that she is married! The only problem is she has no idea who her husband is or why all of her best friends from work suddenly hate her guts.
Quick to read and very very funny.

Started 10th February
Finished 11th February

Derailed - James Siegel 2003* * * *

I saw the film of 'Derailed' ages ago and thought it was pretty good. Seeing that this was the debut novel from James Siegel I thought I would check this out too and see how different the two were. I found myself gripped and mesmerised by the story. It is brilliantly written and very easy to get through, and I found myself staying up late and waking up early this weekend to read more and more. Compelling and exciting. Started 5th February Finished 7th February

Silenced - Vicky Jaggers 2009 * * * *

I finished this book today and so far I have read this and Escaping Daddy in two days. I am ashamed (is that the right word?) to say I'm addicted to these books. I really don't know why but as you read them you feel like everything is much better in your life even though that's a dreadful way to look at these stories. They are also terribly frustrating because you know how differently you would do things if you were in that situation which is quite upsetting as you are reading. However another well written account.

Started and finished 5th February

Escaping Daddy - Maria Landon 2008 * * *

This was yet again a pretty gastly story, although it was so easy to read that I finished it in one day. Maria's story was dreadful, being abused by her father and then finding out that she really had no alternative than to go back to him when she had no where else to go. The writing flowed well and I was totally engrossed.

Started and Finished 4th February

Lucky Jim - Kingsley Amis 1954* * * * *

What can I say about Lucky Jim? It really incapsulates the feeling of a 1960's college and Amis's writing is absolutely hilarious. Dixon is the most peculiar yet lovable character that I have read for a long time, you can't decide whether to find him a rude and arrogant chauvanist (he isn't interested in women who don't have a perfect figure or face) or feel incredibly sorry for him as he tries desperately to cling onto his job after mishap after mishap takes place. Having seen the hilarious film starring Ian Carmichael as Jim I could not help but place parts of what I was reading back into the movie, especially Dixon's encounters with Bertrand (who Terry Thomas played with jest and humour). This book will never be a chore to read and I ended up trying to slow myself down towards the end because I didn't want it all to be over.

Started 29th January
Finished 3rd February

Little Face - Sophie Hannah 2006* * *

I'm finding it hard to decide what I think of this book. I devoured in just over a day and when I got to the end I realised I was desperately disappointed. The writer is very good at telling the story but contrary to many reviews I actually found the constant junp from one character's story to the next (as well as the jump from 1st to 3rd person) most annoying. I thought the idea of the story was brilliant as I am always interested in slightly eerie and unnatural ideas that 'could just happen' but the ending was really unfair on the readers as it suddenly blurted out an idea that had been hidden pretty much through the whole novel and so we would have had no way of understanding that perspective. All I can say on the good side was that actually I wasn't expecting the ending and it did surprise me which is what a good novel should do. I also couldn't put it down so that was another positive as I love being gripped by a book, but the story could have been woven in a slightly more sympathetic way to the readers.

Started 27th January
Finished 28th January

Deliver Me From Evil - Alloma Gilbert 2008* * * * *

Sorry to say this, and I don't mean it as an insult to this poor girl but I really couldn't put this book down. I gave misery memoirs a rest for a while at the end of last year because there are only so many of those books you can actually deal with without slumping into total depression yourself. As it was a new year I opted for this book, knowing that the crimes commited by this child's 'foster mother' were especially dreadful (how sick does that make me sound, but you can't deny that a really disturbing story is totally gripping to read!). As I raced on devouring page after page I was disgusted by Eunice Spry's behaviour and many times found myself screaming at the book in total rage as she acted this way to these children and actually got away with it (the people who had suspicions such as Alloma's teachers never actually bothered to make their feelings known to the social services). This women then went on to deny all charges as she appeared in court and blame her fostered children as the culprits of her 'firm' behaviour.
She has now been sentenced to 8 years in jail, but whether that goes anywhere near repairing the mental and physical damage she has done to these children is another thing. My feelings are probably not.
Although a totally awful subject, I couldn't put the book down.

Started 22nd January
Finished 23rd January

The Mist in the Mirror - Susan Hill 1992* * * *

Susan Hill has the amazing knack of totally terrifying and paralysing her reader. Some of the scenes she created in this book are still on my mind now as they were so detailed in description that it makes you feel you have watched the scenes on t.v. Parts of this book will not allow you to go to sleep if you are reading at night and I have had to limit myself to reading it during the day so as not to scare myself rigid.
I have never read 'The Woman in Black' but hear that it is even scarier than this book and so it gives me a good enough reason to want to get it.
The reason it hasn't been given full marks is because of the ending. So much happens in such a short space of time and then all of a sudden it's over. We barely know why and it feels like Hill just decided to wrap it up there and then instead of tying up any loose areas of the plot. I was disappointed by that as I had become so immersed in the story that it was quite a shame to have it all just pulled away.
Still the majority of the book was great and guaranteed to give anyone who reads it a scared few nights.

Started 16th January
Finished 26th January

Possession - A.S. Byatt 1990* * * *

This book was fantastic to read and really held me gripped throughout. The story was original and I loved the tangled stories within the story. The one downside I will say for this book is that some of the letters to and from Christabel and Randolph just dragged on far too long. At one time we have a good ten pages of detailed letters including conversations about insects and various types or rock. My mind started to wander at these times as well as with the poetry, but the actual modern day story really held my attention. I will definately read more of Byatt's work, for she has a beautiful lyrical style to her words that I have rarely seen these days.

Started 10th January
Finished 13th January

The Lost Boy - Dave Pelzer 1997 * * * *

This was the follow up to 'A Child called IT' which I gobbled up in less than a day, and yet again I found myself staying up late to finish this one! David's life has by now progressed to foster care and this book follows his different relationships with varying homes that take him. To say I enjoyed it would be in bad taste for it is a true account of someone's life, but I must say I was gripped throughout and am looking forward to reading 'A Man Named Dave.'

Started August 6th
Finished August 6th

Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years - Sue Townsend 2003 * * * * *

Adrian Mole is a character that I can read at any time and still find myself laughing non-stop at. I have read all his books many times and still find new things to laugh at with each renewal. Sue Townsend is a brilliant writer and I find it amazing that she can write so freely and realistically about the life of a man!

Started 5th August
Finished 6th August

World Famous Murders - Colin Wilson * * * * 1/2

I always have the knack of picking up a book on true crime that I haven't read yet and that was what happened with this book. I found it, bought it and read it all in the space of two days. Wilson writes with a surprisingly clear and open manner and I was fascinated by some of the lesser - known cases that he mentioned. Very easy to read.

Started 4th August
Finished 5th August

Ghost Girl - Torey Hayden 1991 * * * * 1/2

I have never read Torey Hayden, after reading so many misery memoirs she was someone I was trying to stay clear of until I'd finished all the others out there, but when this book jumped at me off the shelf I had to give it a go. Within about ten minutes I was hooked and devoured the book speedily. In fact I stayed up late and woke up early to finish it! And I did!
Brilliant and captivating story.

Started 2nd August
Finished 3rd August

Sons and Lovers - D. H. Lawrence 1913 * * * *

I have heard so much about D.H.Lawrence that I was desperate to try one of his books. Sons and Lovers is widely acclaimed as one of the great works of English literature and it was so with a beating heart that I decided to tackle it! Although the novel has taken me a considerable amount of time I am really in awe of Lawrence's writing technique and am keen to read all the rest of his books. His desciptions of life and nature are sumptious and can be pictured vividly in one's head.

Started 18th July
Finished 2nd August