Joesph had taken a liking to reading and eating - (Pg 94)

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender was an interesting read. I would describe it as whimsical, however it was also a little melancholy, so I don't know if it can really be classed as whimsical.

A story about a young girl, Rose, who discovers she can tastes the emotions and feelings of the people in the food that they make. Her brother also has an interesting hidden talent that I won't divulge here.

The characters are relateable and the setting is nice. It was a mystery story in a way. Not the most amazing story I have ever read, but enjoyable, interesting and different to anything I have read in a while.

93 Days Remaining, 5 Books To Go

If he was reading he was reading - (Pg 9)

The Red House by Mark Haddon was quite a let down for me. Haddon's previous two novels, including A Spot Of Bother which I read in my original quest, had warm voices, interesting characters and humour.

These elements were completely absent from this story. It actually made me feel depressed and unsettled about life and what it's all about, pretty horrible really. Two families, 8 characters, and all of them horrible, uninspired, and terribly sad with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

I also had to consciously remind myself it was set in England, it seemed to have such an American feel to it.

It was readable, if a little confusing with the pointless inclusion of excerpts from books that the characters were reading. I would only recommend it if you were in a dark mood and didn't want to be lifted out of it.

96 Days Remaining, 6 Books To Go

I read this woman's book, along with many others - (Pg 7)

French Children Don't Throw Food by Pamela Druckerman was a lovely eye-opener into the world of French parenting.

Nothing to do with the title 'French Women Don't get Fat' - This story is told from the point of view of an American raising her children in Paris and noting the vast differences in child rearing.

I must admit, I do like the French approach. Calm, and effective... although I haven't been able to fully and successfully implement these approaches into my own parenting (Druckerman isn't 100% successful either) it's just common sense and refreshing as well.

The only issue I have with this book, is that Druckerman isn't always specific about what age groups she is talking about. For example, when she watches French parents let children freely wander through a playground while sitting around chatting and picnicking, I have no idea if these children are 3 or 13 months old.

Well written and very interesting, even if you don't have young children, I'm sure you would find it an worthwhile read.

96 Days Remaining, 7 Books To Go

I devoured all the books I could get my hands on - (pg 1)

One Born Every Minute - Real Stories From The Delivery Room, by Maria Dore and Ros Bradbury is the book based on my favourite BBC documentary series.

This was a lovely book. Very easy to read and had some beautifully told stories about birth. If anything I wanted more stories or a little more depth. I felt sometimes they glossed over people or situations I would've like to have known more about.

Being pregnant with my second I found this a great book to read at this time. It was reassuring, and also gave me a little more knowledge and background, and the hope that I have midwives just as dedicated as these women.

There are some sad stories here, it's not all about when everything goes well. However these stories are told with dignity and and respect to the families. There are also some damn hilarious stories that made me laugh out loud. They are all told so well I find it difficult to now discern between what I have seen on the series, and what I have read.

121 Days Remaining, 8 Books To Go

"Such a charming novel," cried Julia - (pg 546)

I read The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume as my Husband has recently worked on a Tele-Movie Production of the story, coming sometime to your ABC!

I downloaded this onto my IPad as part of Project Gutenburg Australia, a place where you can download all kinds of free ebooks. I'm still not a fan of the ebook, mostly as I can't read it in the bath!!

Back the the book at hand. I found it to be quite a good mystery, even though I determined who the murderer was at the beginning, I enjoyed discovering the motive. I also enjoyed the setting, 19th C Melbourne, the city and the country and am really looking forward to seeing it portrayed in the new Tele-Movie.

The forward by Hume himself was also very interesting, his inability to get published at first, coming from one of the 'Colonies'. The story itself became an international bestseller and outsold the Sherlock Holmes novel A Study in Scarlet by Arthur Conan Doyle.

121 Days Remaining, 9 Books To Go