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

I learned far more from my father and from his library than I ever did at school - (Pg 210)

There was much that I liked about Jane Austen in Australia by Barbara Ker Wilson. It had however, one major downfall, there was no story or plot tying the whole thing together.

The story is fictional, and entertains the question, what if Jane Austen had visited Australia in 1803. Unfortunately, Jane Austen as protagonist was barely present at all, and there was no antagonist to speak of.

There were a number of great characters, and I loved the sense of time and place both in England and Australia. The story features some fantastic historic figures and events from Australia's colonial past, and contrasts them beautifully with English manners and lifestyle at the time.

I just wanted something to happen. There were so many little events and sub-stories that were interesting, however there really was no common thread tying them all together.

The book has given me a thirst to read other fictional stories set in Australia during this same period. It was a very fascinating and turbulent time, when the colony was just getting established. Any reccomendations would be truly welcomed.

 151 Days Remaining, 10 Books To Go

Expectant mothers are nowadays exhorted to play Mozart and read to their unborn babies - (Pg 19)

Monday's Child is Fair of Face by Steve Roud, is a lovely book to have as a reference sitting in your bookshelf, however it doesn't make for the best read.

It's constructed much like I remember constructing essays in University, badly and without much evidence to back up any comments or theories.

There was not a lot of evidence or support of where or how most of the beliefs and myths started and were perpetuated, there was a lot of guessing and not a lot of fact. In most cases I really wanted to know more about the history or the root of the myth but each saying or myth is touched on only briefly.

Like I mentioned previously, it's lovely to have it there. It has a good contents and index so if you want a little information on something you can quickly find it. It's also probably not the best book to read while pregnant or just after having a baby, especially if you are superstitious! There are a lot of myths that relate to childhood deaths and illnesses as a result of the times from which they came.

151 Days Remaining, 11 Books To Go