Two Dogs and a Book

The Crown of Embers by Rae Carson My rating: 5 of 5 stars What an exciting and amazing book!!! I looooooved the first one and was concerned that the second one would not be as good... I was wrong!!! This book was even better than the first one. I just wish I could start the third one right away. The waiting will be painful, but I am sure it will be worth it.

The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin My rating: 4 of 5 stars First of all I have to thank my fellow readers on Goodreads.com for inspiring me to read this book. I noticed that many people enjoyed reading it and this was a sure indicator that it should be a good book. I was not disappointed. Although, sometime the story was dragging a bit, I loved the writing style, the amazing story itself and all the characters. The author described the surroundings so well; I could almost smell those apples and apricots. The author stayed true to the story, delivering it with just the right amount of intrigue and providing all the details in due time. Beautiful book. I did weep in the end.

Great Village by Mary Rose Donnelly My rating: 4 of 5 stars I am joining a book club in my neighborhood and this is the book they are reading next. I have never heard of Mary Rose Donnelly before, but when I found out that the book is set in Nova Scotia, I was pretty sure I would love the story. I went to university in Nova Scotia and it is my favorite province in Canada. The book was wonderful. The characters were exquisite. I laughed out loud with them, I felt their pain and I cried with them. Ms Donnelly's writing style is so poetic which made reading this book so enjoyable.

I Love You-Now Get Over Yourself! by Ruth B. Mott My rating: 4 of 5 stars What a nugget!!! I give it a 4.5!! I am so happy I won this book and did not delay to read it. I found insight and great suggestions which I will apply in my life. Fantastic book!

The Sweet Girl by Annabel Lyon My rating: 2 of 5 stars I won this book through the first-read contest. I would have given three stars if the book ended on page 117, but since it did not and I have to rate the entire book... I will give it two stars only. I hate writing a negative review for a book that is not even on the market yet, but a review must be truthful. So here it goes... To start, the title is wrong for this book. There was nothing sweet about this story; even the main character would rather have salt over sweets. The first half was interesting. I enjoyed reading about Pythias' relationship with her father and how he taught her so many wonderful things. The second half felt like I was being rushed through a series of events. It felt like the author had done a lot of research and was trying to cram all that information in part II and III. It was too superficial. I would have like to get more details in order to really understand Pythias' decisions. She was being...

My Canada Includes Foie Gras by Jacob Richler My rating: 4 of 5 stars This book reads like a somptious 10 course meal. I particularly enjoyed discovering the learning path of so many respectful chefs and to discover their cooking secrets. Jacob's writing is fantastic; just the right amount of details and humour. I also liked the recipes made available in the book. I might try one or two of them soon. I truly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys great food. Be aware that you shouldn't read this book on an empty stomach. ;) Don't expect to find this book on your favorite book store shelves before October 9th, 2012 (I got an advance copy from Penguin Canada First-Read program-Yeah me!!!). It will be published by Viking Canada. 2012 Reading Challenge Guylou has read 20 books toward her goal of 30 books. hide 20 of 30 (66%) view books

Asher's Invention by Coleen Kwan My rating: 1 of 5 stars LOL!! That was soooo cheesy!!! It took me only a few hours to read it. I was expecting that the story would eventually captured my attention... it did not! Do yourself a favour... don't read that book! I could have used those few hours to do better things. 2012 Reading Challenge Guylou has read 19 books toward her goal of 30 books. hide 19 of 30 (63%) view books

The Hunter and The Hunted by Kelley Armstrong My rating: 2 of 5 stars Thirteen is my lucky number. I figured out that the 13th book in this wonderful series would be totally awesome, but that did not happen. The book is made up of three short stories which leave you thirsty for more. The stories were tame compared to the other 12 books. I love this author and her writing is always interesting and she has a way to make you guess what will happen and take you somewhere else completely. This time; it was not the case. :( I am actually grateful that the book was not longer than it was. There will be more books (I hope) to redeem this one (I hope). 2012 Reading Challenge Guylou has read 18 books toward her goal of 30 books. hide 18 of 30 (60%) view books

Cascade: A Novel by Maryanne O'Hara My rating: 3 of 5 stars First of all, before I tell you how much I like this book, I would like to thank Penguin Group for giving me an advance copy of this great book. It is always nice to get a free book! I really enjoyed this book. Maybe because I related so much to the main character, Dez. Her life and ambitions are so similar to mine and deep down; I wish that my future will be similar to hers. The characters were real and likable and sometime not so much. The author portrayed the time period very well and overall the book was believable. The descriptions of Dez's paintings were vivid and made me want to see them in person if this would have been possible. Some parts of the book were a bit long and some side stories a bit derailing. But beside that, it was a great read. This book will be available in bookstores on August 16th, 2012. 2012 Reading Challenge Guylou has read 17 boo...

City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare My rating: 4 of 5 stars I didn't know if I was supposed to be happy or annoyed when the fifth book came out. A trilogy is three books as far as I know, but can we get too much of a good thing? Really? Can we? I loved the first three books, the fourth not so much and facing the task of reading the fifth one was a bit of a dilemma. In the end curiosity wan and I had to read it. The first 60% (according to my Kindle) were hard. I had a hard time to get into the book, but I have to admit that that last 40% made it all worth while. I could not put the book down and finished it in one evening. No regrets. Loved it! I will even recommend that you read it, but be aware that there will be a sixth book. Oh yeah! And I will read it too! View all my reviews 2012 Reading Challenge Guylou has read 16 books toward her goal of 30 books. hide 16 of 30 (53%) view books

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley My rating: 3 of 5 stars Loved the story! The author described the landscape so beautifully; I want to go there! Love all the little nuggets about Irish beliefs. I also like the surprising last chapters... did not see this coming. View all my reviews

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor My rating: 4 of 5 stars I really liked it, but I just feel like I have been robbed since this is the first book of a series and I will have to wait for the next one to come up before knowing what happens next. Ugghhh!!! It is written for young people, but adults will enjoy it too. I would normally not be tempted to read such a book, but the reviews on goodreads.com were so good; I decided to give it a try. The critics were right; the book was good, but now I have to wait for book number two to know what's next. :| View all my reviews

The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman My rating: 5 of 5 stars What a story of courage and dignity in times of war. I felt the pain and joy of each characters through the so beautifully written words. Every page was bitter sweet and my thirst was not quenched until the last word. I totally recommend it! View all my reviews

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton My rating: 4 of 5 stars Wow!! It has been a long time since a book captured my attention this way. I love how this story weaves along different times and characters. Kept me guessing to the end. View all my reviews