Two Dogs and a Book

At the Water's Edge: A Novel by Sara Gruen My rating: 5 of 5 stars I loved this book! Having been myself in Scotland and dipped my toes in the Loch Ness, I could just see the scenery so vividly in my mind. "At the Water's Edge" is beautifully written and the plot is passionate and surprising. I particularly like the secondary personas who infused the story with character and devotion. I strongly recommend this book. View all my reviews

Branded by Keary Taylor My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the second book dealing with angels I read in a row. This one is the first book of a series called "Fall of Angels" and it was a much better story! I enjoyed the more mature plot, and although the characters are a bit too perfect; the story was well put together. I am looking forward to read the other books in this series. View all my reviews

Crossroads by Mary Ting My rating: 3 of 5 stars If there was a Twilight book template; this author followed it perfectly. The story is different than the Twilight books, but the feel is the same. It is a great teenager book with good values. The characters are interesting and lovable. This is the first book of the Crossroad Saga Series. It did not hook me enough to read the next books, but if I was 16; I would think differently. View all my reviews

This Time Next Door by Gretchen Galway My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is the second book in the Oakland Hills Series. This time the story is about Rose and Mark. I enjoyed this light read which was funny, widdy and at time sexy. Although there are several characters which paths are crossing; it is not difficult to keep up with all of them and enjoy their contribution to the story. View all my reviews

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins My rating: 5 of 5 stars Wow! This was a ride... a wild train ride!! This book kept me guessing to the end. Paula Hawkins created an intricate story between complex people. The story written in three voices helps the reader get all the angles of the plot and add dimension to the book. A must read! View all my reviews

I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is the next book we will be discussing in July at my workplace book club. I thought to start the book early as I did not think the subject would interest me much. Was I ever wrong?!?! I could not put it down. This is a story of defiance in times of wars and conflicts, and a story of courage coming from the most unexpected person. All schools in the world should add "I am Malala" to their curriculum and mandate all their pupils to read it. In Canada, we, women, take education for granted. We never have to look over our shoulders to see if someone will jump out of the shadows to hurt us because we are going to school and are getting an education. Malala had to do this every day of her young life because she believed that it was her right to be educated... and she got shot for it. I appreciated hearing the events of those turbulous times from the ...

The Fifth Gospel: A Novel by Ian Caldwell My rating: 4 of 5 stars It took me a while to finish this book. The tempo of the story was slow but the author kept me hooked enough to keep me reading to discover more. The plot was well composed and delivered. The characters were well developed and each were interesting in their own way. In a few book reviews, The Fifth Gospel was compared to Dan Brown's series featuring Robert Langdon as the main character. I did not find the books to be similar with the exception that, just like Dan Brown, it is obvious that Ian Caldwell did his research on the Catholic church and rituals before writing this story. If you decide to read this book, don't give up because the story might be a bit slow; it all comes together in the end and you will say: "Awww! This all makes sense now!" View all my reviews