While you are waiting for my next book…

Quite possibly the best book ever written about young love, longing and sacrifice. A great trilogy adorned with tender, aching prose. I particularly love the parts  from Alexander’s point of view. Book 1 is set during the siege of Leningrad during WWII. Book 2 is Tatiana and Alexander and Book 3 is The Summer Garden.

This is book 2 of the Clan of the Cave Bear series —  my favourite of the six. Who wouldn’t want to be Ayla riding a cave lion? Who wouldn’t want Jondalar as a mate? A beautiful coming of age story in prehistoric times. My stepdaughter’s favourite series.

The Last of the Mohicans lives on in Nathaniel Bonner and his British bride, Elizabeth Middleton, and the great forests of upstate New York at the end of the 18th century. There are six books to the series, not a false note in any of them — all wonderful.

The words that come out of Jamie Fraser’s mouth are so divine and perfect, which I guess means Diana Gabaldon has a way with dialogue. Book 10 is the next and hopefully final installment. This series wandered a bit for me, however I have enjoyed the TV series, which has focused on major plot points.

Lisbeth is a kick-ass character, as is journalist Blomkist. They are great together even though they are technically not a couple. This Swedish crime trilogy was riveting, uncomfortable and ultimately satisfying due to its girl power. Great to read a series that brought me closer to in-laws in Sweden.

A wonderful story about a fiercely unique aviatrix. The last quarter of the book was without doubt the most thrilling experience I have ever had reading a novel. I was Google mapping and literally holding my breath at times during some of the flight passages.

This is a story of two people whose worlds could not be more different; two people who have lost nearly everything, and who, when their paths cross, go on to bring out the best in each other. It’s a heartwarming, heart wrenching story. Ukrainian Isabelle is a marvel.

On one hand an intriguing story of the brave and resilient female divers of the Korean island, Jeju, during Japanese occupation (WWII) and, on the other, a story of friendship and sisterhood nearly torn apart. Fascinating, heartbreaking, awe-inspiring.

A mesmerising, mysterious tale that reminded me a little of Pat Conroy’s writing. You are equal parts in awe of a young girl growing up by herself in the marshes and sick in your stomach as to what might happen to her. A story of wide appeal.

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Elizabeth Gilbert breaks all the rules (loads of telling not showing – but it works) in this fascinating and highly original historical novel about a female counterpart to Charles Darwin. Part of it is set in the Pacific to dramatic effect.

Smilla is an outlier, a Greenlander, with strong female intuition, living in Copenhagen, and unconvinced by the accidental death of a young boy in her apartment block. A wonderful mystery and a fearless woman.

A tale of two sisters and the difficult and patriotic choices they made to survive during WWII. Not dreary and not sugar-coated. A compelling story with a touching ending. It showed the resilience, stoicism and faith of women. My mother loved this book too.

All the Light We Cannot See is all the book you could ever hope to read. I cannot recall the last book I read that had me so mesmerised with the beauty of its prose.‘How about peaches dear?’ Seconds later, she’s eating wedges of wet sunlight. Cloud Cuckoo Land is full of the same mastery.

Possibly the first novel of its kind to shine a light on the women who served their country (USA) during the Vietnam War. There’s no escaping the horrors that a young generation witnessed and suffered on their return to their homeland. Deeply reflective and an important read.

A heart-in-mouth read that you will want to finish in one sitting, such is the tension. Mountains are beautiful hostile places — something you need to experience at least once in your life. A miraculous tale of impossible choices, survival and grace, told with warmth and candour.

This is the true story of the Cambodian actor, Haing. S Ngor — a doctor in real life — who had a starring role in the movie, The Killing Fields. The desperateness of his life and the death of a loved one made for the most powerful, wrenching tale I have ever read.

A cut-throat business man faces the destruction he caused on innocent people in South America. Charles Martin writes great tales of adventure, redemption and love. Even if at times you have to park your sense of disbelief, his male heroes become good men.

This nonfiction memoir is set in Wyoming, a place where Ehrlich, a survivor of two lightning strikes, sought refuge following the death of her partner. She left her life to begin anew and what she sees through her healing eyes and conveys through her nimble prose is enthralling.

This novel and its predecessor, Three Day Road, bring to life wonderful yet broken indigenous characters, their adventures, dislocation and ultimate refuge in modern-day Canada. Bird, an old Cree Bush Pilot, captivates as does the sparse and beautiful writing and landscapes.

No one else does volcanic, scarred families like Pat Conroy. This one is about five brothers, one a widow before his time, all trying to come to terms with their past, each other and their mother’s incurable cancer. With parts set in the holocaust, it’s a world of pain at times, though ultimately uplifting.