Yep, those books are my current fiction reading stack. Obviously I am not reading them all at once, but they are currently cluttering my shelves, and I just love it.

I’m currently working on my own book and the guide I bought from Amazon said you should read as much as possible to help with your own writing, which is I didn’t think was possible given how much time I spent reading before – but it is, and a fab excuse really to bury my nose further….

Never one to think you can have too many books, here is my current amazon fiction book wish-list which I’ll be purchasing up once I make my way through the current book mountain.

I love Amazon for the reader reviews, although I never really take them too much to heart as I like to make my own judgements. Each image will take you to the reader reviews so you can take a look and add them to your own wish lists – and if you are anything like me, its a good way to visually search for a new read.

The only time it is ok to judge a book by its cover, is when window shopping for a book. Right!?

Here is what I am currently/soon to read in case you like the look of any of them from the pic above.

Have you read any of these titles or have any good suggestions for me?

Think about your favorite childhood story.

Mine is Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. Love it. I you haven’t read it and go get it – adults can enjoy it too. If your children don’t have a copy, shame on you! Click the image below and get to Amazon now, pick them up a copy they deserve this story. If you and your children do love it, then we are in great company.

I had somewhat of an epiphany last night. I have always wanted to learn how to write children’s books.

H2B and I got to talking about what it is that we really want to do for work.

I have always had fanciful ideas about working in many different ‘glamorous’ jobs, some might have been passable for glamorous, others not so much. I’ll do a post on that soon “The many jobs of Mrs Stepford”, it’ll be a corker.

Right now I am working as Marketing & Office Manager for a small company specializing in the Events Industry.

Do I enjoy it?
Yes, it’s ok.

Do I LOVE it?
Nope, certainly not.

Do I want to do it forever?
Hell no!!

What is it that I really, really want to do?………

About three years ago I started to learn how write children’s books, I started to write one and I relished doing it, but life got in the way. I had to find myself another job and things just got busy. I’d been out of work for a few months living as a lady of leisure and the writing of, and learning how to write children’s books passed the time. It still isn’t quite finished, but it’s calling me, waiting to be completed.

H2B reminded me of my little ‘book’ that was still tucked away on the hard drive at home and told me to start it again.

I sat thinking about it, we spoke about it, asked each other what is the worst that could happen.

I imagined myself at our local Guardian Literary Festival reading aloud my published books to children.

I also imagined myself owning my own independent book store solely for children, just like Meg Ryan’s character in You’ve Got Mail

And I cried. In public. Uncontrollable tears, tears of relief, tears of nervous excitement, tears because of the unknown, fear of what could be in both good and bad scenarios. I don’t know why, perhaps I just ‘knew’ that this really was my last shot.

Is this what I was supposed to do all along rather than bounce from one job to the other searching for something that would stick?

This might actually prove my Mother right. The day I was born she said she looked at me and saw that one day I would one day be a writer.

What is it that YOU really want to do? I want to learn how to write children’s books.

Now it’s time to make it happen, and I think I may need to invest in a bit of guidance to help me along the journey.

So now, I am off again to learn how to write children’s books, and then get published. Wish me luck!

I’ve written a list of the books I am hoping to read and review during 2011. I unashamedly spend a lot of time stalking other blogs for reading suggestions as well as using my Amazon recommendations and looking at the reviews.

Embrassing as it may be, mainly I will just judge a book by its cover, which can be quite fickle, but I will often get many surprises this way by discovering new authors and styles of writing that I wouldn’t have throught were ‘me’.

Take a look at the list – which isn’t exhaustive my any means! I own a lot of books!

Firstly, I will have to start with a disclaimer that the ‘white library’ isn’t mine. It comes courtesy of a Martha Stewart Living feature, but oh how I wish it was mine!

Each image or text link will open the relevant page on Amazon so you can add the book to your own wish list or look further at reviews from other readers.

What I am currently reading.

Wideacre by Philippa Gregory

The Reading List

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory

 
I am a huge fan of Philippa Gregory, particularly the series set during the reign of Henry VIII. I pre-ordered this book back when it was first released but am ashamed that it has sat on the shelf gathering dust bunnies since. The White Queen is set in an earlier period to what I have read of Gregory’s books so far. I’m looking forward to her evocation of another period and style.

The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn by Alison Weir

I suppose you realise by now that I am a bit of a history-fiction buff.  I love to read fiction based on real-life historical characters, especially those during the Tudor times.  For me, as much as this may have been a time of courtiers, pretty dresses and politeness, it was actually a dangerous time for women, particularly those of the court and of social standing.  people were out to chop each others heads off it seems!  The story of Anne Boleyn intrigues me, I wonder if she really was as determined and malicious as they make her out to be.  I am excited to read about her through the eyes of an author other than my beloved P.Greg.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

Put simply.  I’ve heard great, great things about this book and the author.  The story is inspired by the book of Hosea from the Bible. Its central theme is to portray the redeeming love of God towards sinners.  An historical love story with a central theme of spirituality, forgiveness and God gets my vote.  I am very excited about this one.

A Winter’s Tale by Trisha Ashley

This one was picked up at Christmas purely on the cover art, but it was such a busy Christmas, I never got round to reading it!  I think I’ll save it for next Winter.  I’ve not read a Trisha Ashley novel before, but she has been likened to Katie Fforde – if you are a fan of hers?

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This one was recommended to me by my Mother who likes to read a lot of novels with common threads of how women relate to one another. The synopsis was enough to grab me, as well as the 449 reviews and 5* ratings on Amazon. This may well be the next one to devour after I finish Wideacre.

What a bookworm!

I have never practically set out to challenge myself to read a set number of books before, but I thought I’d give it a go to spare my poor family from tripping over all the spare unread books in the house as once I read them, I like to pay it forward and pass on much-loved novels to friends and family.  Great reads should be shared.

I do have another list, which is more fact-based, as I love those types of books too.  Perhaps I’ll put that up if anyone is interested… but expect a lot of how-to and spiritual enlightenment books.

Do you have any suggestions for me to add to the list?  Have you read these books, or other titles by the Authors?

“When your life is on course with its purpose, you are your most powerful.”
(Oprah Winfrey).

Anyone who knows me knows I am a huge fan of Oprah. One of my earliest memories is of sitting down with my Mom to watch The Oprah Winfrey Show, you know, back in the day when her ‘cartoon’ would drag in her own name on wheels by a rope and it would bump her in the hip? Ahhhhhhh, trips down Memory Lane, circa 1990.

No television show, in its 20 year history has had me more hooked, made me shed more tears, inspired me or made me feel such love for and pride in being a woman.

So, in honor of my love and obsession, I decided to head to Amazon to see what easy-Oprah-fix I could get whenever I wanted. I debated over the 20th Anniversary box set but decided against it (for now), H2B wouldn’t be too pleased with having it on constantly, and I made a conscious decision to allow myself to purchase it when I am heavily pregnant, unable to move and with nothing else to do for the week/s leading up to the birth. Oh Mr S, can’t we just have babies now!? I wanna watch 20 years of Oprah highlights in one sitting whilst munching on Ben & Jerry’s!

I found lots of lovely Oprah ‘coffee table’ books, which seem to have been released every year in succession, and “Love Your Life: O’s Handbook for Your Best Today–and Tomorrow” took my fancy. Mainly due to her outfit and the title including ‘Love Your Life’, a motto I like to remind myself of.

Click, add to cart!

The book is really quite lovely, covering so many subjects, fantastic bright and clear images as well as thought provoking content. This isn’t a book you could read in one sitting unless you are very determined; there is so much to read! It makes a perfect coffee or bedside table book that you can dip in and out of at certain points. There are interviews with such people as Ellen DeGeneres, Tina Fey, and Michelle Obama and the majority of the articles focusing on particular health subjects are written by 93 contributors, who do know their stuff.

Love Your Life contains some great advice on dieting, dating, marriage and life experiences in general, echoing the brilliant nature and content of the TV show. I cannot give you a thorough review just yet as I am only part-way through, but so far I love it and already have the other titles on my Amazon wish list.

I gifted this to myself, but receiving the other titles from loved ones would make such special presents *hint hint*. I’d suggest to you to mark this one (and perhaps the other titles) down in a birthday planner somewhere to have as an idea for Mother’s Day, a sister, daughter or best-friend.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I am off to dig out the Ben and Jerry’s and snuggle on the couch with my best mate “O”.

Click the image for further reviews on Amazon

Have you read Love Your Life by Oprah Winfrey?

Manhattan 1945 and US Army journalist Jack Malone gatecrashes a Thanksgiving Eve party. Set amidst the dynamic post-war optimism and subsequent nightmare of the McCarthy witch-hunts, this acclaimed story of love and betrayal is a tale of divided loyalties, decisive moral choices and the random workings of destiny.

I picked up this lovely book from a small hotel in Greece, the owners had a book shelf which encouraged guests to recycle and pass on their vacation reads. I duly placed my 2 novels already consumed on the shelf and picked up this book based on the beauty of it cover, anything that evokes the 1950’s is a sure-fire winner with me.

Having not heard of Douglas Kennedy (I know, where have I been), this was a bit of a literary risk on my part. Especially as there was a whole host of Philippa Gregory books (one of my favorite authors) I have yet to read. I passed those by knowing that I had my eye on a few for another vacation.

I will admit that I didn’t actually turn the first page until I got home from my vacation, the distance this book must have traveled intrigues me, and boy is it worth the luggage space.

Not to be confused with the movie of the same name starring Will Smith, Kennedy’s Pursuit of Happiness is a totally compelling story. The pages almost turn themselves, and it’s almost impossible to put down once you start!

The plot twists and turns, and takes you to places where you imagine there is no way out, but Kennedy’s rollercoaster of a book is unpredictable, exciting, and manages to lift the characters out of situations that seem impossible. His ability to write from a woman’s perspective is admiring and absolutely incredible. I found myself getting so lost in this character that I could feel her emotions so vividly, I did cry on several occasions.

Because of the nature of the story, towards the end of the book, you find yourself thinking ‘how much more can this woman take?’ thoughts echoed by Sara (the main character) herself, but her life is portrayed with sensitivity, humor, and a wonderful kind of stoicism that reminds you of the period of history in which the book is set.

It isn’t often that a book truly makes such an impact in my everyday life, but Sara’s story taught me the lessons in strength, humility and funnily, how to manage my money and put my future financial expectations into perspective. Not something you’d expect from a ‘lost love’ type novel, but this is only one of the many surprises this tale will give you.

I recommend adding this book to your reading list now!

Click image for further reviews on Amazon