Eden - A novel with a lot of truth to it

Title: Eden - A novel with a lot of truth to it
Author: D. Kevin May, Ph. D.  

Phil lent me this book a few days ago, telling me it's a really good book and I have to read it. I'm glad he did.

The first thing that came to mind as I started reading it is that May is not a writer, the writing style can be a bit confusing at times and the layout of the book is not what you would expect from a novel. However, that's understandable as it is a retelling of true events with varying degrees of accuracy as May himself writes in the prologue.

The book has a lot of religion in it. The main character (May) is a very religious person and thinks about God a lot, God has a big influence on his life. I'm not a religious person, and the first time I realised just how religious he was while reading the book it almost made me a little uncomfortable, but his belief is an important part of the book and it was quite interesting to get an insight into his thoughts on his own beliefs.

It's a very thought provoking book, I actually already started writing this post while I was on page 44, I just had to make sure I got my thoughts on it down before I forgot. However, although it was thought-provoking and I wanted to find out what would happen, I did struggle getting through it, it didn't really keep my attention. Starting to write this review, of sorts, helped me finish the book I think, as I wanted to finish the review also.

The first half of the book was weird and very thought provoking, but the second half was just weird, to me anyway. It was an interesting book, to be honest I can't quite believe it's supposed to be true, but weird things happen in real life.

Memorable quotes:

"[...] we must take things down to the human level. We are here to live out our destiny. Your path is already plotted, it's up to you to see that path and trust that which [...] the Universe places in your footsteps. Carpe diem!"

"Life is about each of us reaching our full potential. Our destiny. Self-actualization, that place where we actually become like God. To reach that level, you must learn to view the world through your passions. That which drives you from the heart. What is it that your heart desires?"

Sophie said it

"The thing about settling down that freak me out it that you're being honest, [...] you're saying this is me. This is what I can do. I am a teacher, or I am a doctor, or I am married with five kids. This is it. [...] Whereas while you're travelling, nobody really knows. While you're travelling you still have the potential to do anything, be anything. Its only when you stop and actually try to do those things that you discover your own capabilities [...]"

From Lucy Diamond's book 'One night in Italy'

Instant celebrity

If you could be a famous person for a day, who would you be? - The Daily Post

As it doesn't stipulate that it has to be a live person, I would want to be Jane Austen.

Why? 

• see how people lived back then
• to see how much of herself she put in her books
• get to wear some really pretty clothes
• find out what went through her mind as she wrote her books/where she got her inspiration

Death du Jour

The second book by Kathy Reichs did not disappoint. It was just as exciting as the first one if not more.

They did not have this book at the local library but instead of getting them to order it for me I decided to check my luck at the Oxfam store instead. It would have cost me 80p to order it, which would have been cheaper, but I would have had to wait for it to arrive, instead I was lucky enough to find it at Oxfam for £1.99, much cheaper than new at a bookstore.

In this book Dr. Temperance Brennan is working on some ancient remains as well as getting a lot of separate new cases. It was interesting to find out how they would all get wrapped up. In some places I was sure I knew how it would end, and who was to blame and then there was a surprising twist to change it all.

Since Kathy Reichs actually works as a forensic anthropologist she can use a lot from her real life in the books, but I hope her life isn't as dangerous as it is in the books… Death threats, assaults, people breaking in… It all makes a book very exciting but would be terrifying in real life.

Déjà Dead

You know the TV series "Bones"? Ever since I started watching it several years ago I loved it! Then I found out that the series is loosely based on the life and books by real forensic anthropologist Kathy Reichs, so then I wanted to read the books but I just never got around to it. There are a lot of books by Kathy Reichs, and I wanted to read them in the order they were written and every time I was thinking about starting to read the books the bookshop or library didn't have the first book; Déjà Dead, in stock. 

The other week I got Chesterfield library to order it in for me from a different library, it cost me 80p, slightly annoyed by having to pay as I didn't have to do that when the library in Norway ordered in books for me, but it's heaps cheaper than buying it new so it was fine.

If you have watched the TV series "Bones" and you want to read the Kathy Reichs books; don't think about them being connected in any way!! The only similarity is the main character having the same name and working as a forensic anthropologist, their personalities are not even the same. The first few chapters kind of dragged because I kept thinking it was going to be the same characters and setting etc as the TV series, it's not.

Do not think it's going to be like the TV series when reading the books!!

Once I stopped thinking about "Bones" the book got much better, and I struggled putting it down. I've not read a lot of crime but I think I will have to start reading more, I tend to be pleasantly surprised when I do read it. It's really gripping and kind of scary… One problem with reading it is my overactive imagination when I try to go to sleep… 

I like that Kathy Reichs is actually a forensic anthropologist in real life so she knows what she's writing about.

I am now addicted to Kathy Reichs and I'm going to try to read the rest of her books!

Lots and lots of recipes!

I've been sitting at the library the last couple of days reading about exercise, which lead me to read about healthy eating which in turn of course led me to just "regular" eating. And it gave me an idea for this blog.

Once I (hopefully) get the house I can have themed weeks, food-wise. I can have an Indian week, Italian week, vegan week, soup week, the list goes on... During the themed week I will try to post at least one recipe every day to do with that weeks theme.

Hopefully this will make me try foods I may not have thought about trying earlier, and also eat proper meals instead of just doing something quick like fried eggs or something.

It will have to wait a few weeks though as I would like to have a proper kitchen to cook in and a fridge to store the food in.

I already have a long list of themes for my cooking, but if you have any ideas feel free to let me know!

The Silver Linings Playbook

The Silver Linings Playbook
By: Matthew Quick

Outer back cover: Meet Pat. Pat has a theory: his life is a movie produced by God. And his God-given mission is to become physically fit and emotionally literate, whereupon God will ensure a happy ending for him - the return of his estranged wife, Nikki. (It might not come as a surprise to learn that Pat has spent time in a mental health facility.) The problem is, Pat's now home, and everything feels off. No one will talk to him about Nikki; his beloved Philadelphia Eagles keep losing; he's being pursued by the deeply odd Tiffany; his new therapist seems to recommend adultery as a form of therapy. Plus, he's being haunted by Kenny G!

When I saw the trailer for this movie I really wanted to watch it, I didn't even know it was based on a book. I still haven't gotten around to watch the film, but when I saw the book at JFK airport I just had to buy it!

I love the way you get into Pat's head, see the way he thinks and feels about people, it's really funny, even if his thoughts seem really childlike at times. Pat also seems really aware of other peoples feeling, he always looks for the silver lining and he's just really lovable.

There is A LOT about American football in the book which wasn't interesting to me, especially as I had no idea what they were talking about, the only thing that was interesting about the football was how Pat's father's personality changed depending on how his team did in the games.

One thing I don't like about the book is that it retells the plots of classic books, like The Bell Jar, The Great Gatsby and more. I know they are old books, but I almost feel like this book should come with a spoiler warning about those books, not everyone has read them just because they're old. However it also made me want to read them even more.

In all I enjoyed the book.

The Lucky One

The Lucky One
By: Nicholas Sparks

I am very glad I didn't read the back cover of the book as it would have completely changed the tone of the characters and the book. Highlight it if you wish to read it.

Outer back cover: Do you believe in lucky charms?
While in Iraq, U.S. Marine Logan Thibaul finds a photo, half-buried in the dirt, of a woman. He carries it in his pocket, and from then on his luck begins to change.
Back home, Logan is haunted by thoughts of war. Over time, he becomes convinced that the woman in the photo holds the key to his destiny .So he finds the vulnerable and loving Beth and a passionate romance begins.
But Logan battles with the one secret he has kept from Bet: how he found her in the first place. And it is a secret that could utterly destroy everything they love...

Basically a U.S. Marine finds a photo of a lady in the dirt while posted in Iraq, he puts it up on a message board but when no one claims it after a few weeks he takes it back down and keeps it in his pocket. He survives the war and, with the help of a very superstitious friend, he comes to think that he owes the girl in the picture something, like she was his lucky charms and helped him survive the war, so he sets out to find her and repay his debt.

I really liked this book, it's sad, romantic, happy, exciting... Everything a book should be. Sparks is very good at describing emotions and places so you feel like you're there in the book with the, or as a, character.

I actually really enjoyed how the book started as, it wasn't the kind of start I had expected but it was quite funny and Sparks kind of went back to it later in the book.

It's a book I'd recommend to any girl/lady that likes an exciting and romantic read. I will BookCross it, but only because I don't want to have to carry it around with me.

Exploring Salem

Anne picked up the rental car we will use to get to New York and DC today and we headed up to Salem in it for the day. Nathan couldn't come as he was working, but suddenly we got a text saying he managed to finish early and he'd meet us in Salem. It was really cold today, but in a way I think Salem is one of those places it's nice to go in the winter, just because the bare trees adds a little to the charm, makes it look a little more "creepy", unfortunately a lot of the places doesn't open until April!

Before Nathan showed up Anne and I took a tour of the House of the Seven Gables. I actually didn't realize it is a book as well, I will have to try and read it now. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside. It was kind of like the Newport Mansions, but in a much smaller scale, and without all the marble. Inside the house we actually got to go up a very narrow secret staircase! I've wanted to go up a secret staircase for years so I can now tick that off my list of things to do, although I guess it isn't really secret  when everybody knows about it. It was fun to walk inside the house as you could tell it was old because the floor wasn't flat any more. I would definitely recommend taking a tour of the house if you're ever in Salem.

After the house we met up with Nathan and ate some lunch that Anne had packed, before we saw the "Friendship of Salem", which is an old ship, we didn't get to go aboard though as it was closed. We then went to the Salem Witch Museum, pictures inside there also wasn't allowed. It was basically a story about how the Salem Witch trials started and then a small guided tour about the different types of witches and the story behind them.

I'm not really sure what I expected when I went to Salem, especially as I try not to have expectations, but it didn't quite look the way I though, but that's probably just because we didn't go to the places that have been on TV and stuff though. I still really liked it! Before we had dinner and headed back to Boston we checked out the Bewitched statue.

I am a little sad to be leaving Boston, but I am also looking forward to exploring New York in the coming days!

First few hours in the USA

So I am currently on US soil! Arrived yesterday.

The plane over was fine. I flew with SAS. One thing I didn't like though was that I couldn't choose when to start a movie on the screen in the seat back in front of me, I had to just hope to be lucky and get the start of a movie if I wanted to watch, which is a shame because there was a lot of movies that I would have wanted to see! But I just read a book instead, and finished it. Apparently you only need about 7 hours to read "The Lucky One" by Nicolas Sparks. Good book.

We had to stop in Newark to go through customs and immigration. I only had about 2 and a half hours there so I was really nervous that I wouldn't make my next flight, there was no clock on the wall and you weren't allowed to turn your cellphone on, which  I think was a bit silly... I mean, if you have to stand in line for an hour and a half you should at least be allowed to turn your cellphone on so that you can tell people you might be late, or play games on it to make time pass.... I did see the New York skyline from the queue though, which was amazing!

When I finally made it through the immigration line I had to get my suitcase out and check it back in, which no one had told me about but there wasn't really any other choice at that terminal and it was quick and easy. Then I had to change terminals, walk through security again and then find my gate. Luckily everything after immigration was quick and easy, and I made my flight with like maybe 15 minutes to spare, I had time to nip to the toilet before I got on. But I didn't like having to stress so much, I was only just starting to relax as we were landing in Boston.

My suggestion if you have a lay-by, or whatever it's called, in America when coming from a different country, make sure you have at least 3 hours just so you don't have to stress!

When I landed in Boston I had to go to a different terminal than the one I landed in to get some dollars, it wasn't too bad though as the next terminal was within walking distance of the one I landed in.

I hopped in a taxi, had to pay $7.50 for tolls plus the regular fare but it was fine, and arrived at my hotel.

Yellow school bus!!!

I had some time to freshen up before meeting with my friend Anne which was really nice as I felt all yucky from the plane.

Now, my friend Anne.... We've known each other for about 10 years but we'd never met until last night! It was really weird to meet her face to face. One thing was that even though I've never really imagined what I thought she sounds like it was really strange to finally hear her voice!! After a short while though it was as if we were just having a catch-up and that it was completely normal for us to meet up. I'm looking forward to hanging out with her even more. Although we talked so much my throat is sore!

We went to this restaurant called FiRE+iCE, you just choose the food (pasta, veggies and meat) that you want and they cook it right in front of you! It was really tasty! Only minus is that the music was so loud we had to constantly shout to hear each other. I can understand why the music would be loud downstairs in the bar area, but upstairs in the dining are I think they should have turned it down a little bit.

Because it was quite late once we finished dinner (especially when I'd been flying for so long just following the sun) we just arranged where to meet later today before I headed back to the hotel and went to bed.

I'm looking forward to exploring more of Boston now in the daylight!

The Gatecrasher

The Gatecrasher
By: Sophie kinsella writing as Madeleine Wickham

Outer back cover: Fleur Daxeny is beautiful, unscrupulous, and has a large wardrobe of black designer suits. With the help of The Times announcements page she gatecrashed the funerals and memorial services of the wealthy, preying on rich, vulnerable men. She charms her way into their lives and onto their platinum credit cards, takes what she can, and then moves swiftly on.
When Richard Favour, a dull but wealthy businessman, meets Fleur at his wife's memorial service, he's bowled over. Gradually Fleur works her spell on Richard's reserved and stilted family - transforming their lives while she moves in on their wealth. She finds herself lingering longer than she meant to, becoming involved in the family - but as Fleur rifles through Richard's files, it becomes clear that she is not the only one after his money.

About a lady that goes to funerals and picks up wealthy men, it was really funny. The book focuses on one "job", Richard, and I really felt like I got to know all the characters in his family. The book is funny but at the same time quite sad and deep.

Richard sets out to learn more about his late wife after her memorial service, and it's interesting as the reader to also find out more about her.

I didn't like the ending of the book, I think it felt very rushed and it left so much unresolved. It's like Wickham got tired of writing and just wanted to be done with the book.

Most of the characters were really good, but I think I'll have to say my favourite character was Philippa, there was just so much going on with her and in a way I felt like she was more "real" than all the other ones.

I won't be keeping this book. Partly because it's one less thing to take to England, and partly because it just wasn't that good.

Beautiful Disaster

Beautiful Disaster
By: Jamie McGuire

Outer back cover: GOOD GIRL - Abby Abernathy doesn't drink or swear and she works hard. Abby believes she has buried her dark past, but when she arrives at college, her dreams of a new beginning are quickly challeneged by the university's walking one-night stand.
BAD BOY - Travis Maddox, sexy, built, and covered in tattoos, is exactly what Abby needs - and wants - to avoid. He spends his nights winning money in a floating fight club, and his days as the notorious college Lothario.
IMMINENT DISASTER? - Intrigued by Abby's resistance to his charms, Travis tricks her into his life with a simple bet. If he loses, he must remain celibate for a month. If Abby loses, she must live in Travis's apartment for the same amount of time.
OR THE START OF SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL? - Either way, Travis has no idea that he has met his match. Or that this is the start of an obsessive, intense relationship that will lead them both into imaginable territory...

No, just no. After reading it I think the picture on the cover is quite apt, but it's not a ""healthy" read.

The relationship between Abby and Travis is written to make the readers want it as well, when really, if someone finds themselves in a situation like that they should get a restraining order! The only "sane" person in the book is looked at as a bitch, someone no one wants to listen to.

Saying that, some relationships are like described in the book, which is sad, and of course the people in said relationship doesn't want to listen to anyone else, but they are unhealthy relationships and I don't think they should be promoted as something good! Sure, it's fiction and a bad boy can be tempting, but there has to be a limit.

Usually after I read a book with a relationship I want part of that relationship for myself, this time, I hope I never find myself in a relationship like that!

Not only was the relationship bad, the story itself was very mediocre.

I will not be keeping this book.

The Summer Without Men

The Summer Without Men
By: Siri Hustvedt

Inner front cover: Out of the blue, your husband of thirty years asks you for a pause in your marriage to indulge his infatuation with a young Frenchwoman. Do you:
a) assume it's a passing affair and play along
b) angrily declare the marriage over
c) crack up
d) retreat to a safe haven and regroup?
Mia Fredricksen cracks up at first, then decamps for the summer to the prairie town of her childhood, where she rages, fumes, and bemoans her sorry fate as abandoned spouse. But little by little, she is drawn into the lives of those around her: her mother and her circle of feisty widows; her young  neighbour, with two small children and a loud angry husband; and the diabolical pubescent girls in her poetry class. By the end of summer without men, wiser though definitely not sadder, Mia knows what she wants to fight for and on whose terms.

I am so glad this is a short book! I could not focus at all because of the way it was written, the only parts of the book that I found interesting was the ones about Abigail, and Flora. Abigail has some really interesting secret embroideries and Flora is just a funny little child dealing with her parent's arguing in her own way...

The book is written as if the main character is talking to the reader, in some places it does actually say "dear reader.." There are no chapters in the book, only paragraph breaks, which is fine because the book is so short, but the paragraphs are quite long in some places and for me the way the book was written made it very boring, I almost fell asleep at some points!

The things that happened in the book was quite interesting when I think about it now that I'm finished reading it, Mia experiences a lot during her summer without men and to see how she deals with it, as well as dealing with her husband's Pause, is interesting, but the way it's written is just dull and annoying.

I did like one sentence in the book: "...only the most hard-hearted among us have no use for mush or blarney or those old ballads about lost and dead lovers..." page 214

I will not keep this book, I picked it up at a BookCrossing zone, and it will go back there the next time I'm in the city.

The Casual Vacancy

The Casual Vacancy
By: J.K. Rowling

Inner front cover: When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock  Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war.
Rich at war with poor, teenager at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with the pupils... Pagford is not what it first seems.
And the empty seat left by Barry on the Parish Council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

It's more of a character study than a book with a plot, maybe in a few years I'll read it with that in mind and like it a little better, but this time it was just a bit too slow... It's not like I expected any of the Harry Potter magic or anything, but I thought something would actually happen in the book. More than just every day stuff.

I think a lot of people will read the book just because it's J.K.Rowling and they are interested in finding out what her "grown up book" will be like, that's why I read it. But like me I think a lot of them might get disappointed when they realize there's no real excitement. I'm not saying it's not a good book, I'm just think you REALLY need to be prepared for it to just be a character study with no plot.

I think I'll keep this book, partly because it's a hardback and I don't like giving those away, but also because I'd like to read it again some time in the future now that I know there is no plot, just to see if I like it better then.

Happy New Year!!

How was your 2012? 

Mine was amazing! I travelled around Australia, visited Kuala Lumpur, Rome, Paris, Dublin and the UK. I made several new friendships that I hope will last a whole lifetime! I hope 2013 will be just as magical!

I saw a great idea on Tracy's blog, Pen and Paper, it's called the first lines meme. Want to join me? What you do is:

"Take the first line of every month's first post over the past year and see what it tells you about your blogging year."

January: Before I start telling you all about my holiday and stuff I thought I'd do a wrap-up of the reading challenges of 2011.

February: Continuation of last week's Sunday Stealing.

March: The highest tide.

April: Living with the carnivorous host family again after I turned vegetarian was a lot easier than I expected.

May: I arrived in Perth around 11pm, I had called Planet Inn Backpackers in advance to ask if they had free airport transfer, which they did, but as I arrived late it might not be available.

June: A Norwegian TV program is currently filming in the place that I'm from, Vestnes.

July: Do you know what's great to have when you have one present that's made up of loads of little things?

August: I'm heading to Paris in the morning!!

September: September has started, this being Norway, the snow might come any minute!

October: I've been wanting to try pumpkin soup for a while now, and when I saw some pumpkin at the local fruit and veg store I just had to buy some.

November: I always get in a bad mood when I get back to Norway after being abroad, probably because I don't actually want to live here.

December: Even before I worked for them I had always enjoyed XXL's ads on TV.

It's been fun to look back at my old posts, and I think you get a good representation of what my blog is: Book reviews, travel, reviews of places I've stayed, memes and the randomness that is my life.

Sex and Stravinsky

Sex and Stravinsky
By: Barbara Trapido

Outer back cover: The time is 1995, but everybody has a past. Brilliant Australian Caroline can command everyone except her own ghoulish mother, which means that things aren't easy for Josh and Zoe, her husband with Stravinsky glasses and twelve-year-old daughter. Zoe reads girls' ballet books and longs for lessons; a thing denied her until a chance encounter on a school French exchange. Meanwhile, on the east coast of Africa, Hattie, Josh's first love, now writes girls' ballet books - that's when she can carve out the space between her husband and her crosspatch daughter. From far and wide they are all drawn together: a masquerade in which things are not always what the seem.

I quite liked this book.

The book is about two families and all the ways they are intertwined and has been for over 20 years.

Each chapter is about a different person in one of the families. It can get a bit confusing at tims because of all the names and that they jump back and forth in time a lot. Each chapter is also very long. But at least all the questions that might pop into your head as you read gets answered by the end. In some ways the book is very predictable, but then suddenly something happens that you hadn't even thought of.

The book is set mainly in Britain and Africa, but as the places weren't described in much detail or anything, it didn't really make me want to go to any of the places in the book, except for Milan, but I already want to go there.

I liked most of the characters in the book, although I wish I was like Caroline, the aussie girl that could do absolutely everything, domestic goddess and super at DIY. the teenagers in the book was a bit over the top, but so are real teenagers.

I did read the book quite quickly, and although it was quite gripping in some places, my main reason for reading it so fast was because I have now reached my goal of reading 50 books this year.

By the time you read this

By the time you read this
By: Lola Jaye

Outer back cover: This is a manual for my daughter Lois. Here are the rules:
1. You must only read each new entry on your birthday, there is one for every year until you are thirty.
2. This is a private manual between you and me.
3. No peeping at the next entry unless it's your birthday!
When Lois Bates is handed the manual, she can barely bring herself to read it as the pain of losing her dad is still so raw. Yet soon his advice is guiding her through every stage of her life - from first love and relationships to her career.
The manual can never be a substitute for having her dad back, but through his words Lois learns to start living again, and discovers that happiness is waiting round the corner...

I found this on sale in a library for 50p and I liked the title and cover. I quite enjoyed it, I wasn't sure what to expect from the title except a dead person, but as soon as I started reading I liked it.

A 12 year old girl, Lois, gets a book her dad wrote to her on his death bed 7 years earlier. The book has letters from him that she is supposed to read until she's 30. I really like the letters and advice her dad gave Lois in the book, it was the kind of advice all girls should get as they're growing up.

I liked Lois most of the time, when she she wasn't too stubborn and reminded me of myself, but my favourite character was Corey, I liked how he always knew what he wanted, right from the start.

I'm not sure whether I will keep this book or if will eventually be a bookCrossing one.

Tell it to the Bees

Tell it to the Bees
By: Fiona Shaw

Outer back cover: Lydia Weekes is distraught at the break-up of her marriage. When her young son Charlie makes friends with the town's doctor, Jean Markham, her life is turned upside down.
Charlie tells his secrets to no one but the bees, but even he can't keep his mother's friendship to himself. The locals don't like things done differently. As Lydia and the doctor become closer, the rumours start to fly and threaten to shatter Charlie's world.

I actually only picked this book up because it had "Bees" in the title so that I could use it for the What's in a name challenge.

The book was very slow in the start, and through the whole book I kept mixing up Jean and Lydia so I often had to re-read things once I realized it was the other person than what I thought.

The book was okay. Once I got about halfway it started to get interesting, I wanted to find out what happened to Jean, Lydia and Charlie and how they dealt with the outside world. I found it quite realistic they way they had to "hide".

The most exciting parts of the book was the ones with Charlie's dad, Robert, especially towards the end of the book, he was a little bit scary and I never really knew what was going to happen when I read about him.

My favourite character in the book was Annie, I felt really sorry for her and would have loved to know what happened to her.

Just in Case

Just in Case
By: Meg Rosoff

Outer back cover: The day David Chase saves his brother's life, his whole world changes. Suddenly every moment is fizzing with what ifs, and it's up to David to outwit fate. Or try to.
He changes his name and the way he looks. He leaves home and finds himself caught up in a series of strange and extraordinary misadventures. He even falls in love. 
But is David really in control of his life? And if he isn't - who is?

Interesting book, it's quite well written and points out the dangers of focusing on the what ifs, even if it is pushed to extremes.

It's a kind of depressing book because of the mood of the main character. I didn't really like David but he was interesting.... I did like his brother Charlie though. The insight Rosoff gave the toddler was quite cool and funny.

One Hundred Names

One Hundred Names
By: Cecelia Ahern

Outer back cover: One hundred names... one hundred people. Kitty Logan inherits just a single list with the promise that it's a story she has to tell...

Magical, just like all off Ahern's books. She has an ability to make you see the best in other people as well as yourself, which is one of the reasons I love her books.

One hundred names was really exciting, it was difficult to put it down. There was no way of ending how it was going to end. The book is a lot less "fantasy" than some of Ahern's other books, it's more realistic.

Kitty has to make a story, she inherits a list with 100 names but with no explanation as to what the link between the people on the list is or a theme or anything at all. And she only has 2 weeks! In addition to that her job is hanging by a thread and her door is being smeared with excrement and her best friend has turned against her...

Uttered by the dying Constance (who Kitty inherits the list from) on page 10: "Seeking the truth - is not necessarily to go on a mission all guns blazing in order to reveal a lie. Neither is it to be particularly groundbreaking. It is simply to get to the heart of what is real."