Donna Leon: Brunetti 21 - Beastly things

When a body is found floating in a canal, strangely disfigured and with multiple stab wounds, Commissario Brunetti is called to investigate and is convinced he recognises the man from somewhere. However, with no identification except for the distinctive shoes the man was wearing, and no reports of people missing from the Venice area, the case cannot progress. Brunetti soon realises why he remembers the dead man, and asks Signorina Elettra if she can help him find footage of a farmers' protest the previous autumn. But what was his involvement with the protest, and what does it have to do with his murder? Acting on the fragile lead, Brunetti and Inspector Vianello set out to uncover the man's identity. Their investigation eventually takes them to a slaughterhouse on the mainland, where they discover the origin of the crime, and the world of blackmail and corruption that surrounds it.

Having noticed that I hadn't read the latest two Brunetti cases, I was very keen to get my hands on them again after such a long time, especially as I'm planning to visit Venice again this summer. As always, I enjoyed the Venetian setting and the Italian charm of the crime fiction and I also enjoyed the story line around Dottore Nava. However, I found that this book included more ramblings about politics, corruption and EU policies than any of the previous novels. I wouldn't have minded that too much if it had been part of a character's views, but often this was the narrator's voice and as such actually slowed the story down. A shame...

Thomas Raab: Der Metzger kommt ins Paradies

Jesolo, Caorle, Bibione, egal, das Fegefeuer ist ein Meer aus Sonnenschirmen und Goldkettchen auf öliger Haut – zumindest für den Restaurator Willibald Adrian Metzger. Entführt und seinem eigenen Untergang nahe, bekommt er es am Ufer der Adria mit einer Ausgrabung zu tun. Einer dermaßen makabren, versteht sich, da scheinen die alles andere als harmonisch urlaubenden Teutonen und Alpenländer, allen voran ein vorlauter Berliner unbekannter Profession, das geringste Übel zu sein, möchte man meinen. Und weil es höchst ungesund ist, vom Liegestuhl aus Dinge zu beobachten, die einen nichts angehen, wird für den Metzger und seine Danjela aus dem Fegefeuer dann die reinste Hölle.

Der Metzger wird von Buch zu Buch lustiger. Die Kriminalgeschichte spricht soziale Ungerechtigkeiten an und ist somit auch lesenswert, aber die Tatsache, dass der Metzger an der Adria an ein paar Piefke gerät, macht den Roman noch um vieles unterhaltsamer. Ich freue mich schon jetzt auf den nächsten Metzger....

Mary Campisi: A family affair

When Christine Blacksworth's larger-than-life father is killed on an icy road in Magdalena, New York, a hundred miles from the 'getaway' cabin he visited every month, she discovers a secret that threatens everything she's always held to be true. Her father has another family which includes a mistress and a daughter. Determined to uncover the truth behind her father's secret life, Christine heads to Magdalena, prepared to hate the people who have caused her to question everything she thought she knew about her father. But what she finds is a woman who understands her, a half sister who cherishes her, and a man who could love her if she'll let him. The longer she's around them, the more she questions which family is the real one.

An easy read. Initially, I thought there would be more of a mystery, but actually the storyline turned out to be very predictable. It was a relaxing, un-demanding read on the roads; ideal, when you've got an ipod/iphone and can only spare a couple of minutes at a time.

Thomas Raab: Der Metzger bricht das Eis

Restaurator Willibald Adrian Metzger ermittelt wieder – und steigt in die eisigen Höhen eines scheinbar idyllischen Skiörtchens, um einen Blick in die mörderischen Abgründe seiner Bewohner zu werfen. Eisig ist es in dem Park. Trotzdem wird es Willibald Adrian Metzger heiß und kalt. Vor aller Augen droht ein Mädchen zu ersticken. Erst ein rotbärtiger Obdachloser rettet der Kleinen das Leben und verschwindet murmelnd mit den Worten »Jetzt geht das Sterben wieder los, es geht wieder los« zwischen den Sträuchern. Noch in derselben Nacht behält er mit seiner Prophezeiung recht: Eine Frau springt in den Abgrund, ein Mann erfriert in einer Busstation, und dem Metzger wird von seiner Danjela ein erholsamer Zwangsurlaub verordnet – klarerweise genau dort, wohin die einzige Spur führt: in einem kleinen idyllischen Skiörtchen. Von Idylle kann allerdings keine Rede sein. Denn alles,was es für den Metzger dort zu holen gibt, ist der Tod.

Eine sehr spannende Krimigeschichte rund um den Metzger und seine Danjela. Die Schulwartin mit gebrochenem Arm wickelt mit ihrem Charme wohl jeden um den Finger, insbesondere aber die Leser. Die Geschichte war dieses Mal weniger vorhersehbar, was besonders toll war. Und dann sind da die Schilderungen rund um den Winterurlaub, die einen amüsieren, aber auch nachdenklich stimmen. Sehr gelungen und unterhaltsam.

Andreas Englisch: Die Petrusakte

In Ariccia, der Schlossstadt in den Albaner Bergen vor Rom, gerät nach der Ankunft eines jungen Vikars das beschauliche Leben der Kirchengemeinde aus den Fugen. Der Vikar wird schon bald zum Vertrauten einer Übersetzerin, Marion Meiering, die das Buch eines anonymen Autors ins Deutsche übertragen soll.Ein Buch, das rätselhafterweise ihre eigene Lebensgeschichte erzählt und ihren baldigen Tod voraussagt. Bis Marion und der Vikar das Geheimnis der Kirche in Ariccia und des Buches, das auf der so genannten Petrusakte basiert, lösen können, gehen sie durch Himmel und Hölle.

Fesselnder Krimi, der dann doch etwas ins Extreme und Unwahrscheinliche abrutschte. Simon der Zauberer und die Petrusakte waren an sich recht interessant verpackt, aber dass Alessandro an einen Antichrist glaubt, der in Marion einfährt, war etwas an den Haaren herbeigezogen.

Claudia Rossbacher: Steirerkind - Sandra Mohr 03

Zwei Tage vor Beginn der Alpinen Ski-WM in Schladming wird eine Leiche unter der Eisdecke des Steirischen Bodensees gefunden. Es handelt sich um den seit Wochen vermissten Cheftrainer des österreichischen Herrenskiteams. Prompt gerät der prominente Skirennläufer Tobias Autischer unter Mordverdacht. Doch hat der WM-Favorit den Coach, der ihn von Kindheit an gefördert hatte, tatsächlich umgebracht? Sandra Mohr und Sascha Bergmann vom LKA in Graz ermitteln.

Die Geschichte war sehr spannend. Ich mochte auch, dass sich der Mordfall rund um die Ski-WM in Schladming abspielte. Die Figuren Sandra Mohr und Sascha Bergmann sind zeitweise etwas lächerlich, und die Skizzierung des Wiener Weicheis könnte auch genauer sein. Dennoch alles in allem ein unterhaltsamer Alpenkrimi.

Diane Chamberlain: The courage tree

Eight-year-old Sophie Donohue suffers from a rare disease requiring constant treatment, but she wants to be normal. Sophie's mother finally agrees to let her go on a camping trip, but when Sophie goes missing, a full-scale search is launched. Sophie finds refuge in a remote cabin inhabited by Zoe, a reclusive woman protecting her own daughter from the law--and Sophie's presence could ruin everything.

Initially, I didn't quite get into the story, but once I got part the first couple of chapters, I found it quite gripping. Diane Chamberlain is a good storyteller offering mysteries to be solved, but she can't quite compete with Jodi Picoult.

Nicky Gumbel: Questions of life

What is faith? Why pray? If God is there, is he even interested in us? These are all important, profound questions, questions which get to the very heart, the very meaning of life itself. The Alpha Course was started twenty years ago to give people the opportunity to ask and explore questions like these, and since then millions of people around the world have attended one. In Questions of Life Nicky Gumbel uses the talks from the Alpha Course to tackle with honesty and common sense those same questions. This book has become possibly the clearest and best-loved explanation of the Christian faith available.

An interesting read about how you can enhance your faith, why we pray, why and how we should read the bible.

W Jacobsen & D Coleman: So you don't want to go to church anymore?

What would you do if you met someone you thought just might be one of Jesus' original disciples still living in the 21st Century? That's Jake's dilemma as he meets a man who talks of Jesus as if he had known him personally. This is Jake's compelling journal that chronicles thirteen conversations with his newfound friend over a four-year period and how those exchanges turn Jake's world upside-down. With his help, Jake faces his darkest fears, struggles through brutal circumstances and comes out on the other side in the joy and freedom he always dreamed was possible.Compelling and intensely personal.

I enjoyed the story and the enlightenment about church and religion.

Don Piper: 90 minutes in Heaven

On the way home from a conference, Don Piper's car was crushed by a truck that crossed into his lane. Medical personnel said he died instantly. While his body lay lifeless inside the ruins of his car, Piper experienced the glories of heaven, awed by its beauty and music. 90 minutes after the wreck, while a minister prayed for him, Piper miraculously returned to life. His faith in God was severely tested as he faced an uncertain and gruelling recovery. 90 Minutes in Heaven offers a glimpse into a very real dimension of eternity.

I started reading this book earlier in the evening, and I could not put it down. I found Don Piper's story of heaven and recovery fascinating, gripping and uplifting. I can see what he means, when he himself talks about the reason for his survival and why he got sent back to earth - it is to inspire us. I was a little disappointed that the story wasn't told coherently, as I found the jumps a little confusing at times. But I read until I'd finished the book...

Wm Paul Young: Cross Roads

Multi-millionaire Anthony Spencer is trapped in a coma and finds himself in a surreal world that reflects the skewed priorities of the life he's lived on earth where he meets a stranger who turns out to be Jesus and a grandmother who is the Holy Spirit. He is sent back to earth to redeem himself. There he must fight to put right the mess he's created, experiencing events through others' eyes before deciding how to use the miraculous gift he's been given.

I absolutely hated Tony and was at the point of giving up on this story, just because I couldn't stand Tony. My eight-year-old son encouraged me to continue the story, as "Tony might become a good person". So I did. And from the point, where Tony meets Cabby and Maggie the storyline was gripping. And I really enjoyed it in the end.

Joyce Meyer: Do Yourself a Favour - Forgive

Forgiveness is easier said than done and is one of the most difficult personal issues to deal with. When people fail to forgive, it damages - often ruins - relationships, causes stress and other health problems and can turn life and work into a prison of the mind. Without forgiveness, anger and bitterness become a cauldron of poison. The anger doesn't go away - it just gets worse.

Very insightful and interesting to read. Probably more difficult to apply, but it makes to work hard on genuinely forgiving others.

Yann Martel: Life of Pi

One boy, one boat, one tiger ...After the tragic sinking of a cargo ship, a solitary lifeboat remains bobbing on the wild, blue Pacific. The only survivors from the wreck are a sixteen year-old boy named Pi, a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orang-utan and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger. The scene is set for one of the most extraordinary and best-loved works of fiction in recent years.

Although I didn't feel like starting this book initially, it had me gripped. At times it was hard to say, if this was supposed to be fiction, as it was told in such detailed way that it might well have been based on facts. The religious aspect was very interesting indeed, but for my taste it could have been explored more...

Joyce Meyer: The Penny

One summer in 1955, 14-year-old Jenny Blake picks up a penny imbedded in asphalt, and consequently ends up stopping a robbery, getting a job, and meeting a friend who changes her life forever. Her unexpected relationships with Miss Shaw and the coloured girl Aurelia transform her in ways she could have anticipated. The ripple effect that begins in the summer of the penny goes on to bring new life to the people around her, showing how God works in the smallest details. Even in something as small as a penny.

A most exciting read. The story was quite sad and upsetting due to the family circumstances Jenny lives in. But when she realises the power of The Penny, and when other people return the penny favour, the story is a huge inspiration.

Joyce Meyer: Any minute

Sarah Harper is driven to achieve success no matter what the cost. She wants to do good and not hurt the people she loves - especially children and her husband, Joe -but her desire to succeed in her career too often leaves little time for family. One cold, autumn afternoon, all of that changes when Sarah's car plunges off a bridge and into a river. She is presumed dead by those on the 'outside', but Sarah's spirit is still very much alive. What she discovers on the other side transforms everything about Sarah's view of life - past, present, and future. When Sarah is revived, she is a changed woman. And the unsuspecting world around her will never be the same again.

This was a rather strange read. In a way, it was devastating to see how Sarah doesn't notice her negativity in her hectic family life and how she is being used in her job. And then the storyline was a little flat, too. But in the end some parts of the story were quite uplifting and encouraging and as such I did after all enjoy it...

Wm Paul Young: The Shack

Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, still trapped in his great sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack.

I read this book approximately a year ago. But still I wanted to re-read it. And I loved it just as much as I did then.

JK Rowling: Casual Vacancy

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 facade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their 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?

After all the reviews and critiques I was keen to see for myself, what everyone was talking about. At times the story is hard to take, especially where Krystal and her family are concerned. But Somehow the book was written in such a way that I was keen to find out more about each of the 34 characters in the book. Very different from Harry Potter, but still a great read in my view.

Todd Burpo: Heaven is for real - A little boy's astounding story of his trip to heaven and back

A young boy emerges from life-saving surgery with remarkable stories of his visit to heaven. 'Heaven Is for Real' is the true story of the four-year old son of a small town Nebraska pastor who during emergency surgery slips from consciousness and enters heaven. He survives and begins talking about being able to look down and see the doctor operating and his dad praying in the waiting room. The family didn't know what to believe but soon the evidence was clear. Colton said he met his miscarried sister, whom no one had told him about, and his great grandfather who died 30 years before Colton was born, then shared impossible-to-know details about each. He describes the horse that only Jesus could ride, about how 'reaaally big' God and his chair are, and how the Holy Spirit 'shoots down power' from heaven to help us. Told by the father, but often in Colton's own words, the disarmingly simple message is heaven is a real place, Jesus really loves children, and be ready, there is a coming last battle.

Fascinating, sad and gripping and life-confirming, positive. Although it's difficult to believe, the book does provide a new view of heaven and makes you rethink your belief.

Sarah Tucker: Battle for Big School

There are 50 places at The Oaks, the best grammar school in Letchbury, and 1,000 children applying. Competition is fierce and parents are prepared to do everything and anything to get their child one of the coveted spaces.

An easy read, but a little disappointing. It wasn't as gripping and funny as it could have been.

Sarah Herbert Robbins: The Everything Parent's Guide to Raising a Gifted Child

Sarah Herbert Robbins, Med is a curriculum development specialist with advanced degrees in designing programs for gifted children. She currently provides training workshops as well as counseling services for parents of gifted children and teaching professionals. She is a former elementary school teacher with direct experience teaching gifted students in both traditional and self-contained classroom environments as well as gifted programs in public school settings. Sarah currently offers advice, posts news pieces, and shares her methods for parenting gifted children on her website, www.parentinggiftedkids.com.

This book is an absolute eye-opener. Our child has been diagnosed with a high IQ, but we were not aware of how this would affect social and emotional needs and development. This guidebook provides great insight and links to further research and reading, but also some practical ideas to try out at home. This book has certainly helped us understand our child better.