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.