Jodi Picoult & Samantha Van Leer: Between the lines

Delilah knows it's weird, but she can't stop reading her favourite fairy tale. Other girls her age are dating and cheerleading. But then, other girls are popular. She loves the comfort of the happy ending, and knowing there will be no surprises. Until she gets the biggest surprise of all, when Prince Oliver looks out from the page and speaks to her. Now Delilah must decide: will she do as Oliver asks, and help him to break out of the book? Or is this her chance to escape into happily ever after? Read between the lines for total enchantment . . .

I chose to read the story, as I am a great fan of Jodi Picoult and because she admits to have co-written it with her daughter, who had come up with the main idea. It's a light-hearted young adult novel, which will certainly appeal to daughters and young-at-heart Mums. Although there are some allusions to teenage fears and worries, the story is so fantastical that the book can be read for entertainment only.

Cecelia Ahern: One hundred names

As a journalist, Kitty Logan has spent the past few years chasing the big scoops – no matter the consequences. When she makes a terrible mistake, she finds herself mired in scandal, her career implodes and even her personal relationships are tested to the limits. At a loss, Kitty finds distraction in a list of one hundred names her late mentor and boss has left her. Kitty is to write the story behind the one hundred names as a tribute piece. As she tracks down the people on the list and tries to work out what connects them, Kitty meets some extraordinary people.

An easy, entertaining and uplifting read that teaches us about the importance of individuals and how ordinary people will tell us extraordinary stories if we just take the time to listen carefully enough.

Donna Leon: Brunetti 22 - The Golden Egg

Commissario Brunetti receives a call from his wife, Paola, who is evidently very upset. The middle-aged deaf mute with the mental age of a child who helped out at the Brunetti's dry cleaners has been found dead. To the neighbourhood he was just the 'boy' who helped out, but nobody knew much about him. That a soul could have lived such a joyless life is too much for Paola to bear, and she asks Guido if he can find out what happened. With the help of Inspector Vianello and the ever-resourceful Signorina Elettra, Brunetti tries to get to the truth and find some measure of solace.

Having accepted that the Brunetti series has somehow changed to account more about the private and public lives of Venetians, I actually enjoyed this story again. Brunetti's pondering during his walks through Venice are intriguing and the fact that he worries about his family makes him a more interesting character. Sometimes there are too many clichés about the North and South divide in Italy, however.

Michael Morpurgo: The Butterfly Lion

Bertie rescues an orphaned white lion cub from the African veld. They are inseparable until Bertie is sent to boarding school far away in England and the lion is sold to a circus. Bertie swears that one day they will see one another again, but it is the butterfly lion which ensures that their friendship will never be forgotten.

Michael Morpurgo is very popular with reading in schools and so I actually wanted to know what his books are about. I had read "Waiting for Anya" a long time ago, but I really enjoyed this story with its twist in the end. It was also lovely to be able to discuss the book with my son.

Sarah Rayner: The Two Week Wait

After a health scare, Brighton-based Lou learns that her time to have a baby is running out. She can’t imagine a future without children, but her partner doesn’t seem to feel the same way. Meanwhile, up in Yorkshire, Cath is longing to start a family with her husband, Rich. No one would be happier to have a child than Rich, but Cath is infertile. Could these two women help each other out?

Some time ago I came across Sarah Rayner's first book and when I discovered that there is another one of hers out, I was keen to get it. The first twenty or so pages I found a little slow, but once the characters were established the storyline really was gripping. I could empathise with all the characters. I also enjoyed the fact that some characters of the previous book were brought into this story. An easy escapist read with feeling....

J L Carrell: The Shakespeare Curse

A brutally murdered body is discovered on a remote Scottish hillside - with a mysterious ancient knife beside it. The victim was a beautiful young woman, throat slashed by an unknown assailant. The circumstances of the murder suggest ancient Pagan sacrifice. Then a trench on that same hill is found filled with blood. The shocking discoveries all seem to be linked by the ancient curse of Macbeth. From the streets of New York to the twisting corridors of Hampton Court Palace to a remote loch in the Scottish Highlands, the race is on to stop a deadly modern serial killer who will do anything to uncover priceless ancient treasures....

Having read the Shakespeare Secret I was looking forward to this book, too. However, I found the storyline by far more confusing and less plausible than the Secret. I was a little disappointed with it, and if there ever is a third book I will probably not stick with it to the very end.

Jodi Picoult: The storyteller

When the young baker Sage Singer strikes up an unlikely friendship with Josef Weber, a quiet man old enough to be her grandfather, and respected pillar of the community, she feels that she may have found someone she can open up to. But then Josef tells her the evil secret he's kept for sixty years. Caught between Josef's search for redemption and her shattered illusions, Sage turns to her family history and her own life for answers. As she uncovers the truth from the darkest horrors of war, she must follow a twisting trail between betrayal and forgiveness, love and revenge.

As with all Jodi Picoult stories you cannot put this book down. The storyline is gripping, the characters are fascinating and credible and you end up sympathising with the good and the evil. At times the story was a little predictable, such as the relationship between Sage and Leo, but Minka's story and Ania's story more than make up for the clichés.

Joanne Harris: Peaches for Monsieur le Curé

It isn't often you receive a letter from the dead. When Vianne Rocher receives a letter from beyond the grave, she allows the wind to blow her back to the village in south-west France where, eight years ago, she opened up a chocolate shop. But Lansquenet is different now: women veiled in black, the scent of spices and peppermint tea, and, on the bank of the river Tannes, facing the church: a minaret. Father Reynaud, Vianne's erstwhile adversary, is disgraced and under threat. Could it be that Vianne is the only one who can save him now?

I loved "Chocolat" and the "Lollipop shoes", but this is an even better story than the two previous ones. I'm not sure how good the story would be for someone who hadn't read the other two books, but I can see how the characters have developed over the years and I as a reader have developed, too. The storyline in this sequel is very topical with Father Reynaud sensing a war between the Maghrebins and the Catholic French. I could not put the book down and found myself totally engrossed in Lansquenet.

Donna Leon: Brunetti 20 - Drawing conclusions

A young woman returns from holiday to find her elderly neighbour dead on the floor. A heart attack seems the likely cause, but Commissario Brunetti is not so sure and decides to take a closer look. Soon he discovers that she was part of an organization that cares for abused women and that her apartment was a safe-house. He is drawn into a decades-old story of lies and deceit that has blighted love and ruined lives - and has claimed this innocent woman as its newest victim.

This is a less spectacular case for Brunetti, but it is still a great storyline about love and deceit and corruption in modern-day Italy.

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.