March Books

The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan - each chapter is told from a different viewpoint from a member of a small town in Ireland just after Ireland's financial collapse. I found the characters believable and their stories stayed with me long after I'd finished the book. 

The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes - I was excitedly awaiting the release of this book as I'm a huge fan of Jojo's other books.  Jess is a single mum with 2 children and 2 jobs. Her daughter is brilliant with numbers and her stepson is being bullied because he's that wee bit different.  They meet Ed Nicholls whose life is equally chaotic in different ways. He helps them out and the relationship between him and Jess grows.  Full of laugh out loud moments which had me giggling as well as deeper issues and moments. An amazing read.  Highly recommend.

Ghostwritten by Isabel Wolff* (I received a free copy from Love Reading sent for review) - Klara, a dutchwoman who is nearing 80 is ready to share her memoirs with her family. Her son Vincent by chance meets Jenni, a ghostwriter (she writes others books who are unable/unwilling to write their own stories) at his goddaughter Nina's wedding and asks her if she'll write his mother's memoirs.

Klara is a survivor of Japanese Intern Camps in Java during WWII. Jenni is deeply interested in Klara's story. She finds out Klara lives in Polvarth in Cornwall the scene of a tragic event in Jenni's past. Jenni and her boyfriend have been going through a rough patch and she decides a few days apart might be good for them.  She meets with Klara twice a day and discovers the secrets and stories from her past. She learns that Klara was brought up on a rubber plantation in Java before enduring the horrors at the intern camp. 

Chatting to Klara draws out Jenni's own story and we learn of her connection to Evie who we meet at the beginning of the story.  A real page turner. A story of love, loss, friendships and moving on. I loved it.

How to make Money Blogging - Bob Lotich - this is the skinniest book I've read about blogging but it is full of great tips and ideas.  There is no fluff just how Bob Lotich did it. A super informative read.

What have you been reading this month?

*complimentary