The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

The first in the millennium trilogy you have most likely heard a lot of good things about the Stieg Larson books.  I enjoyed reading this suspense thriller however I did find some parts quite squeamish.  The book was written as an intelligent and complicated mystery thriller and it definitely lives up to all the great reviews it has received so far.

Under a Blood Red Sky by Kate Furnivall

This books story is set in 1930s Communist Russia - and starts in a Siberian Labour Camp that house thousands of woman taken prisoner by Stalin's Army.


In this book Furnivall paints a very stark, very bleak picture of the harrowing and soul destroying Labour Camps and of the terrible conditions suffered by the prisoners. The lack of basic needs and the whole regimentation of the camps is almost heart breaking.

The story unfolds as the main character Sofia makes her escape from the camp in order to find her friend Anna's long lost love. As she makes her way as a fugitive across Russia, the grim reality of life under Stalin for ordinary people is made clear.

This book totally absorbed me and it was another one that I hated to put down - part historical, part romance and a very light touch of magic all mix together to make a extremely entertaining and informative read.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS tells the wonderful, intensely moving story of how two modern Afghan women overcome the great challenges that have faced women in Afghanistan and rise above their victimization. Khaled Hosseini has succeeded in capturing many important historical and contemporary themes in this book in a way that will make your heart ache again and again. Why will your reaction be so strong? It's because you'll identify closely with the suffering of almost all the characters, a reaction that's very rare to a modern novel.

This book is a must read.. one of the most moving novels I have ever read. The characters were so vivid i felt as if I would wake up and walk into their world.

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Jamacia Inn by Daphne du Maurier

The book Jamaica Inn is the story of Mary Yellan. Mary grants her mother's dying wish by travelling across Cornwall to go and live with her Aunt Patience at Jamaica Inn, a lonely inn on the Bodmin Moor. But before travelling to the Inn Mary hears all kinds of odd tales about the goings-on at the there, mainly stories to do with the horrible man that it appears her aunt has married.

Feeling confused and apprehensive Mary continues on her way. But shortly after arriving at her new home, Mary realises that she has made a mistake. The once-happy Patience is now a shadow of her former self, skulking around and pandering to her husband's every whim. It would appear that the rumours she'd heard were true.

There are few visitors to the inn, and the people that do come are just like her Uncle Joss, loud, uncouth and intimidating. Mary also suspects they're up to no good, particularly as her sharp mind starts to question the constant coming and going of carts in the middle of the night, and the reason there's a locked and barred room in the inn.

On questionning her aunt, Mary learns little more, but enough to know just how terrified of her husband she is and that what he gets up to on those dark nights is deeply criminal. Mary starts to plot how she can get herself and her aunt away from the brooding presence of Jamaica Inn and it's evil landlord without being implicated in the activities taking place there...

A dark and brooding wonderful piece of fiction. Once I started it I couldn't put it down.

The Jewel of St Petersburg by Kate Furnivall

Russia, 1910. Young Valentina Ivanova charms St Petersburg’s aristocracy with her classic Russian beauty and her talent as a pianist. But she scandalised society when she begins a romance with Jens Friis, a Danish engineer. He brings to her life a passion and an intimacy she has never known. Unbending in their opposition, her parents push her into a loveless engagement with a Russian count. Valentina struggles for independence and to protect her young sister from the tumult sweeping the city, as Russia is bound for rebellion. The Tsar, the Duma and the Bolsheviks are at each other’s throats and Valentina is forced to make a choice that changes her life for ever …

Kate Furnivall has a true gift enabling the mind to drift to the places of description in this wonderful piece of fiction. I absolutely adored her portrayal of society of the last Russian Tsar with its decadence and over indulgence but she also shows us the dark side of the lower class society. This is the type of book that takes over your mind with vivid descriptions of Russia and its people. The Jewel of St Petersburg was the first Kate Furnivall book I read and i felt so connected with the characters it compelled me to continue my journey with more of her books.

Moth Smoke by Mohsin Hamid

Moth Smoke,” by Mohsin Hamid, is a truly unforgettable reading experience. No matter where you come from or how you view life, you’ll come away entertained and enlightened…. This novel immerses you in a fascinating cultural experience. For the duration of the book, you feel like you are living in modern Lahore, Pakistan.
The story is part love story, part satire, and wholly symbolic about the political state of modern Pakistan. The book is both a morality tale and a political parable.
“Moth Smoke” is a book that can be read, reread, analyzed, interpreted, and enjoyed on many levels. As a asual reader I did not need to delve into its many layers, or know anything about Pakistan, in order to enjoy the book. The novel has a compelling story in its own right–if the truth be told, it’s a literary page-turner.

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The Russian Concubine by Kate Furnivall

Wonderful . . . a gripping love story . . . ‘The Russian Concubine is a great story of love, loss and conflicting loyalties in a fascinatingly precarious moment of history. The wonderfully drawn and all-too-human characters struggle to survive in a world of danger and bewildering change, constantly choosing whether to embrace the past or to escape it, caught between cultures’
My second Kate Furnivall read was The Russian Concubine and yet again I struck gold with a wonderfully descriptive and invitingly exciting novel. A real page turner where you won’t want to put it down. The story has the same characters as the Jewel of St Petersburg but in a different culture time and place. The characters are strong, vivid and you almost wish you could meet them.  A very powerful and moving novel that will stay with me.