All the Colours of the Dark by Chris Whitaker: I thought Chris Whitaker is a crime writer and was expecting therefore something in this direction. The development of the book came unexpectedly then, but I was enchanted from the first. I love a good story and this is definitely one great book. Patch and Saint meet at an early age and have been friends ever since, even though life hurls them in completely different directions. So good then that the secondary characters have a life of their own and bring the story forward. A crime, a love story, and a coming of age tale, all that combined in one book. A magnificent read!
Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major: Groundhog Day meets Love Story. What if you get a chance to relive an especially sh*tty day? Emma gets that chance only to find out that she keeps on reliving this day over and over again. So how do you deal with such a situation? Will you resent it, go mad over it, or accept it as a gift to spend more time with your loved ones? I loved Emma’s journey on how she navigated these challenges. This book is a wonderful reminder to stop sometimes and just smell the flowers.
A Place Beyond Courage by Elizabeth Chadwick: William Marshal was ‘the best knight that ever lived‘ according to Stephen Langton, who was himself a cardinal. High praise then. ‘A Place Beyond Courage’ is the first book in a six book series about William Marshal and it starts with his parents. His father was John Marshal, a disfigured knight and marshal to two kings and one queen. A father who gave up William as hostage when he was five and then went back on his word by saying he “had the hammer and the anvil with which to forge still more and better sons”. Not an easy start into a life as fourth son of a minor noble. Very interesting and an enjoyable read!
Hiroshima by John Hersey: The aftermath of the bomb dropping on Hiroshima told from the perspective of six survivors. It starts out in the morning of August 6th, 1945 and finishes with a chapter 40 years later. The accounts are touching, very personal, but sometimes downright depressing. Most of all though a true testament of what the human spirit can overcome. An appeal to peace and a world without nuclear weapons, but not an easy book. Still, a book everyone should pick up to know about the horrors of a nuclear bomb.
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