Life Changing and Regret Reading!

TBC

Biography and Love

BIOGRAPHY"
Losing My Virginity (Richard Branson)
Love him or loathe him, you've got to admit it, Richard Branson has drive. And guts. Branson's autobiography makes immensely fascinating reading. Whatever you think of Britain's most famous entrepreneur, the odds are that you will enjoy reading his autobiography.

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (Hunter S Thompson)
Weird story based entirely on Hunter S Thompson's ether-fuelled, savage journey to the heart of the American Dream. His perilous, drug-enhanced confrontations with casino operators, bartenders, police officers and assorted representatives of the Silent Majority have a hallucinatory humour and nightmare terror never before seen on the printed page. (also fits into the biography section)

2. LOVE
The Zahir (Paulo Coelho)
Was a bit slow in some parts but still enjoyed.

Historical and Enlightenment

1. HISTORICAL
Mary Queen of Scots (Margaret George)
My first foray into Historical novels it gave me a reasonable interest in the history of Queen Mary. As a summary of the novel - Mary became Queen of Scotland only six days after her birth and by her 18th birthday she had been married, widowed, had lost one throne and been named by the Pope for another. Months later she set sail to take her place as queen of Scotland. This novel is a recreation of her life and times

2. ENLIGHTENED
The Tao of Pooh (Benjamin Hoff)
To be honest I have completing finished it after starting it a few times, but I'm sure it will come in handy in times of need. Essentially it explains Taoism through Winnie-the-Pooh. Taoism believes that earth is a reflection of heaven, and that the world is not a setter of traps but a teacher of valuable lessons' and that the essence of the Uncarved Block is that things in their original simplicity contain their own natural power, power that is easily spoiled and lost when that simplicity is changed.

Crime and Nostalgia

TBC

Travel and Humour

1. TRAVEL
Under the Tuscan Sun (Frances Mayes)
I always try to read this once a year and usually around the beginning of summer as the languid feel of the book tends to lend to the larthargic feel of summer. It's definitely made me dream of owning a beautiful villa in Tuscany and growing/ producing my own olive oil on numerous occasions!

2. LAUGHTER
This was quite hard, I can think of a few books that made me cry but laughing was a bit harder! The most recent one I can think of is Vesuvius Club (Mark Gatiss) A strange story but some of the mannerisms of the main character are funny.

Top 5 Books

1. My Sister's Keeper (Jodi Picoult)
Kate Fitzgerald has a rare form of leukemia. Her sister, Anna, was conceived to provide a donor match for procedures that become increasingly invasive. At 13, Anna hires a lawyer so that she can sue her parents for the right to make her own decisions about how her body is used when a kidney transplant is planned.

2. The Time Traveller's Wife (Audrey Niffenegge)
Periodically Henry's genetic clock resets and he finds himself pulled suddenly into his past or future. The book depicts the effects of time travel on Henry and Clare's passionate love for each other and their struggle to lead normal lives in the face of a force they can neither prevent nor control.

3. Harry Potter (JK Rowling)
You Know!

4. Fourth Estate (Jeffrey Archer)
This tale involves two men from different backgrounds stand face-to-face in an attempt to beat each other and control the biggest media empire in the world.

5. Gone With The Wind (Margaret Mitchell)