My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry - Fredrik Backman

In February, I read and fell in love with Fredrik Backman's book, A Man Called Ove. It was one of those extremely heart warming books that made you laugh, cry, and feel.

So when I found out there was another book by the same author, I had to go for it.

Elsa is an incredible 7-year old. I call her incredible. The school and everyone else calls her different. Her best, and only friend is her 77-year old grandmother. Her grandmother is a no-nonsense, tough as nails, don't-you-dare-hurt-my-granddaughter kind of woman. She helps Elsa cope with being different by taking her to the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas where everyone is different and no one is normal.

But then, Elsa's grandmother dies. She leaves behind a letter for Elsa to deliver, and let's her know it's part of a treasure hunt. What ensues is Elsa learning about those around her. She learns about herself and her grandmother. She meets wonderful, incredible people. Some she likes, some she does not.

Ethan has just finished reading the Land of Stories series, and has returned to Harry Potter. I mention this, because the fairy tales Elsa and her grandmother share are lovely. And Elsa is obsessed with Harry Potter. She even judges people who have never read Harry Potter. "There are no photos here, as there were in the woman's flat. Only books. "You got any good ones, then?" she asks, scanning the shelves. "I don't know what you think is good," the woman answers carefully. "Do you have any Harry Potters?" "No." "Not even one?" Elsa asks, incredulous. "No." "You have all these books and not a single Harry Potter? And they let you fix people whose heads are broken?"

".....Elsa had grown conscious of the fact that the girl hadn't read Harry Potter at all. She knew who he was, of course, everyone knows who Harry Potter is, but she hadn't read the books....And while Elsa didn't want to be elitist or anything, how could one be expected to reason with a person like that? Muggles."

The Angels' Share - J.R. Ward

I grew up watching Dynasty and Dallas with my mother. Which is why I'm probably drawn to this series. It has all the elements of the eighties soap operas; money, greed, betrayal, love addiction and murder.

Yes, murder.

What was a suspected suicide, now hints to murder. As the investigation deepens, Lane worries it may have been Edward. He's also trying to get to the bottom of the family's finances and what his father did. His divorce continues to be messy, his brother, Maxwell returns and his sister, Gin is marrying a scum of a man. Yes, the man has his hands full. It's a good thing he has Lizzie by his side.

Edward's story is what I loved the most in The Angels' Share. We see his softer side and our hearts break along with his.

Just like the first book, we're left hanging. Kind of like those 80s soaps. You know, the end of season cliffhanger. But instead of waiting until the end of summer, we have to wait a year to find out who really did it!

Sisterhood Everlasting - Ann Brashares

I remember reading The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants in my early twenties. I really enjoyed the series. I liked the idea of these four lifelong friends and their connection. And when book 4 came to an end, I was ok with that. I was even ok with how the movie version put books 2-4 into one movie.

And then I saw this. Sisterhood Everlasting takes place ten years later. The girls are almost thirty. I guess that means they are no longer girls. Lena lives a solitude life. She teaches. She paints. She pines over her lost love. Bree is still the fun loving girl who needs to move. A lot. Carmen is a famous actress living in New York engaged to, well... let's be honest, he's an arse. And Tibby. Well two years ago Tibby and Brian moved to Australia. She hasn't been in touch much. And this brings sadness to everyone. Even the reader.

But then, our three friends receive a letter from Tibby. She has arranged a trip for them all to Greece. Just like they had done ten years ago. Each girl is excited for the same, but different reasons. And our friends' lives are utterly changed by what happens in Greece.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. But what happens in Greece alters the lives of our four friends.

I'll admit, I was a little weary of reading this book, no matter how excited I was. Reunion books can sometimes let you down. But I devoured this one. I loved it. Maybe it's because of the week I've had. But this book seemed perfect to me.

The Curse of Tenth Grave - Darynda Jones

Our favourite Grimm Reaper/Private Investigator is back. And by back, I mean Charley has regained her memory and is back home with her loved ones. And her not so loved ones.

Charley is back at work, aiding a man wrongfully arrested for murder. She's out to find out the reason behind a "curse" that has children falling ill and dying at an orphanage. She's plotting a way to get Beep back. She's trying to figure out how to trap not one, but three malevolent god.

Yes, our dear Charley is back. And better than ever!

An Author's Odyssey - Chris Colfer

An Author's Odyssey is book five in Chris Colfer's Land of Stories series. When the series first began, he brought us to the land of fairy tales. Slowly, he introduced other elements of literature, that gets one excited, not just about his books, but for the literature that exists.

In this one, we see a combination of our favourite fairy tales characters, some literary characters and now Connor has brought his own characters to life. A character who creates characters! Gotta love it!!

When we last saw our heroes, the Masked Man had gathered all the most villainous villains for modern day literature to take over the Fairy World. Connor realizes that the way to fight the Masked Man's army is to gather one of his own, from his own short stories. So he and Alex set out to enter the world of Connor's imagination and bring these characters to life, to fight the battle to end all battles.

The bulk of this book is spent with Connor entering his stories and we see more of his growth. He is no longer the lazy boy from book 1. We also see Alex soften a little. She was always, to me, the "chosen one". She was a gifted student. She became an apprentice to the fairy godmother and then one herself. I don't think she ever truly appreciated Connor or noticed his qualities. I also loved how their mother and step-father were willing to babysit all the characters as Connor brought them home.

Now to wait another year before the battle begins....

Blood Ecstasy - Tessa Dawn

Tessa Dawn has created a fabulous world filled with vampires, good and bad, and she never fails to disappoint.

In Blood Ecstasy we meet Julien Lacusta, Master Warrior in the House of Jadon. But he is also troubled. Haunted by the dreams of his brother killing his mother, and he not having done anything to save her, he turns to heroin. Yes, that's right. A vampire on drugs!

Rebecca Johnston has demons of her own. She's running away from her stalker ex-boyfriend and lives her life in fear.

Meeting a drugged out warrior vampire who claims to be your destiny is not exactly something she wants in her calm life.

Can you blame her?

While Julien fights his inner demons and comes to terms with the return of his "Dark" brother,  Rebecca fights her attraction to another bad boy.

Can they find their way to each other and not let their own demons get the better of them?

Return to the Isle of the Lost - Melissa de la Cruz

On our way back from Vegas, Ethan saw this book at the airport and asked if I'd buy it for him. After reading it, he asked me to please read it too. Who am I to refuse?

This is definitely a book for the young. It takes place after the Disney Movie, The Descendants.

Mal, Evie, Carlos and Jay have found their place in Auradon. They are good. They are happy. They are settled.

But then, each of them receive strange messages telling them to return to the Isle. Upon their return, they learn of a group called the Anti-Heroes who believe that just because their parents were evil, they are not destined to follow this path. But there are also those who want evil to prevail.

Our four friends are set on a quest within the Endless Catacombs of Doom. They are each tasked with finding their parent's talisman to prevent them from returning to power. Each task forces them to face their true fears. The doubts they have about who they are and what they are.

For the pre-teen Disney fan, it's a great book that continues the story of the children of villains. And if they saw the movie, it's an extension to the story.

Morning Star - Pierce Brown

I absolutely loved Golden Son and was utterly heartbroken with it's ending. I was so invested in Darrow, that I could not handle how it ended, I needed a break before starting Morning Star. And even once I started it, I had to go about it slowly, doing the whole Friends-Joey-book-in-freezer thing. But I plowed through. I survived the many heart attacks it provided. And I'm so happy I did.

When we last saw Darrow, he had been captured. Betrayed. All was lost. We begin Morning Star not shortly after this. Oh no. But almost a year later. Yes, that's right. For almost a year our dear Darrow has been tortured!

But finally, he is saved. And once this happens, our story begins.

Just like the others books, this one is filled with action. We have war, loss, betrayal. We have family, love and reunions. We see Darrow struggle with what he still wants to fight for, with his own struggle of whether or not he is worthy.

The Beast - JR Ward

Ok, ok, I know, I know. I read this ages ago, but got a little lazy with my blog writing. Time to catch up.

The Beast is all about Rhage and Mary. Yes, they got their HEA, but that doesn't mean their story has ended. It continues. It grows.

This is probably one of The WARDen's most predictable books, but it is wonderful nonetheless.

This is a book that will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will make you sigh. It is funny, sexy and heartwarming.

Rhage contains the beast. He's a Brother. A fighter. But there's something that causes him to feel insecure. He makes a stupid choice that nearly costs him his life, and he's fully aware of what he did.

Mary is his beloved shellan. If/when Rhage passes, she will join him into the Fade. That was the deal they made with the Scribe. But when it looks like his time has come, Mary fights to keep him, because there's a part of her that needs to stay here.

Both feel guilty over their decision. And they need to learn how to find their way back to each other. They learn what's missing and how to fix it.

And while I love their story, let's not forget the others. We learn more about Assail and OMG, I love him! There's more to V, and who doesn't want more of him.

The only downside, is I'm not a Layla fan, and this book made me dislike her even more. But have no fear, I'll still read The Chosen when it comes out.

Leap of Faith - Jamie Blair

I am a huge Dawn Rae Miller fan. So much so, that I stalk her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. I giggle anytime she comments on one of my Twitter or Instagram posts.

She co-wrote a new series I'm enjoying, with Jamie Blair. I had never heard of Jamie Blair. But then I learnt that she wrote one of my favourite characters from that book, so I had to read something of hers.

She's amazing. She sent me a copy of Leap of Faith so I could read one of her books. It's gotten mixed reviews on Goodreads, so I wasn't sure what to expect.

Leap of Faith doesn't have a slow beginning. The action starts right away. Your emotions are tested right away.

Faith is 17 and lives with her awesome sister and horrible mother. Her mother agrees to be a surrogate for some shady people, and really doesn't take care of herself. Faith decides she needs to save this baby. So when her sister is born, Faith takes her and is on the run.

She becomes 19 year old teenager mom Leah. And she finds what she's never had before. A family. People who care for one another. People who look out for one another. It's like a dream.

What I love the most about Dawn Rae Miller is her ability to make you connect to her characters. And Blair has that same, or maybe better, ability. The whole time I read this book, I wanted to give Faith/Leah a hug. I wanted to tell her not to worry. I wanted to help ease her pain.

Thank you for not just a great read, but for sharing it with me.

Second Life - SJ Watson

Meet Julia.

She's a photographer. She takes portraits, although once, she took photographs as a form of art and expressing herself.

She's married to a wonderful husband. But she's remembering a lot about a past love.

She was once very close to her sister. But over the last few years, they've grown apart.

And then her sister is murdered. Julia visits her sister's roommate and learns more about Kate than she thought she would. She now feels compelled to "help" solve the murder.

Kate was involved in online "dating", so Julia goes online, in hopes of learning more about her sister, and possibly what happened to her. But the more she digs, the more she's dragged into this new life. This second life.

Now Julia finds herself leading two separate lives. She's loosing control of her real life. And is she really any closer to learning the truth?

The Wave - Todd Strasser

I don't think I ever read this book in school. I do remember seeing my high school put on a stage production of this. I'm not sure what made me think of it, but thought I'd give it a try.

The Wave is based on a true incident that occurred in a history class in Palo Alto, California in 1969.

Ben Ross is a high school, teacher at Gordon High School. He shows his students a video of Hitler as part of their studies on WWII. His students are mortified. They cannot understand how everyone accepted this view. They question how this could happen. They are convinced, it could never happen again.

So the next day, Ben introduces his students to discipline. And strength. And later action. He creates a symbol (the wave) and even has a salute. Soon, his students are recruiting new members. While they are disciplined and getting through their work, they are starting the threaten those that do not want to be a part of their group. They are excluding others. They have... become what they felt would never happen.

While not the best books ever written, the idea and what occurs is not just something you can see, it's something that is happening. It's something to be concerned about.

Moral of the story; if in your heart it feels wrong, then it is wrong.

Murder Madness Such Sweet Sadness - Jamie Blair & Dawn Rae Miller

I had a fabulous weekend. We saw some animals, and I got a lot of reading done. Murder Madness Such Sweet Sadness was the perfect book to read. It's funny, thrilling, mysterious. and an easy read for the weekend.

MMSSS begins with Val in jail. She's spent a week here. She's been arrested for the murder of Jackson. But after a week, she is set free. And Jackson's murderer continues to walk free.

Val, Haddie, Reggie, and Livie. Four girls, who seem to have nothing in common. Well other than they were all involved with Jackson. Oh, and they all have secrets they would prefer were kept that way.

But suddenly there's the appearance of The Fifth. She knows their secrets and is happy to share them with everyone. The girls are now thrown together to discover who The Fifth is. They are determined to find Jackson's killer. And to keep their secrets safe.

What can I say, other than I loved this! It's one of those fun books. You laugh with them. Roll your eyes at their utter stupidity. You also wonder who the real killer is; Marucs? (But he gets killed. Spoiler alert) Livie's mom? Haddie's dad? Val's boyfriend (Bet you didn't think of that one!) The Fifth?

Golden Son - Pierce Brown

Ok, I'm still heartbroken over the ending, so I'll be keeping this one short.

Golden Son is part two of the Red Rising series. Darrow is now part of the Golds, the ruling class, but his enemies are out to get him.

Darrow is forced to betray friends, confide in friends, and make friends with the enemy. He is torn between his love for Eo, and his new love for his friends and Mustang.

This book is  heart wrenching. It will tear you in all directions. These are not characters in a book. They are real.

And once I've recovered, I'll pick up the final book and see how it all ends.

Wish me luck.

A Man Called Ove - Fredrik Backman

Where do I begin? OMG, this book was fabulous! It has to be one of the best books I've read. I would say this year but it's only March, but guaranteed, come December, I will still say this was the best book I've read.

Simply put, this is a nice story.

It makes you laugh. It makes you cry. It is filled with lOVE.

Meet Ove. He is described as a curmudgeon. While he sees black and white, his wife saw colour. He is the kind of man who will point to people he does not like, as if they were up to no good. He likes routines. He is known as bitter by his neighbours. He drives a Saab. Anything else means you're stupid!

And while you think I'm asking you to read a book about a cranky old man, this book is also filled with saddness. And it's filled with joy.

Ove likes his routine. And he has a plan. And it all gets turned upside down when a young couple and their two little girls move next door. They drive a uHaul (no cars allowed in the residential area) and run his mailbox over. And, a beautiful, yet strange, friendship begins.

All I can really say about this book is you need to read this book!!!!!

Broken Harbor - Tana French

"This case should have gone like clockwork. It should have ended up in the textbooks as a shining example of how to get everything right. By every rule in the book, this should have been the dream case."

Scorcher Kennedy and his rookie partner, Richie are called out to Broken Harbor. A family was attacked in their home. In the middle of the night. The father, and two young children are dead. The wife is rushed to the hospital, and is in intensive care.

At first glance, it looks like the husband/father lost it and killed everyone before killing himself. But according to Jenny's sister, Fiona, they were in love. Everything was perfect.

As Kennedy and Richie continue their investigation, things don't add up. Fiona is too eager to jump to everyone's defence. What is she hiding? When Jenny regains consciousness, she's also hiding something. But what? Why won't she help them find who did this to her family?

If Pat Spain didn't kill his family, then who? The crazy neighbours next door? The mysterious man that was spying on the Spains? And what would the motive be?

And all the time Kennedy spends on this case, he also has his, can I say bi-polar(?), sister to look after.

It should have been easy. But it is not.

Never Never Part Three - Colleen Hoover & Tarryn Fisher

Ok, I'll admit, I've been waiting for this book. I thoroughly enjoyed the first two, and could not wait to see how it all ends.

In Part One, we meet Charlie and Silas. At 11:00am, one day at school, they suddenly realize they have no memory. They do not know who they are, where they are, or what's going on. They learn about each other, and learn they are in the same predicament.

In Part Two, Silas "awakes" in his car with no memory but surrounded by notes that tells him he's lost his memory again. He learns about Charlie, but she's gone missing. He needs to find her, and find out what's happening.

So now comes Part Three. Charlie and Silas are together in a motel room when it happens again. Only this time, Silas remembers the last 48 hours. But only the last 48 hours, and Charlie still remembers nothing.

As they continue to learn about their past, Silas decides that this all happened because they are soul mates, and by breaking up, they made this happen. So, not only do they try to learn what they were like before, they need to learn how to fix it, Silas needs to get Charlie to fall in love with him, oh and they have like 48 hours to do this.

While it was fun reading how Silas tried to get Charlie to fall in love with him, there seemed to be more missing. Charlie learns more about herself and her father. But a lot of this seemed to be passed over, and not dealt with.

But, I started my Sunday afternoon feeling overwhelmed with all sorts of things going on. I decided to turn everything off, and read a book. And since this relieved a lot of my stress and made me feel happy, I've decided to focus on the good stuff about the book, and not worry about the unanswered questions.

The Dirt on Ninth Grave - Darynda Jones

Welcome to Sleepy Hollow, New York, where Janey Doer (because Jane Doe is too boring) lives and works as a waitress. She has no memory of who she is or where she came from.

Her best friend, Cookie, is also new there, having recently moved with her husband Robert. Garrett is a wonderful customer that comes into the diner every single day. Reyes is beyond gorgeous and Janey is immediately attracted to him.

But with no memory, Janey isn't away that she's really Charley and these are all her dearest friends, keeping watch over her.

And since she doesn't know who she is, she has no idea why she sees dead people. Or how she can read the emotions of others. But even with her memory loss, she will still go out of her way to help those in need, even if it means nearly getting killed herself.

I loved how, even though she was not Charley, she still was Charley. She has evil demons after her (but has no idea why). She gets herself in all kinds of trouble trying to help a family. She deals with evil baby killing ghosts, and even tries to play matchmaker.

I really wasn't sure what to expect with this one, but Darynda Jones does not let you down.

Red Rising - Pierce Brown

Red Rising was released 2 years ago. How could I not know that? Somehow this managed to slip my radar. But I found it. And oh, am I glad I did!

Meet Darrow. He's a Red, the lowest class "citizen" in a futuristic coloured-coded society. The Reds are miners on Mars. They believe they serve a greater purpose. They are making Mars livable for future generations.

But then Darrow and his wife are arrested for entering a garden they are forbidden to. During their punishment, Darrow's wife, Eo, sings the forbidden song. Her punishment is death.  Reds are not allowed to bury their loved ones, but Darrow cannot handle the thought of his wife not getting what she deserves. This means death for him.

But Darrow is saved. And he is shown the great lie. Mars is livable. There are cities that prosper. The colours live wonderful lives, while the Reds are slaves. He is told he's the chosen one. Chosen by Ares himself to bring justice for all Reds.

Darrow is transformed into a Gold. This transformation is painful, but is nothing compared to what he will face.

Darrow is sent to infiltrate the prestigious Institute, the training academy that produces all the top leaders of Society. His job is to rise as high as he can within the Gold ranks. The only catch, is he must survive the Institute and all the tests thrown at him.

Darrow is a wonderful character. He is torn between who he is, who he believes his wife wanted him to be, and who he feels he's become. He makes friendships, but knows one day, this friends will be his enemy. He struggles with being true to himself, and being true to his disguise.

The best part of not knowing about this trilogy until now, is I don't have to wait a year for book 2!