Wow. I can't believe it's already December. I have read 28 books this year so far... This month I read A Last Kiss For Mummy by Casey Watson. November was a bit of a manic month for me and I have a funny feeling December is gonna be 50x more chaotic lol.

Emma over at http://bubbablueandme.com has read nearly 50 books! Well done!! This month Emma has read The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand and Finding Emma by Steena Holmes as well as other books, too! Soph over at overtly unaccomplished  has read OVER fifty books this year!! Well done Soph, you have done really well!
Rock and Roll mum has read Thirlls and Giggles this month and Miranada Harts - is it just me. Which is just like the T.V show. I've read this book myself and it is funny! It made Rock and roll mum giggle in placesm too!

If I've missed you out, it's because I couldn't find your post, I am so sorry! (I am having major internet issues tonight!!)  You can add it to the linky below though :-)

Well... I don't think I'll make it to fifty books this year, I think I am nearing 30 though. 
Hopefully I'll squeeze a few more books in before this year is out! We will see. 

image from amazon

A couple of weeks later Casey is in for a second shock when she is asked to take a second nine-year-old boy, Georgie. Georgie is autistic and has been in a children’s home since he was a toddler. The home is closing and social services need somewhere temporary for him to stay. With her own grown up son, Kieron, having Asperger’s (a mild form of autism), Casey knows this is one child she cannot say no to.

The relationship between Jenson and Georgie is difficult from the outset. Jenson is rebellious and full of attitude and he kicks off at anything, constantly winding Georgie up. Georgie doesn’t cope well with change and is soon in a permanent state of stress. Despite Casey’s best efforts, her innate love for the children is being tested and she begins to question if she can handle Jenson’s cruelty.

But overtime it becomes clear that the boys have formed an unlikely bond. Could this be the solution to all of their troubles?" 

A Lucky Child: A Memoir of surviving Auschwitz as a young boy. 
by Thomas Buergenthal 

'Thomas Buergenthal, now a Judge in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, tells his astonishing experiences as a young boy in his memoir A LUCKY CHILD. He arrived at Auschwitz at age 10 after surviving two ghettos and a labor camp. Separated first from his mother and then his father, Buergenthal managed by his wits and some remarkable strokes of luck to survive on his own. Almost two years after his liberation, Buergenthal was miraculously reunited with his mother and in 1951 arrived in the U.S. to start a new life. Now dedicated to helping those subjected to tyranny throughout the world, Buergenthal writes his story with a simple clarity that highlights the stark details of unimaginable hardship. A LUCKY CHILD is a book that demands to be read by all.

Holocaust books are always had to review!
Thomas Buergenthal, now a Judge in the International Court of Justice in The Hague, tells his story of how he survived the concentration camps during world war II. He had already survived two labor camps & ghetto. He's been thru some really horrendous circumstances and situations when he was just a small child. He was a Jew and arrived in Auschwitz aged 10 years old after being separated from his parents. He survived on hos own in the concentration camps by luck. A few people helped him to survive. The camp was eventually liberated and Thomas and a friend he had made in the concentration left together. Eventually Thomas ended up in an orphanidge and his mother found him (again, pure luck!). They were reunited. He left for The United States in 1951 and that is were he spends the rest of his life. 
He tells his story so well and is easy to read. I love the way it's wrote and that he remembers so much! Thomas' story IS sad but it does have a nice ending.
 I learned a lot from reading this book. 
Five stars from me! 



Sarah xXx 

Welcome to the July #50books2013 round up. I'm hosting this months round up as Julie over at Mamaowl has been on holiday and celebrating her daughters birthday 

Two weeks after saying farewell to her first foster child, Casey is asked to look after Sophia, a troubled 12-year-old with a sad past. Sophia’s actions are disturbing and provocative and, before long, Casey and her family find themselves in a dark and dangerous situation.


Two years ago Sophia’s mother had a terrible accident. Sophia has been in care ever since.


Right away, Casey feels something isn’t right. Sophia’s a well-developed girl, who looks more like 18 than 12. She only seems to have eyes and ears for men, and treats all women with contempt and disgust. And she has everyone around her jumping through hoops.


Over time, as more details begin to emerge about Sophia’s past, it becomes clear that her behaviour is a front for an early life filled with pain and suffering. But although Casey feels she is gradually breaking through to Sophia and getting her to open up about things she has never spoken about before, her violence is threatening the safety of the whole family, forcing Casey to question whether she can really handle this lost and damaged girl.Both shocking and inspiring, this true story will shed new light on the extreme and sometimes dangerous nature of foster care" - From GoodReads.com

Little Prisoners by Casey Watson.


"Little Prisoners is a harrowing, yet moving memoir about two innocent and frightened 'unfosterable' children who do not know what it means to be loved.

The shock that strikes Casey and her family when Ashton and Olivia arrive is immeasurable. Two frightened little waifs stand before them, hair running wild with head lice, filthy nails and skin covered in scabs. Ashton, aged nine, and Olivia, aged six, are the eldest of five siblings, taken away from their family because they were considered at risk.

Originally a temporary, emergency placement, the weeks turn into months. And gradually the children start to feel like they truly belong to a family and to reveal the horror of what happened to them" 

This month, I've only read a couple of books (but hey, there's still a few days left, maybe I can squeeze in another book?) Here are my reviews.. 





Firstly, this is kind of a childrens book I guess.

"The niece of Syvia Perlmutter, one of only twelve child survivors of the Lodz ghetto in Poland, shares her aunt's experiences of the Holocaust in free verse that relates the courage and heartbreak she lived during a time of terrible circumstances." 

A holocaust novel, probably wrote for children. I really did enjoy it though. This book was SO sad because obviously it is a true story. It is heartbreaking in places. The young girl (she was 6) tells her story of her surviving the Holocaust. It is so well told and I couldn't put this book down. 
Four stars from me. 





"When James Bowen found an injured, ginger street cat curled up in the hallway of his sheltered accommodation, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change. James was living hand to mouth on the streets of London and the last thing he needed was a pet.

Yet James couldn't resist helping the strikingly intelligent tom cat, whom he quickly christened Bob. He slowly nursed Bob back to health and then sent the cat on his way, imagining he would never see him again. But Bob had other ideas.

Soon the two were inseparable and their diverse, comic and occasionally dangerous adventures would transform both their lives, slowly healing the scars of each other's troubled pasts.

A Street Cat Named Bob is a moving and uplifting story that will touch the heart of anyone who reads it" 

Now anyone who knows me will know how much I love cats. I mean, I REALLY love cats. Like, I spend ages looking thru cat pictures online (Oh I do love Instagram - SOOOOO many cat pictures in one place.) I am cat crazy. I couldn't wait to read this book. Seriously LOVED this book. SO much.. Just WOW. I don't usually read books about animals but this book had me hooked. I really couldn't put it down.
The guy who found this cat was a recovering heroin addicted. The cat "Bob" and the person who found him, kind of found each other. And rescued each other. It made me laugh in places, also made me want to cry in places, too. You really get the feeling of the bond between him and the cat 'Bob'
I could say so much about this book but honestly, I don't want to spoil it for you. I want you to read it! 
If you're ever out on the dtreets of London look out for a man and his ginger tom cat 'Bob', you never know ;) 

Bob is also famous on youtube. here are the search results
And the adaorable kitty is on Twitter.


Cathy is worried as soon as Jade arrives: she’s never looked after a pregnant teenager before, but none of the mother and baby carers free, and – seventeen years old, seven months pregnant and homeless – Jade is in a desperate situation.

But Jade doesn’t want to listen or advice and although her daughter is born safely it isn’t long before Jade’s in trouble with the police.

Cathy knows that Jade loves her daughter with all her heart, but will she be able to get through to Jade in time to make her realise just how much she might lose?" 

- Is someone out there missing them?

- Is there a conspiracy to keep them from knowing the truth?

- What does a 'forever family' mean anyway?

Learn the answers to these questions as you catch a glimpse of the psychological and emotional nightmare that surrounds the search for biological parents.

After decades of fruitless searches for their biological parents, something miraculous happens to open up the door for a reunion to take place. With a name and contact information, would the girls have the courage to reach out to a man who gave them away almost 30 years ago?

Take a ride on an emotional roller coaster with these two sisters as they defy their adoptive family's wishes to search out their birth parents' (from Amazon)