I know, I've been slacking when it comes to reading and #50books2014 but honestly, I have been SO busy! The past month or so has been chaos. I've had one illness after another, tonsillitis, chest infections, as well as dealing with my everyday struggle with IIH) and now a sinus infection. The little's have also been poorly and currently H & C have tummy bugs so I haven't had as much time as I would like when it comes to blogging. I am certain everyone understands though.
Anyway, I have a spare ten minutes so I thought I would hop online and share my October book reviews, as well as my November book reviews. I haven't read anywhere near as much as I would like but such is life.

 "Cathy Glass, international bestselling author, tells the shocking story of Zeena, a young Asian girl desperate to escape from her family.


When 14 -year-old Zeena begs to be taken into care with a non-Asian family, she is clearly petrified. But of what?


Placed in the home of experienced foster carer Cathy and her family, Zeena gradually settles into her new life, but misses her little brothers and sisters terribly. Prevented from having any contact with them by her family who insist she has brought shame and dishonour on the whole community, Zeena tries to see them at school. But when her father and uncle find out, they bundle her into a car and threaten to set fire to her if she makes anymore trouble. Zeena is too frightened to press charges against them despite being offered police protection in a safe house.


Eventually, Cathy discovers the devastating truth from Zeena, and with devastation she believes there is little she can do to help her."

First of all I read Cathy Glass' latest book 'The child Bride'

I read this book within two days! Honestly, I couldn't put it down! It's very sad and absolutely heartbreaking but a good ending. It's sad to know just how many child brides there really are in the world and how different certain religions/cultures are to our own. I really felt for Zeena, it was hard to believe she was just a child. Throughout the book, I really got a sense of how she had no choice but to grow up fast. Thank goodness for Cathy is all I can say! I love Cathy's books. I've said it before & I'll say it again - The world needs more people like Cathy. I give this book FIVE stars. It's beautifully written, too.

"The latest title from the internationally bestselling author and foster carer Cathy Glass.

Beth is a sweet-natured child who appears to have been well looked after. But it isn’t long before Cathy begins to have concerns that the relationship between Beth and her father is not as it should be.
Little Beth, aged 7, has been brought up by her father Derek after her mother left when she was a toddler. When Derek is suddenly admitted to hospital with psychiatric problems Beth is taken into care and arrives at Cathy’s.
Beth and her father clearly love each other very much and Derek spoils his daughter, treating her like a princess, but there is something bothering Cathy, something she can’t quite put her finger on.
Meanwhile Cathy’s husband is working away a lot and coming home less at weekends. Then, suddenly, everything changes. Events take a dramatic turn for both Beth and Cathy and her family; as Cathy strives to pick up the pieces all their lives are changed forever"

 I have read just about every book y Cathy Glass. Cathy Glass is a foster parent in UK who has fostered more than 100 children. She is truly very inspirational and the world needs more people like Cathy! 

This story goes back to when Cathy's own children were little. She tells the story of how Beth came to be fostered by her and tells Beths story just perfectly. Although it is sad, (not as sad as some of Cathy's other books, it is still sad though) and my heart goes out to little Beth and her father. I really, really want to write so much about this story but it;s newly released and there are a few people reading this post, that have this on there books lists, so I don't want to ruin it for them. It does have a happy ending for Beth. I learned a lot about Cathy and her how her and her husband broke up in this book, which I have often wondered about whilst reading Cathy's previous books. 
This book is beautifully written, the story is very well told. FIVE stars from me! 



'The harrowing true story of a travelling Irish family bonded by love, broken apart by life, and then betrayed by their carers in a cruel convent in Ireland.
“For those who we lost along the way, I tell this story. For all the children who suffered in this terrible place. For all those I consider my brothers and sisters; the ones who died, the ones who lost their minds, the ones who drown their memories everyday in a bottle of whisky, I tell this for you.
Because in the end we are all brothers and sisters – and if we don’t feel that bond of love between each other, just as human beings, then we are nothing. We are no better than the monsters that ran the convents.”
Based in Ireland in the 1960s and 70s, Kathleen’s story is a story of extreme hardship, suffering and abuse. It is the story of 11 siblings, abandoned by their mother and torn from their father, incarcerated in convents and then driven apart in the cruellest ways imaginable; it is the story of their ruined childhoods and their fight for recompense. But more than that, it is a story of courage, survival and the incredible strength of sibling bonds against overwhelming adversities.
Out of terrible darkness comes a remarkable story. In the tradition of Irish storytelling, Kathleen offers a mesmerising account of her family’s experience.'

Kathleen tells her story of how she was brought up in Ireland during the 1960's & 1970's. It's such a harrowing story, very sad indeed. It is also very inspiring, I hope that makes sense! If you read it, you'll see exactly what I mean! Kathleens story is shocking and very heartbreaking. Kathleen is very brave, she and her siblings had a horrific, abusive childhood.  We learn a lot about her brothers and sisters and her parents, too! I learned a lot about the institutions/convents durring that time. Thankfully they were all shut down in the end.

This book is beautifully written and I could not put it down!I wish Kathleen and her family best of luck for the future. I am really glad I read this book, it opened my eyes to A LOT.


FIVE stars from me.




      
'Since Bob has appeared, I've made huge strides in my life. For more than a decade I was a homeless drug addict. I was lost to the world and had forgotten what was important in life. Now I've got myself back on my two feet, but as I put the past behind me, I'm still stepping unsteadily into the future. I still need help in the right direction. Bob is always there to offer guidance and friendship.' James and his street cat Bob have been on a remarkable journey together. In the years since their story ended in the bestselling A STREET CAT NAMED BOB James, with Bob's help, has begun to find his way back to the real world. Almost every day, Bob provides moments of intelligence, bravery and humour, at the same time opening his human friend's eyes to important truths about friendship, loyalty, trust - and the meaning of happiness. In the continuing tale of their life together James shows the many ways in which Bob has been his protector and guardian angel through times of illness, hardship, even life-threatening danger. As they high five together for their crowds of admirers, James knows that the tricks he's taught Bob are nothing compared to the lessons he's learnt from his street-wise cat'

Last year I read A street cat named Bob. I am a HUGE bob fan, hehe. 'The World According To Bob' is another book about the street cat 'Bob' and his owner 'James'. James was a drug addict who lived on the streets. This book reflects on his life on the streets but it also reflects on his life now. James and the ginger cat 'Bob' are inseperable and I can tell they have an extrmely strong bond by reading this book!  He has a flat and sells 'The Big Issue'. He is also now free of drugs & is completely clean. This story tells little tales of bob and what he gets up, how mischievous bob can be but also what a clever cat he is! It's set in London during the mid 00's (recent!). It's a lovely read, wonderfully written and again I couldn't put it down! 
Is it wrong that I want to go to London just to meet Bob the street cat?! Lol. 
Five stars from me!!  

More book reviews coming soon. 

 Last year I read (I think) 28 or 30 books. I need to add some books to my book list, that I did actually read but forgot to add! Argh! I didn't get to read all the books on my list for one reason or another, there were a few I just couldn't get into for some reason. In 2014 I plan on keeping my book list much more organised and up to date! I also really want to achieve reading fifty books. It's more than possible but I know I don't always get time to read - I need to MAKE time. Time for me. To read, lol. I got a kindle for my birthday last year and I love it so much! It is SO easy to read on and so much better for my eyes, I have trouble reading small print books and it can become very frustrating. I love my kindle ♥

These are some of the books I am hoping to read in 2014.
My list is totally random... 

1)  Captivated by You (crossfire #4) - Sylvia Day (no release date yet) *
2)  Maybe Someday - Colleen Hoover (expected March 2014) *
3)  Trouble - Samantha Towle
4)  The Living Dead Boy - Rhiannon Frater
5)  Uglies - Scott Westerfeld
6)  Adulting: How to Become a Grown-up in 468 Easy(ish) Steps - Kelly Williams Brown
7)  The Husbands Secret - Liane Moriarty
8)  Me Before You - JoJo Moyes
9)  Between Shades Of Grey - Ruta Sepetys
10)  Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs (Miss Peregrine#1)
11)  Hollow City (Miss Peregrine #2) (release date - January 2014) *
Stark Trilogy
12) Release me (stark trilogy #1)
13) Claim me (stark trilogy #2)
14) Complete me (stark trilogy #3)
15) Take me (stark trilogy #3.5) 
Gabriel's Inferno series
16) Gabriel's Inferno (#1)

17) Gabriel's Rapture (#2)
18) Gabriel's Redemption

19) Lusia's Long Journey Home - Lucy Lipiner
20) Remembrance - Caroline Billard
21) Forbidden Strawberries - Cipora Hurwitz
22) Beautiful Wedding - Jamie McGuire 
23) Breaking Twig -  Deborah Eppson 
24) Forbidden Strawberries - Cipora Hurwitz
25) I am Lubo - Lou Pechi
26) In your dreams - Amy Martin
27) The Fault In Our Stars - John Green
28) Scarlett's Secret: A real-life short story - Casey Watson
29) Love - Mary MacCraken
30) Stolen Voices - Terrie Duckett 
31) Little drifters  - Kathleen Story.
32) Daddy's little princess - Cathy Glass
33) Hackney Child - Morag Livingstone 
34) The world according to Bob - James Bowen 
35) Beautiful Oblivion - Jamie McGuire. 
36) Happenstance - Jamie McGuire.



... More to be added...


If you have a suggestion of a book you think I might like or should read, please leave a comment below.

 Feel free to follow me on goodreads and twitter for regular updates about my book list!

Sarah xXx

* = Not released yet.
(I still need to purchase some of the books on my booklist)

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?" 

I'll try not to give too much away!!! 

So if you read my #R2BC post you'll know that on Wednesday some of my family - my mum, step dad, brother, nanna and granddad came over to see me! They treated us to a chinese take out. 'Twas yummy. It was a really nice treat for my birthday and so, so nice  to see everyone, I hadn't seen any of my family since the first week of December! 
 On my birthday (yesterday. I can't believe I'm twenty eight. Time goes so fast) I didn't really do anything during the day, just chillaxed and I had to take E to the doctors because she's hurt her toe and no idea HOW she's actually done it. Two of her toes are swollen, not broken though, thankfully! So the nurse just tapped those together with this really sticky stuff, in hope that it'll help them heel. I wish I knew how she did it. Maybe she did it at school? I don't know. She's not in any pain, which is a good thing! If it's no better within a week I'll take her back to the doctors or if it gets any worse over the weekend then to take her to A&E. Hopefully neither will be the case, I am praying her toe gets better! 
 Anyway, back to my birthday... I got.... A KINDLE FIRE HD!!!!!!!!!!! Best. Present. Ever. Oh my days, I have wanted one for such a long time, I am seriously in love with it, lol! So many amazing apps. I need to add all my books to it tomorrow, hoping I can actually transfer them from my old e-reader to the Kindle Fire HD. I also got some new trainers from the kids (nike ones, my old reebok ones were falling apart), Call The Midwife (series 1) on DVD (yay!) some socks and some pink slippers! My friend brought me some owl socks and an owl key ring which I love and was so thoughtful of her, she knows I have thing about owls lately, hehe. I loved the cake the kids picked for my Birthday. We all enjoyed that, mt best friend came over and sang happy birthday & stayed for cake, too! It really was a good day, best birthday, ever!! I seriously feel so, so lucky! I couldn't have wished for a better Birthday. 


Last night I drank the bottle of wine (since I wasn't on my own!) that my mum gave me for my birthday, omdz, I was am SO hungover today. (I didn't drink the WHOLE bottle) It's weird, even if I only drink one glass of wine, I suffer with a bad hangover. Doesn't matter how much or how little I drink, I still get a hangover. I even drank a pint and a half of water before bed last night. I don't know why I suffer so much, lol! I was fine this morning but now? Ugh. Was nice to let my hair down for a bit. I'm so looking forward to my bed tonight though, lol. Gonna probably chill with my kindle, hehe. I've ordered a charger from E-bay though because the USB lead connected to my laptop takes ages to charge. I do have USB plug but apparently the charger is suppose to charge it faster? Who knows. The charger was cheap so doesn't really matter. Does anyone have any apps, tips or tricks they'd like to share with me?  My brother, SIL and niece popped over this morning for a bit. Was really nice to see them. Aimee, my niece is growing up so fast! She's 18/19 months old now but so clever, she's a little character.  I'll try to do that review for the planner (I won) tomorrow.  Seriously I really love it! Best comp ever, lol! Not much planned for tomorrow.. just the usual Sunday stuff.. A roast dinner, school uniforms to iron, the usual stuff! I am so hoping the weather warms up a little now that March is finally here, I really have had enough of the cold weather now. I want to get out in the garden and mow the lawn, clear the garden up etc. I also want to start walking if I can, sometimes walking helps my headaches if it's not too bright - really must invest in some sunglasses as my other ones have broke! 

Sarah xXx