Moon Garden by Wendy Mewes

Author: Wendy Mewes
ISBN: 0-9536001-1-4
Genre: Fiction.
Publisher: Red Dog Books


"Moon Garden is a witty and intuitive novel of love, growth and natural magic, the story of one man's struggle to get back on his feet after a string of personal disasters. Amongst other things, Rufus has to cope with a domineering ex-wife, the slipperiest of best friends, a dilapidated cottage bought by mistake and a mad old woman who can read his mind. At least he has a job to go to - but even that turns out to be something quite different to his expectations. As he comes into unwilling contact with the world of witches, Rufus learns that there are many kinds of magic and that love is not always what it seems."

I wanted to read this book a couple of years ago when it was first released. However, when I got this book last week, I was really looking forward to reading it and I have to say, I am so pleased I did.

I found this book to be really enjoyable and fun to read. It was one of those books I found hard to put down. I really liked Rufus and especially Cate. Reading some of the things Rufus got up to made me laugh loads. I loved the descriptions of the surroundings and felt that I was there with them every step of the way. This is such a cozy book, the sort you want to snuggle up with to read, with no interruptions. So I put this put in my Cozy Category along with Joanne Harris & Angela Huth.

Another thing I loved reading in this book was about the pagan way of life, it's so good to read a book that you can relate to and understand. However, there were a couple of characters that made me want to jump in the book and box them, because I became really fond of Rufus hehehe.

My Verdict; A Charming & Cozy Read. I loved it!!!

The Secret of Crickley Hall by James Herbert.

Author: James Herbert
ISBN: 1-4050-0520-3
Genre: Fiction.
Publisher: Macmillan

"The Caleighs have had a terrible year...They need time and space, while they await the news they dread. Gabe has brought his wife, Eve, and daughters, Loren and Cally, down to Devon, to the peaceful seaside village of Hollow Bay. He can work and Eve and the kids can have some peace and quiet and perhaps they can try, as a family, to come to terms with what's happened to them...Crickley Hall is an unusually large house on the outskirts of the village at the bottom of Devil's Cleave, a massive tree-lined gorge - the stuff of local legend. A river flows past the front garden. It's perfect for them...if a bit gloomy. And Chester, their dog, seems really spooked at being away from home. And old houses do make sounds. And it's constantly cold. And even though they shut the cellar door every night, it's always open again in morning..."The Secret of Crickley Hall" is James Herbert's finest novel to date. It explores the darker, more obtuse territories of evil and the supernatural. With brooding menace and rising tension, he masterfully and relentlessly draws the reader through to the ultimate revelation - one that will stay to chill the mind long after the book has been laid aside."


I wanted to read this book after a few people I knew had read it and loved it. So I borrowed it from my sister and was really pleased I had!
For me, so far it has been the best James Herbert book I have read. I found it to go quickly into the story, which for me was really enjoyable. I adored the characters and felt that I was there. I was pretty gripped by this book.
It was pretty scary in places and I wouldn't read in a room on my own, but sometimes I did brave it hehehe.

The book is basically about a family who move into a haunted house, it's haunted by the ghosts of children. I won't say anymore as I don't want to give anything away.

If you're a fan or horror and James Herbert, then I think you'll enjoy this book.

My Verdict: Excellent!

Beloved by Toni Morrison.

Author: Toni Morrison
ISBN: 0-099-27393-4
Genre: Fiction.
Publisher:Vintage

"In the troubled years following the Civil War, the spirit of a murdered child haunts the Ohio home of a former slave. This angry, destructive ghost breaks mirrors, leaves its fingerprints in cake icing, and generally makes life difficult for Sethe and her family; nevertheless, the woman finds the haunting oddly comforting for the spirit is that of her own dead baby, never named, thought of only as Beloved."

I wanted this book after hearing it was one of the top charted books in America. I read the description of the book and it sounded good. I thought I would be getting a bump in the night ghost novel. But this isn't what this book is.

It's a novel about Slavery and what Black people faced and what they went through. The book is about Sethe a woman who murdered her own baby (Beloved) and how she comes back to haunt her. When Paul D (Sethe's friend & partner) comes to stay he frightens the ghost of Beloved away, until one day beloved turns up in the flesh.

This Book was an enjoyable read, at times I did struggle with it a little, but there was always something there that made me want to pick the book up again. I found myself moving fast through it at times and slower at others. I felt that this book wasn't so much about a ghost, but more about love, emotions, feelings and family and the struggle with life.

My Verdict: Enjoyable Read. I would read it again.