The Other Eden By Sarah Bryant.

Author: Sarah Bryant
ISBN: 978-1-905005-11-6
Genre: Fiction
Pages:459
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Snowbooks


"Devastated by the death of the beloved grandfather who raised her, precocious young pianist Eleanor Rose heeds the words of the unknown woman in her dream. Leaving the security of her privileged life in Boston, she heads for Eden's Meadow, a Louisiana estate which she has never seen, and which has been closed since her grandmother died there mysteriously twenty-five years earlier. She longs for a tranquil haven, in which to nurse her grief and concentrate on her music, and at first Eden's Meadow seems to be just that. But Eleanor's shocking discovery of a forgotten painting, the timely arrival of a letter from a man who seems to hold the answers to the questions it raises, and her growing love for an enigmatic Russian musician draw her into a labyrinth of past and present deception, which ultimately threatens her sanity and her very life."


I was very kindly sent this book for 'free' by Snowbooks, and as soon as it came through the post, I began reading it. I loved the cover of this book and knew I was in for a treat.

It's the first time I have read a novel like this. I am a big fan of Historical fiction, but I have never read a novel that contained information on Classical music. I'm not really even a fan of Classical music and yet, I found myself completely taken in with this book.

The author described the surroundings with a lot of detail and I was taken in by the story, I felt as though I was there with them, and I was living Eleanor's life with her, going through each trial in trying to solve her Mothers past. In the chapters when Alexander and Eleanor played the Piano together and also at other times on their own, I was taken in by this and I was able to visualise the effect the music had on them, it seemed to reach out to me. This was one of my most favourite parts of the book. I'm now considering listening to some Classical music. See what this novel has done to me! ;)

I could go on to describe lots more about this book, both Eve and Elizabeth play an important part in this novel, but to go on would only give the plot away and possibly ruin it for others.

For me this book was a beautiful love story that I didn't want to end, but it was also sad. If you like novels that contain history, hauntings, suspense and romance, then this book is for you.

This is one of the best books I have read this year. I will definitely be reading more by this author.

Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Author: Gregory Maguire
ISBN: 0-7553-3160-5
Genre: Fiction
Pages:495
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Review


"An astonishingly rich re-creation of the land of Oz, this book retells the story of Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, who wasn't so wicked after all. Taking readers past the yellow brick road and into a phantasmagoric world rich with imagination and allegory, Gregory Maguire just might change the reputation of one of the most sinister characters in literature."


I borrowed this book from my sis, after she had read it and loved it. I'd seen some other people I know have read it too, so I wanted to check it out. It's the first book I've read from this author.
This is one book I will not allow my sis to sell at one of her boot sales, it has to stay on her book shelf!!!! LOL

As you can tell I loved this book. I wasn't quite sure what to expect at first? I knew it was about The Wicked Witch of the West from the movie The Wizard of Oz, we all loved so much as children. As I read the book I began to fall in love with Elphaba, and I loved reading about every minute of her life in this novel. I also became really fond of Fiyero, Glinda, Nanny and Doctor Dillamond. Basically I loved them all really! Except the Wizard........ Hmmmm.

This novel is different to the movie, and it is really a book for adults, and is a tale from the side of: The Wicked Witch of the West. For me this book was a light, enjoyable, cosy read. It was a book that I loved snuggling up to on my bed or in the bath to read. I just loved entering their world. However, I know that some people have said it wasn't a light read for them as it contained political issues (personally I hate politics in real life). I guess this is where we all differ, and what a boring place it would be if we all agreed on everything.

There wasn't a boring moment in this book, it was exciting, emotionally moving and funny.
I haven't seen the Musical, may be one day I will?

So to sum this book up, it was and is.. EXCELLENT!
I'll be reading more from this author! ;)

Holy Fools by Joanne Harris

Author: Joanne Harris
ISBN: 0-552-77001-9
Genre: Fiction
Pages:383
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Black Swan


"Set in seventeenth-century France against a backdrop of witch trials, regicide and religious frenzy, this is the story of Juliette, one-time actress and rope-dancer. Forced by circumstance to seek refuge with Fleur, her young daughter, in the remote abbey of Sainte Marie-de-la-Mer, Juliette reinvents herself as Soeur Auguste under the tutelage of the kindly Abbess. But times are changing: the murder of Henri IV becomes the catalyst for massive upheaval in France. A new appointment is made, and Juliette's new life begins to unravel. For the new Abbess is Isabelle, the eleven-year-old child of a corrupt, noble family. Worse, Isabelle has brought with her a ghost from Juliette's past, masquerading as a cleric, a man she has every reason to fear..."

Being a Joanne Harris fan, I was really looking forward to reading this book. One of the things I like in her books is she writes about paganism. She is my most favourite author of pagan fiction. However, this is not one of my favourite books.

I liked the main character Juliette, I felt for her at times and was enjoying her story. I felt like I could connect with her and visualise what was going on around her. I really liked her.

Lemerle, I didn't connect with. I found his part in the story interesting and wanted to read more, but he didn't 'grab' me.

The abby with the other Nuns, I didn't really feel I could connect with. I found this part of the story hard to get into.

Basically the story is set in the seventeenth century when witch trials were taking place. Juliette who is part of a traveling circus, is forced to take cover in an Abby with her daughter Fleur. Lemerle a man, from her past turns up and he takes Fleur away from her mother. Juliette's struggle to get her daughter back begins.

I'm glad I read this book, there were times I felt it was boring in places and hard to get into, and so I didn't feel like carrying on with it. But, there was something there that made me want to pick the book up to find out more. So I kept with it.

So to sum it up, it was an OK read. Not one of my favourites. One that will sit on my shelf till I read it again. I sort of feel like this is the sort of book I'd enjoy more the second time around.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (Audio)

A Christmas Carol

"A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, a time-honored classic, follows Ebenezer Scrooge's tranformation from a selfish and bitter man to a generous benefactor after he is visited by a series of ghosts.Scrooge, having gone to sleep, is first visited in his sleep by the Ghost of Christmas Past, a phantom who enkindles in him regret of his former lack of compassion. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge Christmas as it would unfold the next day, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come leads Scrooge through a series of scenes involving an unsympathetic creditor who turns out to be Scrooge himself. A changed man, Scrooge shares his newfound Christmas spirit, much to the wonder of others, and in the years that follow he honors Christmas with all his heart."

This is my second Audio Book, and I have to say I really did enjoy it. I don't have much experience with narrators having heard just two audio books, so I'm not sure what is supposed to be good and what isn't in an narrator? The narrator with this audio book, was good I thought. He used different voices for each character, although at times I wanted to laugh at some of them. I just thought a couple of the voices he did were funny, as they seemed to change accent too. However, that didn't ruin it for me, as I really enjoyed listening.

I hadn't read A Christmas Carol before, although I've seen different version of the movie. A Christmas Carol is my most favourite Christmas movie. So when I saw this as an audio book, I downloaded it, put it onto my MP3 player and began listening when I was cooking dinner or doing the gardening. I enjoyed every minute of it, I was able to visualise what was being read, and I felt a part of the book. Listening to this also got me a bit emotional, as I went through each journey with Scrooge. When some lines were said like when the Spirit of Christmas Present says to Scrooge about tiny Tim.;

``If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, none other of my race,'' returned the Ghost, ``will find him here. What then? If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.''

Scrooge hung his head to hear his wn words quoted by the Spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief.

This really got me choked. And also after he has been visited by all three Spirits, and wakes up on Christmas day, a changed man, that got me emotional too.

Over all, I loved this audio book, it was a free download and the quality of the sound was brilliant! There are some free audio books out there on the net, where the sound quality is appalling. But it just goes to show that if you search, you can find some great free audio books to start of with. I'm definitely a fan of them now and will hunt some down in my shops soon.

Embraced by the Light by Bettie J Eadie

Author: Bettie J Eadie
ISBN: 9781882723003
Genre: Spiritual, Non Fiction
Pages:147
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Gold Leaf Press

I got this book as it was recommend to me, as I am very interested in Near death Experiences.
I was told it was a wonderful book and so I wanted to find out for myself.
It took me 3 days to read this book, I was hooked from the first page, to the last and felt sad when I got to the last page as I wanted the book to go on and on...

It is about a lady, Betty J. Eadie, who after having an operation to have a hysterectomy she died and had the most wondeful experience she never believed could happen.
She had a journey in the spirit realm, one she will never forget.
She met Jesus and learnt many things about earth and who we are.
If you are interested in Near Death Experiences, I highly recommend this book.

It is quite a small book, with 20 chapters which hold so much information that may change your life!

How to catch Fairies by Gilly Sergiev

Author: Gilly Sergiev
ISBN: 1-84181-164-5
Genre: Spiritual
Pages:128
Format: Hardback
Publisher: GODSFIELD

This is a beautiful hard back book, with 128 pages within it.

This is one of my favourite books I own, fairies are a subject that are close to my heart and this book contains many beuatiful pictures inside.

The Book starts of with an introduction to faeries and Gilly's experience with them, how she began to see and feel their presence and the effect they have had on her life. She then carries on with explanations of what faerie land is.

Merlin, Morag Le Fay, The Green man and The fisher king are mentioned in here. With information on what Faerie rings, faerie food, and fey festivals also packed with different types of faerie's and how you can catch them. Not too sure I want to catch a faerie myself, I'd rather want one to come to me. ;)

Over all, this is an informative book for those interested in faeries, with many beautiful pictures. I would recommend to everybody who are interested in the Fae. Children will love it too.

Simply Reiki written by Lynne and David Evans

Author: Lynn & David Evans
ISBN: 0-646-28137-2
Genre:Self Help, Spiritual
Pages:88
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Mountains Reflections



This book looks very pretty on the outside, it has a sky blue back ground and the title of the book is in yellow, the colours really do complement each other. The title of the book is called Simply Reiki written by Lynne and David Evans.

It is about the Usui system of Natural Healing. There are 11 Chapter's in this book; the first take's you through how Lynne and David Evans discovered Reiki. It tells the story of how Lynne was an active person who used to take part in competing in Triathlon's and then feel ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ( M.E)

She suffered from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and they discovered Reiki in which she was able to heal herself with the help of David and friend's. She no longer suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome.

The book explains what Reiki is and goes into detail about Reiki, explaining what it feel's like to receive Reiki and who can become a Reiki channel and how Reiki differs from other form's of spiritual healing etc.

It goes on to tell the story of how Dr Mikao Usui re-discovered Reiki and goes on to talk about his successor's in Reiki.
Dr Chujiro Hayashi and Hawayo Takata. They explain how to use Reiki, the basic treatment, precaution's, self treatment and goes on to explain Meditation and Auric healing.

There is a chapter on balancing the Chakras and when to know to do this, although it does explain you cannot learn how to balance the Chakras from this book. Lynne and David explain that you need to be shown by someone with experience, a Reiki master. They go on to explain what each Chakra is used for.

Lynne and David tell of the Reiki precept's....Just for today do not worry, do not anger, honour your parent's teacher's and elder's, earn your living honestly, and show gratitude to every living thing.
They go into detail with this explaining what each one mean's.

The last chapter of this book is about Lynne and David's students and people that were just attuned to Reiki, who experienced miracles. I loved reading this chapter and how these people were able to heal others and the satisfaction they experienced with being able to help people.

Over all I love this book, I have read it and am reading it again. It's one of those book's you just can't put down, you have to read over and over again, it make's you feel closer to Reiki.

It explained Reiki very well and helped me to understand it so much more. For anyone just starting to learn about Reiki and for anyone who is interested about finding out about Reiki. I would highly recommend this book.

Lynne and David found my review on another site a few years ago, and they emailed me to say thank you. I was over the moon when they did.

LIFE AFTER DEATH by by Neville Randle

I wrote this review a few years ago. There's no picture of the book as I can't find it anywhere in the net or on Amazon play etc....

Author: Neville Randle
ISBN: N/A
Genre: Non Fiction
Pages:N/A
Format: Paperback
Publisher: N/A

The book that shatters every myth about mortality.

I borrowed this book of my sister, as I am interested about life after death. It is something I have been interested in for a while now.

This book takes you into conversations mediums George Wood and Betty Greene had with spirits from the other side. Voices of the spirits were recorded onto tape. Some of the famous are claimed to have come through from the other side sharing their experiences with them. From Oscar Wilde, Cosmo Gordon Lang, former Archbishop of Canterbury, Mahatma Gandhi are a few.

This book covered what happens to our spirits as we die, where we go and what we do on the other side. How we meet our favourite pets again and how we meet our loved one. It also talks about how we can still eat and wear clothes as when we first pass over, we still feel we need these things but eventually realise they are earthly things and we don’t need them in the spirit world. Houses are said to be solid, there are colleges to go and study, theatres and more……. There is a lot to this book, however I felt there were some useless conversations in here, they seemed to go over the same thing again and again which got quite boring. But saying that I am pleased I read it as it did answer some questions for me and for anyone interested in life after death, then this book is good as a starter.

Reiki Healing and Harmony Through The Hands by Tanmaya Honervogt

I wrote this review a few years ago.

Author: Tanmaya Honervogt ~ Reiki Master/Teacher.
ISBN: 1-85675-039-6
Genre: Self Help, Spiritual
Pages:144
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Gaia

This is a fairly large book with in total a 143 pages.
This book starts off with an explanation about the book and then goes into an introduction to Reiki.

In the first chapter Tanmaya explains her path with Reiki and how she became a Master/Teacher. Telling her story about how Reiki found her and how it has affected her life, also she says where she teaches Reiki now.

Chapter Two is about the Meaning of Reiki.
It goes into detail what Reiki is, how we can use Reiki and what Reiki does, also how Reiki effects our emotions.
It explains the Chakra’s and how Reiki flows through the practitioner into the client.

Chapter Three tells the history of reiki.

Chapter Four explains the Reiki degrees.
Going into detail about what each degree involves, also giving simple breathing exercises to do for sleep and to energize your body.

Chapter Five explains Reiki treatments.
How to give self treatments and how to treat others, also explains meditations, how to harmonize the Chakras and how each Chakra affects our bodies. There is a section that shows you an exercise how to ground.

Chapter Six talks about Reiki in everyday Life.
For example giving Reiki to plants and animals. I know this myself that animals like Reiki as I give Reiki to my friends Cats and they love it.
There is a section explaining First aid using Reiki, going into detail on many situations like, Fear, insect bites, broken bones, burns and sprains, Heart attack and so on…..
This chapter also explains Reiki for stress and emotions, it includes another meditation and goes to explain how to cleanse your room, giving Reiki to food, using Reiki in meditation, how to protect yourself, and many ways how to use Reiki in everyday life, there is so much to this chapter I could go on and on…

Chapter seven is about healing and illness.
This chapter talks about what happens when we are ill and low, how it affects our mental state etc. And includes more meditations.

Chapter Eight is about Reiki practitioners experiences with Reiki, how it has affected their lives and how they have been able to treat themselves, others and animals.

I found this book to be very detailed about Reiki and the Usui system.
It is a wonderful and addictive book to read, I didn’t want to put it down. There are many beautiful pictures in this book, absolutely stunning pictures that can take your breath away. I felt that just about every issue was covered in this book except the Reiki Symbols, they are sacred, so I can understand why they are not listed in here.
In my opinion it is a wonderful book, well worth the money.