Topic: Pass your books on
I know most readers can't bear to part with any of their books and I understand the feeling very well as I used to be like that. However, lack of space (English houses are small) necessitates my being brutal and parting with a good portion of my library .

I donate my book overflow to the local charity shops which always makes me feel good. Another idea is to "release" your books as BookCrossing invites you to do, meaning you deliberately leave your books in a public place to be discovered by a lucky person. A new idea but similar to bookcrossing.com is Pass the Book which works in a more personal way. You share your books with your friends and they share with their friends and so on. Each reader in the chain must promise to pass the book on and keep the chain going. Just like bookcrossing, the PasstheBook website also provides directions to copy and print and place inside the book.

Posted by expat-writer at 6:29 PM GMT

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Book Review: Deadly Decisions
Topic: Deadly Decisions
Kathy Reichs is a forensic anthropologist in North Carolina and Quebec in addition to her career as a successful author. She's written a series of novels about a character, Temperance Brennan (Tempe)who also happens to be a forensic anthropologist. Deadly Decisions is the third book in the series, following on from Death du Jour and Deja Dead. Tempe is able to solve crimes scientifically but of course there are always dangers lurking just around the corner.

In my opinion, Kathy Reichs is a far better writer than Patricia Cornwell who writes similar novels in the same genre. Reichs uses her knowledge and experience from her job to add authenticity to the stories and make them more believable and more intense. Saying that, I was just a bit disappointed with this book. I think Kathy Reichs added too much detail and there are times when the plot almost gets lost among all the extra information she wants to share with her reader.

Deadly Decisions is about motorcycle gangs and drugs and murder. The action swings between Canada and the US. It's a good thriller although I feel it's longer than necessary.

One final note: I feel obliged to warn readers to avoid books by Kathy Reichs if they dont like gory descriptions of decomposing bodies!

Topic: The Secret Hour
The Secret Hour by Luanne Rice is a legal, romantic thriller. The story is about John O'Rourke, an attorney defending a serial killer. The lawyer is a widower trying to cope with the demands of his job as well as raising his 11-yr old daughter and 14 yr-old son.

The story starts with a brick through their window (showing the intense feelings aroused because the lawyer is defending a killer) and the arrival of a young woman, Kate Harris. She is searching for her sister and has followed a trail of clues that may or may not point to the same killer John is defending.

This is the first book I've read by Luanne Rice and I had high expectations because she is a bestselling author of numerous novels. Unfortunately, my expectations weren't fully met. A lot of the story is too predictable and I think the author took too long to create a feeling of suspense.

If you want to read a romance with a bit of suspense mixed in, this is for you. If you are looking for a nail-biting thriller, I would give it a miss.

Topic: Turning the Pages
Another feature on offer from the British Library has been available since last year (April 2004) and it's worth reminding people about. Thanks to the internet, the general public have access to rare books and manuscripts through a project called, Turning the Pages. Diamond Sutra which is the world's oldest dated, printed book (a Chinese Buddhist scroll printed in 868) is just one of the remarkable treasures to be viewed. Leonardo's Notebook is another one. In October 2004, an early Jane Austen manuscript was added to the virtual library.

It's as easy as clicking the mouse to virtually 'turn' the pages. This is an incredible scheme and a perfect way to make these literary treasures available to everyone.

The British Library has come up with a clever idea to help preserve old books (and other items such as manuscripts, maps and stamps) by inviting the public to "adopt" a book. You are able to choose a book or item as well as your donation level, which starts at #25. As each level of donation increases, there are additional gifts on offer such as a voucher for a tour of the British Library for two people if you donate #75.

If you are looking for a unique gift idea, Adopt a Book is felicitous. It's ideal for book lovers.

The library is currently suggesting Adopt a Book for a Valentine's Day gift. Now there's a good idea.

Topic: Nights of Rain & Stars
Nights of Rain and Stars is by Maeve Binchy. She's one of my favourite authors. Once again, she has worked her magic with creating a story full of interesting characters. In Nights of Rain and Stars, the story revolves around five strangers meeting in a Greek village and how their lives are changed. It's typical Binchy style so that you really begin to feel like you know the characters and come to care for them. This is a very easy book to read, something to savour and enjoy. It would be an ideal book to take on a holiday.

I just found out that it's National Storytelling Week and that there is an organisation called, The Society for Storytelling. The website reports that over 600 events were organised this year for National Storytelling Week. The events are taking place in theatres, book shops, libraries, schools, museums, arts centres, storytelling clubs, retirement homes and even in pubs.

I'm intrigued by the idea of storytelling clubs. It sounds like a wonderful idea.

In The Times newspaper today, there is a report about how authors want cut of second-hand sales. Apparently the fact that consumers are able to purchase second-hand copies of books, including current bestsellers online or from charity bookshops is a concern for authors because they aren't getting the royalties from these sales.

If new rules were put into place to guarantee authors a share of the second-hand sales, it would take money away from charities such as Oxfam and Barnardo's, both of which do a considerable business from selling second-hand books. In fact, as the article mentions, Oxfam is the largest retailer of second-hand books in Europe.

Topic: Five People...in Heaven
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom is a sweet, thought-provoking story. I think the basic premise though is too simplistic and I wasn't particularly impressed with the book. There has been so much hype about it that I was expecting much more from the story.

"Books are the carriers of civilizations. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill." - Henry David Thoreau

A house without books is like a room without windows. No man has a right to bring up children without surrounding them with books.... Children learn to read being in the presence of books.
-- Heinrich MANN (1871-1950)