Water For Elephants - Sara Gruen

Definitely one of the better books I have read.

While Gruen moves us around in time, we always know exactly where we are in the story. This is a real gift. Often when reading other amateur reviews of other books, the confusion over back and forth time lines creeps up often. It simply never happens in this book.

This book chronicles one man's love for a woman, for animals, and for the circus. His loving nature is a stark contrast for the cut-throat world of the old fashioned train circus, and the often brutal men who lived and worked it.

Gods Behaving Badly - Marie Phillips

A perfect summer read!

Light and humorous, this book was ideal for summer reading.

Imagine, gods and godesses of Greek and Roman Mythology, sharing a home in modern day London! (I would have never imagined of Aphrodite being a phone sex operator!) Add a few quirky mortals to the mix and you have "Gods Behaving Badly".

We Are All The Same - Jim Wooton

This book was very touching.

The story is of a young boy, born in Africa with HIV. By chronicling his life, Wooten allows us to read of the daily struggle of so many people who live with HIV/AIDS in a country that ignores their plight. From the loss of his birth family when his mother becomes to sick to care for him, his subsequent "adoption" by his foster family, to his struggle for for the simple right to attend school. This young boy was brave enough to speak in opposition to his government's AIDS policy (which was to say that it does not exist despite having the highest infection rates in the world).

Reading this book, puts a very real face on the AIDS pandemic in Africa. That face is the young, brave, warm, loving face of the late Xolani "Nkosi Johnson".

The Alexandria Link - Steve Berry

I have always liked Steve Berry's novels. They are great page turners.

Berry always builds such exciting works of fiction, based on historical fact. I'm not much of a history buff, so I always manage to learn a little something from these books as well.

This novel is written around the story of the lost library of Alexandria.