The Rebel Poetess

The Gift, Cecilia Ahern, Harper, 2010. With Christmas approaching faster than I can keep track of, I thought I would review a book which is especially poignant to read during the festive season.   Cecilia Ahern is a writer who can do no wrong – there’s not been a book of hers so far I haven’t enjoyed. The Gift features Lou Suffern, a man with plenty of money, but not enough of the greatest commodity which cannot be bought – time.   Gabe is a homeless man who needs warmth and shelter.   When fate throws them into each other’s paths, neither can guess the impact the other will have on their lives and those around them. Lou has a busy job, and an even busier family life, and he cannot give attention to one without affecting the other.   Gabe on the other hand is something of a mystery to him, especially as he seems to be able to be in two places at once. Once Lou finds out Gabe’s secret he takes advantage of it, but is this really the solution? ...

The Girl on the Train, Paula Higgins, Doubleday, 2015 Rachel gets the same train to work every day, and as many do on their commute, sees the perfect couple out of the window of the train at their home.   She has even made up names for them, Jess and Jason.   A few houses down, she can barely bare to look, as this was the house where she used to live with her ex-husband Tom.   He now lives there with his new wife and their baby.   Jess and Jason seem to live the perfect life, while Rachel’s – it soon emerges – is falling apart. It quickly becomes apparent that Rachel has a drinking problem, and we realise that this has led to the loss of her job.   She actually has no need to get the train every day due to this but can’t seem to keep away from watching Jess and Jason, as well as drunken phone calls to her ex.   But when she sees Jess out of the train window with another man, her idea of the perfect relationship is shattered. One night af...

Diagnosed: My Autistic Author’s Life My name is Kristina, and I’ve always loved books. For as long as I can remember. Seriously, in my baby book, my mom recorded my first phrase as being “I want book.” I can’t remember learning how to read because I was always able to, as far as my memory can go back. And I’ve always loved writing. My first-grade teacher told me I was going to write books someday. Now, I’ve so far signed three contracts with the small Canadian publisher Sands Press for my books Slow Echoes, Gold Silence, and Sole Voices, the first three in the Post Worlds series, about an Egyptian-goddess descendant who falls in love with a boxer despite supernatural challenges prying them apart. But for a while, writing was very difficult. I’ve only recently started getting back into the habit again. Severe depression, anxiety, and OCD had been building over many years until one day I had a panic attack right in the middle of my shift as a jewelry salesperson that sent me...