In Jacqui's CD Player ...

Just started listening to ... Fallen by Lauren Kate
Synopsis:  Seventeen-Year-Old Luce is a new student at Sword & Cross, an unwelcoming boarding/reform school in Savannah, Georgia. Luce’s boyfriend died under suspicious circumstances, and now she carries the guilt over his death with her as she navigates the unfriendly halls at Sword & Cross, where every student seems to have an unpleasant—even evil—history.

It’s only when she sees Daniel, a gorgeous fellow student, that Luce feels there’s a reason to be here—though she doesn’t know what it is. And Daniel’s frosty cold demeanor toward her? It’s really a protective device that he’s used again ... and again. For Daniel is a fallen angel, doomed to fall in love with the same girl every 17 years ... and watch her die. And Luce is a fellow immortal, cursed to be reincarnated again and again as a mortal girl who has no idea of who she really is.

Just finished listening to ... Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Synopsis:  For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf, her wolf, is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human ... until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

About the Author: Maggie Stiefvater (born 1981) is an American author of young-adult/urban fantasy novels. She currently lives in Virginia. She attended Mary Washington College, graduating with a BA in history.  After graduating, she worked as a portrait artist, specializing in equestrian art and her art was collected internationally. She is married with two children.

Jacqui's Review: OK ... I am a self confessed sucker for a romantic, forbidden love, fantasy ... we all have our weaknesses I guess.  It had a happy ending which gave me goosebumps. Loved this book and can't wait for the next instalment, Linger, which is due out in Australia next month, so I don't have to wait too long!! 3.5 out of 5.

Just finished listening to ... The True Story of Butterfish by Nick Earls
Synopsis: When Annaliese Winter walks down Curtis Holland's front path, he's ill-prepared for a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl who's a confounding mixture of adult and child. After years travelling the world with his band, Butterfish, he's not used to having a neighbour at all. So when Curtis receives an invitation to dinner from Annaliese's mother, Kate, he is surprised when he not only accepts but finds himself being drawn to this remarkably unremarkable family. Even to fifteen-year-old Mark who is at war with his own surging adolescence. Curtis soon realises that with Kate divorced, Annaliese and Mark need a male role model in their lives, but it's hard for him to help when he's just starting to grow up himself and harder still when Annaliese begins to show an interest in him that is less than filial. Filled with acute observation, humour and tenderness, Butterfish is Nick Earls at his very best.

About the Author: Nick Earls is the author of twelve books, including bestselling novels such as Zigzag Street, Bachelor Kisses, Perfect Skin and World of Chickens. His work has been published internationally in English and also in translation, and this led to him being a finalist in the Premier of Queensland’s Awards for Export Achievement in 1999.  Earls has lived in Brisbane since migrating as an eight-year-old from Northern Ireland in 1972.

Jacqui's Review: Enjoyed the writing and narrative of this novel but it ended abruptly.  The characters were developed well and I felt I got to know their likes, dislikes and motivations but the story ended just when I was getting into it! 2 out of 5.

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