In Jacqui's CD Player ...

Just started listening to ... All the Rivers Run by Nancy Cato
Synopsis: Philadelphia Gordon is an artist, a riverboat skipper and a beautiful independent woman.  Orphaned by a shipwreck, Philadelphia grows up on the banks of her beloved Murray River in Australia with her kindly uncle and strict aunt, seemingly destined for a conventional life.  But then tragedy changed everything, and leads her to a successful career as a painter, and then to a meeting with the dashing captain of the paddle-steamer which bears her name.

Just finished listening to ... Fallen by Lauren Kate

Synopsis: Seventeen-Year-Old Luce is a new student at Sword and 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 and 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.

About the Author: Lauren Kate grew up in Dallas, went to school in Atlanta, and started writing in New York. She has a masters degree in fiction from the University of California and is the author of The Betrayal of Natalie Hargrove.  She aspires to work in a restaurant kitchen, get a couple of dogs, and learn how to surf. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband.

Jacqui's Review: I have spoken to many people about this book and some absolutely love it and others, don't exactly hate it but, aren't really sure what to think of it.  I seem to fit in somewhere in between.  I did really enjoy the story and I am really looking forward to reading the second book, Torment, which is due to be released in late September.  But there was something about it, that I can't really put my finger on, that prevented me from really 'loving' this book.  My guess is that it may be the way it is written.  The narrative is very dialogue driven and the book read more like a TV script/play.  Also, Kate seems to use an endless string of adjectives to describe every single little expression, action of emotion experienced by the characters.  I don't know, maybe I'm just being picky.  The main thing is that I still want to know what happens to Luce and Daniel and I am looking forward to the next instalment. 2.5 out of 5.