Books, books, books x

Good morning everyone and today after no book review posts I thought I would just tell you about some books I've read or am reading. As many of you know I have set myself the challenge of reading at least 50 books this year. So far I've completed 12 and am nearly finished number thirteen. I adore reading but sadly when I get ill, it is reading and music which both leave my brain. But thankfully this time, the reading has still been around, not so much as usual but here.

So I think the last post I did was way back in January and I have read a fair few since then. However I am just going to tell you about a few of the books I would highly recommend.

Firstly, I would strongly recommend anyone, young or old, to read ''Wonder'' by R J Palacio. This is the story of Auggie, a ten year old boy who has grown up living with a facial abnormality since birth. Having been home schooled so far, he and his family have made the decision for him to go to school. This is the story of his adventures into school society and life, and how friendships and love are so central to our human development. It is beautifully written book and I loved every page.

Secondly, ''I heard the owl call my name'' by Margaret Craven. I bought this book from the market second stall just because it had an owl on the cover. Sometimes I buy books like that. This is a short book which tells the story of a young clergyman who is sent to the wilderness of British Columbia to live and minister to the Native Indians there. What he is unaware of is that he is dying. The story beautifully explores the relationship between this outsider and the Native Indian people of the village, and how he becomes a part of their tribe. Margaret Craven lived and observed the Native British Columbian peoples as an anthropologist apparently and wrote her memoirs on the subject. This is a book from the 60s so I don't know how easy it would be to get hold of but if anyone would like to read it I would be happy to pass it on.

Thirdly, I am currently reading a book I got free by entering a Twitter competition via Waterstones. It is called ''Snapper'' by Brian Kimberling. I had no idea what to expect other than the front of the book talks about it being all about bird watching. Well, it isn't. I haven't read it all but so far I can tell you it is a funny and thought provoking book about a young man who is employed to study and audit the population of songbirds in Indiana. The author actually lives in Bath and the book itself is published in the UK next month.

Finally I went to my local branch of Waterstones the other night for ''World Book Night''. Not only did we get coffee but also yummy cakes. I was also lucky enough to receive these two free books in celebration of the night. I have actually read all Alexander McCall Smith's series so far so I am going to do another giveaway on this post.  The other book by Rose Tremain I haven't read so once I have it will be passed on as this is the ethos of the night. Read the free book and pass it on to someone else.

If you would like to win the giveaway of ''The NO 1 Lady Detective Agency'' by Alexander McCall Smith then please leave me a comment telling me what your favourite book of all time is and why. I will pull a name out of the hat in 2 weeks I think.