This Hoffman was a little different than the others I've read - it was much sadder, but still just as good. It starts with a young girl, angry at her mother, wishing that she never sees her again. Well, she gets her wish. It follows her into adulthood, where she becomes a person who is totally trustworthy, but never shares her own emotions or own feelings. One day, after losing her grandmother, the woman who raised her, she is struck by lightening. She seeks out a man who is reportedly came back from death after his strike - and they become involved in a passionate relationship. returnreturnThis book deals with a lot of loss and really touched me - I sobbed through the last 20-30 pages. This is a good one who feels up to a good cry and who wants to read about renewal and about how we all deal with tragedy.

Set in the same French village as Chocolat and with many of the same characters, this is the story of Jay, a writer looking to return to the way of his childhood and the way of life of his mentor. This one definitely wasn't as good as Chocolat or any of the other Joanne Harris novels that I've read. I had a really hard time getting into the story and did not feel attached to any of the characters. It did, however, make me want to garden and bake bread.

This was another magical story from Hoffman. Here we meet the Sparrow women - women who wake up on their thirteenth birthday and realize they have special gifts. These gifts can be anything: the ability to not feel pain, the ability to know if someone is lying, to dream other people's dreams.returnreturnStella Sparrow is the youngest Sparrow and her ability is to see how a person will die. It is, quite obviously, very frightening for her and she desperately wants to help a woman that she believes will be brutally murdered. She begs her father to help the woman - but when the woman's body is found, Stella's father is the prime suspect. returnreturnStella moves in with her grandmother in order to protect her from the media frenzy that her father's imprisonment creates and she learns of her ancestry and the incredible Sparrow women. It's hard to describe all of the intricacies of the characters - there are many people that we meet and they are all so important in the lives of those around them. It was just another great, moving book by Hoffman - I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a little magic in their lives and loves to read about women triumphing over their pasts and looking forward to wonderful futures.

This was a wonderful story about a house and the people who lived in it over what seems to be a couple of hundred years. The house is a farm in Cape Cod, MA that is inhabited by white blackbirds, sweet peas, turnips, and the ghosts of residents-past. The stories really focus on the people involved, with the house as a cozy, homey backdrop. Definitely moving and definitely enjoyable.

probably not the absolute best Atwood piece ever, but wonderful nonetheless. I loved reading the descriptions of the farms that Nell and Tig lived on - once again, a home in the woods away from everyone? Sign me up! It was a moving collection though, lots of life and death topics popping up here and there. If you like Atwood, this is definitely one to check out.

Tommy and Tuppence have recently married and Tuppence is a bored housewife, but their life is about to get exciting. They've taken over the International Detective Agency and solve mystery after mystery by copying the Classic detectives: Sherlock Holmes, Hanaud, and even Hercule Poirot! This was wonderfully funny and a very quick read.

A lawyer gives up the cut throat lifestyle and open up her own herb shop. A close friend's apparent suicide doesn't sit well with her so she starts an investigation!returnreturnThis was just so warm and cozy - especially if you like to read about herbs.

I must confess that this is one my favorite movies to pop in on Halloween and in the Fall; this book conjured up all of those cozy feelings as well. Obviously, the movie took a lot of creative liberty and there are a lot of differences and focuses in the book.