Anne B. Radge: Satunnaista seuraa (casual company)

 

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 If you want to read this yourself after it gets translated into your own language - stop reading now.

If not, follow me ;) The book is about 38 year old Ingunn who has never really been in a real relationship/ doesn't really seem to even like to be in one. That being said, it bugs the hell out of me why the author couldn't pull that storyline through to the end. It bugs 'cause you don't see those happily childfree/relationshipfree people in literature at all and this had a good start but it didn't carry through. Everything is sugarconed into sunshine and puppies. Eventhough this one starts with random sex with anything that can walk it ends with sunshine and puppies and it makes me somehow very dissapointed. 

The title and.. everything just hinted that for once there could be a book without the "this is how it's supposed to be"-storyline and it got me so excited. But from this point of view the story fell short. From some "yay this is the only way to go"-point of view this book is probably a success.

Natascha Kampusch: 3,096 Days

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In the beginning the storyline portraits young Natascha struggling between her mother and father and their broken marriage. She is portrated as a sheltered child who doesn't really care of other childrens company. 

For the first time she is let to walk to school all by herself. She is ten years old and is somehow aware of some national sexual abuse cases that other children of her age has encountered with. Little does she know that she is about to get kidnapped during her walk to the school. 

The kidnapper was a disturbed and extremely violent 35-year old man who, during these eight years that she was captived by him, made sure to her that no-one cared about her and her family were actually releaved that they have gotten rid of her. 

She had to spend almost all of her time in a tiny room with no window or other source of natural lighting.  Instead of those there was a "god" who controlled the time and her daily routines. It is almost unbeliavable that she truly got away and is able to live a normal life afterwards.

I'm very interested in these missing children-cases. I just wish all of the Amy Fitzpatricks and suchs would somehow, sometime have the same opporturnity to escape if they are put in these kind of similar situations.

Denise Mina: Garnethill

 

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One of the persons who suggested me to read Ian Rankin, suggested also this book. After having these disastorous moments with Ian, i did have some trouble to really grab this one. But i'm glad i did.

Story of the book is about Maureen who gets involved in a murder after she wakes up in her aparment and finds her boyfriend dead. The night before she was so drunk that she can't really remember what happened. The thing she remembers is that she didn't kill him but of course the police suspects her. 

As the story goes, you'll learn a lot more about Maureen, her family and their past. At some points it was kind of hard to follow all the different characters but in the end you kind of learned to know the important characters a lot better that way. 

This was the first crimenovel in a long time where i didn't guess the murderer right away, so a huge plus for that.

Juhani Mykkänen: Matkaoppaat

The book is based on a hit realityshow of mainly Finnish travelguides working in Alanya, Turkey. The book interviews the guides and gives behind the scenes look to the show. A fine book, but nothing really that special as books about tv-shows never really are.

John Verdon: Think of a number

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Dave Gurneys old friend asks him to help him in an odd case. The friend, Mark Mellery, had received some letters and the first one suggests him to think of a certain number and the closed envelope tells him the exact number he was thinking of. There starts a story that definitely has similarities with the likes of Agatha Christie.

I really enjoyed this book, it's one of those detectivenovels that you can't really put down before you've read it all. Unfortunately i've read so many crimenovels in the past that i kind of knew pretty early who the suspect was. It didn't really spoil the end though, so four stars because of it!

Elbie Lötter: It's me, Anna

I think it's really hard to write a book review of this one because the story is so tragic and i kind of feel like i'm not allowed to say really anything about it. Overall the book is a true story about Anna, a young girl who gets both physically and sexually abused by her stepfather Danie while her mother just looks away and doesn't really believe in her. Maybe that part is the most grossing ever when a mother doesn't believe her own daughter and is willing to risk the life of their younger daughter as well.

I would have given 5 stars if the story wasn't coloured with a different ending.

Lucy Dillon: Lost dogs and lonely hearts

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The story is mostly about Rachel who inherits her aunts dogcarecenter. She has kind of troubled relationship and the move to her aunts place kind of helps her to really think it over.

Book is also about the dogs and different people who all get to know these dogs. One of the biggest topic although is kids. One couple can't have them, one gets them almost "too easily". I didn't really think at the beginning that this one has so much to do with kids, if i had known, i'm not sure if i'd borrowed this book. It's not the books fault though, it's written well and the story is consisted. Just everywhere i look, hear or read, there's stuff about children and i'm just pretty over it atm. So for me, it just might have been the wrong time in life to read this sort of a book.