Sarah's Last Wish

This is a very sad and somewhat frightening story of an eleven year old girl from a town in New South Wales, Australia, who was forced to undergo chemotherapy, spleenectomy, months imprisoned in hospital and denied palliative care and family visits; and faced with many other atrocities, simply because an unscrupulous oncologist wanted to experiment with the strongest chemicals he could use. When faced with opposition from the girl and her family, he enlisted the aid of the Department of Community Services, and the actions and threats from the social workers - whom one would expect would be trying to help the family - were so vicious that Sarah's parents could not seek out alternatives without losing their beloved daughter to foster parents. This included several appeals to the Supreme Court too, where the family's legal representatives also let them down.

It is a heartbreaking tale of the courage of a child and the anguish and frustration of the parents and siblings, written by one of the medical team who did finally manage to give some comfort and help at the end. It is extremely well written and factual, and we can only hope that exposing the cruelty and the poor behaviour of government officials and medical specialists will indeed bring about the change that Sarah wished for. Though hard to read because of the emotion it brings to the reader, it is well worth the effort.

Well this was worth waiting for ....I couldn't put it down until it was finished. It's amusing and yet still gripping, and the trial is hilarious! David Zinc's escape from the slavery of a busy law firm to the complete opposite makes a great story and a believable one. I only hope John Grisham is still writing madly because now I want another one!!

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Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett

Hi all! This is DiscworldDiva, guest blogging for Bookworms Marketplace...

This may actually be a surprise, but this will be my first ever Discworld book review... it's not really something I do.. although I had planned to start sometime in the future... so the first one will be here...
I guess it would be appropriate if my first review was about the first Discworld book I ever read, which I am now currently re-reading for the first time since then...

Witches Abroad... and I may be a bit biased,but I think it was a great place to start...
...however, If you are wanting to read them in order I would suggest reading Wyrd Sisters beforehand...

 

In Witches Abroad the dysfunctional Lancre coven, Nanny Ogg (the mother), Magrat (the maiden) and Granny Weatherwax (the... other one), head off to foreign parts after Magrat inherits a Fairy Godmothers wand. Before they even get there the three witches are embroiled in stories that object to going differently to expected, cause a riot after waking a sleeping castle, and another after interrupting a bunch of young men chasing bulls (or rather, interrupting the bulls). They are alternately chased out of some villages, and celebrated as hero's in others, Nanny gambles away all their money and her broom, they meet an unaccompanied little girl in a red cloak and are inundated with pumpkins.

All this before they even arrive at Genua, where they have to attempt to stop the prince from marrying the cindermaid. An impossible feat you may think, but Pratchetts' story-telling genius make for an incredibly fun and very easy journey as we join the witches of Lancre as they battle against terrifying odds and weird foreign food.

I sincerely love this story and would recommend it to anybody who also enjoys fantasy, oddball characters, stories about stories, or fractured fairytales (a particular favorite of mine) spectacular wordsmithing, humor and pathos! Actually I would recommend it to anyone, whether you profess an interest in the above or not.

Blogging generally

I'm in awe of the interesting and very attractive blogs I've been looking at! This was to be a blog where we could write about the good books we've been reading, but our reading seems to be getting less and less. Mind you, I'm still very much a bookworm. Wherever I go if I see books for sale, or libraries, I can't resist browsing. The trouble is I'm losing my sight and reading is becoming difficult. Whereas I used to read a book in a few hours, now I need a few months! Hubby is not a bookworm but he reads more now than he used to though.

I've recently bought an old favorite Mrs Tim of the Regiment (D E Stevenson) and I might make that my next review. It's been republished in 2010, though originally published back in the 1930s or so. Brought it on Easter break wih us, and I'm about to the third chapter!! So give me another month and I might have it finished. It's the diary of an officer's wife .. amusing and true to life.

A new Dick Francis novel!!

Dick Francis' hero can always get himself out of some impossible situations, and this novel is no exception. A very entertaining story of a young man who, after losing his foot in the war in Afghanistan, goes 'home' to his mother's house and horse training business, and there becomes involved in a dangerous investigation into blackmail. Just imagine waking up chained to a ring on a wall in a deserted stable, with your foot missing, all doors barred on the outside, and noone missing you or looking for you! This book was my requested Christmas present and I wasn't disappointed! It's a great pity Dick Francis won't be writing any more novels - maybe my collection will become very popular.

Light reading for the fellas

The Larry & Stretch westerns are good for quick light reading. Marshall Grover seems to have the ability in this book to keep you turning the pages! Even though in all of his Larry & Stretch novels they always win because they must. There are the romantic bits and the male has his powerful ways. The thing I like about Larry & Stretch is, they can be picked up anytime for some relaxation  They have become a "collectors" item and not always easy to find.