Top 5 Reads Revisited!

1. Long walk to Freedom (Nelson Mandela)
Still my all time favourite!! Sensational to read the life of one of the world's most influential people! It really struck a cord when he spoke of his first experience of flying in plane with a black pilot -- and even he worried about his safety because the pilot was black. For a black activist freedom fighter to speak openly of about such an experience, it certainly made me think.

2. Trinity (Leon Urus)
This is a fictional story about the beginnings of the IRA - kept me captivated throughout the whole book. Urus portrays fictional characters against the backdrop of a true historical event. After reading this I did have a greater appreciation for the issues faced by Northern Ireland. However I had to make sure I kept his views in perspect -- as it was written very one sided from a republican view point.

3. The Sunne in Splendor (Sharon Penman)
An epic read, but worth ever minute. I never had much knowledge of the War of the Roses... and this gave such a delightful insight into English life in the 1500s. The characters are described in superb detail, leaving you with a perfect image of what every character looked like. It was written in a way that made you feel each emotion the characters were going through. It covers all the right elements -- it gave me tears, laughter and a wonderful story of love.

4. The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)
Inspirational read -- I won't write too much about this one, as I know it's nearly been everyone's favourite in our book club. I did manage to read it all without putting it down...

5. Holy Cow(Sarah Macdonald)
I read this book after I was deciding whether to move to India. What a fantastic read. It covers the good bits and the bad bits of living in India... and it finished on a very positive note -- which helped me make my life changing decision to go and live there for a few years.