One of my goals for 2017 is to try to read 40 books. In order to help me keep track of the number of books I read this year I thought I might write reviews as I go. Hopefully these will introduce you to a book or two you'd like to read, or it might even prompt you to recommend one you've read and enjoyed to me. Code Name Verity was the first book I started after January 1, 2017.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth E. Wein was released back in 2012, and to be completely honest I’d never heard of it before I stumbled across it while perusing the A Mighty Girl book list. I’m a bit of a fan of fiction set during the Second World War, but this one is different than many of the ones I’ve read before as the main characters are female and they’re right in the middle of the action. Needless to say this was quickly added to my hold list at the library.

When this book became available I couldn’t wait to get started. The story centers on two unlikely best friends – a working-class girl from outside Manchester and a Scottish Aristocrat, who despite their completely different backgrounds complement each other perfectly. The first part of the book is written from the perspective of a spy captured and held by the Gestapo. It’s a diary of sorts – the confession the spy writes to delay further torture, and what she anticipates will be her eventual execution. The spy tells of the friendship between Maddie, a pilot, and Julie, a special operations executive.

To be honest I had trouble getting into this book for the first little while – I found it slow going. The narrator focused a lot on Maddie’s story – detailing planes and airfields and other operational aspects of the war. This focus makes sense given it the information that would be most desired by the Gestapo about the war-time operations of their enemies, but I truly only wanted to read more about the friendship between the two young women, and frankly I also didn’t like the narrator’s character – a spy willing to confess to the enemy in order to save their own skin. To be honest I was a bit tempted to put the book down, but I persevered and I’m so very glad that I did.

I won’t go into the second part of the book as it would give away some key points of the story (and some major plot-twists), but I will say that Code Name Verity turned out to be a fabulous book and I can’t recommend it enough. It’s classed as Young Adult fiction, but it’s a truly great read for adults (and frankly some of the book might be a bit graphic for young teens).

So tell me - have you read it? If so, what did you think? Have any similar books you can recommend?

Book Title: Code Name Verity
Author: Elizabeth E. Wein
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
Pages: 352
My Rating: 5 Stars
Buy the Book: Amazon.com Amazon.ca
Code Name Verity is a compelling, emotionally rich story with universal themes of friendship and loyalty, heroism and bravery. Two young women from totally different backgrounds are thrown together during World War II: one a working-class girl from Manchester, the other a Scottish aristocrat, one a pilot, the other a wireless operator. Yet whenever their paths cross, they complement each other perfectly and before long become devoted friends. But then a vital mission goes wrong, and one of the friends has to bail out of a faulty plane over France. She is captured by the Gestapo and becomes a prisoner of war. The story begins in "Verity's" own words, as she writes her account for her captors. From the Hardcover edition.

Well, here we are again – January. The month of year that’s traditionally regarded as the one when we should all turn over a new leaf with the aim of making ourselves happier with who we are. In the past I’ve made resolutions, but like a lot of people they never really stuck ie: I’ve joined a gym in January and gone religiously for weeks only to gradually stop going, until the result was at the end the only thing looking slimmer was my bank account. In years past I’ve blogged about my goals and resolutions when it came to my home, myself and even this blog, but the last few years I haven’t set any. Frankly, the pressure I can put on myself when it comes to resolutions and the invariable sense of failure I experience when I don’t meet my own expectations can be rather debilitating.

Despite my past defeats in the realm of resolutions and goals I’m going to give it another go this year with some hopefully better results. I’m hoping that by setting just a few goals/intentions instead of a whole list worth I’ll have more success.











So, there we have it – my intentions or goals for 2017. Only time will tell if I have any success. Here’s hoping I do.

Russell Hackney Ceramics – Booth Z19
http://russellhackneyceramics.com/
A new vendor at the show, Russell’s booth was actually one of the first I visited (I always do the show from right to left, or aisle Y though A). Given my love of matte white ceramic vases it’s unsurprising that his work caught my eye.  I need to figure out a way for this Bear cookie jar to grace my kitchen counter. Hopefully he’ll be back at the spring show and I can get myself a present.

C is for Clean – Booth I13
http://cisforclean.com/
I actually somehow missed this booth on my first pass through the show (I walk though once and make notes of gift ideas, who they might be for and note the booth name and location. Once I’ve seen everything I make my choices and go pack and purchase them), but spotted them as I was leaving. While I didn’t buy any this time, this is another booth I’ll be buying from in the spring (here’s hoping they’re there!) I love that they're all natural, and the four scents they have are all lovely.

Marjorie Camiré Céramiste – Booth W49
https://www.facebook.com/marjoriecamireceramiste
Marjorie’s booth was busy when I was walking by and it’s clear why. With lovely ceramic pieces rimmed in gold they are simple, beautiful pieces. she also had a teacup and saucer that made me want to start drinking tea on a regular basis

Julia Veenstra – Booth W52
http://www.juliaveenstra.com/
Julia’s art quite literally stopped me in my tracks. It’s bold and vibrant, and I love it. This is Julia’s first #OOAK show, and judging by the number of red stickers denoting sold pieces it’s been quite a success. I LOVED the above piece named ‘Evening on the lake’ - the person who purchases it will be very lucky.

If you haven't already gone to this season's One of a Kind show I hope you have a chance to go this weekend - it's well worth it.