Otahuhu College

67,759 pages read and 6,094 team points

Team members

R D Mattocks

20,895 pts

(17,245 pages read)

The Bookshop of Second Chances

By Jackie Fraser

3 stars

This was an ok read, about a woman who inherits a house in Scotland around the time when she's wondering what to do with her life after her husband of 15 years cheats on her.
A Heart so True

By Dorothy Love

2 stars

I didn't really enjoy this 'Southern Love Story' as it was very formulaic and predictable.
One Way

By S. J. Morden

5 stars

A great crime/whodunit novel with the added twist of being set on Mars in the not too distant future.
Once Upon a December

By Amy E. Reichert

5 stars

A magical Christmas market randomly pops up around the world, but just for 25 days. For 15 years love has been growing in a baker's heart for a particular woman, but part of the 'curse' of this magic is memories of the market disappear once people leave.
Luck, Love and Lemon Pie

By Amy E. Reichert

4 stars

A woman is trying to save her marriage by taking up the 'hobby' her husband is involved in - poker, but soon she is using it as an escape. She enters a tournament and gets free lessons from a handsome, charming pro. The attention is just what her aching heart desires, but it's from the wrong man.
The Smoke Jumper

By Nicholas Evans

5 stars

A love triangle, a menacing forest fire, tragedy and a war zone abduction. This book packs it all in.
The Simplicity of Cider

By Amy E. Reichert

5 stars

A beautiful story about a family apple orchard on the brink of bankruptcy and the people who work to save it.
The Deadline Clock

By Jeffery Deaver

5 stars

Coulter Shaw needs to find an abducted woman before a certain time or else she will be murdered.
Ella

By Bill Peet

5 stars

A spoiled elephant decides to leave the circus but gets captured by a farmer who puts her to work. After most of a year as a virtual slave she escapes and realises the circus is home.
The Happiest Ever After

By Milly Johnson

5 stars

Polly's sister-in-law says she's renewing her vows and wants her as the bridesmaid but when Polly walks down the aisle, she finds out it's supposed to be her wedding. She flees the church, runs away, gets attacked and loses her memory. No one looks for her and she starts to make a new life for herself.
The Final Twist

By Jeffery Deaver

5 stars

A Coulter Shaw novel where, not only are there people to find, a family to save under deadline, but a decades old conspiracy to uncover. Full of action, twists and tension.
The Beginning of Everything

By Jackie Fraser

5 stars

An older woman breaks into an empty home rather than continuing to live in a tent and the owner takes pity on her.
To Keep You Safe

By Kate Bradley

5 stars

A psychological thriller following an ex-army maths teacher with PTSD symptoms who tries to save a highly intelligent student who has been abused, sucked through the social service system and is being groomed to commit atrocious crimes.
Same Time as Next Week

By Milly Johnson

4 stars

A woman organises a friendship group to meet at a local cafe and the story follows the highs and lows of the members.
Everything Changes

By Stephanie Johnson

3 stars

Well written but I didn't particularly enjoy the story. A family buys a run down property up north with grandiose ideas for a retreat lodge. Everyone is pretty messed up.
Afternoon Tea at the Sunflower Cafe

By Milly Johnson

5 stars

Two women band together after being exploited for many years by the same man. A great read.
The Barn on Half Moon Hill

By Milly Johnson

4 stars

A woman has been writing to her famous actor heart throb for most of her life and never received a letter in return. Suddenly he's coming to her small neck of the woods and she wants to meet him.
Whisper Hollow

By Chris Cander

5 stars

A multigenerational story with all the highs and heartbreaks of a small town mining community. Great read.
Honeysuckle House

By Christina Jones

3 stars

A man chases his dreams, which includes a new woman, but leaves his wife and three children behind. Nevertheless, they get on fine without him.
Sunshine Over Wildflower Cottage

By Milly Johnson

5 stars

A wonderful story with all the twists and turns of a bunch of women who share a lasting friendship, but have a range of different challenges to face.
The Little B & B at Cove End

By Linda Mitchelmore

5 stars

A woman is struggling after the death of her husband. To provide an income she opens her home as a B & B. An artist comes to stay for a while. A sweet romance story.
You Went to the Emergency for What?

By Tim Booth

5 stars

A compilation of stories from an Aussie paramedic. A tough job, and people just don't get it.
Staying Home and Being Rotten

By Shonagh Koea

2 stars

This book had a decent write-up but I didn't find it funny at all, just strange and depressing. A woman is caught up in an abusive relationship and is now living alone and running out of money.
Risky Business

By Nora Roberts

4 stars

A man is found dead under water wrapped in an anchor chain. He was always looking for his next adventure, but this time he went too far. The hunt is on for the killer and the prime suspect is almost murdered twice.
Cross the River to Home

By Kaye Kelly

4 stars

A historical novel set in the South Island of NZ in the 1870s. A love story against the odds.
The Night She Fell

By Eileen Merriman

4 stars

A psychological thriller about Dunedin uni students flatting together. One woman dies. Could it be murder, or suicide, and why?
Deep in the Heart

By Sharon Sala

5 stars

Samantha has a vicious stalker and noone believes her. She reaches out to her long lost best friend who comes to save the day.
True Stars

By Fiona Kidman

2 stars

What a dreary book. I slogged my way through it, waiting for something that never came.
Touchstone

By Dinah McCall

5 stars

A reread of a great story. A woman leaves the dirt-poor love of her life to seek her fortune and ends up with a crazy, obsessed 'admirer' who tries to kill her.
The Physician's Gun

By John Evan

4 stars

A young teen gets tangled up with a notorious NZ gang in the 1860s.
The Next Best Day

By Sharon Sala

5 stars

The main character has been dealt a rough hand from birth. After being jilted on her wedding day, survived being shot twice in a school mass shooting, she needs a new start.
The Frog Prince

By James Norcliffe

3 stars

Two stories written in parallel show the foolishness of unrequited infactuation and the selfishness of those who won't accept love.
We'll Prescribe You a Cat

By Syou Ishida

4 stars

Not everyone's life is smooth and some take the unreliable advice of a distant contact and end up at the Nakagyo Kokoro Clinic for the Soul. Here, everyone ends up with a cat to care for... or does the cat do the caring?
Devil's Apple

By Simon Snow

5 stars

A great crime story set in the West Coast of NZ's South Island
Across the Dreaming Night

By Judith White

3 stars

A heartbreaking story. Nothing would have happened if the main character could have kept calm when a newspaper landed on the windscreen of his vehicle while he was driving.
Forgotten

By Jeffery Deaver

4 stars

A Coulter Shaw short story. He gets the kid out of prison by finding the true killer.
A Dim Prognosis

By Ivor Popovich

4 stars

A NZ doctor talks about the declining health system.
Chase the Moon

By Dinah McCall

5 stars

A man dies by getting shot in the back and his brother steps in to find out who did it. A great read.
Jackson Rule

By Dinah McCall

5 stars

After serving 15 years for murder, Jackson needs to get his life together. One woman decides to trust him enough to give him a job. Beautiful story, brings tears to my eyes.
Cleopatra

By Natasha Solomons

4 stars

A story about the woman of Cleopatra. Compelling and interesting.
Dark Design

By Nancy Mehl

5 stars

Hooked from the first sentence: "I was only nine years old when I knew I was destined to be a serial killer."
The Phantom of Terawhiti

By Des Hunt

4 stars

After a shipwreck on the coast near Wellington sightings of an unfamiliar animal are reported. Two kids discover the truth. A tense read.
Fortune's Fool

By Mercedes Lackey

5 stars

My all time favourite, I've lost count of how many times I've read it. Adventure, magic, love, humour, it has everything I enjoy rolled into one.
The Fire Raiser

By Maurice Gee

4 stars

Someone is setting fires and four children know who it is, but need proof for the adults to believe them. Fast read, quite deep themes
Twilight Whispers

By Barbara Delinsky

3 stars

Slow start. This crime romance follows the lives of two rich and powerful families as they struggle with the deaths of two of their own. We don't find out until right near the end who killed them.
The Bookseller

By Tim Sullivan

5 stars

The seventh in a series. English crime mystery. I've read them all and really enjoy the stories, and following the main characters' lives.
Air

By John Boyne

3 stars

A man and his son fly half way around the world to attend a funeral they haven't been invited to. Personal problems are addressed and hope is on the horizon. Well written but not really my cup of tea.
The Crocodile Nest

By Des Hunt

4 stars

A boy finds out about his dad, assumed dead, living in Australia. He goes to visit and almost gets eaten by a croc. Good stuff!
The Best of James Herriot

By James Herriot

4 stars

A collection of stories of an Engilsh country vet before WW2. Entertaining and well worth the third reading.
Mirror Image

By Danielle Steel

2 stars

Set just before the 1st World War, a set of identical twins, rich and entitled, deceive everyone in the worst way possible. I did not like the characters at all.
The 5 Love Languages

By Gary Chapman

5 stars

I'd heard about love languages but never read the book. Very easy to read, interesting and good to get all the background stories.
Cry of the Taniwha

By Des Hunt

5 stars

A young teenager goes to Rotorua to stay with his Nana. With his metal detector he finds a handcuffed skeleton and the treasures he was hiding. Lots of twists. A fun story
The Goodbye Man

By Jeffery Deaver

4 stars

#2 in the Coulter Shaw series. He looks for missing people, and collects the reward money for a living. In this book he brings down the leaders of a cult, using his survival skills to save lives.
Take a Hike

By Katie Ruggle

2 stars

This is the third book in the series. The main character finds her man, but the story was more silly than funny.

13 - 0 - 1

Add pages read

Otahuhu College

67,759 pages read and 6,094 team points

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78