Time for a weekend of fun

Although bank holidays don't mean a lot to me as I only work a couple of days a week this long weekend is shaping up to be a good one. For those of you who aren't Brits (and those who are but having been hiding in a cave) it is the Queen's Diamond Jubilee this year and celebrations reach their peak this week. There's so much going on in my town that I've taken the time off work to enjoy it. It seems that even those who aren't Royalists are in a buoyant mood and that people are more positive than they have been in ages. It's a really fun time and with the Olympics on the horizon I'm a happy bunny.

Since my last TGIF and weekly (probably should be fortnightly these days) round-up I have read and reviewed:

Steps to Heaven by Wendy Cartmell

Growing Up Wired by David Wallace Fleming and

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I also managed to fit in some short stories for the first time in ages, review following soon, and am hoping to finish the novel I'm reading at the moment some time tonight.

Over at GReads it is TGIF time and the question is a cracker. Which books have you found to be very rewarding when it comes to tackling tougher issues?

One book I have read more recently that I thought dealt with some hard topics well was The Girl in the Box by Sheila Dalton Here's the brief synopsis to explain it  -Dr. Jerry Simpson brings a traumatised girl named Inez, who may be autistic, back to Canada from Guatemala as an act of compassion. He is unable to establish exactly what has happened in her past, but in a country torn apart by civil war it is clear the girl who lives in a box has seen or experienced terrible things. When Inez turns on Jerry and kills him partner Caitlin desperately needs to find out why this terrible incident occurred so she can forgive and move on with her life.

Inez becomes a cause celebre during her trial, provoking discussion about whether Jerry was right to remove her from her homeland and about what he must have done to provoke her fury. She exudes a compelling and innocent aura that draws people to her. Almost worse than being locked up in a bleak hospital in the north of the country Inez is locked within herself. Can Caitlin find it in herself to forgive and help the girl she once loved?

I thought the author treated the subject matter well, not shying away from providing details but without pushing it to the point of melo-drama. 

I don't read a lot of books whose central plot deals with tougher issues, maybe because life is hard enough without reading about some of the worst of human nature, and maybe because I have read a couple where I have felt bad because despite heart-rending stories the quality of the writing hasn't been up to the task and I've felt guilty for not feeling more moved by the stories. I'm interested to see what others think about the subject!

To anyone having a street party or other Jubilee event, I hope you have a brilliant time and that the weather is kind, and of course to everyone else Happy weekend!

TC xx