One Day by David Nicholls

OK I finally succumbed and read One Day by David Nicholls as it seemed as though every single person in London was reading it and I wondered what I was missing out on.  Well I was missing out on a cracking story that follows 2 friends throughout their lives.
Emma and Dexter get together on their last day at University.  Typical romcom start as she fancies him but thinks he is out of her league and he does not want a long term relationship and so begins a wonderful friendship.  The book is written as one specific day every year and David Nicholls captures all the time periods so well that it seems to transport you back to that day.  Emma and Dexter are also so well written that by the end of the book you really feel that they have become your friends and you are really invested in them.  Yes they do have flaws, especially Dexter who has to go through a period when you really do despise him and you get the feeling that he is pushing you away as well as Emma.  Emma though also has her flaws, mainly thinking she is not good enough for anyone and does not always follow her dreams.  Something I think most of the readers can relate to.
The conclusion of the book gives you that butterfly in the stomach feeling where you do not want to turn the page but you have to see where it is going.  I personally don't think he could have written a better ending but please make sure you have plenty of tissues at hand!!
I highly recommend this book and would go so far as saying it is a modern day classic!!

The Secret Mandarin by Sara Sheridan

This is a tale of a disgraced woman, a secret mission and the quest to find tea in C19th China. As I have a fascination about anything to do with China I did think this book would appeal to me and it did up to a point.
We follow our two lead characters Robert Fortune and Mary across the seas to another land and new adventures. Mary has been disgraced in London as she has had a child out of wedlock and Robert, her brother in law, seeks to get rid of her to a faraway place.
Robert is off to China in search of tea plants and others he can sell back in London and he takes Mary with him albeit under duress as Mary cannot stand him.
Once we reach China the author completely captures the sounds, sights and smells for the reader and it does feel at times that her descriptive narrative can overtake the story and we sometimes loose the characters. This is a real shame as we do not get to know the backgrounds of both Robert and Mary fully and so cannot grow to love them as people.
Please don't get me wrong though as this is a good read and I did enjoy the most of it as it turns out to be a love story at the very heart of it all. Following the two of them into the very heart of China at this dangerous time and seeing it all through the eyes of Mary and learning how she copes so far from home is a delight. She seems to be able to take most things in her stride even fighting pirates!
Would I recommend this book? Yes I would as the way the author invokes the feel of China at this time is a real delight.