Reading Group
The Book Club is not going to be a traditional book club where a book is suggested to the group and everyone reads a given book and then participates in a forum discussion. I know these can be very popular and for many a really good social event but i’m not sure they work so well on line? I felt that a more flexible approach of - what did you read, did you like it, and would you recommend it section would be a more positive approach. I love reading so wanted to share my thoughts and would welcome other bookworms.
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If you have read a book and would like to share your thoughts on it all at The Book Club would love to hear from you. Please click here to contact me.
Crime fiction
Fiction
Fantasy
Historical fiction
Biographies
Sci-Fi
Romantic
Non fiction
Humorous
E-readers what do you think of them?
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What are your thoughts?
I love my e-reader I have an older Sony version which is really great you can read it out in the sunshine and it just looks like the normal pages of a book without the bulk.
Sarah – Manchester
I have a Kindle e-reader and I really love it – it is so easy to down load books and more and more are coming on the market all the time.
Margaret – Exeter
I have an e-reader too and it’s ok, but the cost of the books drives me mad. They are so expensive and lets be honest what does the cost involve, no paper, no bulk storage, it is not a physical thing. It’s ridiculous you can buy two books from a supermarket for £7 and one download costs the same sometimes weirdly more. These companies really need to get their acts together.
Nigel – York
I think they are dreadful – the written word is a thing of beauty you can hold a book turn the pages smell the age – the cover can give you an indication of the characters involved or to set the scene. It is part of the pleasure of perusing the bookshops.When you look on line for books you can never tell if they are part of a series of novels, a trilogy or if it is the last one in the set! I love my library where I can see my entire lovely books row upon row.
Katherine – Pucklechurch
One of our visitors to the site Tom Ambridge sent us this facinating insight into his grandmothers WWII diaries we hope you enjoy reading the daily blog.
MAY HILL’S WWII DIARIES – SEVENTY YEARS ON – BLOG
May Hill was a seaside villager who wrote wonderful diaries and poetry during WWII. The village was in Lincolnshire which became known as ‘Bomber County’ due to the large number of RAF bases established there. The nearby Royal Navy training base ‘HMS Royal Arthur’ (Butlins’ site) was a frequent enemy target. May’s only son became a young volunteer in the RAF, her husband a Coastguard, and close family members early casualties (Army and RAF). In rare moments of peace from ‘her own old enemy’ she became devoted to writing. ‘Waiting for news’ was a recurrent theme.
May’s writing is now being presented in a free blog which commenced with the first preserved entry, dated 27th November 1940. Each Diary entry isappearing exactly seventy years after the date on which the original was written. www.ambridgebooks.co.uk/mayhilldiaryblog/
Crime fiction
The Eden Legacy
by Will Adams
Blurb
After she finds out her estranged father and sister are missing from their coastal nature reserve in Madagascar, TV zoologist Rebecca Kirkpatrick is on the first flight home. Underwater archaeologist Daniel Knox is searching for a sunken Chinese treasure ship when he hears of the disappearances and ventures to The Eden Reserve to investigate.
Still with a vendetta to settle, Georgian gangster dynasty the Nergadzes send a hitman to hunt down Knox and avenge them. As Knox chases answers he realizes that the idyllic coral reef of Eden hides an ugly truth – someone is willing to kill and exploit people for a secret that will rewrite the history of the New World…
What I thought
I came across this page and thought I would add to this reveiw but when i thought about it the book was a bit of a let down really and I don’t really remember much about it so it can’t have been that good can it?
Recommendation
I wouldn’t really bother
Simon – Sussex
The Likeness
By Tana French
Basic Plot
Cassie Maddox transfers out of the murder squad but is asked to help with a case where she is called to the scene of a murdered girl who is her double. They have no leads and need a way in, Cassie somewhat unconvincingly assumes this others character and moves into a close knit commune of friends.
What I thought
I found the story quite slow to evolve but intriguing at the same time.
Recommendation
3 out of 5 stars -
Sarah – Uckfield
White Tiger
By Avarind Adiga
Basic plot
The tale is of a man, Balram Halwai who is the son of a rickshaw –puller from a low –caste in Indian society. The family is poor so Balram leaves his hometown to become a driver for the local landlord. He tells his story in a series of letters to a Chinese dignitary who is due to visit India. The tale exposes a developing country of extremes as well as corruption and exploitation, it progresses to express his ambitions for his life, and how he takes advantage of opportunities as they arise.
What I thought
This was a disturbing but entertaining read displaying the underbelly of a society that I personally do not feel comfortable with.
Recommendation
Yes read it
A Quiet Belief in Angels
By R.J. Ellory
Basic plot
This book is about a young man Joseph Vaughan who lives in a small town where a series of brutal murders occur. The story tells of Josephs struggle to come to terms with the deaths of these young girls from his childhood through to his adult life. The murders remain unresolved and isolated new killings occur over time, with dire consequences for Joseph.
What I thought
The writing is descriptive and has a tremendous plot and is a compelling read. However sometimes I felt irritated as I wanted him to get on with it – the repartitions of elements in the story nevertheless pertinent became tiresome.
Recommendation
Read it
Book 1 of Millennium trilogy
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
By Stieg Larsson
Basic plot
A compelling book with the main two characters Mikael Blomqvist’s and the flawed Lisbeth Salander. Mikael is a reporter with a penchant for finding himself in trouble and Lisbeth is an unusual character who has been let down severely by the social care system. In this story Mikael is hired to find a missing person with the help of Salander and her extraordinary undercover detective abilities.
What I thought
This it seems to be a marmite book, you either love it or hate it. I read this sometime ago and have been surprised at the amount of negative reviews as I thoroughly enjoyed it. I felt it was a gripping narrative. I believe you have to make allowances for translation although as it was set in Sweden it was a little difficult to have the names of locations trip of the tongue.
Recommendation
Read it - if only to decide if it’s your sort of marmite
Book 2 of Millennium Trilogy
The Girl Who Played with Fire
By Stieg Larsson
Basic plot
Mickael and Lisbeth find themselves embroiled in another conspiracy. Lisbeths’ character is developed with background from her earlier years explored and expanded. The magazine “Millennium” are writing an expose on sex trafficking which leads to deaths and intrigue. The media frenzy is recognizable when Lisbeth stands accused, and her old friend Blomqvist attempts to assist her.
What I thought
I felt I was really getting to know the characters and found the plot engaging. I still found the Swedish location names distracting, but enjoyed it enough to order the third in the series.
Recommendation
Read it
Book 3 of Millennium Trilogy
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest
By Stieg Larsson
Basic plot
Fiction
Room
By Emma Donoghue
The story revolves around a boy called Jack who has a birthday and lives in a single locked room with his ma. . It is about what we take for granted, and how easily we move about in our world with little regard for the conditions of others.
My thoughts
This is a disturbing book, well written but it can be difficult to grasp some of the concepts which we take as naturally learnt. It was exciting in places but dragged in others.
Would I recommend it ?
Sort of it’s thought provoking
Sam – Brighton
Fantasy
Kracken
By China Mieville
This novel is about a natural history museum curator called Billy and a giant squid. The squid goes missing and Billy and associates are tasked with finding it.
What I thought
Well I think I must be very stupid or just plain thick but I found the whole concept very fragmented, difficult to follow, rambling, bizarre, nuts and in places just plain weird. Now I’m not a connoisseur of this author, this is the first I have ever read and probably the last. It had such rave reviews and scored highly in many peoples opinion I think it must just be me but blinking barking mad is my opinion of this novel.
Recommendation
No
Anon
Historical fiction
The Tenth Chamber
by Glenn Cooper
A medieval script is discovered hidden behind an antique bookcase. Badly damaged, it is sent to Paris for restoration, and there literary historian Hugo Pineau begins to read the startling fourteenth-century text. Within its pages lies a tale of a painted cave and the secrets it contains. A team of experts begin to unlock the ancient secrets of the cavern and they find themselves at the centre of a dangerous game.
What I thought
Cracking good - light read I enjoyed it
Recommendation
Go for it
Gareth – Cardiff
The Winter Ghosts
By Kate Mosse
Basic Plot
The Great War took much more than lives. It robbed a generation of friends, lovers and futures. In Freddie Watson’s case, it took his beloved brother and, at times, his peace of mind. Unable to cope with his grief, Freddie has spent much of the time since in a sanatorium. In the winter of 1928, still seeking resolution, Freddie is travelling through the French Pyrenees – another region that has seen too much bloodshed over the years. During a snowstorm, his car spins off the mountain road. Shaken, he stumbles into the woods, emerging by a tiny village. There he meets Fabrissa, a beautiful local woman, also mourning a lost generation. Over the course of one night, Fabrissa and Freddie share their stories of remembrance and loss. By the time dawn breaks, he will have stumbled across a tragic mystery that goes back through the centuries. By turns thrilling, poignant and haunting, this is a story of two lives touched by war and transformed by courage.
What I thought
If you enjoy historical novels with mystery and romance then this is quite readable. The plot isvery predicatable with the cathars history bought again to light. Kates other novels Labyrinth and Sepulchre were ultimately better than this and as i found out later it has already previously been published as” The Cave” which according to other reviews I have read is exactly the same story just padded out.
Recommendation
Easy quick read, big print and pictures!
Biographies
It’s not what you think
by Chris Evans
Content
The story of how one council estate lad made good, really very good, and survived – just about – to tell the tale…
Chris Evans’s extraordinary career has seen him become one of the country’s most successful broadcasters and producers. From The Big Breakfast to Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush and TFI Friday, Chris changed the TV landscape during the ‘90s; and on Manchester’s Piccadilly Radio, BBC Radio 1’s Breakfast show and as owner of Virgin Radio he ushered in the age of the celebrity DJ.
But this is only part of the Chris Evans story. In this witty and energetically written autobiography, Chris describes the experiences that shaped the boy and created the man who would go on to carve out such a dazzlingly brilliant career. Born on a dreary council estate in Warrington and determined to escape, Chris started out as the best newspaper boy on the block, armed with no more than a little silver Binatone radio that he would take to the newsagents each day and through which he would develop a life-long and passionate love affair with the music and voices that emerged.
What I thought
A most interesting insight into Chris and his background. Interesting, witty and really gripping. I could relate to his childhood anecdotes which were laugh out loud funny and his amazing drive and self belief were an inspiration.
Peter – Sussex
Recommendation
A good read