| Beryl Bainbridge - A Quiet Life
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| A Lancashire family in the 1940's. Their lives, individuality and limitations are seen through the eyes of the adolescent son in a story told with great economy and never a false note. At the end there is a quietly stunning shift of perspective. (Tony Pratt)
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| Maeve Binchy - Minding Frankie
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| Binchy's heartwarming, moral and optimistic novels - often set around the same places and people (which makes for instant recognition and a great deal of cosiness) - could all be put under the heading of 'human'. Although hardly important literature, this is no chick lit. Her insight, objectivity, sense of humour and easy style makes this author a real boon when tired, or travelling, or just in need of something lighter. This new novel is certainly up to standard. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Lee Child - Worth Dying For
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| When Jack Reacher stops for a night at the Apollo Inn, in Nebraska, he doesn't expect that he will have to stay for several more difficult days. Without intending to, he encounters the Duncans, the local clan which is terrorising the county. So true to form, he does some cleansing and resolving and then resumes his solitary journey. A very good read as usual. (Laurence Martin Euler)
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| Jose Dalisay - Soledad's Sister
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| This novel, set in the Philippines, gives a disturbing picture of one part of the country and one part of its very mixed society. Sometimes shocking, sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, but always surprising - to readers in the West - this is a simple, yet very complicated story beginning when the body of a woman turns up at Manila airport, with the wrong identification . . . after which anything can happen - and does. (Ange Guttierez Dewar)
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| Emma Donoghue - Room
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| Room is the world in which five year old Jack lives with Ma. The only key belongs to Old Nick. There're a few books and a TV but Jack knows everything outside Room is just make-believe until one day Ma begins to talk of escape . . . Told in Jack's voice, his innocence and the love he and Ma share shine through, turning what could have been an unbearable story into something moving and uplifting. (Jenny Baker)
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| Helen Dunmore - The Betrayal
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| Leningrad, 1952, under Stalin's grip Russians survive by keeping a low profile. Then Andrei, a young doctor, becomes involved in the treatment of a seriously ill boy, the son of a feared, senior secret police officer. As the child's health worsens Andrei, his colleagues and his family find themselves falling victim to the paranoiac power of the State machine. Told with her customary panache, this is a brilliant and terrifying sequel to The Siege (bwl 14). (Jenny Baker)
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| Nicholas Evans - The Brave
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| This story of big lies and family secrets spans the years between the late 1950's and 2007. It begins when Tom, an 8-year old English boy, is living in rural England then switches to America, where he eventually becomes reconciled with his adult son. A moving, well written book. (Laurence Martin Euler)
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| John Fowles - The Collector
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| This novel captures the obsessive nature of a butterfly collector who turns his interest to girls; he possesses a country house after winning some money and lives alone. Added to the fact that the author used to collect butterflies (involving killing and pinning them) the whole story becomes even stranger. You are always uncertain as to what will happen, although it is likely to be irrational! An excellent read. (Eloise May)
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| Michel Houellebecq - Atomised
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| I'm not sure if I can call this a "book-I-like". It paints a perceptive and provocative portrait of society during the second half of the 20C, particularly the effects of liberal individualism. His philosophising tends towards gross generalisations and simplistic conclusions but I admired his intellect and breadth of ideas. Bleak and depressing, yes, but also fascinating, courageous, haunting and very different. It's like nothing I've ever read and definitely not for your maiden-aunt. Read at your own risk! (Denise Lewis)
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| Gregory Hughes - Unhooking the Moon
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| When their father dies, Bob and his little sister, Rat, set off for New York to find their relatives. It is the Rat's idea - and it is the character of the Rat that is central to this road-trip adventure. This is a typically American novel as the two children negotiate the city streets, finding warm hearts wherever they go. Enjoyably quirky, with a bittersweet ending that does not detract from the overall feel-good character. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Eva Ibbotson - One Dog and his Boy
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| Eve Ibbotson died just before Christmas - a great loss to the world of children's books. This, her last novel, shows no diminution in her skill as a storyteller or her ability to capture the sympathy of her readers. Her stories are old fashioned and beautifully crafted, but they do not lack drama and young readers (and adults sharing the tale) will be gripped as they follow the adventures of Fleck and his boy, Hal. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Barbara Kingsolver - The Poisonwood Bible
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| This is an amazing story, certainly one of my favourites, exploring a missionary family's life. The American family is made up of four sisters and their parents. Most of the novel is set in Africa and each character deals with their situation in an entirely different way. The reader receives multiple perspectives. The book describes the culture extremely well and is clearly well researched. It is very moving and appears realistic. Favourite read of 2010. (Eloise May)
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| Sophie Kinsella - The Wedding Girl
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| Written under her real name (Madeleine Wickham) and not nearly as frothy as the Shopaholic series, this little novel offers sensible insights into human relationships and the heedlessness of youth. At eighteen, Milly thought everything was fun, certainly dressing up in wedding finery and getting married to help a friend. Ten years later, she had to face the consequences. Bubbly, with an unusual theme and a serious base - an ideal read for holiday and relaxation. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| John le Carré - Our Kind of Traitor
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| In a novel that promises much but sadly delivers little, le Carré returns to the murky and confused post cold war demi-monde where one never really knows on which side characters belong or even if there are sides. He writes very well but the biggest problem I have with this latest book is that he takes over 300 pages to tell what is, essentially, a very small story. Regrettably, another disappointment. (Jeremy Miller)
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| Geraldine McCaughrean - The Death Defying Pepper Roux
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| Pepper is destined to die on his fourteenth birthday; St Constance revealed this to his aunt at his birth. So on the great day, Pepper walks out and keeps walking into adventures, keeping one step ahead of his fate until he finds his life. McCaughrean never disappoints in her imaginative flights as immaculate plotting takes Pepper from one situation to the next, while weaving a sparkling web of words to capture her readers. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Val McDermid - Star Struck
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| McDermid was a journalist for many years and her books profit from her experiences in the real world. Kate Brannigan, her Private Investigator, amuses and intrigues the reader with her gritty, quirky wit, often directed against herself; her loyalty towards her friends and helpers, however unorthodox; together with a plot which, not too obviously, moves along speedily and smoothly. In this one we get insights into TV soaps and fortune-telling, very entertaining. (Kathie Somerwil Ayrton)
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| Ian McEwan - Enduring Love
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| This novel has a compelling first chapter, plunging you into the middle of events. It is very descriptive, exploring the theme of obsession and the nature of love, addressing De Clérambault's Syndrome. You find yourself questioning Joe's sanity, whose perspective the novel is told from, and doubting your narrator. There is a dramatic point towards the end that came as a shock, highlighting McEwan's ability to write well - definitely worth reading. (Eloise May)
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| Jon Mcgregor - So Many Ways to Begin
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| Museum curator David's life is not what he hoped or expected - his identity is, shockingly, undermined, depression strikes his young wife, he loses his beloved job. 'Curating' relics of his mother's life, listening to his wife's childhood stories, the past piece by piece illuminates the present. This is a story of ordinary people surviving disappointments and how a deep-rooted love can survive these - and the greatest disappointment of all (read it to see!). (Annabel Bedini)
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| Anchee Min - Pearl of China
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| Growing up in Mao's China, Anchee Min was taught that "Pearl Buck insulted Chinese peasants therefore China" and that "The Good Earth was so toxic that it was dangerous even to translate". Then living in America and reading the book, she wept, "never having encountered any author who wrote about our peasants with such admiration, affection and humanity". This novel about Pearl Buck's life seen through the eyes of one of her childhood friends is the result. (Jenny Baker)
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| Rohinton Mistry - A Fine Balance
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| A long book, (614 pages) but totally absorbing throughout. It is written in a very easy style but manages to paint a most vivid picture of life in India during the "emergency" period of the 70's. The plot is centred around four characters and all that they have to endure and the way they interact with each other. The ending is devastating! A "must read". (Veronica Edwards)
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| Toni Morrison - Beloved
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| Inspired by an actual historical incident, this remarkable book tells the story of a woman haunted by the daughter she murdered rather than be returned to slavery. Part ghost story, part realistic narrative, the novel examines the mental and physical trauma as well as the lingering damage caused by slavery. In prose both stark and lyrical, Morrison addresses the importance of family and community, individual and cultural identity and the very nature of humanity. (Denise Lewis)
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| Alice Munro - Too Much Happiness
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| Another book of short stories, darker with hints of menace which reveal how we all deal with what life throws at us. The final story takes Munro away from her familiar Canadian landscape as she weaves a tale about Sophia Kovalevsky, the 19C female Russian mathematician who immigrated to Sweden. I found this particularly fascinating as it was a departure for her. The stories and writing are as good as ever. (Christine Miller)
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| Patrick Neate - Jerusalem
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| Interleaved narratives of a Boer War veteran, a contemporary junior minister sent to Africa, the minister's "cool" entrepreneur son and a rapper with a reinterpretation of 'Jerusalem' - all in collision with Africa. Very entertaining. It implicitly suggests that there is only one thing worse than contemporary Africa: England. (Tony Pratt)
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| Jo Nesbo - The Snowman
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| When the snow falls, wives and mothers disappear. Inspector Harry Hole of the Oslo police, tough and wryly subversive, simultaneously battles the killer, the bottle, his politically motivated superiors and his feelings for his ex-girlfriend and her son. Hard to put down, and harder to stop thinking about after you've turned out the light, this is gripping, page-turning, breath-holding stuff. Not for the squeamish, though. (Siobhan Thomson)
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| Joseph O'Connor - Ghost Light
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| As the ghost light burns in an empty theatre, so in a dingy boarding house, an old woman, somewhat sozzled with gin, burns with the memories of herself as a young actress engaged to Ireland's greatest playwright, Synge, who died so many years ago. O'Connor with his Irish gift for language breathes life into their story using the novelist's prerogative to imagine and invent. If you've read his Star of the Sea (bwl 28), this is as good. (Jenny Baker)
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| Boris Pasternak - Doctor Zhivago
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| The story of Yuri Zhivago and his struggle to survive the cataclysmic events in Russia in the first half of the 20C caused huge excitement when it reached the West in 1957-8. Daring to suggest the life of an individual was more important than Collectivism and overtly criticising Stalin, it was a must read. Still something for our 21C? The answer is Yes - forget the film and TV adaptation and immerse yourself in Pasternak's masterpiece. (Jenny Baker)
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| Gillian Philip - The Opposite of Amber
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| This is a gritty, contemporary young adult novel for those who are already reading Kevin Brookes, Melvin Burgess and Helen Grant. Borrowing motifs that will be familiar not just from the newspapers but from crime dramas currently shown on television, Gillian Philip combines them with the more traditional themes of the teen novel - relationships, growing up and the pressures faced by teenagers today. The result is rich fare - a novel crowded with incident, characters and content. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Anita Shreve - Light on Snow
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| Nicky's mother and baby sister have recently died in a car crash. She and her father find a new-born baby abandoned in the snow-bound woods. The mother of the abandoned child seeks them out. These bare facts are woven into a lucid, beautifully observed and moving story of grief, forgiveness and hope seen through the eyes of a twelve-year-old - no banal happy endings but real, evolving truths. One of Shreve's very best. (Annabel Bedini)
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| Wallace Stegner - Angle of Repose
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| This 1972 Pulitzer Prize winner, probably out of print, is worth looking for. Susan, product of cultured East Coast America, marries a mining engineer and is taken to live in the Far West. Based on a true story (including original family letters) their lives are reconstructed by Susan's paralyzed grandson. Impossible to condense the richness of this narrative of conflicting cultures, hopes, disappointments, tragedies in the context of a society in the making. I found it exceptional. (Annabel Bedini)
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| Kathyrn Stockett - The Help
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| This book explores segregation in America and a white woman's attempt to help 'the help'. Two maids and one white woman tell the story, enabling the reader to understand all opinions. It was unputdownable and excellently told from beginning to end. Stockett's skill has enabled me to gain historical perspective on a major issue as well as an emotional understanding of the people at the time by relating to her characters, which were all believable. (Eloise May)
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| William Trevor - Felicia's Journey
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| Felicia leaves Ireland for the Midlands with just two carrier bags and some money she has stolen. Her search for her boyfriend is hopeless until she is saved - or is she? - by plump, genial, middle-aged Mr Hilditch, a fantasist with a penchant for homeless girls. Pathetic human being, monster or both? Trevor employs his mastery of language to gradually build the tension, compelling the reader, with ever increasing dread, to turn each page. (Jenny Baker)
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| Alice Walker - The Color Purple
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| This book explores the issues of segregation and poverty, as well as exploring Africa from a missionary's perspective. The story begins with a dismal situation, and the protagonist finds herself passed from her 'Pa' into marriage, treated with disrespect. The story is slightly strange but demonstrates development of character and the effect events can have on someone. It was very interesting and very readable, partly due to the short chapters, which were easy to skip through. (Eloise May)
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| Jason Wallace - Out of Shadows
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| Zimbabwe; Mugabe has just come to power, the saviour of his nation, a new era. For Robert Jacklin it is also the start of a new life as a pupil at Haven School. It is here he meets Ivan, clever, charming, ruthless. This is an impressive debut novel for young adults, powerful and bleak, dealing with patriotism, friendship, loyalties and betrayal. It will stay with you for a long time. (Ferelith Hordon)
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| Feedback |
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| I can't think of anything worse than reading books on the i-pad. One has to handle a book to enjoy it. What happens when you fall asleep over the book in bed? There are only two advantages I can see: would it save the pulp and therefore the trees; could not more books be printed on recycled paper? I suppose if you are on a long journey or holiday it would save heavy luggage . . . but how awful to sit relaxing in the sun with an i-pad. (Jane Branch) |
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| On holiday two of my family were glued to their Kindles the whole time but I just can't bring myself to start reading on my i-Pad until I really have to. I loved Tony Pratt's comment about Simenon (bwl 59) and wholeheartedly agree - terrific author and paperbacks are just as portable as the Kindle. (Denise Lewis) |
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I have now used my Kindle for four months alternating with traditional books. My experience with the Kindle revealed that:
- it was more convenient for reading in bed at home or away.
- when passing the Kindle to my wife so that she could read a novel on it that I had enjoyed, the Kindle was unavailable for me to read something else until she had finished. The only solution was to revert to a traditional book (or buy a second Kindle!).
- when looking for something to buy, trawling through lists of books available for my Kindle and choosing samples of first pages/chapters for downloading free of charge was to some extent an unsatisfactory substitute for browsing in a bookshop or through a friend's shelves.
- finding space in our house for yet more books is a problem that can be partially solved by using the Kindle's extensive memory for storage of books read on it.
Conclusion To combine reading traditional printed books and books on the Kindle bearing in mind that many of the books one might want to read are not available for downloading. It would nevertheless be worthwhile checking. (Jeremy Swann)
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| I thought the last bwl was interesting - someone was actually glad they read Finkler!!! - and I'd just bought 'The Hare with the Amber Eyes' in hardback (!) because it sounded so interesting on Amazon. (Denise Lewis) |
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| I'm about two-thirds through The Finkler Question (bwl 59). Can't say I'm hating it but certainly can't see the reason for the great press. I will finish it but I do find it quite boring. At first I thought that maybe folk might have to be Jewish to understand. Well, it ain't helping me at all! If I read "Finkler" used as a verb one more time, I might just have a very loud screem. Trouble is, I assume that I will read it any number of times over the next 100 pages. (Julie Higgins) |
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| Finkler almost made me lose the will to live!! (Ferelith Hordon) |
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| When my turn came round to nominate the next "read" for my book group, I was about a third of the way through The Glass Room (bwl 55), and enjoying it, so I chose it. Much to my surprise (not because of the book, which I thought was very good, but because of what I know about what most of the group's members prefer to read), it received uniformly high marks, and two confessed to having been moved to tears by it - one of those simply because she had turned the last page! For my part, it was probably the most thought-provoking novel I've read since I read The Children's Book (bwl 55) last year. Perhaps I need to join a different book group . . . (Siobhan Thomson) |
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