Morvern Callar - Alan Warner

Recommendation from Sarah Mitchell. A short story about a girl from the Scottish Highlands who goes on something of a rampage after her boyfriend dies. It's quite weird, not quite sure the whole way through whether you are meant to like her or not. The contrast between the places she visits and her home are brilliant. Has left me thinking about it a lot, but it is quite an odd one.

8/10

Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor

February's Book Club read and to be honest I'm not sure if I would have wanted to read it otherwise. The style is written like a Victorian book and didn't look appealing to me. However I soon changed my mind and got very hooked by it. It's about a group of people who sail from Ireland to start a new life in America. It concentrates on the lives of a few of them, showing connections before they are brought together on the ship: an Irish landowner and his family, their maid servant, a murderer and an American writer.
Well worth a read; not sure how much is fiction, but certainly based on facts from Ireland in the mid 1800s.
8/10

The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho

Hmmm,
generally quite twee but a gentle story and am glad I've read it as I think it got a lot of rave when it wasa first published.

6/10

Bristol Story

This is the reading adventure book for bristol. gillions of free books are given away to encourage all of bristol to read the same book at the same time.. This year it was a purpose written cartoon all about the history of bristol
Very interesting and I learnt a LOT about my city. Clearly written for children but still very interesting.

7/10

Regeneration Trilogy - Pat Baker

A.MAZ.ING
is my choise for book club, which we haven't had yet so not sure what everyone else thought.

Not read any other books baout WW1 or any other war really so was really interesting to see how the 'boys' felt. Liked that it was linked to real events but not entirely.
thanks for the recommendation Sarah

10/10 (yes you have to read it too now!)

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Surprisingly good read, though mum was reluctant to recommend it - to me, anyway.
A very intimate observation of an American 1960s family who's lives are dogged (an understatement! Maybe crippled and wrecked is better.) by a tragedy and a secret. Lovely insight and often very touching. Made me cry at the end!

9/10

A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon

Like his best seller, it's an easy read but still quite a disturbing one. The "Bother" seems to me to more than a spot for anyone and you wonder if any family could really cope with all the things that happen. There's a father having a break down, a mother having an affair and both children having non standard relationships. If that's what a wedding causes, maybe we should be glad of our situation!
7/10

The Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw

This was my Book Club's book for this month. It's set in Malaysia and about the lives of a Johnny, a successful, but dubious business man and his wife, Snow. Their story is told from 3 people's point of view: Johnny and Snow's son looks back on their lives, Snow tells her story through diary entries and Peter Wormwood adds another side of the story as he looks back on his time with the couple. At times I felt parts of the story was missing or confusing, but then someone else would add more light to it. Not a must to read, but glad I read it.
7/10

Gulliver's Travels - Johnathon Swift

A good read, and all the way through I couldn't quite get over the fact that it was written (or first published) in 1726. Although some of the language and the style are dated, in general it just seems more modern.

The first two stories (the little people and the giants) were good to read in all their details, but what's intriguing then are the later travels which are more political and adult.

Took me quite a while to read, but glad I finished it.

7/10

Bel Canto - Ann Patchett

Sue from bookclub recommended this after we'd read Run by the same author.

Again quite a slow style but enough story to keep you wanting to read more. About a VIP dinner that gets taken over by terrorists

I liked the ending but the epiogue was jsut ridiculous.

6.5/10

If Nobody Speaks Of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor

lovely lovely lovely,

think you've all read this already so I won't say much.

lovely and gentle with confusing switching between times and centre of attention.

8/10

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

Good read about a woman, Margaret, who is asked to write about the life of a famous writer before she dies. The story uncovers a mystery around twins which links in with Margaret's past.
The style is quite easy to follow and the plot interesting.
7/10

The Innocent Man by John Grisham

Boring, boring, boring. Grisham's first non-fiction book I suspect he had it ghost written - by a zombie. The story of farcical small town policing and bigotry and an innocent man sent to jail for 12 years for a horrific rape and murder(until DNA proved him innocent). Could have been good but just went on. And on. And onnnnnn. Don't even think of wasting your time on it. Is this a balance review? Yup!

1/10

The Abortionist's Daughter - Elisabeth Hyde

Liked this a LOT. was a basic murder mystery with a bit more story behind it. Not that obvious who done it and nicely explained why they did. It also had 2 chapters of the actual day and how it happened right at the end which was a bit like a columbo backwards!

7/10

Run - Anna Patchett

Read this for Lou's book club.

About a family who are involved in a car accident and the fall out from that. I really liked it, although I've already heard the girl who picked the book hated it.

7/10

Cit of God - Paulo Lins

Probably read this more in 2007 than 2008 but finally finished it today.

Was a book before the AMAZING film and crickey it was a violent book. I'd forgotten how violent the film was but I might watch it again.

All about gangs in brazil, drug dealing and some very young children getting involved.

8/10

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Interseting book about a man who gives away his twin daughter, born with Downs Syndrome at birth, without telling his wife, but saying she died at birth. The story follows his family's life and the life of the twin daughter and shows how his action changes so many people's lives.
8/10

At risk by stella Rimington

Yes, that Stella Rimington - the ex head of MI 5. A formulaic story about an international terrorist attack on a UK location and the interlocking of M I 5, M I 6 and the police. Good enough for a by-the-pool read but I wouldn't put in my top ten.

5/10

The lollipop shoes - Joanne harris

the same characters as chocolate so understandably twee. keep you guessing until the end.. although I didn't really understand the ending!
8/10

sleep pale sister - joanne harris

Really quire dark, but then again aren't all of hers. Liked it esp as it was a bit less twee than the chocolate series. confusingly told from different view points that are difficult to catch on to at the beginning!

9/10