Freedom by Jonathan Franzen

Briiliant book, recommended by Sarah, but I think I finished it before her. It's about an American family and the things that go on in their lives. The characters are very recognisable...I think I'm very much like Patti....and she drives me mad!!!!
Well worth a read. The only thing I didn't like is that the chapters are very long and there is often no obvious place to stop reading. So you either read into the early hours and stop when it doesn't feel like a natural stop.
9/10

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I knew I had to read this as everyone over in USA is talking about it. A very good read about the relationships between black women and their white mistresses in Mississippi in the early 60s. The author was raised by a black help so I expect it's pretty authentic.
9/10

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann

Read this book many years ago...it first came out in the 60s and caused quite a stir. It's about life in Hollywood and supposedly based on the lives of true people. It deals with drug taking and the "high" life of the famous in Hollywood. An easy read but not sure I'd call it a piece of good literature.
7/10

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok

Again another loan from Katy. An interesting read about a mother and daughter who arrive in New York from Hong Kong and how they manage to live there. The mother never really loses her Chinese identity. Enjoyable read and I'm sure pretty authentic for a lot of people in similar circumstances.
8/10

One Day by David Nicholls

Katy leant me this and let's face it, we've all heard loads about the book and the film. It's about 2 people who meet up at various times during their lives...looks at the same date every year. I enjoyed it...I have to confess bits of it made me think about Sarah and Rick Wray (sorry). I want to see the film...I think it will be better than the book.
7/10

Breakfast on Pluto by Patrick McCabe

A really strange book set in Ireland in the 60s/70s. It's about a boy who was fathered by a priest and handed over to a large family in the village. He grows up as a very mixed up child who spends his teenage life as a tranvestite prostitute. Very funny in places but also very sad. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1998.
8/10

Selected Poems by Carol Ann Duffy

This month's book club choice. For some reason we decided to try a poetry book although I'm not sure what everyone will make of it. The poems are chosen by Duffy from various of her anthologies. I love the last selection from The World's Wife, but am not sure I completely understand some of her earlier stuff.
7/10

Afterwards by Rosaund Lupton

Rosemary leant me this book when we were up in Norfolk. She said it was a serious weepy one.....and she was right. It's about a mum and her teenage daughter after they have been in an accident. A bit like "Lovely Bones" they are telling the story as if they are spirits - their bodies are still in hospital on life support machines. Not a story if you don't fancy a good cry!
8/10

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Ok so I know I've read it before, but it was Book Club's July read so I read it again. Equally good the second time. I think we've all read it so can't spoil the story for you. Very interested to hear what Book Club think. Surely no one could not like it.
9/10

Any Human Heart by William Boyd

This was last month's Book Club choice and when I first got it I had my doubts about whether I'd read it or not....pretty thick book. It starts a bit slow but well worth persevering....it's a great read about the life story of a writer called Logan Mountstuart who was born at the beginning of the 1900s. It's all based on journals he kept and a real page turner. It had me completed fooled....I was about to look for some of the books it claims he wrote....until someone at Book Club told me the truth!!!!
8/10

A week in December by Sebastian Faulks

I'm afraid that I didn't really enjoy this book....I know he's supposed to be a good writer, but I think he introduces too many characters who don't appear much in the book and also he spends a lot of time talking about the ins and out of the financial world. I didn't understand what he was on about and I don't think it's necessary to the story development. As the title suggests it's about what happens to a group of people during a week in December. They are linked loosely.
5/10

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

Sarah gave me this for Mothers' Day...thank you. The story is about a girl growing up in Iran, who is sent to Europe in her teens to escape living through the troubles in the country. In the second half of the book, she returns and tries to live under the religious oppression. The book is written as a cartoon and is very easy to read. However that doesn't stop it being a powerful insight into life in Iran. Well worth a read!
9/10

So many ways to begin by Jon McGregor

This is the second book by the man who wrore "If nobody speaks of remarkable things" and it might even be better! A fantastic story about a man trying to find out the truth about his background. The author has such a wonderful understanding of characters and a beautiful way of writing.
9/10

The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison

A Christmas/birthday present fr5om Katy and Mark (thank you) the story starts with a girl being evacuated to a big house in Yorkshire which runs as a boarding school. The girl eventually returns to London when her father comes home from active service. The girl's life while evacuated plys a significant role in her relationships in later life and in the second part of the book she returns to the house to meet one of her teachers who owns the house and still lives there. Probably more of a feminine book than what Dad chooses to read, but worth borrowing if anyone wants to.
8/10

Blood River by Tim Butcher

This was a Book Club book and I have to confess I wasn't really looking forward to it. It's about Tim Butcher's attempt to follow the route of Stanley along the Congo River. In fact it proved better than I thought, giving an amazing insight into what life is like in the Congo since independance. The corruption that was around in the colonial years continued and parts of the country in the 2000s is still very primitive.
6/10

Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro

One of my birthday books from Katy and Mark...thank you. It's a collection of short stories which are very well written but as with lots of books like this I wanted to read more of each story. Definitely worth a read...her style is enjoyable to read.
8/10

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

This is this month's book club book and winner of 2008 Booker Prize. A good story set in India about a poor man who becomes successful by becomming part of the corrupt society. It gives a good insight into what life is like for the underclasses in India.
8/10

Generation X by Douglas Coupland

Only read this because I had nothing else to read at the time....(thank you Katy, now I've got lots)....and thought I ought to read it. As the title suggests it's about the "younger generation" ....who annoy my generation at times by blaming everything wrong in their lives on us!! Oh dear I bet that sets the cat among the pigeons. Intersting book, although I think a bit dated and no doubt much better if read when it first came out.
6/10

Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Fantastic book....the sort you can't put down. To tell you the plot would spoil the story, but it's mainly about a group of children growing up in a strange environment. About to be released as a film in UK next month. A must I think.
10/10

The girl who kicked the hornet's nest by Stieg Larsson

This is the third book in the Millennium trilogy and very long. The story is good, but I find the number of characters (especially their Swedish names) confusing. Actually I think the story would have been as good if he'd left out some of the characters. Having said that, it has to be read if you've read the other two as it brings a conclusion to the plot. Although if the author hadn't died he could probably have managed a few sequels!
8/10