Right from page one, it is obvious to see (as I (re)read), that Mantel is setting up the story to show Cromwell in a favourable and sympathetic light. The first chapter of Wolf Hall graphically, and unforgettably, describes a young Thomas Cromwell being severely beaten by his father, Walter. This is not a one-off event … Continue reading Wolf Hall | Hilary Mantel #Readalong
Usually, I prefer to read the book before I see the movie, but in this case our hot summer weather beat me to the punch. Last weekend was hot, humid and very unpleasant. My family of boys were absorbed by all things pre-season soccer, so I escaped the heat and the testosterone and sought out … Continue reading Brooklyn by Colm Tóibin
Please don't hold it against me, but I devoured The Dinner in one weekend. I could barely put it down (except for the times when the horribleness got too much for me and I had to look away.) For me it was the book equivalent of Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs. It was ugly, provocative and disturbing … Continue reading The Dinner | Herman Koch
Some of you may have noticed my absence over the past week or so. Every now and again I have a reading holiday when I ease back on reading time, but this week was more about a technology holiday. I simply needed a break from all the stimulation and attention demanded from computers, phones, tv's … Continue reading Maisie Dobbs #6 Among the Mad | Jacqueline Winspear
Unconditional love. Maria - selfish, expecting unconditional love from her husband and children even though she's having an affair that will tear their family apart. She justifies her behaviour at every turn but struggles to be responsible for the way things turn out. She hopes that future generations will understand and accept that it's possible … Continue reading Becoming George Sand | Rosalind Brackenbury
Poetry is not normally my thing. Perhaps I'm not emotional enough, high brow enough or enough in the know. I often just don't get it, or if I get it I just don't care. However T.S. Eliot has been an exception over the years. Snippets of his poems have entered my world at appropriate times. I have felt … Continue reading The Lost Life | Steven Carroll
Apparently this is a German trilogy recently translated into English...I couldn't tell at all, especially as most of it was set in London. The story raced along smoothly, with lots of action and funny dialogue. I found the time travel parts more interesting than the time spent at school. But the early school scenes obviously … Continue reading Girl About Time Ruby Red | Kerstin Gier
If you enjoyed 'The Hunger Games' "Tomorrow When the War Began' and 'I am Number Four', then I'm sure you will love POD too. Aliens come to earth and wipe out anyone who happens to be outside at the time. That only leaves pockets of survivors who were inside their homes or shops at the time. … Continue reading POD | Stephen Wallenfels
I did enjoy When You Reach Me. It was well-written and the characters were drawn sympathetically. The ending was satisfying and resolved all the the time-slip stuff in a way that made you go "uh-ha - of course - now I get it!" But despite all the things it had going for it (including New York … Continue reading When You Reach Me | Rebecca Stead
I wanted to like Edie Amelia more than I did. It tried too hard to be quirky, sassy and unique. So it came across as being contrived and rather annoying instead. Maybe I was just having a bad day (see I'm still trying to give it a second chance!) Edie was a likeable character and the … Continue reading Edie Amelia and the Monkey Shoe Mystery | Sophie Lee
I came to the Hunger Games trilogy late which gave me the luxury of moving straight from 'The Hunger Games' into 'Catching Fire'. I was already haunted by Katniss and Peeta's story - book 2 simply added more fuel to the fire...and more haunting dreams! The political intrigue is ramped up, the relationships deepen and became … Continue reading Catching Fire | Suzanne Collins
The Magician's Elephant is my first time reading a DiCamillo story. I've heard all the rave reviews about her other books and I don't know how The Magician's Elephant stacks up against them, but I loved this book. It was beautifully written, magically created, gorgeously realised and utterly compelling from start to finish. It is … Continue reading The Magician’s Elephant | Kate DiCamillo
The Girl Who Played With Fire is the second part of Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy. Unlike the first book I had no problems getting into this one and consumed it in a few days whilst on summer holidays. It was hard not to give away plot teasers to my husband who was waiting for his turn … Continue reading The Girl Who Played With Fire | Steig Larsson
Paper Towns is a funny, smart teen novel that culminates in a road trip to find the girl, romance and friendship. This is reality fiction - no vampires, werewolves, parallel universes or avatars! Green makes use of fabulous dialogue, complex characters and people you care about. Highly recommended for the older teen reader looking for something … Continue reading Paper Towns | John Green
Stolen by Lucy Christopher is a dramatic, beautifully crafted start to this eerie, menacing novel hooks you in and keeps you turning the pages, long after it gets bogged down by the inertia of the 2 main characters. I kept hoping that the story would live up to the promise of the first half, but … Continue reading Stolen | Lucy Christopher
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