Really enjoyed being back at book club having missed the last one, and this time with a new addition! My baby Oliver gave some good input, mostly sleeping, eating and puking but he had lots of cuddles so he was happy!
We talked about the book 'What Alice Forgot' by Liane Moriarty. I wasn't bowled over by the book if I'm honest although it did grow on me as the story progressed. I felt after the accident when she was discovering things that have happened to her it became a bit silly for example her divorce, every little thing was 'that must be why he wants a divorce' I didn't really feel for the characters much. The mother reminded me a bit of the mum in Bridget Jones diary. We also talked about what it would be like if we forgot the last ten years and what huge milestones have happened since then! It would definatley be pretty scary to not remember having your children, but she just didn't seem freaked out enough for me to find it believable. I don't think I'd go ahead with parties at my house and an event to make a giant lemon merengue if I had lost my memory and didn't remember who my kids where! But i did warm to it towards the second half of the book when u learnt more about the family. It's a good chick lit book for the beach but that's about all id say!
So the next book is a new thriller hot off the shelves! It's a surprisingly short book so I reckon even I can get through this one right now! 'Under The Harrow' by Flynn Berry.
'When Nora takes the train from London to visit her sister in the countryside, she expects to find her waiting at the station, or at home cooking dinner. But when she walks into Rachel’s familiar house, what she finds is entirely different: her sister has been the victim of a brutal murder.
Stunned and adrift, Nora finds she can’t return to her former life. An unsolved assault in the past has shaken her faith in the police, and she can’t trust them to find her sister’s killer. Haunted by the murder and the secrets that surround it, Nora is under the harrow: distressed and in danger. As Nora’s fear turns to obsession, she becomes as unrecognizable as the sister her investigation uncovers.'
Next Book Club:
Date: 27/07/16
Location: Matthews Yard
Time: 7.30pm
Last book club we met up to talk about 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'. Only Charlotte and I had finished the book and quite a few people couldn't make it, so we basically explained what happened in the story to the others, which to be honest was not an easy plot to describe!
I thought it was going to be a scary book and it did start off quite creepy but actually it really was not a horror at all, more fantasy. The real random photos that it had been based on however were very weird!! Although the characters had special 'peculiar' skills and abilities and lived in a kind of parallel universe set in the past (the fantasy bit) the parts I found hard to believe was how accepting the main character was of all he saw and what happened to him. It was a bit like 'Oh right so I've time travelled back into the 1940's and you can turn into a bird, Ok then' He also appeared to have no qualms whatsoever about leaving his family forever which you'd think might need some consideration at least. It was an enjoyable read but I wouldn't rush out and read the next instalment. I think it could have finished at the end of this book rather than open a whole new can of worms.
I am quite interested to see the film which is being released later this year, especially because it is directed by Tim Burton. He seems to take misfits and the curious and turn them into something awesome on screen, so hopefully he has made some improvements where needed and can make this book that has a lot of potential into a really exciting film!
We were a bit stuck on what book to choose next, so we googled and came up with something that we hope is a bit light-hearted 'Crooked Heart' by Lissa Evans. Next time I will come more prepared armed with a new list of suggestions, so if there is anything anyone would like to add please let me know.
When Noel – aged ten, no family - is evacuated from London to escape the Blitz, he ends up living in St Albans with Vera Sedge - thirty-six and drowning in debts and dependents. Always desperate for money, she’s unscrupulous about how she gets it.
Noel’s mourning his godmother, Mattie, a former suffragette. Brought up to share her disdain for authority and eclectic approach to education, he has little in common with other children and even less with Vee, who hurtles impulsively from one self-made crisis to the next. The war’s thrown up new opportunities for making money but what Vee needs (and what she’s never had) is a cool head and the ability to make a plan.
On her own, she’s a disaster. With Noel, she’s a team.
Together they cook up an idea. Criss-crossing the bombed suburbs of London, Vee starts to make a profit and Noel begins to regain his interest in life.
But there are plenty of other people making money out of the war and some of them are dangerous. Noel may have been moved to safety, but he isn’t actually safe at all…
The next book club is my last before the baby arrives, but I do plan to continue with book club, I just may have to have a slightly longer gap before the next one to give me a little recovery time!
Next Book Club:
Date: 6th April 2016
Time: 7.30pm
Location: Matthews Yard
I'm getting very forgetful lately - too much on my mind! I will not neglect my book club duties however!! So we met aaaaaages ago on the 20th Jan in Matthews Yard to talk about 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini.
This proved a very popular read! I don't think there was one person who didn't enjoy this book and it certainly gave us a lot to talk about, bringing up the subjects of Afganistan, war, arranged marriages, domestic abuse and children. There were some really strong characters in the book and I think everyone could empathise particularly with the women in the story. Its incredible to think that the real war events that it is based around happened not so long ago and really some of it is still happening now. Its one of those stories which makes you feel truly thankful for the way we live in this country, the rights we have on a day to day basis to live our lives as we choose and even just the material things we take for granted. I would definitely recommend this book if you did not get time to read it, its certainly not a jolly read but there is hope in there too. Its very well written, it draws you in and you feel for the characters, everything a good book should do!
Our next book (which I've already finished - as it is next week...) is called 'Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children' by Ransom Riggs
'A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. And a strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children;, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children who once lived here - one of whom was his own grandfather - were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a desolate island for good reason. And somehow - impossible though it seems - they may still be alive.'
So If you haven't started yet you've still got time to get reading!!
Next Book Club:
Date: Wednesday 24th February 2016
Location: Matthews Yard
Time: 7.30pm
