Book Club - 24/02/16

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