Book Club - 19/06/13

Last week was so hectic I have only just got around to writing up June's book club blog!! We met in the Odd Shoe which was uncharacteristically noisy (but the weather was good for once).  For next months I'm thinking if the weather is good then we can have book club in my garden as we finally have a table and chairs outside!! However if the weather is pants perhaps we'll go to the Green Dragon for a change.

Anyway Tess of the D'Urbervilles seemed to go down quite well.  It's a classic so I enjoyed reading it, its not really like anything I've read before, although it is very depressing.  Let's just say there never appears to be a silver lining for Tess! Although its not that big of a book I did only just manage to get through it in the 6 weeks and I think most people were the same.  At first I decided I was going to look up the meaning of any words which I didn't understand as I went through the story however there were so many words I had never heard of that it would have taken me months to read it so I changed my mind!! But it didn't hinder from following the story it just made me think this Thomas Hardy bloke knows alot of long words and wants me to know it.

We had a discussion about who we felt loved Tess the most out of the characters and who really betrayed her the most.  To be honest it was difficult to judge this one for me as they all seemed to love her in some form, but really she was wronged by all of them, her mother, her husband and Alec D'Urberville.  I kept thinking that something was about to go right for Tess and then a turn of the page and I realised that there wasn't going to be a happy ending.  I was very surprised by the twist of events at the end which I won't share for those who didn't get there... (you know who you are). Being set in the late 1890's we talked about how men and women spoke and behaved towards each other and the meanings of being a lover in contrast to today.  There was some confusion as to whether Tess had her baby after being raped by Alec because that chapter ended so abruptly, however Bill reckons there was another chapter that was cut out about Alec engaging Tess in a 'fake' marriage to lure her into his bed.  I'm not sure on this one but if that is true then it does make quite a big difference to the story!

Overall I think score wise most people gave it a 7 out of 10 (I may be making this up as it was last week and I can't remember to be honest) but I don't think there were any hideous marks, we didn't let Rachael rate her 8% as her favourite character had been the horse (pretty much the only one in it so far ;).  

The next book *Drumroll* 

'Me Before You' by Jojo Moyes

Right I've got to say here that I am really pleased this has come up because I got it for my birthday last year and have been waiting to read it, but also because its modern and sometimes after a book like Tess its quite a relief not to have to concentrate too hard.  Unfortunately for some (mainly Bill and Kevin) there were gasps of horror at the words 'gorgeously romantic' on the front cover.  Sorry guys but we're covering all the genres here! To be honest I've just started it and I don't think its a typical trashy girly book you may be surprised so I hope you give it a go! 

'Lou Clark knows lots of things.  She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home.  She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.  What Lou doesn't know is she is about to lose her job or that knowing what's coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live.  He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now, and he knows exactly how he is going to put a stop to that.  What Will doesn't know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour.'



Next Book Club Meet:

Date: Wednesday 31st July
Location: TBC (Possibly my garden if not Green Dragon)
Time: 7.30pm

Book Club - 08/05/13

Last night we had a book club/movie night, with a discussion about White Teeth followed by a viewing of 'The Colour Purple' which we read last month.  It was a lovely evening and a lot of fun, thanks to those that came and squidged in my front room! Although there were fewer people than normal this is the first time ever that everyone has pretty much agreed on how they felt about the book, and the verdict was that none of us were very keen.  Some didn't finish it and to be honest I really struggled with this one, I only finished it the night before and reading it had become a chore...not a good sign.  It did however win the 2000 Whitbread First Novel award and has some fantastic reviews so it may be some out there, but it was most definatley not my cup of tea.  

There was just way too much crammed in there (and its not a small book) we had immigration, racism, terrorism, animal rights activists, scientists, war heroes (debatable) and yet with so much going on not alot really happened.  Towards the last few chapters it started to build some tension leading to what you might think was a grand finale but again I found the end of the book unsatisfying.  We did all agree that the best thing about it was the way the characters were written, they were described so well you could picture them all, but this being said I just didn't feel anything for them.  The only character I liked was Irie, maybe because she was the most relatable character and seemed to be experiencing her family in the same way as I felt reading about them - exasperating.

Really enjoyed watching 'The Colour Purple' directed by Steven Spielberg in 1985.  It did have a very different feel to the book, although the general story was the same the book was alot more serious whereas the film seemed very light for the subject matter.  I loved Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey in the film both played their characters so well, Shug Avery was not how we pictured her though, not quite the glamour puss we all expected.  I think there will definatley be a few more book club movie nights to come! 

Next Months Book is... *fanfare*

'Tess of The D'urbervilles' by Thomas Hardy

'It tells of Tess Durbeyfield, the daughter of a poor and dissipated villager, who learns that she may be descended from the ancient family of d'Urbeville. In her search for respectability her fortunes fluctuate wildly, and the story assumes the proportions of a Greek tragedy. It explores Tess's relationships with two very different men, her struggle against the social mores of the rural Victorian world which she inhabits and the hypocrisy of the age.'

 

Next Book Club Meet: 

Date: Wednesday 19th June

Time: 7.30pm

Location: The Odd Shoe Pub (Park Street, Croydon)

See you there book worms! 

Grandads Tulips

Spring is finally here and my garden has started to see some beautiful tulips and daffodils spring up.  Last year grandad gave me a huge bag of bulbs which I planted all around the garden.  Sadly he passed away in February this year, but now that the bulbs have bloomed, everytime I look out the window or wander down the garden I think of my grandad.  Hopefully they will come up every year so that he will always be sitting in the garden with me.  

I never realised how many different types of daffodils there are but there are three different types in my garden!

Now that we've given the pond a bit of a tidy up you can see the fishes, we were surprised to count about 12 fish including 2 black ones that we couldn't see before! It still needs a proper clean out really but think that will have to be next year now...

I love my little garden!

Book Club - 03/04/13

I forgot to mention tonight it was book clubs year anniversary!! Next month I will ask everyone which is their favourite out of the years reads :)

Tonight it was all about 'The Colour Purple' which immediately sparked some passionate opinions on its strengths and weaknesses.  Quite a wide rating out of ten this one ranging from a low of 5 and a high of 9 (and the majority amongst the 7.5 mark).  I really enjoyed reading this book, it was something really different that I wouldn't have chosen to read (in fact had never heard of) and the thought of it being written in letter format had made me a little uneasy, however once I got started I forgot it was written in letters and got really into the story of Celie's life and the characters surrounding her.  I gave it a 7.5 out of ten because I thought it was an excellent book, well written and interesting.  I felt for the characters and was emotionally invested in their stories but I didn't go as high as an 8 because I didn't think it was amazing.  I didn't put it down and struggle to comprehend what I was going to do now I had finished it (which I have with some) but it is well worth reading and I would definatley recommend it.

Up until about three quarters of the way through the book is incredibly sad, Celie's life really at a low point but it did pick up and offer hope and a brighter ending.  The book covers so many themes incest, domestic violence, racism, religion, homosexuality, the lot really.  Celie is writing letters to God about her life and her experiences as she has no one else to talk to, up until a turning point where her faith in God begins to change.  She then starts to address the letters to her sister who she has not seen for many years, not knowing if she will receive them or even if she is still alive.

It is really a novel about the resilience of women and although Celie has a traumatic life, towards the end of the book you know she has turned a corner and things turn out ok for her in the end.  There are some really interesting characters,  and I thought they were well developed as you saw how they changed during their life experiences.  I liked Sofia who stood up for her rights no matter what the cost, she was a powerful example to Celie that you don't always have to take what life throws at you lying down.

So the next book we did a random pick and came up with 'White Teeth' by Zadie Smith. Amusingly while googling this aswell as the book I got lots of pictures of gleaming teeth (a little scary)      

'At the centre of this invigorating novel are two unlikely friends, Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal. Hapless veterans of World War II, Archie and Samad and their families become agents of England’s irrevocable transformation.

Set against London’s racial and cultural tapestry, venturing across the former empire and into the past as it barrels toward the future, White Teeth revels in the ecstatic hodgepodge of modern life, flirting with disaster, confounding expectations, and embracing the comedy of daily existence.'





The next book club is going to be at my House as we are going to watch the film of 'The Colour Purple' so anyone who is coming I will send you my address.  We are going to see how many people I can fit in my tiny living room! :)

Next Book Club Meet:
Date: 8th May 2013
Time: 7.30pm
Location: My Gaff

Book Club - 27/02/13

Another Book club been and gone, next months will be our year anniversary! Great turn out last night and we met at a pub called 'The Odd Shoe' which for some reason I had never heard of/noticed even tho I stand outside it waiting for the bus most days!! But it was alot better in there than the last few places so we'll stick with that next time too.

So this time we were discussing 'The Hunger Games' and it seemed to have a pretty positive review overall.  Some people went a bit mad and read all three books in the series (myself included), I think everyone agreed it was very easy to read and quite gripping so it didn't take long to whizz through!  Although we were technically only discussing the first book I have to say that I found the second and third books a little disappointing.  They were still good but really her first book was excellent to the point where it could have just stopped there really and kept us guessing!  I also had a bit of a different experience reading it to the others as I had seen the film already, which I loved, but it also meant I knew what was going to happen and I pictured all of the characters as they were in the film which is not really the best way to read a book. But there was so much more detail and depth in the book, as there always tends to be, that I did find it really enjoyable to read.

We talked about teenagers and whether we thought her personality and character traits were realistic for someone of Katniss's age and situation.  We thought she was quite a likeable character, headstrong and gutsy who has had to grow up way faster than she should have, becoming the mother figure in her family and providing for her sister and her mum.  The characters were interesting and had alot of questions hanging over them about their pasts (some of which may well be answered in the next two books, I can't possibly say!) but Haymitch was mentioned as a favourite character as he is quite a mysterious one and everyone wants to know how he won the Hunger Games in the past.  I really liked the stylist character Cinna (not just because Lenny Kravitz plays him the film) but although he doesn't feature alot he was a really important character in the book and becomes an important person in Katniss's life.  

Alot of it is quite far fetched (but then it is young adult and science fiction) but the way its written seems to let you forgive that.  There are alot of questions asked about the fact that if this is the 74th Hunger Games why has none of this happened in the past, has no one rebelled in 74 years?  How did the people in the Capital come to be the ones who lived there and were spared and why does everyone dress in crazy clothing? But the main thing for me is that from the moment I started reading it, it gripped me and made me want to keep turning the pages.  I wanted to know what happened next and I cared about the people in the book.  Marks out of 5 ranged all the way from 2 to 4 so it was a bit of a mixed bag but I think it was good to read something in a completely different style to those we've read so far!

Right this time we decided to choose the next book by voting and the book that came up trumps was 'The Colour Purple' by Alice Walker.

     'Set in the deep American South between the wars, it is a tale of Celie, a young black girl born into poverty and segregation.  Raped repeatedly by the man she calls 'father', she has two children taken away from her, is separated from her beloved sister Nettie, and is trapped into an ugly marriage.  But then she meets the glamorous Shug Avery, singer and magic-maker - a woman who has taken charge of her own destiny.  Gradually Celie discovered the power and joy of her own spirit, freeing her from her past and reuniting her with those she loves'

I am quite excited to read this, I think it is going to be a major tear jerker though.  There is also a film adaptation from the 1980's which I am hoping to get a hold of a copy so once we have read it those who want to can come to a dvd night at mine and cry with me!

Go get your copy and get reading :)

Next Book Club:

Date: 3rd April 2013
Time: 7.30pm
Location: The Odd Shoe (Park Street, Croydon)

Ape Drawings

I am loving drawing again, but for some reason all I want to draw are Apes! These are all pencil drawings. I toyed with the idea of adding colour (especially on the leaves of the top one) but I decided against tampering with them.

Grandad 18/07/1931 - 05/02/2013

My Grandad loved to make things and he was very clever with his hands.  He had so much patience he could sit for hours and make beautiful models out of matchsticks.  My brother and I were lucky enough to own our own sweet shop.  We had a proper counter with a parasol shade over the top. There were scales to weigh the sweets, a till and an old fashioned telephone.  Not forgetting the sweet jars and even some Golden Virginia tobacco. The sweet shop was made by my grandad and he was one of our regular customers.  I think the tobacco may have been his idea too.

At Christmas we always spent lots of time with Nanny and Grandad.  When we were little Grandad made us a big snowman, a huge cardboard tube covered in cotton wool, so we could dig our hands in and pull out surprises like a lucky dip.  I can still remember the excitement of seeing the snowman by the tree.  Robert and I used to get up early and open our stockings, we knew we could go downstairs when we heard Grandad chopping the tea, so we would tiptoe down and show him what we had got before everyone woke up.  Then he would make his famous fry up, before falling asleep in the chair with his paper hat falling over his eyes.  Later we would all watch Only Fools and Horses or James Bond.

Grandad could always find ways to entertain us, making paper aeroplanes, playing I Spy and cards.  Playing Trumps was just an excuse to make rude noises and everyone always wanted to be the dealer in pontoon.  52 card pick up was Grandad’s favourite so he could have a rest while we ran around picking up all the cards that had flown around the garden.

 

When Nanny and Grandad moved to Worthing it was always exciting to come and stay at the seaside.  Grandad would take us to the pier and the lido to go on the fruit machines with a big bag of pennies; we’d eat ice cream sandwiches and if we were lucky find some treasure on the beach.  In the summer holidays my cousin Jenny and I would go and stay for a week, and Grandad would take us out all day, swimming, bowling and paddling in the sea.  Then we would come back exhausted to find nanny cooking something tasty.

He was very mischievous and always getting in trouble with Nanny, pulling funny faces, burning holes in his new shirts while smoking his tobacco.  He could always make me smile.

Everyone I know who has met my Grandad has commented on what a magnificent man he was.  Such a genuine loving family man and I could not have wished for a better Grandad.  I have so many precious memories that I will never forget.  I will forever remember him in my heart.