Janet

Copied from my blog... When Martha was a young girl she used to enjoy doing a 'Counties of England' jigsaw (very appropriate for this reading challenge!) with her father… but that was before he left Martha and her mother. When she grows up Martha goes to work for businessman, entrepreneur and megalomaniac Sir Jack Pitman. Sir Jack has a vision – he wants to recreate the UK on the Isle of Wight. Not all of it. Oh no - he doesn't want the 'bad' bits - just the major tourist attractions. That way, he reasons, tourists will have all the attractions in one handy 380 km² package. Sir Jack's planning gathers momentum, and as people are afraid of saying no to him it seems nothing can stop him. But will this vision of Utopia really be a good thing – will it change things for better or for worse… England, England was written in 1998 and is set in an undisclosed time period in the near future. I guess in that respect it's a little like Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four – and reading it post-EU Referendum it sometimes feels that Barnes has predicted Brexit! I don't think I've read anything as satirical as this book before and I found the writing style rather odd to start with and wasn't sure whether I'd be able to get to the end, but once it got going I enjoyed it, despite the fact that none of the characters were really very nice! It's certainly an interesting premise, and I loved the end of the book. Despite the unpleasantness of some of the main characters, and particularly Sir Jack, they were very well written, and very convincing. In terms of the Counties Challenge, this fitted the bill perfectly, as so much of the action took place on the Isle of Wight. I haven't read any books by Julian Barnes before. I'm not sure if this is typical of his style – or if indeed he has a style, but I am curious to try another for comparison.

England, England by Julian Barnes The ‘blurb’ As every schoolboy knows, you can fit the whole of England on the Isle of Wight. Grotesque, visionary tycoon Sir Jack Pitman takes the saying literally and does exactly that. He constructs on the island 'The Project', a vast heritage centre containing everything 'English', from Big Ben to Stonehenge, from Manchester United to the white cliffs of Dover. The project is monstrous, risky, and vastly successful. In fact, it gradually begins to rival 'Old' England and even threatens to supersede it... One of Barnes's finest and funniest novels, England, England calls into question the idea of replicas, truth vs fiction, reality vs art, nationhood, myth-making, and self-exploration. When Martha was a young girl she used to enjoy doing a 'Counties of England' jigsaw (very appropriate for this reading challenge!) with her father… but that was before he left Martha and her mother. When she grows up Martha goes to work for businessman, entrepreneur and megalomaniac Sir Jack Pitman. Sir Jack has a vision – he wants to recreate the UK on the Isle of Wight. Not all of it. Oh no - he doesn't want the 'bad' bits - just the major tourist attractions. That way, he reasons, tourists will have all the attractions in one handy 380 km² package. Sir Jack's planning gathers momentum, and as people are afraid of saying no to him it seems nothing can stop him. But will this vision of Utopia really be a good thing – will it change things for better or for worse… Having already read the County Challenge choice for Isle of Wight (The Day of the Triffids) I decided to read this book instead. It was written in 1998 and is set in an undisclosed time period in the near future. I guess in that respect it's a little like Orwell's Nineteen Eighty Four – and reading it post-EU Referendum it sometimes feels that Barnes has predicted Brexit! I don't think I've read anything as satirical as this book before and I found the writing style rather odd to start with and wasn't sure whether I'd be able to get to the end, but once it got going I enjoyed it, despite the fact that none of the characters were really very nice! It's certainly an interesting premise, and I loved the end of the book. Despite the unpleasantness of some of the main characters, and particularly Sir Jack, they were very well written, and very convincing. In terms of the Counties Challenge, this fitted the bill perfectly, as so much of the action took place on the Isle of Wight. I haven't read any books by Julian Barnes before. I'm not sure if this is typical of his style – or if indeed he has a style, but I am curious to try another for comparison. The paperback edition is 272 pages long and is published by Vintage. It was first published in 1998. The ISBN is 9780099526544. 3/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 23 January 2018)

The House at Pooh Corner by A A Milne The ‘blurb’ 'One day when Pooh Bear had nothing else to do, he thought he would do something, so he went round to Piglet's house to see what Piglet was doing.' This is the second classic children’s story by A.A. Milne about Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. In this volume Pooh meets the irrepressible Tigger for the first time, learns to play Poohsticks and sets a trap for a Heffalump. In this stunning edition of The House at Pooh Corner, A.A. Milne’s classic characters are once again brought to life by E.H. Shepard’s illustrations. The House at Pooh Corner is the second book of Pooh's adventures, and the one which introduces us to the irrepressible but entirely lovable Tigger! In this edition, Christopher Robin and his friends from the Hundred Acre Wood get up to many adventures including the invention of the game Poohsticks – a game played by me and then my family, and doubtless thousands of other families too! This book was one of my favourite books as a child. Unlike some other books of its period, I think it stands the test of time for the age range it's aimed at. Lovely. The paperback edition is 192 pages long and is published by Egmont. It was first published in 1923. The ISBN is 9781405281287. 5/5 (Loved it) (Finished 28 June 2017)

Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg The ‘blurb’ Oswald T. Campbell, aged fifty-two, down-and-out in a Chicago winter, is given only months to live unless he moves South... He finds himself in the small town of Lost River, Alabama, where the residents are friendly if feud-prone and eccentric to a fault. One of them, Roy, keeps a red cardinal, a once wounded bird called Jack. Patsy, a sad, sweet little kid with a crippled leg, from the trailer park up in the woods, takes to dropping by the store - and falls in love with Jack. Oswald T Campbell, is urged to move South by his doctor, who is convinced the patient will not survive another winter if he doesn't relocate to warmer climes. Oswald has no ties in Chicago – he lives in a hostel and his only relative is his ex-wife who is now happily remarried. Due to a series of bizarre circumstances, Oswald ends up in Lost River, Alabama, where he boards with a woman called Betty. He quickly becomes involved in the lives of the other townsfolk, including the shopkeeper Roy - who has a pet Cardinal bird called Jack - sisters Frances and Mildred, and postman Claude. A little girl called Patsy starts visiting from a trailer park and she falls in love with Jack, whom she visits on a daily basis. She soon endears herself to everyone, so when she needs help the townsfolk rally together, but when things start to go wrong she loses hope. What they need is a miracle to put things right… This is a rather schmaltzy tale of a man, a town and a pet Redbird. It was chosen for our Christmas read for my Book Club and was enjoyed by all, even if it's rather predictable and so perfect that it's too good to be true. It's fair to say that this is in no way high literature, but is a lovely, warm Christmas read, so suspend disbelief, sit back and enjoy it! (Photo from Wikipedia, taken by Stephen Wolfe, and used with permission under Creative Commons licence) The paperback edition is 224 pages long and is published by Vintage. It was first published in 2004. The ISBN is 9780099490487. 4/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 13 January 2018)

The Call of the Wild by Jack London The ‘blurb’ Life is good for Buck in Santa Clara Valley, where he spends his days eating and sleeping in the golden sunshine. But one day a treacherous act of betrayal leads to his kidnap, and he is forced into a life of toil and danger. Dragged away to be a sledge dog in the harsh and freezing cold Yukon, Buck must fight for his survival. Can he rise above his enemies and become the master of his realm once again? Buck, a large, powerful dog and much loved pet is sold by an unscrupulous gardener and shipped off in a crate to Seattle where he arrives feeling traumatised, exhausted and half-starved. On release he attacks a handler and is beaten into submission. From there is he is sent on a series of adventures as a sled dog in Klondike, Canada during the Gold Rush. Some of his handlers are kind and some are cruel. Initially an underdog due to his upbringing, Buck soon learns that he must fight to improve his place in the pack and to ensure his survival… I'm not really sure where this book sits. Before I listened to it I thought it was a classic, but it is published by Puffin, which suggests it's a children's book. Not that it matters – it's a great adventure. The story is narrated by Buck, who I found endearing! The narrator, Bill Roberts, is American, which is entirely appropriate, but I did find his voice a bit… 'drawly', but nevertheless I enjoyed it. The paperback edition is 160 pages long and is published by Puffin. It was first published in 1903. The ISBN is 9780141321059. 3½/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 16 June 2017)

I hope you enjoy it if you read it, Noll I've just discovered that he had an exhibition in Bristol at the end of last year. I'd have gone if I'd known it was on!

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Agatha Christie The ‘blurb’ A dentist lies murdered at his Harley Street practice… The dentist was found with a blackened hole below his right temple. A pistol lay on the floor near his outflung right hand. Later, one of his patients was found dead from a lethal dose of local anaesthetic. A clear case of murder and suicide. But why would a dentist commit a crime in the middle of a busy day of appointments? A shoe buckle holds the key to the mystery. Now – in the words of the rhyme – can Poirot pick up the sticks and lay them straight? On his way out of his dentist, Mr Morley's, house, Poirot notices a woman getting out of a taxi. Her shiny buckle has becomes detached from her shoe and Poirot picks it up and returns it to her. The woman heads into the house, presumably for her appointment. Later, Morley is found dead with a gun beside his body and it seems like a simple case of suicide, especially when one of his patients is also discovered to be dead. Japp assumes that the dentist has killed himself in a fit of remorse after overdosing the dead man, Greek gentleman and spy Amberiotis. Poirot, though, is not convinced and so sets his little grey cells on the task of discovering the truth… This is another one that we listened to on Audio Book, as ever, brilliant narrated by the inimitable Hugh Fraser. Having left a long gap between listening to and reviewing this book, I find that the details are very sketchy! I remember there being a third murder, and lots of twists and turns along the way, but I can't actually remember the dénouement – although I do remember thinking at the time that it was rather convoluted! This is probably more to do with my memory than the book though, as I do generally love Christie – and especially her Poirot books. I guess I could listen to it again, but I probably won't! The paperback edition is 254 pages long and is published by Harper Collins. It was first published in 1940. The ISBN is 9780008164966. 3/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 4 June 2017)

Yes, it was a real surprise, although I don't know why as I loved Around the World in Eighty Days I'm definitely going to read more.

I managed six books in January - I'm happy with that. Yesterday I finished Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne. It was truly awesome - maybe even a 5 out of 5! (I'm trying to eliminate halves if I can). It was so atmospheric that I felt claustrophobic at one point and reading certain parts actually scared me!

The Descent of Man by Grayson Perry The ‘blurb’ Grayson Perry has been thinking about masculinity - what it is, how it operates, why little boys are thought to be made of slugs and snails - since he was a boy. Now, in this funny and necessary book, he turns round to look at men with a clear eye and ask, what sort of men would make the world a better place, for everyone? What would happen if we rethought the old, macho, outdated version of manhood, and embraced a different idea of what makes a man? Apart from giving up the coronary-inducing stress of always being 'right' and the vast new wardrobe options, the real benefit might be that a newly fitted masculinity will allow men to have better relationships - and that's happiness, right? Grayson Perry admits he's not immune from the stereotypes himself - as the psychoanalysts say, 'if you spot it, you've got it' - and his thoughts on everything from power to physical appearance, from emotions to a brand new Manifesto for Men, are shot through with honesty, tenderness and the belief that, for everyone to benefit, upgrading masculinity has to be something men decide to do themselves. They have nothing to lose but their hang-ups. "The first question most people ask when they hear of a birth is ‘Is it a boy or a girl?’ Once we know the sex of a baby, we often coo over it in gendered ways: ‘Isn’t she beautiful?’ ‘Look at him kick, he’s going to be a footballer.’ Before they can spell their own names children are well versed in the potent clichés of gender; girls play fairy dolls, make-up and gossip and a boy’s world is full of spaceships, action and competition." In this short book, Perry examines what people think makes men masculine, and challenges them - especially men - to rethink these stereotypes. He suggests that instead of always keeping a stiff upper lip, men have certain rights and should try allowing their true feelings out – viz., "The right to be vulnerable. The right to be weak. The right to be wrong. The right to be intuitive. The right not to know. The right to be uncertain. The right to be flexible. The right not to be ashamed of any of these.", and argues that men's lives would be enriched if they just relax and stop worrying about being macho… I loved Wendy Jones's biography about Grayson Perry (dictated by him, so nearly as good as coming straight from the horse's mouth!) which I read a few years ago. I may not want to own one of his pots, but I think he's a really fascinating man! I enjoyed this book, although I am writing this review many months after I read it and the detail has faded somewhat, hence my very inadequate review. I do, however, remember thinking how refreshing it was to read Perry's thoughts on masculinity. The paperback edition is 160 pages long and is published by Penguin. It was first published in 2017. The ISBN is 9780141981741. 3½/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 2 June 2017)

Hope you enjoy them, Alex.

I am definitely a visual reader. I can't get over how my brain does this, but my imagination just takes over so that no location is ever the same twice in my head, and even with scant description of a property or place I still have amazing and vivid images of what things look like - it's so incredibly detailed! Different houses, different landscapes, different faces - every single time. If only my brain could remember the plot-lines so vividly weeks after I've finished a book!

Someone called Steve Worsley narrated the first of the trilogy, @Madeleine. He did a really good, job, although we preferred Peter Forbes who narrated the second and third parts. Interestingly, the Steve Worsley one is no longer available on Audible, so I wonder whether they might re-record it with Peter Forbes? He seems to have done a lot of other Peter May books.

The Blackhouse by Peter May The ‘blurb’ A brutal killing takes place on the Isle of Lewis, Scotland: a land of harsh beauty and inhabitants of deep-rooted faith. A MURDER Detective Inspector Fin Macleod is sent from Edinburgh to investigate. For Lewis-born Macleod, the case represents a journey both home and into his past. A SECRET Something lurks within the close-knit island community. Something sinister. A TRAP As Fin investigates, old skeletons begin to surface, and soon he, the hunter, becomes the hunted. When the body of 'Angel' Macritchie is found in an old boathouse, it is DI Finlay 'Fin' Macleod who is sent to the Isle of Lewis to investigate. Fin grew up on the island, but left after going away to the Mainland to university and only returned once, when his Aunt, his former guardian, died. Despite having been gone for a long time, he soon picks up with former friendships, although some are rather strained. But as Fin investigates, it appears that there are many buried secrets coming to the fore, and soon Fin finds himself in grave danger… This is the second Peter May book we've listened to. It was faced-paced and exciting. I loved the author's use of past tense when Fin was talking about his time on the Island as a youth, and in present tense when he was discussing the case as he was investigating. He's a flawed character, but a very interesting one. It kept us guessing until the very end. It's the first part of the Lewis Trilogy, and if this one is anything to go for then we're in for a very exciting ride! There are lot and lots of Gaelic names/references in this book. I have managed, with the help of Google, to establish that 'Artur' is spelt Atair and 'Marshally' is spelt Marsaili! I still don't know how 'Fionlich' is spelt! In this respect, I was glad I was listening rather than reading! The paperback edition is 502 pages long and is published by Riverrun. It was first published in 2009. The ISBN is 9781849163866. 5/5 (loved it) (Finished 28 May 2017)

Five Rivers Met on a Wooden Plain by Barney Norris The ‘blurb’ ' There exists in all of us a song waiting to be sung which is as heart-stopping and vertiginous as the peak of the cathedral. That is the meaning of this quiet city, where the spire soars into the blue, where rivers and stories weave into one another, where lives intertwine.' One quiet evening in Salisbury, the peace is shattered by a serious car crash. At that moment, five lives collide – a flower seller, a schoolboy, an army wife, a security guard, a widower – all facing their own personal disasters. As one of those lives hangs in the balance, the stories of all five unwind, drawn together by connection and coincidence into a web of love, grief, disenchantment and hope that perfectly represents the joys and tragedies of small town life. This novel tells the story of five people who are affected by a car crash, and each of them narrates their tale in separate chapters in the book. There's Rita, a flower seller who is estranged from her son. Sam, a schoolboy, whose father is sick. A farmer called George. Army-wife Alison, and finally Liam, a security guard. These people seem to be unconnected, but Norris weaves their stories together quite cleverly in this skilfully crafted novel. I had picked this up a few times because Salisbury is a town I really love and, after chatting to a bookseller in Waterstones, I decided to suggest this for our Book Club. It made a great Book Club choice as there was plenty to discuss. I am looking forward to reading more by this author. The paperback edition is 288 pages long and is published by Black Swan. It was first published in 2016. The ISBN is 9781784161354. 4/5 (I really enjoyed it) (Finished 28 May 2017)

Sorry, @chesilbeach - I tried to add to my post to say that I find the whole idea of space humbling and mind-blowing, but my computer is having a funny five minutes five hours and keeps crashing. Grrrrr!

Thanks, @chesilbeach. It's the whole being underground thing - the writing is so good that I feel suffocated - I'm scared for the protagonist and the other characters! I don't even like the idea of potholing!

The Road to Wigan Pier Revisited by Stephen Armstrong The ‘blurb’ You think that the recession isn't biting? Look again. You think that the riots in August 2011 were unpredicted? Think again. 75 years after George Orwell's classic expose on life in the North, Stephen Armstrong returns to find that many things have changed, but not always for the better. Here he finds how young girls go missing because of the intransigence of the benefits systems, how fragile hope can be in the face of poverty and why the government stands in the way of a community helping itself. In his journey, taking in Bradford, Sheffield, Liverpool and Wigan, Armstrong reveals a society at the end of its tether, abandoned by all those who speak in its name. In 1936, George Orwell set out to Northern England in order to study the effects of high unemployment and poor social circumstances on the people of Barnsley, Sheffield and the titular Wigan as research for his book The Road to Wigan Pier (if you like books about social history, you'd love Part one of this book - the second part of the book looks at politics). In 2011 Stephen Armstrong decided to follow in his footsteps to see how much this had changed in the succeeding 75 years. The answer he found was that not a great deal had changed in terms of poverty and people struggling to support themselves. Since Orwell's time we at least have a National Health Service (please, God, that we keep hold of it), but there are still families without basic necessities, and since this book was published I'm not sure there has been any improvement in that situation. We are also blighted (and this is just my opinion) by zero hours contracts – how can people make ends meet with an irregular (and presumably occasionally non-existent) income? Correct me if I'm wrong, but presumably people are unable to claim benefits for the periods when their contracts don’t cover their outgoings – at least, not enough to cover mortgages/rents, etc? I don't claim to know a lot about this situation, but it seems to me that they should not be allowed – but please tell me if there are plus sides to them. For the most part I enjoyed this book (if that's the right word), although I did find the writing rather dry on occasion. In light of this book I really ought to make time to re-read the book that inspired it. The paperback edition is 288 pages long and is published by Constable. It was first published in 2011. The ISBN is 9781780336916. 3/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 24 May 2017)

Thanks, @Madeleine I would like to listen to them in the car with my husband, but although he enjoyed it, he said it wasn't fast moving enough for him so I will probably continue with reading them rather than listening.

I am currently reading Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne. I know this probably sounds really silly, but I am struggling with it, not because of the writing, but because the thought of what they are doing is really freaking me out. I really want to finish it, but part of me is thinking I might pick something else up to read alongside it, then I'm worried I won't want to go back to it.

About 2.30pm on a Saturday (the August bank holiday weekend). The weather was amazing so maybe everyone was outside enjoying the sun?

It's lovely, isn't it

I'm already looking forward to next time! I'll let you know about the book.

We're meeting on 28th Feb, so I'll probably start it around 14th. Yes, fingers crossed! Two of my Book Club members loved it, so I'm hopeful.

I have done both of those! The Gower Street one is gorgeous. My blog entry is here - I struggled to cut down the photos as I took so many! The one near Piccadilly Circus is their flagship store - it's great too, as is Hatchards, which is a bit further along Piccadilly from there and is also owned by Waterstones.