Janet

I love your cover of ...Wilfred Price, Kay - very prettyful. I read Watership Down for the first time a few years ago. It took me a while to get into it but once I did I loved it! I immediately downloaded Bright Eyes on finishing it! I hadn't seen the film either so my son bought it for me after I'd finished the book. It's very sad in places but a great read/film. I know we've chatted on FB about it, but I'm glad you enjoyed David Mitchell who wouldn't!. I am looking forward to eventually being able to read his book when my 'to read' pile has been reduced and when it's out in paperback! I was going to say some thing else, but the phone rang in the middle of me typing and I've lost my train of thought...

It wasn't this one was it? I think this is gorgeous - it's also expensive!

I struggled through that last year, Alex! I shall be interested to read your thoughts when you do get to the end. I finally read Tales of Beedle the Bard yesterday. I bought it when it first came out - I had no idea it was so long ago! I'd been putting it off because I didn't really fancy it, but I actually really enjoyed the five tales!

I didn't want to hijack Gabbie's thread so I thought I'd post in here! How do your Book Club go about choosing books? Do you have a list in advance or do you take it in turns to suggest titles?

Unless you've removed it (or I'm going mad!) I can't see an attachment in post #20.

Maybe he's a hopeless old romantic!

He was married to her - I'm pretty sure he's been married at least four times! ETA: According to Wikipedia he has been married four times and was married to Lakshmi between 2004 and 2007.

I'm sorry to hear about the damage to your town, frankie. Some people are just mindless morons.

I read this a few years ago and thought it was great. I've read a few of Michael Morpurgo's books and they've all been enjoyable. I seem to remember that Kensuke's Kingdom had a sad ending.

There is a list of every Disney film on Wikipedia. It doesn't give descriptions but there are links to some - and maybe a name will jog your memory.

I think it's going to make for some great Book Club discussion.

My Dear, I Wanted to Tell You by Louisa Young The ‘blurb’ A letter, two lovers, a terrible lie. In war, truth is only the first casualty. My October Book Club read. This book is compared to Birdsong on the cover (“Birdsong for the new millennium” – Tatler) but I think that’s an unfair comparison as this is much lighter in tone. That’s not to say that some of the medical descriptions didn’t have me grimacing! Although he’s from a working-class background, circumstances see a young man called Riley taken under the wing of eminent painter ‘Sir Alfred’ who provides Riley with an education. Riley is in love with a young woman called Nadine, but even though her parents like Riley they don’t believe he’s ‘suitable’. Life changes when World War One is declared and after an encounter with a young man, a shaken Riley signs up on the spur of the moment and is sent to Belgium. He makes an impression and soon rises through the ranks, being befriended by his commanding officer Captain Peter Locke. As war rages, Nadine, Locke’s wife, Julia and his cousin Rose must try to carry on as normal back in England. Julia finds it difficult to find a purpose but Rose and Nadine throw themselves into nursing with the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) until eventually the five lives converge as the war takes its toll on both men. This book is a funny one to categorise. Essentially it feels like a love story, but there is more to it than that. The characters in this book are based on real people, although the story is fiction. Dr Harold Gillies was considered the father of modern plastic surgery and the medical details are accurate – what he did in terms of reconstruction is remarkable… and also shocking reading (especially for someone squeamish!). I probably wouldn’t have picked up this book if it wasn’t a Book Club one, but I’m glad I did – it was very enjoyable and I read it quickly. I’d give this one 4 stars.

A Moment of War by Laurie Lee The ‘blurb’ It was December 1937 when the young Laurie Lee crossed the Pyrenees and walked into the bitter winter of the Spanish Civil War. With great vividness and poignancy, A Moment of War portrays the brave defeat of youthful idealism in Auden’s ‘low dishonest decade’. This is the third and final part of Lee’s autobiography (after Cider With Rosie and As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning). There is some debate as to how authentic Lee’s account is in this book, and he himself stated that his diaries had been stolen and he therefore had to rely on his memory, but authentic or not it’s still worth a read. Unable to get into Spain by legitimate means, Laurie Lee sets off across the Pyrenees in the winter of 1937 in order to take part on the Spanish Civil War on the side of the Republicans. He is immediately arrested under suspicion of being a spy but is eventually released to join the International Brigades in their fight against General Franco. Despite the title, this book isn’t about fighting but more the life of the soldiers, surviving in poor circumstances with barely a gun between them. For me it wasn’t quite as good as the first two books, although that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it – it’s just that it doesn’t have quite the same charm - it is still written in Lee’s poetic-like prose and that makes it thoroughly readable. (Finished 04 October 2011)

Okay, no worries.

Michelle has said she doesn't want the book back so I'd be more than happy to pass it on to you if you'd like it.

Fallen Grace by Mary Hooper The ‘blurb’ Life has been nothing but unfair to Grace Parkes and her sister. Penniless, the two orphans manage to stay alive-but only barely, like so many on the streets of Victorian London. And Grace must bear a greater heartbreak, having become pregnant from terrible circumstances and then given birth to a stillborn baby. But the infant's death sets Grace on a new path, bringing her into contact with people who hold both riches and power. A great fraud has been perpetrated on young Grace and her sister, and they are the secret recipients of a most unusual legacy-if only they can find the means to claim it. Michelle kindly sent me this young adult novel after I mentioned that it was on my wish list. Grace and Lily have had to survive by themselves after father left to seek his fortune in the Americas and their mother then died. Although Lily is the elder, she has learning difficulties and so Grace has to take care of them both – they survive by selling watercress on the streets of London. Through no fault of her own, Grace finds herself pregnant and after her baby dies, Grace makes a trip to Brookwood Cemetery in order to hide the child in the coffin of a respectable woman to avoid the indignity of a pauper burial for the stillborn baby. Whilst there she meets a young man, James, who, enchanted by Grace, gives her his card and tells her that if she ever needs his help she is not to hesitate to call on him. On the same visit she is offered a job as a professional mourner for a large funeral company owned by the Unwin family, but she finds the proprietor unsavoury and as she and Lily are doing okay she declines the job. But fate steps in and Grace and Lily suddenly find themselves in desperate need of help and so Grace takes on the job and Lily is sent to work at the Unwin’s home as a maid. But the Unwin’s motives are not as innocent as they may seem and the girls find themselves in danger. This book is a young adult book and as such is rather obvious in places, but it was nevertheless very enjoyable. Mary Hooper wonderfully evokes the feeling of Victorian London and her characters have a very definite Dickensian feel about them. I have another of Hooper’s books, At the Sign of the Sugared Plum on my Kindle so I shall look forward to reading that at some stage. If you like the Victorian era and enjoy young adult books then Fallen Grace is definitely one to try – just as long as you accept the predictability of it. (Finished 28 September 2011)

Great review. I've added this to my World Challenge Wish List - thanks Alex.

Hurrah, another participant! I shall watch this thread with interest.

The Thoughts & Happenings of Wilfred Price, Purveyor of Superior Funerals by Wendy Jones The ‘blurb’ Everyone has to make decisions about love. In 1924, in the Welsh village of Narberth, undertaker Wilfred Price proposes to a girl he barely knows at a picnic. Almost instantly he knows he has made a mistake – he does not love her. He thinks it will be easy to extricate himself, but a chance meeting at a funeral and the revelation of a long-held secret complicates his world beyond recognition… Caught up in the moment, Wilfred ends up proposing to a young woman called Grace with whom he’s having a picnic. She doesn’t hesitate in accepting. As soon as the words are out of his mouth, Wilfred realises he’s made a terrible mistake and so he breaks the engagement. In the meantime he takes the funeral of the father of a young woman called Flora and, beguiled by her he asks her out on a date. But, through no fault of his own, Wilfred finds extricating himself from Grace is not as easy as he thought it would be. I was lucky enough to win this book through a competition on here (thanks, Michelle! ) and I’m so glad I did. I'm finding it impossible to say more without giving too much away so please do not read the spoiler unless you have read the book. I’ve already given a lot away (if you’ve read the spoiler) so I won’t say any more about it – but Wendy Jones has captured the feeling of a 1920s rural Welsh town perfectly and her characters are rich and well-written. I also loved the gentle humour in it, especially this quote: “Wilfred didn’t know what marriage involved. Because his father was widowed, Wilfred had no insight into the day-to-day goings-on of marriage, hadn’t grown up enveloped in one. He imagined the worst ones were like Punch and Judy’s marriage. He’d seen the puppet show once on the annual Bethesda Chapel Sunday School outing to Saundersfoot – the man hit the woman, the woman nagged the man, and they lived with an alligator. ”. I found the story compelling, despite its gentleness and slightly slow pace – I was sad when it ended which is always the sign of a good book. I can’t recommend it highly enough. (Finished 26 September 2012)

An Alien at St Wilfred’s by Adrian Plass The ‘blurb’ Who wants to poison the organist? Why is the overhead projector so very annoyed? Who made the vicar burst into tears in his own pulpit? What on earth is happening with the church lighting? Why did four sane Anglicans meet on top of the tower in a raging storm? What is going on? It’s very simple. There is an alien at St Wilfred’s. This is the story of Nunc, the small alien, who comes to Earth and learns to speak in Prayer Book English… David Persimmon, a clergyman in The Church of England, feels strangely discontented. His faith is being tested to the limits (particularly by the infuriating organist Nigel Forsythe, with whom he clashed from the very start of his term in office at St Wilfred’s) and he’s just going through the motions. He preaches uninspired sermons and is constantly putting his foot in it and upsetting his parishioners with his flippant attitude. One day when he is at a particularly low point he meets Nunc, an alien who has learned his English from a prayer book. Nunc tells David to choose three people from his church to meet up with Nunc on a weekly basis. Each of the people whom David chooses has something in his or her heart that is stopping them from really connecting with God. Can Nunc help them put the past behind them, and can he particularly help David re-discover his faith and reconnect with his flock? This is a very simple story, told from the point of view of the four parishioners that Nunc vows to help. People who attend church (particularly Anglican) will identify with the characters in this book – they will know a Nigel – or their vicar might be a David. With Nunc’s help the four of them will be able to reconnect to the church and in turn might be able to go on and help others. Personally unlike some of Plass’s other books, I don’t think this book would appeal to people with no faith – but it might just give some food for thought for those who do. (Finished 19 September 2012)

Memoirs of a Fruitcake by Chris Evans The ‘blurb’ Take one successful young DJ (as fresh as you can get). Add a £225 million business deal. Season with friends, bosses, hangers-on and lovers (don’t be stingy with these, the more the merrier). Then do the same with a passionate love affair and an unexpected wedding. Slowly add a tanker load of lager, several hundred cases of wine and anything else you might have in the drinks cupboard until it turns into a blurry, frenetic mess. Add as many of the rarest Ferraris as you dare to taste. Place in an ever-more stressful environment where every move is scrutinised by the tabloid press. Turn up heat to maximum and take cover. One total fruitcake coming right up Chris Evans is like Marmite – you either love him or you hate him! I’m firmly in the first camp, but it wasn’t always that way. I liked him when he was on the Big Breakfast, but when his ego became bigger than him I went right off him. He was always in the papers for some controversial reason or other whether it was his whirlwind marriage to the young singer Billie Piper or his sacking from the Radio 1 breakfast show after he went AWOL from the programme - and when it was announced some years later that Evans was taking over the Radio 2 Drivetime programme I was sure I’d hate it – but I didn’t. Evans had changed and his new persona was definitely more agreeable. The second part of his memoirs picks up where the first left off. It’s 1997 and Evans is working at Virgin Radio, presenting TFI Friday and living life to excess – it’s not long before he meets and marries Billie Piper in the well-publicised whirlwind romance. But a life of excess isn’t good for anyone and Chris spirals out of control and he will hit rock bottom before rising again! Having loved the first part of Chris Evans memoirs I couldn’t wait for this instalment and would have bought this if the back page was blank - as testified by the fact I didn’t read it until just now – the blurb is rather naff, isn’t it?!! This is written with the same honesty as the first book – Chris doesn’t blame anyone else for his behaviour and comes across as sincere when he admits his mistakes – it’s well-written and I really enjoyed it – I like Chris and I love his R2 breakfast show! (Finished 17 August 2012)

What a lovely picture. I can't believe he's 4 already! Steve - I'm not surprised you were excited!

Like you, I use Amazon a lot. Not just to buy stuff but for the Wish List facility and... well just because I like the site! I never look at the 'stars' before I've read the book/watched the DVD/used the item because I've noticed in the past that reviews are often skewed by factors such as those you mention above - and also people say things like I ordered this product weeks ago and it was late/it was not in the condition stated/the seller would not reply to my email - they're not rating the product at all, they're rating their experience of Amazon Marketplace - with a negative effect on the product which is not warranted.. I make a point of not reading Amazon reviews beforehand too - after all, what some people love, others hate - we're all different unless you're the bloke from the Life of Brian. I think the system needs an overhaul. I do sometimes report reviews if I think them inappropriate but I don't always.

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl The ‘blurb’ James has lived with his beastly Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker ever since the day his parents were eaten up outside London Zoo by an angry escaped rhinoceros. Then something very peculiar and magical happens that will whisk James away from his wretched existence and take him on an unbelievable journey! When James is just four years old his parents are eaten by an escaped Rhino and he’s sent to live with his horrible Aunties. His life is miserable – he’s made to sleep in the attic and has little food and is treated as a skivvy. Life isn’t much fun until one day when he meets a strange man who gives him a bag of crocodile tongues with instructions of what to do with them… which will make marvellous things happen so that James will never be miserable again. However, James has a mishap and as a result an enormous peach starts to grow in the garden, and James - together with the peach and a bunch of magical insects - sets off on a mysterious journey that may just change his life forever… This is the seventh book I’ve read as part of my Dahl challenge. Although I did enjoy it I didn’t think it was as strong – or as exciting – as other titles. I’m glad I didn’t leave this one until last. Sadly I don’t have much else to add! (Finished 15 September 2012)

I have downloaded the sample to my Kindle. Due to (presumably) the publishers setting the prices, it currently has an average 2 star rating on Amazon as about 20 reviewers have given it 1 star due to the fact that the Kindle version is £2.99 more expensive than the actual hardback. It's unfair on Rowling as this has reflected on the book when those giving it 1 star haven't even read it.