Jessi

Welcome!

Welcome to the BCF!

I am making my way through the second To Make Out World Anew!

Goodnight Mr Tom by Michelle Magorian (5/5) Goodnight Mr Tom is just one of my favourite books EVER!!! Set in the second world war, it is about an evacuee arriving in the country, having left his abusive mother in the London. There are very few fictional characters I love as much as Tom Oakley and William Beech. The friendships which develop between the two leads is such a lovely flowering, as if Will’s and Zach’s. There are so many lines in this book which touch me. I could re read this weekly. The idyllic village, the horror of Will’s mums and the extreme highs and lows – I love EVERYTHING about Goodnight Mr Tom. I will be reading this when I am 80.

I've already downloaded the Mayor of Casterbridge! If it is anything like as good as Tess, I'm pretty sure I'll consider myself a fan of his work too

Tess of the D’urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (4/5) Tess is, of course, a classics and personally one I really enjoyed. I can so see why it is among the best known and enduring of Hardy’s work. Wonderful characters and descriptions kept me entranced. That said, I dislike Angel as a leading male intensely. I just hated him for leaving Tess. And poor little Sorrow’s death was too sad.

Creation by Randal Keynes (4.5/5) Creation was a tale which tore at the soul. Keynes if a descendant of the Darwin clan and his emotional connection with the tale makes the story he tells even more out wrenching than it already was. Exploring the influence of Charles Darwin work had on his personal life and vice versa. The early death of his daughter Annie Darwin is the heart of the book. Indeed, her ‘box’ (in which her mother kept her belongings after death) was the inspiration for it. Superb, educational and very much pulls on the heart strings.

Just Henry – Michelle Magorian (5/5) Even though ‘Just Henry’ was a ‘children’s’ book, I just loved it! I read the novel after having watched the film at Christmas and found the story was, as ever, even better when on page than when on screen. Magorian is also the author of Goodnight Mr Tom, one of my all time favourite books. Once again she just drew the most wonderful characters and wove them seamlessly with a great plot. Henry and all his dysfunctional family jump off the page into life. Great book.

Oh, Chrissy, I didn't realise there had been a reading circle on it! Will definately have to sit down and read that in the next few days! Arukiyomi, Canon Doyle, Jennifer Worth and Amanda Vickery's books have been my highlights so far this year! I found them far harder to put down than 'The Reader'.

The Reader – Bernard Schlink (3.5/5) The Reader was an interesting book that makes you question the morals of the tale. Hanna and Micheal’s story is a sad tale, steeped in the horrors of the twentieth century. That said, I’ve read more compelling books this year.

News from the Front – Martin Farrar (4/5) This was such an interesting book. Journalism in the First World War had to be censored, and this book tells the that story of how it was. Explaining the changing relationship between the press and the army from 1914 to 1918, Farrar’s book takes a unique point of view and is a highly enjoyable read. I read this primarily for my uni course this year and am so glad I took the course as I don’t think I would have otherwise!

The Love Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn are surely a must read for any Tudor fan. The passion at the beginning of one of the most passionate and doomed relationships in history has been well documented elsewhere but reading the letters really brings it back to the reader. A wonderful but tragic read.

Farewell to the East End – Jennifer Worth (4/5) It was with sadness I finished this book as I was thoroughly engrossed in the 1950s East End Worth recreated. It was written with the same affection and warmth which characterised its predecessors. Worth tells us what happened to herself and her fellow midwives once they left the east end as well as wrapping up the stories of the final patients we met as well as the nuns. All three books are well worth reading.

Call to Arms by Charles Messenger (4/5) This was another book I read for my world war one course at university. I thoroughly enjoyed it; it was a great over view of the British army in the western front. The chapter on women in the army was especially interesting. A really wonderful book that didn’t get too heavy but gave solid information.

161 atm the mo I really need to get it down!

tea

A Game of Thrones

I've read more of Jane Eyre today.

Poison in the Blood – MG Scarsbrook (1/5) The worst book I have read so far this year. It would be better if Scarsbrook had invented characters to go with the plot. Instead, it is billed as to be a Borgias novel. I accept that some authors write historical characters in to tales which aren’t accurate, but it still aggravates me. A badly written Alexander mixed in with a self righteous Lucrezia meant this was book was always going to wind me up. I down loaded it when it was free on kindle thankfully; my advice is don’t waste your money.

In the Shadow of the Workhouse – Jennifer Worth (4.5/5) This was my favourite of the Midwife trilogy. It is going to stay with me for a very, very long time. I wept at both the story of Frank and Peggy as well as Joe’s tale. Jane also broke my heart. They were four good people who life was unkind to... but more than that, they suffered unnecessarily and cruelly from separation as well as others actions. It is a hard hitting read, but worth it.

The Queen Mother – William Shawcross (4/5) I thoroughly enjoyed this informative, well written and engaging biography of the Queen Mother. Taking us from her happy childhood all the way through to her long widowhood, this huge biography sheds interesting light on the queen who helped lead England through the second world war and is well worth the read.

I'm reading Jane Eyre now - at last, I seem to be making some head way with the classics

Tommy by Richard Harris (3.5/5) I read Tommy for uni as one of my courses this semester is on world war one and I am glad that I did. The course is totally changing the way I think about the war, and Tommy is part of the reason my views are changing. Tommy looks at the soldiers lives on the western front form a very personal point of view. Holmes’s work is littered with very insightful primary sources. Though they did become a little over powering at times and I found the discussion of weapons a little laborious too, other discussions (for example, what the soldiers were reading when they were in the trenches and the day to day lives of the solders) made this book hard to put down. Though obviously a heavy topic, this is well worth the read, especially as we approach the hundredth anniversary of the war breaking out. Call the Midwife – Jennifer Worth (5/5) This is the best book I have read in a very long time. It was filled to the brim with life as it was in the East End during the 1950s. When young Jenny Lee walked in to the convent in Poplar as a newly trained midwife she had no idea what life was going to through at her – basically everything it could, and then some. This is a book which is as heart warming as it is gut wrenching. Mary, Len and Conchita, the young midwifes and the old nuns are all going to stay in my mind for a long time. While some of them experiences love as most of us can only hope to, others suffered beyond imagination. Personally, I felt as if I could connect with the book on some levels; my grandparents and their parents lived in this world. It therefore helped me understand them a little more. Geographically, I go to Poplar 3 times a week for uni. As I read about the east end Worth knew, I literally walked the streets of it too. I can’t recommend this highly enough – that said, there are some quite disturbing moments. And tissues should also come free with it.

I'm reading Just Henry by Michelle Morgorian - its supposed to be a childrens book, but its one of those adult readers and thoroughly enjoy too. I'm flying through it!