frankie Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Actually, I'm not sure I agree with them - I think you're right! Wohoo!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 8, 2015 Author Share Posted July 8, 2015 My next Book Club book (for September) is Ali Smith's How to be Both. I've read the sample of it and I don't know if I'm going to get on with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 My next Book Club book (for September) is Ali Smith's How to be Both. I've read the sample of it and I don't know if I'm going to get on with it. Do you know much about the book, Janet? It's written in two parts and half the books have been printed with one part at the beginning and the other half with the other half at the beginning, and the ebooks give you the option of which part you read first, without actually telling you anything about either part. Not sure which part you read in the sample, but I suspect from your comment, I know which one it was. I loved it, but then I love Smith so probably a teensy bit biased. Hope you get on better with it once you get into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 8, 2015 Author Share Posted July 8, 2015 Thanks, Claire. I'm trying to be open minded about it. Fingers crossed it turns out to be a pleasant surprise. I'd forgotten that she was your favourite author. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 9, 2015 Share Posted July 9, 2015 I might try Four Children and It some time. Did you enjoy it? I did ! It's about four children, one of them really loves the original book (it's said in the author's notes that she does, too). They meet the Psammed (is that the correct spelling? I can't quite remember) and get to pick wishes, but it takes place of course in more modern times. I don't know how it would be coming from it if you've read the original book, but for a newbie as myself, I enjoyed the book a lot. I thought it was funny in places too. I wish you lots of fun on your holidays in Mallorca ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 Thanks, Gaia. I might look for the Jacqueline Wilson book in the library when I get back from our holiday. I'm very excited, if also very nervous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin The ‘blurb’ "Who the hell are you?" A.J. asks the baby. For no apparent reason, she stops crying and smiles at him. "Maya," she answers. That was easy, A.J. thinks. "How old are you?" he asks. Maya holds up two fingers. "You're two?" Maya smiles again and holds up her arms to him." A.J. Fikry, the grumpy owner of Island Books, is going through a hard time: his bookshop is failing, he has lost his beloved wife, and a prized rare first edition has been stolen. But one day A.J. finds two-year-old Maya sitting on the bookshop floor, with a note attached to her asking the owner to look after her. His life - and Maya's - is changed forever. Another book I picked up on a whim in Waterstone’s – although I guess it wasn’t really as it was right at the front of their Bluewater store on a large display stand, so I couldn’t really avoid it! Island Books is a small and successful independent book store run by Mr Fikry. He’s become rather grumpy since the death of his wife, and when a new sales rep turns up in his store he isn’t exactly friendly towards her, but soon after he discovers a small child who has been abandoned in the book store and his life changes forever… I really enjoyed this lovely, quirky tale – it’s a simple read which would make a lovely holiday read. The paperback edition is 320 pages long and is published by Abacus. It was first published in 2014. The ISBN is 9780349141077. 4/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 12 May 2015) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 Hardacre by C L Skelton The ‘blurb’ Hardacre is the sweeping rags to riches story of the Hardacre family. This dramatic family saga follows generations of the Hardacres from Victorian times to the 1950s. Set against the backdrop of major historical events, Hardacre traces the family's humble beginnings to their position of great wealth. Sam Hardacre makes a tough yet honest living as a fish gutter. But he has ambitions for a life far removed from the harsh existence on the quays of the north English coast. Through drive and determination he builds a business empire and amasses a fortune. His wife, Mary, once a poor street urchin, must learn to adapt to her new role as mistress of a grand house in Yorkshire. Sam's sons, Joe and Harry, inherit some but not all of their father's qualities. Their opposing personalities lead them to make very different choices about their futures. Meanwhile, their younger sister, Jane, is born into a life of privilege and has no experience of her family's early struggles. The three siblings and their offspring will know love, hate, passion and tragedy, as they live through the dramatic events of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The lives of the Hardacres are shaped by the extraordinary events of the Boer War, the Great War, the Wall Street Crash, the Second World War, Hitler's Germany and the London Blitz. Hardacre is a gripping pageturner; a tale of ambition, fate and family ties. Sam Hardacre is a fish gutter by trade and life is tough at times. After marrying Mary and starting a family, Sam needs to improve his lot in order to provide for them all so he comes up with a plan which, if successful, could change the family’s fortunes for the better… I read this book (and its sequel) when I was about 12 years old and although it’s not the kind of book I would read now it popped up as a 99p Kindle Deal book so I thought I’d download it for nostalgic reasons. It’s an historical saga type of book and starts in the Victorian era, ending around the time of the Second World War and is a typical rags-to-riches tale. I was surprised at just how much of the story I had retained and bits came back to me as I was reading. It was rather long-winded in places. I quite enjoyed rereading it but I don’t think I’ll be rushing to read Hardacre’s Luck again! The paperback edition is 512 pages long and is published by Harper Collins, but is out of print in book format. It was first published in 1976. The ISBN is 9780583127868. I read it on my Kindle. 3/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 18 May 2015) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Glad you enjoyed the A.J. Fikry book! But who's Jonathan Kemp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 Oh bother! I did enjoy it, but it hasn't really stayed with me, sadly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Oh bother! I did enjoy it, but it hasn't really stayed with me, sadly. Ah, I'm sorry to hear that But to each their own, time to look for the next novel that will stay with you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 It's a regular occurrence these days! I have so much stuff in my head that I just can't retain things like I used to be able to! : I remember loving it, but the story has faded over the weeks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 My latest acquisition arrived on Saturday! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 That is a beauiful cover! Those colours! I hope you enjoy the book . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 Thamks, Gaia. I've just finished a children's book so I'll probably leave it for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Love that cover J! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alicedrinkwater Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 I didn't know Ian Fleming wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted July 28, 2015 Share Posted July 28, 2015 Coo. Cover certainly hits you between the eyes somewhat! Beiing an old fuddy-duddy, my favourite is still the old version, but that's definitely one that demands to be read (and much more likely to appeal to modern readers). Like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 28, 2015 Author Share Posted July 28, 2015 I didn't know Ian Fleming wrote Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Cool! It came up at a quiz Peter and I went to once and lots of people were surprised by that too! Love that cover J! Coo. Cover certainly hits you between the eyes somewhat! Beiing an old fuddy-duddy, my favourite is still the old version, but that's definitely one that demands to be read (and much more likely to appeal to modern readers). Like it! I like the original cover too, but I bought it second-hand online so I went for one where the condition was described as 'very good' - which fortunately it is. I like this cover too - and I agree it probably appeals to today's youngsters. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I didn't even know Chitty was a book, let alone by a particular author! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 I didn't even know Chitty was a book, let alone by a particular author! That's the problem with some of these films - people know them better than the books, but the books (IMO) are almost invariably better. I read The Jungle Book to my class last year, who were blown away by the stories - far stronger than the saccharine laden film (rather similar to the relationship between Mary Poppins books and film - although I enjoyed the film rather more than with TJB). As for the Winnie the Pooh films.........horrendous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted July 29, 2015 Share Posted July 29, 2015 Which Winnie The Pooh films? The modern ones or the straight-up adaptations of the books from the 60s or 70s, whenever they were made? Also, I think the original film 'Winnie The Pooh's Most Grand Adventure' is actually a great little film, it's so dark! I love dark animated films. It never did as well as other Pooh films because it was that much scarier than others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins The ‘blurb’ Rachel catches the same commuter train every morning. She knows it will wait at the same signal each time, overlooking a row of back gardens. She’s even started to feel like she knows the people who live in one of the houses. ‘Jess and Jason’, she calls them. Their life – as she sees it – is perfect. If only Rachel could be that happy. And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Now Rachel has a chance to become a part of the lives she’s only watched from afar. Now they’ll see; she’s much more than just the girl on the train… I don’t think I’d have picked this book up if it wasn’t a Book Club choice. It’s a well-crafted thriller which is told in turns by Rachel and two women called Anna and Megan. Anna is married to Rachel’s ex-husband and Megan lives nearby in the same street. Rachel passes where they live on the train every day and sees Megan (who she calls Jess) from the window and makes up a life for her. But things are not they seem – not only with Rachel but also with the lives of Anna and Megan. I started reading this book on a long train journey which seemed entirely appropriate! The nature of the book – with each chapter being fairly short and being told from opposing viewpoints – meant it was hard to put down, and luckily I had lots of time to read where I was going and therefore I read it in a couple of days. I didn’t have much sympathy for Rachel at the start of the book, but as the story unfolded I found my opinion changing, even though she’s her own worst enemy. The film rights have been sold, but unfortunately, as seems to happen all too often with British books, it’s going to be set in the US, which I think is a shame, but if the film does go ahead then no doubt I’ll give it a go! The paperback edition is pages long and is published by. It was first published in. The ISBN is 978. 4/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 20 May 2015) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted July 31, 2015 Author Share Posted July 31, 2015 The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald The ‘blurb’ Invited to an extravagantly lavish party in a Long Island mansion, Nick Carraway, a young bachelor who has just settled in the neighbouring cottage, is intrigued by the mysterious host, Jay Gatsby, a flamboyant but reserved newly-made man with murky business interests and a shadowy past. As the two men strike up an unlikely friendship, details of Gatsby’s impossible love for a married woman emerge, until events spiral into tragedy. Regarded as Fitzgerald’s masterpiece and one of the greatest novels of American literature, The Great Gatsby is a vivid chronicle of the excesses and decadence of the “Jazz Age”, as well as a timeless cautionary critique of the American dream. This is one of those novels that I’ve always thought I should read but kept putting off. However, when I saw an edition with the most gorgeous cover in Waterstone’s last December I snapped it up using some of the vouchers I’d been given for Christmas. Nick Carraway is a young man who moves to the fictional town of West Egg in Long Island. The area is wealthy but unfashionable and is largely inhabited by people who have made their money rather than inherited it. Nick’s cousin, Daisy, and her husband live nearby and as Nick spends time with them and their friends, and the mysterious Jay Gatsby who lives nearby, he discovers that wealth does not necessarily equal happiness. I found it to be somewhat of a slow burner, and I didn’t really like the characters – apart from Nick – and I didn’t really understand how he could be friends with them as they don’t really seem to have any redeeming features. I did get into the story and I then I enjoyed it so although it didn’t blow me away I’m glad I have read it, but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The paperback edition is 180 pages long and is published by Alma. It was first published in 1925. The ISBN is 9781847492586. 3½/5 (I enjoyed it) (Finished 28 May 2015) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 Great reviews ! I'd heard good things of The Great Gatsby, it's a shame it wasn't as good as you'd hoped. I'm glad you liked The Girl on the Train . The film rights have been sold, but unfortunately, as seems to happen all too often with British books, it’s going to be set in the US, which I think is a shame, but if the film does go ahead then no doubt I’ll give it a go![/font][/color] That's such a shame . I really don't like it when they do that . I thought Confessions of a Shopaholic was a less good book-to-movie adaptation for the same reasons, the book is set in London and features British people and they almost completely 'Americanised' the film. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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