Man, Interrupted by James
Bailey
Published by
Mainstream
Man, Interrupted is a quirky
comedy/drama about this man with OCD (obsessive-compulsive
disorder) who tries to cure himself and find love. Part of his
illness is a fear of drugs. His treatment plan is to mingle
downtown with the street punks and drug dealers. It is
hilarious on how he handles himself. If you need a good laugh
read Man, Interrupted. It also gives one a glance of the
tortured world of an OCD sufferer.
Ruth Davis
Upon Dark Waters by Robert
Radcliffe
Published by Abacus
Reminiscent of The Cruel Sea, the
story of Flower class corvette HMS Daisy is intertwined with
that of its second officer, Michael Villiers.
Rejected at an early
age
by his British father and Uruguayan mother, he is handed over to
relatives and raised in the traditions of the pampas and the
gaucho. Reunited with his parents, he is dragged off
to a dreary English public school; and is rejected once again
when his mother returns to Uruguay.
Michael later returns to the Uruguay he considers home, but
finds that his English upbringing and the outbreak of war lead
him to confront his loyalties. Then the devastating
revelation of his true parentage leaves him with a sense of
alienation. Ultimately, it is the experience of war
aboard HMS Daisy that teaches him the true meaning of belonging
and of family.
I found this a well constructed novel. The battle
scenes on board HMS Daisy were both convincing and exciting.
The choice of Uruguay as Michael’s birthplace falls neatly into
place. It allows the inclusion of the Battle of the
River Plate; and a meeting between Michael and Hans Langsdorff,
Captain of the Graf Spee, has a direct bearing on Michael’s
dilemma.
Written on Glass by Judith
Lennox
Published by Heinemann
This is the story of two related
families, the Chancellors and the Temperleys, in the aftermath
of the Second World War. The novel conveys a sense
of everything
being irrevocably changed by a war which still casts its shadow.
Many features of “home front” life are still present: rationing;
the black market; spivs; make do and mend.
The war has interrupted lives and relationships.
Those who have been abroad fighting, and those who have suffered
hardship at home, are now trying to readjust.
However, the novel’s characters find that too much has been
changed by the war. Their assumptions about their
post-war relationships and careers are not realised, and their
lives follow unexpected courses.
I found the novel a poignant portrayal of the effects of a war
that touched every aspect of society. It is well written and
readable.
Waiting for the dayby
Leslie Thomas
Published by Heinemann
I found this to be an old fashioned
almost formulaic novel which takes the sentimental aspects of
WWII and turns it into a fairly routine story following the
concerns of
four
individuals as they prepare to play their parts in D Day. There
is little that is new in the storyline, the loose young wife
entertaining other soldiers while her husband is away, the
adulterous but doomed liaison between two old flames, the
desperate need for comfort from a stranger before the spy heads
off to France and the camaraderie and common aspects of ordinary
soldiers on both sides. Thomas has produced yet another novel
that gives the reader a comfortable and I have to say very
readable, story. JW
Altered Land by Jules
Hardy
Published by Pocket Books
A beautifully written book about tremendous losses and enduring
love that carries the main subject through those losses and
griefs. The
encompassing love comes in various forms from many different
directions. This is a life affirming book.
BC
The Triumph of Katie Byrne by
Barbara Taylor Bradford Published by HarperCollins
What
a load of tosh! For the first time in my life, a
book actually put me to sleep.
We start with an introduction to the characters, followed by the
'murder', and then we go on a jaunt that centres around the
Bronte sisters. The last few pages of the book deal
with the capture of the murderer. Obviously Ms
Bradford was uncomfortable describing the events of the murder
as she only spared it a few lines before moving onto the Brontes.
Her description of the wallpaper in the featured manor house
however is fabulous - you can see it come to life before your
very eyes.
It is slow, it is boring, the blurb is misleading.
This book is about an actress researching the Brontes for a part
in a play. The murder is an afterthought.
There is no emotion, I was unable to drag up one picture of any
of the scenes that were described.
This book certainly lacks imagination....
MC
Blood Hunt by
Ian Rankin
writing as Jack Harvey Published
by Orion
Excellent. I was hooked from the start and could not
put it down. It actually felt as if I was running to
keep up with the pages as the story is so fast and you did not
want to be left behind. The ending does not
disappoint and rounds off what is one of the best reads I have
had this year.
MC
Sabriel by
Gareth Nix Published by Collins Voyager
This
is a brilliant novel for both teenagers and adults.
It is across the modern world and an imaginary world.
The novel is "unputdownable" as it has an exiting plot and very
believable characters. Everyone should read it.
RS
Wee Free Men by Terry
Pratchett Published by Corgi
A hilarious romp though the fairytale land of Discworld and beyond, featuring a
frog, a frying pan, witches and... the wee free men themselves!
Terry Pratchett has once again shown
off his wit, intelligence and flair for imaginary and sometimes
crazy writing in this brilliant new novel.
The characters are all well rounded, from
Jock-no-as-big-as-big-jock-but-no-as-small-as-wee-Jock-Jock and Rob Anybody to
the Aching family and a frog with a penchant for flowery, dare I say it LEGAL
language. I really liked this book and my favourite characters had to be the wee free,
tartan wearing, sword brandishing, red hair flailing, blue skinned men
themselves!
SM
A Spoonful of Jam by
Michelle Magorian Published by Mammoth
I
really liked this book because you can really identify with the
character Ellis Hollis. It's about a girl who is rather poor at
the end of the WW2. She has got a scholarship into a
grammar school, which is rather unusual. She has
been bullied very violently by a girl called Marjory Bush.
One time Ellis was running away from her and went flying into
the theatre where she got the leading part in a play.
She loves the theatre and the people in it. This
book is "unputdownable".
SM
The Opium Road by Shaun Clarke Published by Pocket Books
The Opium Road, or the Road of Death by Shaun Clark, published in 1998 is a violent story from the start. It tells the struggle between a British
Special Air Services officer and his men, and a ruthless Russian drugs baron in the Pamir mountains. There is a surprise ending. Who will
survive?
Allan Ritchie
The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey Published by Corgi
I really enjoyed this book. I've read nearly the whole series and this is my favourite. I think this series is good for teenage-adult readers
but I was 11 when I started it. I think it has a good plot and is very interesting. It is O.K. to start in the middle of the series but you
can understand more of the book if you read them in order.
AG
Blessings by Anna Quindlen Published by
Hutchinson
No, not a book of religious quotes but a tale of a young
jailbird taking, and trying to keep, a post as gardener/handyman
around an old American property of that name.
The other main character is his employer; an eighty-year-old
lady who has lived there for most of her life and sees the past
events beneath the veneer of the present.
The current bringer of blessings to this peaceful scene is a
new-born baby left on the doorstep and picked up by Skip Cuddy,
the gardener. Strangely, he determines to keep her himself,
secretly carrying her on his chest as he works about the place
or leaving her to sleep in his room above the garage. The bond
that develops between them and his steep learning curve as he
cares for the babe whilst juggling Baby Manuals, bottles and
diapers are what kept me turning the pages. I loved the
unexpectedly tender way he looked after her and finally chose
her name. The changes in his life and that of his employer when
she discovers his secret are at the heart of this story.
JS
On the street where you live by Mary Higgins Clarke Published by Simon &
Schuster
This is a fascinating mystery story
about two killers 100 years apart, set in a small town in
America. A young lawyer named Emily Graham, has just bought
the
house
in Spring Lake, New Jersey, where skeletons of two young women,
one hundred years apart, have been found. Emily is drawn into
the investigation and becomes the target of the new killer.
What will happen to her? Will she find out who they are? You
must read the book. This is another best selling novel by Mary
Higgins Clark. It was published in 2001.
Allan Ritchie
The No1 Ladies’ Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
Published by Abacus
I chose this book because I enjoy detective stories – it wasn’t quite what I
expected! It is as much about life in Botswana as about detection, though
there is a
fairly tense mystery concerning a missing boy, which keeps you turning pages
right to the end. I found the background information about Precious Ramotswe
(the lady detective) and her father made the book rather slow at the start,
but I was gradually drawn in, and found it hard to put down. The setting is
very evocative: you can sense the heat and the dust, hear the cadences of
the language. I have since read and enjoyed the next three books in the
series.
SH
The Murder Room by P D James
Published by Faber & Faber
A good
book should firstly be a visual and a tactile pleasure, and I loved this one
from the start. The warm tones and crisp illustration of the cover mirror
both
clarity of style and superb characterization.
I was particularly drawn to
the growing humanity of the hero Dalgleish, as his cold and lonely widowhood
gradually succumbs to the possibilities of new love. The plot ensnares with
its compelling and original approach to such classic crime teasers as, among
others: the body in the trunk, the mystery of the locked room and the faked
suicide. Although I was tempted to hasten towards an ever-more tantalising
solution, it was also a delight to wallow in the sublime quality of James’
writing; literate, taut and full of colour. Few books, once finished,
inspire me to return and start again; the sheer scope and depth of The
Murder Room ensure that this is one.
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson Published by Sort of Books
You will
be instantly transported to life on a tiny windswept island off Finland,
during a long, light northern summer, where Sophia, 6, and her grandmother
play,
argue, dream, sleep, smoke, explore...
To me
this book was a magic quiet place of stillness, a complete world, a
celebration of life and death: bones, huge storms, the fragility of moss,
the transient beauty of summer flowers. I found it funny, profound, wry,
light, joyful and superbly life enhancing – quick to read, magic to re-read.
CV
Jackdaws
by Ken Follett
Published by Signet Books
This book is a thriller about some unusual spies
in World War II. The story begins in France nine days before D-day, after
the failure of an operation to destroy a communication centre. A top
Special Operations Executive Operative returns to Britain to plan a new
operation. She must recruit five more special agents and train them in
three days for this bold and more dangerous operation. The main character
is Flick. She has a foe called Dieter Frank – a ruthless and dangerous SS
man, who has vowed to destroy her and her companions. Will they
survive? You must read the book to find out.
This is a very entertaining
and emotional book, but may not be to everyone’s taste, as it is somewhat
violent it parts. The novel, although wholly fictional, is inspired by
real life spies, such as Odette Churchill and Violette Szabo. Like Flick
these were unseen heroines.
When Ken
Follett was researching this story he came across a statistic that there
were fifty women spies sent into France, and about a third were captured.
They would have been tortured for information, then sent to concentration
camps like Ravensbruke. These women were tremendously heroic.
Ken
Follett spends about a year researching a book before writing it. He has
written over 40 books.
Allan Ritchie
Artemis Fowl - The Eternity Code by
Eoin Colfer Published by Viking
Eoin Colfer has let his imagination run riot combining fairy tale with
fantasy and hi-tech innovation to create a 21st Century escapade.
The hero, 12 year old Artemis Fowl is the most ingenious criminal mastermind
in history and needs a challenge in order to keep his overactive imagination
in check.
I felt instantly thrown into the action with an array of individual and
powerful characters (including one Mulch Diggums). Having constructed the C
cube which contains the code necessary to destroy the fairy underworld,
Artemis Fowl needs to enlist the help of the fairies when the technology is
stolen from him by a character of equal intelligence.
Although aimed at a readership aged between 10-14 years old I was able to
enjoy this book. While not pretending to be a great piece of literature it
treats the reader with respect.
I found the story both funny and outrageous and a "seriously cool" adventure
for any young teenage reader.
PC
The Children's hour by Marcia Willett Published by Bantam Press
Sometimes it's just nice to read an easy, uncomplicated story, and Marcia
Willett always seems to provide you with just that. I suppose this story
really
follows the usual style that Marcia writes in - the main character, usually
a woman, having a bad time but everything ends up happily ever after.
However this book did have a bit of a twist to it which came about rather
unexpectedly.
The
story centres around five children enjoying their childhood before the war
and their mother always read them a story each day, hence the title
The
Children's Hour. However, the war arrives, bringing with it tragedy and
disruption of their happy lives. The family went their different ways for a
time, each having their own ups and downs, but as in most of Marcia
Willett's books, one of the family takes on the matriarchal role, and is
there to pick up the pieces. The twist comes near to the end of the
book, but I won't spoil your enjoyment by telling you what it is!
The only downside to this book is that I felt there were too many characters
in the story - I kept forgetting who they all were! A very enjoyable story
all the same - it's worth reading.
CW
Giving up the ghost by Hilary Mantel
Published by Fourth Estate
I wouldn't have read this had I not "half caught" an interview with the
authoress on the radio late one night and it immediately sparked my
interest.
What could at first appear to be a depressing, even bleak subject - illness
medical ineptitude and depression etc. - isn't at all, due to the writer's
feisty full-on approach to life and all it's edges. I couldn't
put it down, I knew she survived and succeeded but how? A funny,
painful, and brave account of a life, with some memorable flashes of the
childhood and teenage years.
Even if you have never experienced the pain of
love, read this beautiful and captivating book. It follows a
young woman’s mental journey through her own past as she lies in a coma in
hospital following a road accident. Did Alice deliberately step into
the road following the shocking thing she witnessed earlier in the day?
What exactly did she see? Will Alice choose to live or die? I
promise you, start this book and you will be desperate to find the answers
to these questions.
CM
Blessed are the Cheesemakers by
Sarah-Kate Lynch Published by Black Swan
Corrie and Fee make the finest cheese in the entire world from their rural
Irish farm and have jealously guarded their secret into old age.
But Corrie still pines for his granddaughter, married faraway on a South Sea
island, little knowing that she is on her way home with a broken heart.
In New York, Kit has lost his wife and his high-flying job on Wall St and
desperately needs to control his drinking. Can the secret magic
of Coolarney Farm be the answer to both their problems? Find
out in this hilarious and enchanting novel with a host of unforgettable
characters and a very large dose of “feel-good factor”.
How can a book with such a title and on such a subject be so moving and
enthralling? To my surprise I was rapidly involved in and
absorbed by this unusual story. Death is not the most attractive subject
for a novel, and bones not often described as "lovely", yet from the start
the idea is intriguing and the first chapter really sets the scene.
Fourteen year old Susie is murdered. The story is told by her spirit,
who cannot leave her world without finding ways to subtly contact those who
grieve, helping them to come to terms with their loss, and ultimately to
heal the space in the world that she has left.
JS
Satisfactorily scary in parts, this book captures interest from the first
chapter. The murder takes place early on and an unusual slant on
the after life soon develops. How the death of a young girl
affects a whole family and their different ways of coping is very well
developed.
Interestingly the American way of life and detection of crime is different
to that in Britain. Following the detective in charge, one
cannot help but notice the rather cavalier way articles left at the scene of
the murder are casually handled and treated.
How the mother copes is rather a surprise, she leaves her family, travelling
to California only to find that to try and escape such an enormity is an
impossibility. A very good read.
HG
The curious incident of
the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon
Published by Jonathan Cape
An unusual but totally believable
view of the world through the eyes of an autistic teenager, this book is a
mix of murder mystery, mathematical conundrums and logic. Don’t be put off
though, you’ll keep turning the pages to find out who killed Mrs. Shears’
dog and why.
A valuable insight into a
frequently misunderstood condition.
Mainstream
age
by his British father and Uruguayan mother, he is handed over to
relatives and raised in the traditions of the pampas and the
gaucho. Reunited with his parents, he is dragged off
to a dreary English public school; and is rejected once again
when his mother returns to Uruguay.
being irrevocably changed by a war which still casts its shadow.
Many features of “home front” life are still present: rationing;
the black market; spivs; make do and mend. 
four
individuals as they prepare to play their parts in D Day. There
is little that is new in the storyline, the loose young wife
entertaining other soldiers while her husband is away, the
adulterous but doomed liaison between two old flames, the
desperate need for comfort from a stranger before the spy heads
off to France and the camaraderie and common aspects of ordinary
soldiers on both sides. Thomas has produced yet another novel
that gives the reader a comfortable and I have to say very
readable, story.
The
encompassing love comes in various forms from many different
directions. This is a life affirming book. 
What
a load of tosh! For the first time in my life, a
book actually put me to sleep.
This
is a brilliant novel for both teenagers and adults.
It is across the modern world and an imaginary world.
The novel is "unputdownable" as it has an exiting plot and very
believable characters. Everyone should read it. 
I
really liked this book because you can really identify with the
character Ellis Hollis. It's about a girl who is rather poor at
the end of the WW2. She has got a scholarship into a
grammar school, which is rather unusual. She has
been bullied very violently by a girl called Marjory Bush.
One time Ellis was running away from her and went flying into
the theatre where she got the leading part in a play.
She loves the theatre and the people in it. This
book is "unputdownable".
.
The other main character is his employer; an eighty-year-old
lady who has lived there for most of her life and sees the past
events beneath the veneer of the present. 
house
in Spring Lake, New Jersey, where skeletons of two young women,
one hundred years apart, have been found. Emily is drawn into
the investigation and becomes the target of the new killer.
What will happen to her? Will she find out who they are? You
must read the book. This is another best selling novel by Mary
Higgins Clark. It was published in 2001.
fairly tense mystery concerning a missing boy, which keeps you turning pages
right to the end. I found the background information about Precious Ramotswe
(the lady detective) and her father made the book rather slow at the start,
but I was gradually drawn in, and found it hard to put down. The setting is
very evocative: you can sense the heat and the dust, hear the cadences of
the language. I have since read and enjoyed the next three books in the
series.
clarity of style and superb characterization.
argue, dream, sleep, smoke, explore...
The
story centres around five children enjoying their childhood before the war
and their mother always read them a story each day, hence the title
The
Children's Hour. However, the war arrives, bringing with it tragedy and
disruption of their happy lives. The family went their different ways for a
time, each having their own ups and downs, but as in most of Marcia
Willett's books, one of the family takes on the matriarchal role, and is
there to pick up the pieces. The twist comes near to the end of the
book, but I won't spoil your enjoyment by telling you what it is!
