BOOK REVIEWS

Just finished Nella Last's War

Excellent book, I cn really recommend it

I agree CW, Nella Last`s Peace is also a good read.

Just finished THE NAVIGATOR by Clive Cussler.



Excellant thriller story with some really interesting information in. Cussler is an excellant author & someone who really knows the background to his books.

Quick read, for me, STORMY PETREL by Mary Stewart. First time I have read a non Merlin book from her.

The descriptions of the Scotish Islands are stunning & the story wasn`t bad either. I really enjoyed it.

Pol - you are such a quick reader!!

Just finished Roddy Doyle's "A star called Henry". I picked it up not knowing what it was about, and found it so harrowing. Ireland around 1920, same theme as Ken Loach's film "The Wind that Shakes the Barley". I find Roddy Doyle's style so gripping, he is some writer!

The last 2 great books I read:
"Middlesex" by Jeffrey Eugenides - saga of 3 generations of Greek immigrants to the US, the author being born a girl, then reborn as a man (hence Middlesex of the title) -

and
"A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry - set in mid-1970's India, the narrative follows 4 different characters which are all caught up in the turmoil of changing India, and what lengths they go to, to survive terrible times.

and also
"Child 44" by Tom Rob Smith (who wrote "The Virgin Suicides") - a fantastic Cold War thriller. In Stalin's Soviet Union, crime does not exist. So there is denial of a long list of child-killing. It is very spooky, fairly gory, and intelligent too.

I am reading ' Mastering the Art of French Cooking' by Simone Beck, Louisette Bertholle and Julia Child. Reading it cover to cover like a book - not as impressive as that American woman who cooked every recipe from it over the course of a year, but hugely enjoyable. I seldom have much time at the end of the day to read but even ten minutes of food porn is enough to give me pleasant dreams.

I had a dream about Fois Gras last night, thanks to you Billy....

LOL CW, I can be if I want to & sometimes it is a must to keep my sanity.

Blimey Billy, you don't do things by halves... that is a mighty ambitious project, just the reading of it! I tried to do the same with "The Joy of Cooking" and only refer to it from time to time.

Did you know that France is the European country with the most MacDonalds?
Clearly, French cooking ain't what it used to be. But this being the book thread, I might elaborate elsewhere.

Pol, I know exactly what you mean by reading and sanity. A wonderful means of escape.

Latest book TOM CLANCY`S NET FORCE STATE OF WAR. Good book with losts of twists & turns.
I like Clancy as his research is always within the realms of possibility, but just into the future.

Did you take that with you to Malvern?

LOL, yes I did, though there was not much time for reading, & I don`t read on the coach.

Just before we went I also read LOST CITY by Clive Cussler, a Kurt Austin story. Really brill as usual.

Just re-read the first 2 books in "THE LAST CHRONICLES OF THOMAS COVENANT"

Reason being that the 3rd book is out (just ordered it) & needed a refresher on the story so far. Makes much more sense the second time round.

Now on a tempory basis I am back to the Dragons of Pern, probably my favourite get away from read.

Yes I agree, they are much harder than the first 6 books, but I think worth the effort. They are certainly deeper & in some cases darker than the others. Plod on JB I think you will find they are worth it.

Just finished the latest Pern book DRAGONGIRL.

For those that know the books, I have to say that it is sort of different, good but different, the ending is not what one expects either, can`t wait for the next one as I feel it will finish the story line.

Now it is time for the Thamas Covenant

for inspiring fiction "wizard of the pigeons" by by Megan Lindholm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wizard_of_the_Pigeons and my newest acquisition is "The Crafty Minx" by Kelly Doust, a present from Jason for Christmas, great to inspire and give ideas, but not condescending, no picture instructions, just how to and what for http://thecraftyminx.com.au/books/

Why can I edit sometimes and not others? weird anyhoo adding this

Well JB I have just finished Against All Things Ending. What a book . I think that if you persevere with the 1st two of the Last Chronicles you will find the next to last one well worth the effort. I hope the last one comes out next year, as I am getting older & certainly want to know the ending

So I am back with my dragons again.

Just finished Wartime Britain 1939-1945.
It is a really interesting book with facts & figures & a lot of personal comments as well. It certainly opened my eyes to a lot of things & I certainly learnt a lot. Would recommend it to anyone who is interested in this period of time.

I have started to read the series of books Forgotten Voices, made with the Imperial War Museum. What a series of books. Forget the documentaries of the TV etc, to know what really happened, these are the books to read.

This way you really find out what Grandad & Dad did during the war

Just finished The Land of the Painted Caves by Jean M Auel.

The last in the series Earth`s Children. While it was a good book & I would not have missed it, I was disapointed with it. I thought the ending of such a superb series was not at all good., & somewhat stilted. I felt that instead of finishing the story it was more of a trip round the prehistoric sites of France, with a bit of story inbetween.
Still at my age it is good to finish a series!!

Just finished Medusa by Clive Cussler.

I must say it has to be one of the best Cussler that I have read, & I have read a lot!!, It was a thriller from the 1st to the last page. All about the Chinese & the SARS virus, & whaling & submarines & very pretty but deadly jellyfish.

Well recomended .

Nella Last in the 1950s.

What a book, it took me back to my growing up years. Her descriptions of the Lake District just get better, & the daily life of a very ordinary housewife in that era is excellant. I would think she will rate as one of the best diaryists of all time.

polgara wrote:Nella Last in the 1950s.

What a book, it took me back to my growing up years. Her descriptions of the Lake District just get better, & the daily life of a very ordinary housewife in that era is excellant. I would think she will rate as one of the best diaryists of all time.

I really enjoyed this as well, as I did the other two books