General Chat

At Dee's suggestion I am putting this up early. The idea is that we can then VOTE the same day we put up our reviews (24 FEB) Please give two ordinary books and one classic. The vote will also be for 2 of the ordinary ones plus one classic. The date of the next review will be 30th March as I will be away on the normal date, so you will have a week longer.

My suggestions are: Elizabeth Noble The Tenko Club Rosie Thomas Sun at midnight In a quiet corner of Oxford Alice peel's life unfolds smoothly in the shadow of her pioneering Mother Margaret. but when Alice's relationship collapses & Margaret is taken seriously ill he world falls apart. She accepts an invitation to join a small team heading south to Antartica. There in her new home, a tiny research station she meets James Rooker a man on the run from his past. In this harsh silver and ice blue world a spark ignites between them. But as Alice experiences a momentous awakening that will change her life for ever, the barren beauty around them threatens the froup. & when they return to the everyday world can the fragile bond between them survive? CLASSIC Jane Austen Northanger Abbey Catherine Morland, an unremarkable tomboy as a child, is thrown amongst all the difficulties and dangers of Bath at the ripe age of 17. Armed with an unworldly charm and a vivid imagination, she must overcome the caprices of elegant society, encountering along the way such characters as the vacuous Mrs Allen, coquettish Isabella and the brash bully John Thorpe. Catherine's invitation to Northanger Abbey, in her eyes a haven of coffins, skeletons and other gothic devices, does lead to an adventure, though one she didn't expect, and her misjudgement of the ambitious, somewhat villainous General tilney is not wholly unjustified. However, with the sid of the romantic hero Henry Tilney, Catherine gradually progreses towards maturity and self knowledge. Ann Glos

Hi Ann the Kent choices are as follows ;-)) Labyrinth – Kate Mosse July 1209: in Carcassonne a seventeen year old girl is given a mysterious book by her father which he claims contains the secret of the true Grail. Although Alais cannot understand the strange words and symbols hidden within, she knows that her destiny lies in keeping the secret of the labyrinth safe… July 2005; Alice Tanner discovers two skeletons in a forgotten cave in the French Pyrenees. Puzzled by the labyrinth symbol carved into the rocks, she realises she’s disturbed something that was meant to remain hidden. Somehow a link to a horrific past – her past- has been revealed ______________________________________ Ireland – Frank Delaney One evening in 1951, an itinerant storyteller, the last of a fabled breed, arrives unannounced at a house in the Irish countryside. By the winter fireside he begins to tell the story of this extraordinary land. One of his listeners, a nine-year-old boy, grows so entranced that when the old man leaves he devotes his life to finding him again Ireland travels through the centuries by the way of story after story, from the savage grip of the Ice Age to the green and troubled land of tourist brochures and news headlines. Along the way, we meet foolish kings and innocent monks, god-heroes and great works of art, shrewd Norman raiders and strong tribal leaders, poets, politicians and lovers. A novel of huge ambition, beautifully told, Ireland is the unstoppably readable story of a remarkable nation ____________________________________ Classic North and South – Elizabeth Gaskell Set in the mid-nineteenth century and written from the author’s first hand experience, North and South follows the story of the heroine’s movement from the tranquil but moribund ways of southern England to the vital but turbulent north. Elizabeth Gaskelll’s skilful narrative uses an unusual love story to show how personal and public lives were woven together in a newly industrial society. This is a tale of hard won triumphs – of rational thought over prejudice and of humane care over blind deference to the market Readers in the twenty first century will find themselves absorbed as this Victorian novel traces the origins of problems and possibilities which are still challenging a hundred and fifty years later: the complex relationships, public and private, between men and women of different classes

Ok, here are my suggestions – no surprises here lol Empress Orchid by Anchee Min To rescue her family from poverty and avoid marrying her slope-shouldered cousin, seventeen-year-old Orchid competes to be one of the Emperor's wives. When she is chosen as a lower-ranking concubine she enters the erotically charged and ritualised Forbidden City. But beneath its immaculate facade lie whispers of murders and ghosts, and the thousands of concubines will go to any lengths to bear the Emperor's son. Orchid trains herself in the art of pleasuring a man, bribes her way into the royal bed, and seduces the monarch, drawing the attention of dangerous foes. Little does she know that China will collapse around her, and that she will be its last Empress. The Conjuror’s Bird by Martin Davies It seems a long time ago that Fitz and Gabby were together, when his work on extinct species was about to make him world-famous. Now, it's his career that is almost extinct. Suddenly, though, the beautiful Gabby reappears in his life. She wants his help in tracing the history of The Mysterious Bird of Uileta, a creature once owned by the great 18th Century naturalist Joseph Banks. It soon becomes clear that Fitz is getting involved in something more complicated - and dangerous - than the search for a stuffed bird. To solve the puzzle, he must uncover the identity of the amazing woman Banks loved - a woman who has disappeared from history as effectively as the specimen he is hunting. A mixture of detection, romance and history, The Conjuror's Bird is a dazzling debut novel, spanning three centuries of secrets and surprises. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy 'I shall do one thing in this life - one thing for certain - that is, love you, and long for you, and keep wanting you till I die.' Gabriel Oak is only one of three suitors for the hand of the beautiful and spirited Bathsheba Everdene. He must compete with the dashing young soldier Sergeant Troy and respectable, middle-aged Farmer Boldwood. And while their fates depend upon the choice Bathsheba makes, she discovers the terrible consequences of an inconstant heart. Far from the Madding Crowd was the first of Hardy's novels to give the name of Wessex to the landscape of south-west England, and the first to gain him widespread popularity as a novelist. Set against the backdrop of the unchanging natural cycle of the year, the story both upholds and questions rural values with a startlingly modern sensibility. Maz. XX

Spoilt for choice already!! Got to keep this near the top as people wont be expecting it so early. ann Glos

sorry we need to kep this near the top for others to see. Ann Glos

Has anyone been to the London Library on St James's Square?? Just read an article about it - apparently there is going to be a huge refurb and an additional 3 floors added to the top of the building. It says that there are over a million books in there, which will all have to be taken out before work starts. Then it says that the engineers ..... 'EXPECT THE BUILDING TO RISE OUT OF THE GROUND SLIGHTLY as the huge weight of the books is removed, and to settle down again once they are replaced' !!!!!! I know books are heavy but that's crazy lol lol !! Maz. XX

Maz, have never been there, but after reading that I am wondering if we should have our floors here reinforced!! Dee ;-))

for goodness sake don't let my OH see that!!! Ann glos

I think there are more people who need to see this. Ann Glos

What happened to the poetry Maz?

ok Dee, this is what I was going to suggest, as poetry was mentioned before. I thought it might be tricky to find a collection that we could all get hold of, so I thought we could all have a look at some poetry (either from the library or even online!), choose something that we really like and then post it for everyone to read, with our comments on it - why we like it etc. It would be interesting to see the different things that appeal to different people. Maybe we could do this as a separate thing each month - there are quite a few poetry lovers on this site, so we might get more people participating?? Anyway, let me know what you think! Maz. XX ps - we seem to be a bit thin on the ground??!!

Hi all, I would like to suggest: Enduring Love, by Ian McEwan. One day in the Chilterns Joe Rose witnesses a hot air ballon accident and by chance meets Jed Parry who becomes completely obsessed by him. He makes 'phone calls, writes letters, and stalks Joe. No one one believes him, not the Police or even his wife Clarissa. Joe is driven almost to murder and madness.

Hi Alfie, that looks good Maz, I like that idea about poetry, what do you think Ann? Dee x

Hi! All Well I was going to suggest Labyrinth and Conjuror's Bird but got beaten to it so at the moment I can only suggest: Faithless by Karen Slaughter: A walk in the woods takes a sinister turn for police chief Jeffrey Tolliver and medical examiner Sara Lintonwhen they come across the body of a young girl. At first it looks as if she has been scared to death but as usual during the autopsy something more horrifying comes to light:: AND Two Women by Martina Cole Unloved by her mother, abused by her father and a brutal marriage she eventually smashes her husband's skull in an act of desperation. When she is celled up with murderess Matilda Enderby their fates become inextricably linked and no one could have predicted the consequences: The Classic: Emma by Jane Austen

Dare I nudge this to see if there are any more suggestions for March? Maz: OK for the poetry, but as we are already reading 3 books can we keep it on a separate thread? Would you like to oranise that one? Ann Glos

Maz Please, please, please start a poetry thread Dee ;-))

oh dear, I suppose I will have to then!! Let me find something suitable to start with - gimme a couple of days lol!! Shall I head it GReaders Poetry?? Shall it be ongoing or like the books just every month?? Input please folks! Maz. XX

Maz I like the idea of Greaders Poetry, and yes please, ongoing You have made an old lady very happy ;-))

Hi all bookworms - I have seen the book thread in the past, and thought of joining in, but have been unable to give much time lately. Also, I tend to read more fact than fiction, but would like to redress the balance a bit and try some of the fiction suggestions here. I would like to put some ideas for March books, but will need to have a think first! Maz - I love poetry!!