Booker Challenge – Book 1!

BOOKER CHALLENGE Title:    The White Tiger Author:   Aravind Adiga Year Won: 2008 Rating:   8/10 Quick Summary: Set in modern day India, this book comprises of a series of letters, written by the self made Balram Halwai to the Premier of China. Originally from a tiny village in 'the darkness' of rural India, Balram was an … Continue reading Booker Challenge – Book 1!

Booker Challenge – Book 4!

BOOKER CHALLENGE Title   : The Bone People Author  :  Keri Hulme Year Won: 1984 Read for: January 2011 Rating  : 7/10 Quick Summary: Set in New Zealand, this is a book of two distinct sections.  The first introduces us to the artist Kerewin, the troubled, and mute 8 year old Simon, and his widower adoptive … Continue reading Booker Challenge – Book 4!

Richard and Judy – Decade’s top 100

So, Richard and Judy have just released their list of the Top 100 Most Inspiring Reads of the Decade Personally, I think it's a bit of a silly name as list names go, but the books seem to be fairly representative of the styles of books that have been on offer the last ten years. … Continue reading Richard and Judy – Decade’s top 100

BookElf Reads 2010

In the Great Tradition of last year... Not published this year, just read this year, savvy? Discovery of the Year Jane Smiley- A Thousand Acres, The All-True Travels and Adventures of Lidie Newton. I got A Thousand Acres, a Pulitzer winning re-telling of the King Lear story, from a book swap and I don't think … Continue reading BookElf Reads 2010

Booker Challenge

Our little book club was set up with a few core aims and goals in mind - cake and books (naturally) were probably the primary focus, along with the chance to chatter with fellow book lovers about a book we had all read (rather than our more usual very diverse cross section discussions), but included somewhere near the top of this virtual list was … Continue reading Booker Challenge

Wolf Hall – finally finished

As regular readers to the blog will know, I've been alternatively loving and loathing Hilary Mantel's epic tome 'Wolf Hall' for the last fortnight...and the rest. Well, I've finished it. Finally. What an all consuming story - covering one of the most fascinating periods of history. When I wasn't hurling the book away from me in … Continue reading Wolf Hall – finally finished

Wolf Hall – a book in progress review

As I fell instantly in love with the Tudor setting while reading C.J. Sansom's Shardlake series ( Dissolution, Dark Fire, Sovereign, Revelation and, as yet unread, Heartstone),  I requested, and received, this tome from my local ever friendly BookElf. Although I had never read any of Hilary Mantal before, her previous works - most notably Fludd and her … Continue reading Wolf Hall – a book in progress review

Never let me go Review

****LIGHT SPOILERS**** Whilst on holiday last week, I took the opportunity to catch up on some light (!) reading, as recommended to me by my mum. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro was one of those books that I always knew I'd need to read. Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, nominated for the … Continue reading Never let me go Review

In praise of… Sarah Waters

This is a piece I've wanted to write for *ages*, but having not finished all her books I always felt it would be wrong to. Now I have, so I can. Hooray! I loved Tipping the Velvet. Loved it. Every single sentance was like a petal falling off a rose. The evolution of Nan, one … Continue reading In praise of… Sarah Waters

Book Club the Ninth

Book Club the Ninth  - AVIDREADER - 19-10-10 Agreed on:The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson (AvidReader) Discussed: - Everything you know by Zoe Heller  A very short book club this time round, as we were all running around like lunatics, and then halfway through were maliciously distracted by a beautifully cooked meal!   BOOKN00B summed … Continue reading Book Club the Ninth