Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo

Six of us sat down to discuss this lovely story at our book group this month and focused conversation flowed for quite a while (i.e. we usually deviate from the subject far more!).

We read this book alongside the media run up to the remembrance day for the start of the Great War. Our timing made the story even more profound than it already is.

The story is of a rural family to whom more than a fair share of life challenges had already been presented. Two sons leave to fight in WW1 and one of them finds himself in a situation that commands reflection on his life and relationships.

Michael Morpurgo writes for young people and his outstanding talent has produced a beautiful simple story. The reader experience will depend on their personal life experience but the basic story is one that will appeal to any age from young teenage upward. 

We questioned how the generation of young men, that Tommy and Charlie represent, were able to trust anyone in authority ever again after the experiences they had in this war? (With reference particularly to The Colonel and Sergeant Hanley who fail to meet the expectations of responsible authority that most ordinary people would reasonably have had.)

We  reflected on how strong the women were in the story and how their influence was brought to bear. The brave, open-minded, mother; the wicked, self-interested Grandma Wolf/Wolf Woman, Molly’s mother with her fixed views and closed mind, Molly who despite her mother held on to what was important to her and the feather bearing old woman whose one comment defined Tommy’s destiny.

Many adult readers will have their own handed down family stories of this terrible conflict and we wonder if that is why Michael left an open ending. The reader can choose to decide for themselves what happens next for the characters in the story. 

Would we recommend it? That's a unanimous ‘oh yes’ and we do so without hesitation. This is a must read and we will all read it again (and again!)  

Our next book - Every Day is For the Thief by Teju Cole - is set in Lagos, Nigeria. We will meet to discuss our thoughts on this read on Thursday 15th January 2015, 8pm at the Ashendon Hundred. So why not make more reading a New Year resolution and come and join us?

Book Choices - November 2014

As Winter draws in our fireside reads will include one of the following three choices:

The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Richard Flanagan

The Narrow Road to the Deep North is a love story unfolding over half a century between a doctor and his uncle’s wife.

Taking its title from one of the most famous books in Japanese literature, written by the great haiku poet Basho, Flanagan’s novel has as its heart one of the most infamous episodes of Japanese history, the construction of the Thailand-Burma Death Railway in World War II.

In the despair of a Japanese POW camp on the Death Railway, surgeon Dorrigo Evans is haunted by his love affair with his uncle’s young wife two years earlier. Struggling to save the men under his command from starvation, from cholera, from beatings, he receives a letter that will change his life forever. 

Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2014. 

Every Day Is For The Thief by Teju Cole

A young Nigerian living in New York City goes home to Lagos for a short visit, finding a city both familiar and strange. In a city dense with story, the unnamed narrator moves through a mosaic of life, hoping to find inspiration for his own. He witnesses the “yahoo yahoo” diligently perpetrating email frauds from an Internet café, longs after a mysterious woman reading on a public bus who disembarks and disappears into a bookless crowd, and recalls the tragic fate of an eleven-year-old boy accused of stealing at a local market.
 
Along the way, the man reconnects with old friends, a former girlfriend, and extended family, taps into the energies of Lagos life—creative, malevolent, ambiguous—and slowly begins to reconcile the profound changes that have taken place in his country and the truth about himself.
 
In spare, precise prose that sees humanity everywhere, interwoven with original photos by the author,Every Day Is for the Thief—originally published in Nigeria in 2007—is a wholly original work of fiction. This revised and updated edition is the first version of this unique book to be made available outside Africa. You’ve never read a book like Every Day Is for the Thief because no one writes like Teju Cole.

The Playmaker by Thomas Keneally

Keneally's magnificent story of a young officer in a penal colony during the founding days of Australia transports readers through layer after layer of life in Sydney Cove, Australia. 

With the colony a little over 12 months old, the Governor commissions a play to celebrate George the Third's birthday in 2 months hence. The young protagonist, Ralph Clark, is given the responsibility of staging the play using convict actors. The stage is set for a clash of cultures - the respectable middle classes of the officer class and the underbelly of London represented by the convicts. The story opens the day after the hanging of a marine.

The characters and incidents described are based on fact, and is an excellent snapshot of Australian history.

We will make our book choice on Thursday 13th November, 8pm at the Ashendon Hundred when we will be discussing Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo.

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

Seven of our group met to chat about our Dickens experience and, once again, the table was split. Some loved it and loved the language, others didn't (on both counts.) We agreed to differ and gradually found an equilibrium in a mutual understanding kind of way. 

Read through the challenges of 'strangely' named characters and Victorian grammar (written to be read out loud) to find a rich description of social hypocrisy and cruelty at its very best. 

Take time to enjoy the gentle pace, fine detail and subtle humour (Boundersby was so like a Monty Python sketch) to do try to understand what the Dickens it's all about.

Even those who didn't really 'get it' agreed that the characters did come to life and the story is a wonderful depiction (albeit perhaps a little unbelievable) of Northern industrial town living in Dickens' time. We loved Stephen and Rachael, disliked Boundersby and Tom, had no opinion of Gradgrind, felt sorry for Louisa and enjoyed the circus folk. 

Would we recommend it? on this we all agree: It's not the best Dickens book BUT read more Dickens!

Our next book is Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo and we will meet to discuss our thoughts on this read on Thursday 13th November, 8pm at the Ashendon Hundred.

Book Choices - September 2014

Our Autumnal reading choices are:

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

'Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird.'

A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel - a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. 

Through the young eyes of Scout and Jem Finch, Harper Lee explores with exuberant humour the irrationality of adult attitudes to race and class in the Deep South of the thirties. 

The conscience of a town steeped in prejudice, violence and hypocrisy is pricked by the stamina of one man's struggle for justice. But the weight of history will only tolerate so much.

To Kill a Mockingbird is a coming-of-age story, an anti-racist novel, a historical drama of the Great Depression and a sublime example of the Southern writing tradition.

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpurgo

Heroism or cowardice? A stunning story of the First World War from a master storyteller.

Told in the voice of a young soldier, the story follows 24 hours in his life at the front during WW1, and captures his memories as he looks back over his life. Full of stunningly researched detail and engrossing atmosphere, the book leads to a dramatic and moving conclusion.

Both a love story and a deeply moving account of the horrors of the First World War, this book will reach everyone from 9 to 90.

The Casual Vacancy by J K Rowling

When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock.

Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty facade is a town at war.

Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils... Pagford is not what it first seems.

And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity and unexpected revelations?

NEXT MEETING: We will be discussing Hard Times by Charles Dickens on Thursday 18th September at 8.00 PM in The Hundred. 

The Letter Bearer by Robert Allison

The Group met on 10^th July at The Hundred to discuss The Letter Bearer. 

There were mixed feelings about the book; all agreed that it was well written with beautiful descriptive passages although one needed to concentrate to fully appreciate the quality of the language.  It would make a great film.

In many ways it was felt to be an essay on the anonymity of war – the nature of war is the huge number of anonymous people who are no longer individuals, just a mass of humanity.

Some readers found it interesting but unsatisfactory especially its conclusion, as the book seemed to fizzle out at the end and the main character's identity was never resolved.  Was the protagonist deliberately not remembering his name, or could he really not remember?  Because it is set in wartime do we need to know who he is?

The Group had the most sympathy for the Italian POW, but for most, the favourite character was Umpty, the nickname given to the protagonist.

It was decided it was an enjoyable read but one which engenders many questions for which any new reader should be prepared.

The next meeting is arranged for Thursday 18^th September at 8 pm. in The Hundred when we shall be discussing 'Hard Times' by Charles Dickens. 

Book Choices - July 2014

I am doing this from my phone so please excuse any typos, the lack of pictures and bad layout. 

Books choices for our next read are:

Solo by William Boyd

A seasoned veteran of the service, 007 is sent to single-handedly stop a civil war in the small West African nation of Zanzarim. Aided by a beautiful accomplice and hindered by the local militia, he undergoes a scarring experience which compels him to ignore M's orders in pursuit of his own brand of justice. Bond's renegade action leads him to Washington, D.C., where he discovers a web of intrigue and witnesses fresh horrors.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch. 

This is a terrific urban fantasy police procedural in which the two cops make the unbelievable believable; especially the inexperienced Grant. The fast-paced yet meandering story line is loaded with action from the onset as the mentor and mentee work a challenging investigation in which an ancient has arisen to stir the troubled waters. Sub-genre fans will enjoy Ben Aaronovitch's view of London in this witty well written riot. 

Hard Times by Charles Dickens

In Hard Times, the Northern mill-town of Coketown is dominated by the figure of Mr Thomas Gradgrind, school headmaster and model of Utilitarian success. Feeding both his pupils and family with facts, he bans fancy and wonder from any young minds. As a consequence his obedient daughter Louisa marries the loveless businessman and 'bully of humanity' Mr Bounderby, and his son Tom rebels to become embroiled in gambling and robbery. And, as their fortunes cross with those of free-spirited circus girl Sissy Jupe and victimized weaver Stephen Blackpool, Gradgrind is eventually forced to recognize the value of the human heart in an age of materialism and machinery.

Next meeting is on Thursday 10th July at The Hundred (8.00pm) when we will be discussing The Letter Bearer by Robert Allison. 

Film release 4th July

The One Hundred Year Old Man..... film releases in 4th July and we are meeting on Thursday 10th July 2014 so I'm wondering if we could change our venue to a convenient cinema location and before/after film have a short discussion about current book. Please email me what you think ... 

Real life (nearly) 90 year old man who ..... And disappeared

I love this story so much because this man was having no-one tell him what he could and couldn't do, but also because of the striking similarities to the book we recently enjoyed telling the (fictional) story of a 100 year old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared. 

In real life, an 89-year-old D-Day veteran who was reported missing from his care home was found at the 70th anniversary commemorations on the sands of Normandy.

Sussex police received a call from a nursing home in Hove at around 7.15pm on Thursday 5th June to say that the pensioner had gone out at 10.30am but had not been seen since. 

It seems he had disappeared! In fact he had followed a well thought out plan:

Hiding his medals under his grey rain coat, he swore his wife Irene to secrecy, picked up two Iceland carrier bags and calmly walked out of The Pines retirement home where they both live, as if he was just off to the shops. Instead, he walked to Brighton railway station, boarded a train for Portsmouth Harbour and bought a one-way Brittany Ferries ticket to Caen, Normandy.

He told only his wife about his plans to join in with D-Day anniversary events. He later returned to a hero's welcome in Portsmouth on a cross-channel ferry. 

Mr Jordan says of his one-man expedition 'I can be very secretive... and when I set my mind to do something, I do it.'

Click here for the full story.

Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon

8 members of our group met to discuss our first 'Sci-fi' read. Until it was described as such, I hadn't given this book a genre and hadn't spotted that it was an 'in the future' story of what 'could' happen. The more observant members of our group had noticed this but it was very subtle.

The group discussion started with the usual exchange of what we thought of our choice. 3 members had not finished, but intended to do so (me included) and one had not started it but thought she would. So only 50% of our gathering had knowledge of the ending and they smiled knowingly as the other 50% tried to guess. Clearly, there is a twist.

My excuse is that I started reading this book too late, I wasn't inspired by the cover, it just didn't excite me and I had to stop reading Wild Swans (another of our choices from last month) which I struggled to put down. The cover though does not do this book justice and, from the very start, the pages were turning and I found myself enjoying the read. Others had also not quite found the inspiration necessary to start reading but eventually had and agreed with Vanessa who declared this book 'one I would not have chosen to read but found I really enjoyed it, it was really interesting.'

It's really well written in the style of a functioning autistic adult man but it is a book that can be skimmed without losing the plot or stories (even I, an avid 'read every word and read it again' type of reader, skimmed my way through) this is because much of the detail is repetitive and revisited. The concept of the story is uncomfortable and forces the reader to consider the morals of changing a person. We debated where to draw the line and we were all of different opinions.

Of the characters, Tom and Lucia are genuinely kind and the police were admired for their understanding of autism and for their careful way with words. We disliked Crenshaw (a particularly horrible and nasty man) and the jury is still out on Emmy, Marjory and even the main man Lou (because for 50% of us it all hangs on the ending!)

Would we recommend this book? we were inconclusive but ... probably...

Now, it's back to Wild Swans for me until our next book arrives on the doorstep.

Our next book and meeting date: Thursday 10th July 2014 when we will be discussing all 272 pages of The Letter Bearer by Robert Allison. We will meet at 8.00pm in The Hundred of Ashendon.

May 2014 - Book Choices

Our next book and meeting date is on Thursday 15th May 2014 when we will be discussing The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon. We will meet at 8.00pm in The Hundred of Ashendon - if you dash straight from work/other activities remember there will be no nibbles!

Here are our choices for next book:

The Lake District Murder - John Bude

A classic mystery novel from the 1930’s, set amidst the stunning scenery of a small village in the Lake District. When a body is discovered at an isolated garage, Inspector Meredith is drawn into a complex investigation where every clue leads to another puzzle.

Was this suicide or something more sinister? Why was the dead man trying to leave the country? And how is this connected to the shady business dealings of the garage?

Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls - David Sedaris

The latest book from the acclaimed American writer David Sedaris, full of funny autobiographical essays that will take you on a bizarre and stimulating world journey. From the perils of French dentistry to the eating habits of the Australian kookaburra, the squat style toilets of Beijing to the particular wilderness of a North Carolina Costco, we learn about the absurdity and delight of curious traveller’s experiences.

Sue Lewin says - "I’ve listened to this guy lots of times on the radio and he is hilarious!"

The Letter Bearer - Robert Allison

A remarkable debut novel, this looks at an aspect of the Second World War which has often been neglected. In North Africa, in 1942, a man wakes up in the desert with no memory of who he is. The only clues to his identity are the letters in the bag he was carrying before he fell off his motorbike.

The rider is soon discovered by a ragged band of men who put him on a stretcher and carry him away in a truck. Living in their makeshift camp he realises that the men are deserters from the British Army…but can any of new companions be trusted?  

Date for your diary: 

Parish Annual Meeting - Monday 19^th May 2014, 8pm - Book Group has been asked to be represented, can anyone volunteer to write a short summary of our year and present it please. 

World Book Night - Community Giving

If you love a book so much you want others to share it, then here's a perfect opportunity. Sign up to be a World Book Night Community Book Giver and then give any book you want to, to anyone you want to give it to on 23rd April 2014.

As a Community Book Giver you choose - and provide - the book you give. You can choose to give any book you want - one you already own, or one you buy specially, new or second-hand.  

You can also choose whoever you want to give the book to – a friend, a member of your community, a complete stranger.  What we ask is that you give your book with the aim of helping someone develop the same love of reading that you have.  And if you want to give more than one book, that’s amazing. 

For more information and to register: http://www.worldbooknight.org/about-world-book-night/be-a-community-book-giver

Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin

The discussion between 9 members of our group wasn't really a debate but it flitted between positives and negatives throughout. So, I think it's fair to say the response to reading this book was mixed even in the minds of some individual readers.

Opening comments included: different, refreshing, irritating, unsatisfactory, enjoyed it, didn't enjoy it, not really my genre but...and so on - see, mixed!

It is an easy (to) read book that can be speed-read but should not be read on holiday. It is NOT an easy subject as this story is about a nasty, child related crime and the subject matter was a hurdle to get over. When one of our members requested the book from a local library she was offered only a large print version and told all other copies were already on loan from prison libraries. We chose, en masse, to believe that popularity among inmates is because the story involves a shocking catalogue of police errors.

This was the first in a series about DS John Rebus and those of the group who had read Ian Rankin before felt his later Rebus stories were much better than this one so recommended we all try another some time.

Of the characters, we felt:

• John Rebus is a self-pitying man
• Jim Stevens was a ghastly man
• Michael Rebus - loved the image of him in his see-through socks

Although it gives a sense of the darker side of Edinburgh, it's seedy bars, cigarettes, whisky, beer and sex, this is not a book of depth and description. It is hard to get lost in the story, you just read it. As one of our group aptly put it "I felt less involved than in other crime novels'. 

So, as I said earlier, we were mixed and our discussion around the book was short (we made up for that by reflecting on books we have read and enjoyed previously).

Would we recommend it? mixed - so let's go with these two responses:
"Yes, because I have read other Ian Rankin books."
AND
"No, because I have a big pile of books I want to read more."

Our next book and meeting dates is on Thursday 15th May 2014 when we will be discussing The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon. We will meet at 8.00pm in The Hundred of Ashendon and have decided to have no host as the pub now is not really one that is easy to have a nibbles in, so eat before or perhaps try a bar snack at the pub?

March 2014 - Book Choices

We are meeting on Thursday 20th March at The Hundred of Ashendon - 8pm - and will be discussing  Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin. Felicity has kindly offered to host. 

Our book choices for April/May reading are:

Wild Swans - Jung Chang

The international best-seller is a biography of three generations of Chinese women in 20^th century China — her grandmother, mother, and herself. Chang paints a vivid portrait of the political and military turmoil of China in this period, from the marriage of her grandmother to a warlord, to her mother's experience of Japanese-occupied Jinzhou during the Second Sino-Japanese War, and her own experience of the effects of Mao's policies of the 1950's and 1960's.

Wild Swans was translated into 30 languages and sold 10 million copies, receiving praise from authors such as J.G. Ballard. It is banned in mainland China, though two pirated versions are available, as are translations in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

A Big Boy Did It and Ran Away -  Christopher Brookmyre

Back when they were students, just like everybody else, Ray Ash and Simon Darcourt had dreams about what they'd do when they grew up. In both their cases, it was to be rock stars. Fifteen years later, their mid-thirties are bearing down fast, and just like everybody else, they're having to accept the less glamorous hands reality has dealt them. Nervous new father Ray takes refuge from his responsibilities by living a virtual existence in online games. People say he needs to grow up, But everybody has to find their own way of coping. For some it's affairs, for others it's the bottle, and for Simon it's serial murder, mass slaughter and professional assassination.

The Speed of Dark - Elizabeth Moon

In the near future, disease will be a condition of the past. Most genetic defects will be removed at birth; the remaining during infancy. Lou Arrendale, a high-functioning autistic adult, is a member of the lost generation, born at the wrong time to reap the rewards of medical science. He lives a low-key, independent life. But then he is offered a chance to try a brand-new experimental “cure” for his condition. With this treatment Lou would think and act and be just like everyone else. But if he was suddenly free of autism, would he still be himself? Would he still love the same classical music—with its complications and resolutions? Would he still see the same colors and patterns in the world—shades and hues that others cannot see? Most important, would he still love Marjory, a woman who may never be able to reciprocate his feelings? Now Lou must decide if he should submit to a surgery that might completely change the way he views the world . . . and the very essence of who he is.

Thoughtful, provocative, poignant, unforgettable, The Speed of Dark is a gripping journey into the mind of an autistic person as he struggles with profound questions of humanity and matters of the heart.

See you Thursday.

Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole

Seven of us sat down to discuss this 'epistolary' (there is always a learning outcome for me at book group and this time round that is: a book written in letters). 

Anyone 'listening in' would be forgiven for thinking they were at a Dibley Parish Council meeting as the 'yes but', 'no but' discussion unfolded. 

We passed the baton back and forth as we tried to describe our feelings toward this book." It was bitty, but good to read in short chunks." "I wanted more about Skye, but got to know it as the book progressed" (and, after all, the author is American and only spent a week there herself). It was easy to dip in and out of, but "it felt rude to read other people's letters" (that means it must have been well written to feel so real, came the retort). "The first half wasn't very real, but the second half was so". "It was a bit too 'Captain Correlli's Mandolin' but if you haven't read that book you wouldn't notice". And so on...

The beauty of a book group is that the simple act of sharing the experience often helps one to realise how much value has been taken from the simple act of reading a book even when, perhaps, you did not realise that at the time. As our discussion continued our sheer enjoyment of this book, the characters and the story that unfolds became apparent to us all.

The little snippets of the harsh reality of island life were enough to support the story and our craving for more will have to be fulfilled through another story of Skye. Here, in this book, we found (when Margaret visited) that Skye is bigger than we might have thought. We learned that the women of Skye were hardy and independent (through the descriptions of Elspeth's roof blowing off and her trouser wearing) as they were often left on Skye as their men left to fish or (at this time) went to war.

We also rediscovered the beauty of letters. These days of text and Facebook and email have led us to forget how wonderful it is to get a letter and the anticipation of receiving a reply to a letter sent. We did feel the letters between Elspeth and David were delivered back and forth surprisingly quickly. 

Of the characters we thought:

• Elspeth was witty and intelligent and we wanted to know more about her e.g. how was she educated? what was her financial situation? 
• Finlay had a fabulous sense of humour
• Harry was a supportive friend throughout and 'the socks' were an inspiration
• Margaret meddled but that was OK as it turns out
• David (Davey) was a bit immature
• Iain could have handled things better

So, would we recommend this book? a resounding 'YES' and when you read it find someone to talk about it with. 

Our next book and meeting dates is on Thursday 20th March 2014 when we will be discussing Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin. We will meet at 8.00pm in The Hundred of Ashendon and Felicity has kindly volunteered to 'host'.

And finally a recommendation from member's experience: give AbeBooks a try as a good and often less expensive alternative to Amazon for used books: www.abebooks.co.uk 

January 2014 - Meeting Venue

The pub is closed tomorrow evening so Julia Sallabank has kindly offered to host at her house.

For those of you who don't know, Julia lives in The Bakehouse which is behind the pub in Lower End.

I will hover around the pub at 8.00 PM to catch anyone who is unsure of where Julia lives. Or email me: sian@impetus.co.uk and I will give you better directions.

See you tomorrow and many thanks Julia.

January 2014 - Book Choices

Happy New Year - we start off early with our first meeting on Thursday 9th January at The Hundred of Ashendon - 8pm. We will be discussing 'Letters From

Skye by Julia Brockmole and Julia Sallabank is 'hosting'. Watch this space as we may need to change venue if the pub is closed. 

Here are our book choices for Jan/Feb 2014 read: 

Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin

In Edinburgh of all places. I mean, you never think of that sort of thing happening in Edinburgh, do you...?'

That sort of thing... is the brutal abduction and murder of two young girls. And now a third is missing, presumably gone to the same sad end. Detective Sergeant John Rebus, smoking and drinking too much, his own young daughter spirited away south by his disenchanted wife, is one of many policemen hunting the killer. And then the messages begin to arrive: knotted string and matchstick crosses - taunting Rebus with pieces of a puzzle only he can solve.

 

This is the first book in the Inspector Rebus series.

 

Burnt Norton by Caroline Sandon

1731: When his youngest son is killed in a tragic accident, Sir William Keyt, master of Norton House, buries himself in his fortune. He builds a second vast mansion on his grounds, squandering money he does not have on luxury his family does not want. Keyt has long been blind to the desires of others. His eldest son has fallen in love with their young maidservant, Molly Johnson, a ray of light in a household dimmed by tragedy. Keyt wants Molly for himself and, driven mad with lust and jealousy, he will do anything to have her...

The Railway Man by Eric Lomax

A naïve young man, a railway enthusiast and radio buff, was caught up in the fall of the British Empire at Singapore in 1942. He was put to work on the 'Railway of Death' - the Japanese line from Thailand to Burma. Exhaustively and brutally tortured by the Japanese for making a crude radio, Lomax was emotionally ruined by his experiences. Almost 50 years after the war, however, his life was changed by the discovery that his interrogator, the Japanese interpreter, was still alive - their reconciliation is the culmination of this extraordinary story.

Apologies if this post looks odd it's my first done via my phone app - progress it may not be.