General Chat

Hi All My suggestions for January are: Daughters of Fire - Barbara Erskine Her latest novel (I think?) takes us back 2000 years to the time of the Roman invasion of Britain and the story of a tribal Celtic Queen! Present day sees Edinburgh based historian, Viv has written a book about the Queen and so .... On Beauty - Zadie Smith Concerns a pair of feuding families and a clutch of doomed affairs. Asks some searching questions about what life does to love! 'As readable and addictive as 'White Teeth'' (Independent) Classic: well the one I would like to read most has already been nominated so going for Brideshead Revisited - Evlyn Waugh Kaz :o) PS sorry Ann but never got to read last months book!

Hi,here are mine, Light on Snow by Anita Shreve Walking through new fallen snow in the forest near their home,12 yr old Nicky and her father come acros something inconceivable there,in the pristine winter scene,an abandoned infant wails Meridon Philippa Gregory This is a story of violent love and unsettling passions.It will never let you rest for a page as you wait for the climax that must come for the people and the land Was going to put The Historian,but see that it has been added xx Jill

Wonder where Maz is?? ;-)))

Not really sure what counts as a classic - not really into those but willing to have a go! Will just nominate one of my new pressy books then! Looking Good Dead - Peter James 'Tom Bryce did what any decent person would do. but within hours of picking up the CD that had been left behind on the train seat next to him, and attempting to return it to it's owner, he is the sole witness to a viscious murder. Then his young family are threatened with their lives if he goes to the police. But supported by his wife, Kellie, he bravely makes a statement to the murder enquiry team. From that moment the killing of the Bryce family becomes a mere formality - and a grisly attraction. Notice of Kellie and Tom's deaths has already been posted on the internet. You can log on and see them on a website. Looking good dead'

My suggestions for January are Ugly by Constance Briscoe The true story of a loveless childhood. This is the story of how Constance survived her terrible start to life and its heartrending and also triumphant. The House by Danielle Steel Yes i know its romantic fiction but her descriptive writing is what really pulls me in. The story of a majestic old home in San Francisco, a womans dream and how they both become part of the same. Classic To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee

I can vouch for The Greatest Knight Dee.....it's fantastic! If you thought The Other Boleyn Girl was good, you'll love this

Hi folks Didn’t I say it at the time? There needs to be a sequel to The Crimson Petal and the Scarlet by Michel Faber Well it seems there is and it is called The Apple: New Crimson Petal Stories The synopsis is Enjoy more sugar...Take a saunter down Silver Street once more for an early Christmas encounter with the determined heroine of 'The Crimson Petal and the White', and find out more of what became of her. In this collection, Michel Faber revisits the world of his bestselling novel, briefly opening doors onto the lives of its characters to give us tantalising glimpses of where they sprang from and what happened to them. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- I shall throw this into the pot one final time - The Greatest Knight by Elizabeth Chadwick – a captivating blend of fact and fiction set in the medieval period ------------------------------------------------------------------------ And my classic is a very short one Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. It is a Victorian mystery tale

any others?

Here are my suggestions for this month The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova Late one night, exploring her father's library, a young woman finds an ancient book and a cache of yellowing letters addressed ominously to 'My dear and unfortunate successor'. Her discovery plunges her into a world she never dreamed of - a labyrinth where the secrets of her father's past and her mother's mysterious fate connect to an evil hidden in the depths of history. The Codex - Douglas Preston 'Greetings from the dead,' declares Maxwell Broadbent in the videotape he left behind after his mysterious disappearance. A notorious treasure hunter and tomb raider, Broadbent accumulated over half a billion dollars' worth of priceless art, gems and artefacts before vanishing - along with his entire collection - from his mansion in New Mexico. As a final challenge to his three sons, Broadbent has buried himself and his treasure somewhere in the world, hidden away like an ancient Egyptian pharaoh. If the heirs wish to claim their inheritance, they must find their father's carefully concealed tomb. The race is on, but among Broadbent's treasures is an ancient Mayan codex that may hold a secret far more important than the wealth of riches around it, and Broadbent's sons aren't the only ones in pursuit. Classic Tender is the Night - F. Scott Fitzgerald Tender is the Night is a story set in the hedonistic high society of Europe during the 'Roaring Twenties'. A wealthy mental patient, Nicole Warren, falls in love with Dick Diver - her psychiatrist. The resulting saga of the Divers' troubled marriage and their circle of friends, includes a cast of aristocratic and beautiful people, unhappy love affairs, a duel, incest, and the problems inherent in the possession of great wealth. Despite cataloguing a maelstrom of interpersonal conflict, Tender is the Night has a poignancy and warmth which springs from the quality of F. Scott Fitzgerald's writing and the tragic personal experiences on which the book is based. Jeanette x

Here are my suggestions The Plain Truth by Jodi Piccoult The discovery of a dead infant in an Amish barn shakes Lancaster County to its core. But the police investigation leads to a more shocking disclosure: circumstantial evidence suggests that 18 year old Katie Fisher, an unmarried Amish woman believed to be the newborn’s mother, took the child’s life. When Ellie Hathaway, a disillusioned big city attorney comes to Paradise, Pennsylvania to defend Katie, two cultures collide – and for the first time in her high profile career Ellie faces a system of justice very different from her own. Delving deep inside the world of those who live ‘plain’, Ellie must find a way to reach Katie on her own terms. And, as she unravels a tangled murder case, Ellie also looks deep within to confront her own fears and desires when a man from her past comes back into her life. Moving seamlessly from psychological drama to courtroom suspense plain truth is a fascinating portrait of Amish life and a moving exploration of the bonds of love, friendship and the heart’s most complex choice. The Accidental by Ali smith Arresting and wonderful The Accidental pans in on the Norfolk holiday home of the Smart family one hot summer. There a beguiling stranger called Amber appears at the door bearing all sorts of unexpected gifts, trampling over family boundaries and sending each of the Smarts scurrying from the dark into the light. A novel about the ways that seemingly chance encounters irrevocably transform our understanding of ourselves. The Accidental explores the nature of truth, the role of fate and the power of story telling. An astonishing book – funny and moving, playful and shocking. It is what one hopes for in a modern novel, and yet it confounds all expectations. It is complex, it is beautiful, it is exhilarating. It is fiction at its most artful. Classic The Parasites Daphne Du Maurier Maria, Niall and Celia have grown up in the shadow of their famous parents – their father a flamboyant singer and their mother a talented dancer. Now puruing their own creative dreams, all 3 siblings feel an undeniable bond but it is Maria and Niall who share the secret of their parents’ pasts. Ann Glos

I thought I would put this up early then we have an extra day. The vote will be on Thursday (4th) evening, or when everyone has voted................................... Please suggest up to three books, if you suggest only one it can be any category, if you suggest 2 or 3 one must be a classic............................................ (Ask if you are unsure what is acceptable as a classic, it is not all Dickens)......................