General Chat

Please suggest two books either fiction or non fiction. The vote will be on 22nd. I am not going to chase people this time, you will understand that it takes a lot of time to do so. Anyone not suggested books by mid day on 22nd I will assume has no suggestions to make. Is that OK with everyone?...................................................................... Classics on a separate thread as usual........................ ann.........Glos

Damaged by Cathy Glass A true story: Cathy glass had fostered 50 children over twenty years but none of them had been as disturbed as Jodie, a troubled 8 year old whose violence and aggression had seen off five foster carers in just 4 months. When Jodie arrived, Cathy had no idea what lay beneath Jodie’s shocking behaviour, which included smearing faeces all over the house, erupting into violent rages and even cutting herself. Little by little, as Jodie’s rage was met with patience and understanding, she bean to trust Cathy, and to confide the dreadful background which had led to her present torment. Jodie’s childhood had been an appalling litany of mistreatment and neglect, which should have alerted the numerous social work professionals involved wit her case. Jodie’s case file was so big it filled 2 suitcases, but apparently not one of her social workers had ever read the entire file. If they had, Jodie’s story and her future might have been very different. Finally in Cathy, Jodie found one adult worthy of her trust, one who could help her begin the process of recovery. Cathy Glass, who writes under a pseudonym, has been a foster carer for more than 20 years. She has 3 children. Since I don’t have you by Louise Candlish At the birth of their daughters, best friends Rachel, Mariel and Jenny make a promise to love and care for each other’s girls exactly as they would their own. Six years later and tragedy has torn them apart. Within weeks Rachel has packed up and gone. Settling on the beautiful windswept Greek Island of Santorini, she knows she has come to the right place, but as she slowly rebuilds hers world she can’t forget the pledge she once made to her friends. She hires a private investigator, the enigmatic Johnny Palmer, and arranges for him to send regular updates on the girls she has left behind. Over the years, with Palmer’s help, she is able to secretly soothe their growing pains – as well as those of their parents. But in Rachel’s new island life, far from home, who will be there to guide her? Ann Glos

Jeanette's choice which she sent to me early because she is in Cyprus. he Savage Garden - Mark Mills The book is about Adam, a university student who is encouraged to travel to Italy to the Villa Docci, home of the Docci family, by his lecturer. Adam is told that there is an interesting 400 year old memorial garden there, which could be a good subject for his thesis. As he sets out, he does not realise just how enchanting this garden shall be. Made up from hidden groves, grottos, statues depicting Greek gods and goddesses, this garden is more than first appearances would suggest. Rather than being a mere memorial garden, it holds a secret hidden in the imagery and symbolism it contains. As Adam emerses himself more into the secrets of the garden, he also begins to suspect that the living members of the Docci family also have their secrets to hide, secrets that seem to echo history. The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett The Pillars of the Earth' tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known; of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect - a man divided in his soul; of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame; and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state, and brother against brother. A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett's historical masterpiece.

Family Ties English families 1540-1920 Mary Abbot Non fiction This vivid and accessible book contributes to the academic and popular debate on the family by providing an exploration of the dynamics of life in English families of all ranks from the mid-sixteenth century to the end of the First World War. Organised both chronologically and thematically, and accompanied by sections of methods, approaches and sources, it allows readers new to the study of the past to explore some of the historian’s fundamental concerns: cause and effect; continuity and change; and the nature and reliability of evidence. It also enables readers to explore a number of sub-themes such as the history of childhood or of marriage across a broad social and chronological span. The author draws on a rich vein of personal testimony by including extensive contemporary quotations supported by a variety of unusual and, in many cases, previously unpublished Illustrations, many commissioned by the families they portray. A wide range of sources is considered, including visual evidence such as images, artefacts and buildings. The book provides a fascinating insight into the methods of historical investigation and encourages the reader to become a sceptical and imaginative investigator prepared to venture beyond the historian’s traditional documentary sources. Second choice Have taken the review from the internet as the book is being loaned out at the moment....please let me know if this is acceptable. will choose another if not.. Tony Hawks ROUND IRELAND WITH A FRIDGE Non Fiction( maybe a bit embroidered though :-)) On his only prior visit to Ireland, songwriter/comic Tony Hawks had seen a man hitchhiking with a refrigerator. For years, he was wont to tell the tale during late-night drinking matches, and after one particularly heavy-duty night of partying, he awoke to find a bet scrawled pillow-side: a friend wagered 100 pounds that Hawks wouldn't travel Ireland for a month with a refrigerator at his side. Out of this stupid premise, a ridiculously amusing book was born. Quickly discovered by the Irish media, the thumbing Englishman finds that he and his box fridge are elevated to celebrity status, and there's no dearth of rides, places to stay or goofy people to meet, from kings to spoons players to locals who take his fridge surfing. As insightful about the strange inner workings of Hawk's mind as it is about charming peculiarities of Irishmen--it's doubtful that Hawks would have been similarly embraced by Germans, Italians, or the French--Round Ireland with a Fridge is an entirely silly, heart-warming tale told in a rollicking funny and refreshing style. --Melissa Rossi

Before I had off to bed here are my two suggestions Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill Middle-aged rock star Judas Coyne collects morbid curios for fun, so doesn't think twice about buying a suit advertised at an online auction site as haunted by its dead owner's ghost. From Amazon - Hill's story about an aging rock star (with a penchant for macabre artifacts) who buys a haunted suit online will scare you silly. Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs Forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan is spending two weeks in May on Dewees, a barrier island north of Charleston, South Carolina, where she is leading a student excavation of a prehistoric site when one of the bodies they find isn't so ancient. Before long, another body is found and Tempe finds herself drawn deeper into a shocking and chilling investigation.

The Meaning Of Night. By Michael Cox. This work is set in a cold October night, 1854. In a dark passageway, an innocent man is stabbed to death. So begins the extraordinary story of Edward Glyver, booklover, scholar and murderer. As a young boy, Glyver always believed he was destined for greatness. This seems the stuff of dreams, until a chance discovery convinces Glyver that he was right: greatness does await him, along with immense wealth and influence. And he will stop at nothing to win back a prize that he now knows is rightfully his. Glyver's path leads him from the depths of Victorian London, with its foggy streets, brothels and opium dens, to Evenwood, one of England's most enchanting country houses. His is a story of betrayal and treachery, of death and delusion, of ruthless obsession and ambition. And at every turn, driving Glyver irresistibly onwards, is his deadly rival: the poet-criminal Phoebus Rainsford Daunt. Thirty years in the writing, 'The Meaning Of Night' is a stunning achievement. Full of drama and passion, it is an enthralling novel that will captivate readers right up to its final thrilling revelation. The Apothecary's House. By Adrian Matthews. When an old woman storms into the Rijks Museum demanding the return of her painting, archivist Ruth Braams cannot quell her curiosity. Together with Myles, her gay confidant, Ruth delves into the history of the piece of looted Nazi art and discovers an enigmatic picture with a disturbing wartime provenance. It also appears that the elderly Lydia is not the only claimant and, against strict bureau regulations, Ruth endeavours to help strengthen her case. Days later, Ruth begins to receive sinister anonymous threats, warning her to stay away from Lydia and the painting. When the door of her home, a houseboat on the Bloemgracht canal, is covered in graffiti and her gas supply tampered with, Ruth is convinced these are deterrents from the rival claimant. Our irrepressible and emotionally troubled heroine refuses to take them at face value and continues to strike up a friendship with the lonely old lady. But as the threats escalate, Ruth realises that there must be far more to the painting's popularity, and she enters into a series of increasingly lethal adventures as she investigates the painting's secret symbolism... Alfie

Half of a Yellow Sun – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie In 1960’s Nigeria, a country blighted by civil war, three lives intersect. Ugwu, a boy from a poor village, works as a houseboy for a university lecturer. Olanna, a young woman, has abandoned her life of privilege in Lagos to live with her charismatic new lover, the professor. The third is Richard, a shy Englishman in thrall to Olanna’s enigmatic twin sister. When the shocking horror of the war engulfs them, their loyalties are severely tested as they are pulled apart and thrown together in ways that none of them imagined Suite Francaise – Irene Nemirovsky In 1941, Irene Nemivosky sat down to write a book that would convey the magnitude of what she was living through by evoking the domestic lives and personal trials of the ordinary citizens of France Set during the year that France fell to the Nazis, it falls into two parts. The first is a brilliant depiction of a group of Parisians as they flee the Nazi invasion: the second follows the inhabitants of a small rural community under occupation

My choices are London by Edward Rutherfurd London has perhaps the most remarkable history of any city in the world. Now its story has a unique voice. In this epic novel Edward Rutherfurd takes the reader on a magnificent journey across sixteen centuries from the days of the Romans to the Victorian engineers of Tower Bridge and the era dockland development of today. Through the lives and adventures of his colourful cast of characters he brings all the richness of London's past unforgettably to life. Reach for the dream by Connie Monk Penelope Drew has a gift - the power to entertain. Despite her father's opposition she organizes a song and dance routine with Tom and the two set out to earn their fortunes. However when the two are separated by war, Penelope has to pursue her dreams alone. xx Jill

Buried - Mark Billingham Teenager Luke Mullen was last seen getting into a car with an older woman. No one can undrstand why he has disappeared. His father - a former police officer - knows all too well that the longer he is missing, the more likely he is to turn up dead. Luke's parents receive a video showing their son, eyes wide with terror as a man advances towards him holding a syringe. DI Tom Thorne recognises a psychopath when he sees one. He knows that a child's life hangs in the balance, and that every second counts. Under the Knife - Tess Gerritson ' For David Ransom, it begins as an open and shut case. Malpractice. As lawyer for a grieving family, he's determined to prosecute a negligent doctor. Then Dr Kate Chesne storms in to his office daring him to seek the truth - that she's being framed. When another body is discovered, David begins to believe her. Somewhere in a Honolulu hospital, a killer walks freely among the patients and staff. Who is next and why?'

It's going to be hard to choose this month looking at the books so far ;-))

A few of the books that have been put up are already in my bookcase waiting to be read :))) x Jill

Good selection so far and especially would recommend Suite Francaise which I read some months ago and loved!! Am reading The Book Thief and The Kite Runner at the moment - yes I know that's two at once but the first one is a hardback and way too heavy for my handbag and I have to have something to read on the train!! Both really good and so different that I'm not getting confused! I could recommend both of those actually but will go with: Bel Canto by Ann Pratchet Kidnappers storm an international gathering hosted by a poor Latin American country. The takeover settles into a siege, bringing together an unlikely assortment of hostages. Two couples, complete opposites, fall in love, and a horrific imprisonment is transformed into an unexpected heaven on earth. The Good Women of China by Xinran True stories from strong, strikingly resourceful characters who offer unforgettable insights into the past and present of Chinese women's lives. Daisy

Daisy have PMd you. ann glos

Thanks Ann, have updated!! Sorry! Daisy

Ann, I'm not going to suggest any this month if that's ok with you, mainly cos I am completely out of touch and haven't the first idea what to suggest! Is it ok if I still vote though please, as there are a couple already suggested that I had been meaning to read for some time :-) Maz. XX

No problem Maz, you don't have to suggest if you don't want to and you are welcome to vote. I may not read myself this month, not sure yet, as we go away for 4 weeks on 2 Sep and only have a 20kg weight allowance which is not a lot for 4 weeks. It depends on how large the chosen books are!! Ann Glos

thanks Ann :-)

Just putting this back onto page 1 x Jill

nudge

People who have read with us before and not suggested yet. Maisie is on holiday (I have to text her the books for Aug/sept when chosen). Lorraine (not seen her around lately. Kaz Kate Shaw Gill, currently not on the board TOR (not seen her around either). Alaina Ann Glos