The Quality of Mercy - by Barry Unsworth

I approached this book with slight trepidation, as it appeared to be a "serious" novel set in the late 18th Century. I feared that it would be tough going. The first third of the book was, I found, a little hard, but I persevered. At that point, I was into the story and motivated to continue.

There are a number of inter-related threads in different locations and the story is told from a number of characters' points of view. I was worried about the thread that takes place in the mining village, as the characters speak in dialect, which can be hard to understand. But this is not over-done and my fears were unfounded.

The story progresses well and kept me turning the pages. In the process a number of aspects of life at that time are considered: notably the slave trade [and its possible abolition], the fate of miners and the differing courtship rituals of the upper and lower classes.

With any novel, I feel a need to be able to trust the integrity of the author. In this case, I feel reasonably confident that I have learned something about England in the late 18th Century.

What I'm reading

I have started The Quality of Mercy by Barry Unsworth. This is a book that I would be unlikely to pick up normally, but this is my next book club selection. here is the blurb:

The Quality of Mercy opens in the spring of 1767, in the immediate aftermath of the events in Barry Unsworth's Sacred Hunger. It follows the fortunes of two central characters from that book: Sullivan, an Irish fiddler, and Erasmus Kemp, the son of a disgraced Liverpool slave-ship owner who hanged himself. To avenge his father's death, Erasmus Kemp has had the rebellious sailors of his father's ship, including Sullivan, brought back to London to stand trial on charges of mutiny and piracy. But as the novel opens, a blithe Sullivan has escaped and is making his way on foot to the north of England, stealing and scamming as he goes.His destination is the colliery village where his dead shipmate, Billy Blair, lived: he has pledged to tell the family how Billy met his end.In this village, Thorpe in the East Durham coalfields, live Billy's sister Nan and her miner husband, James Bordon. Their three sons are all destined to follow their father down the pit. The youngest, only 7, is enjoying his last summer above ground. The terrible conditions in which mineworkers laboured are vividly evoked, and Bordon has dreams of escaping the mine with his family. Meanwhile in London a passionate anti-slavery campaigner, Frederick Ashton, gets involved in a second case relating to the lost ship. Erasmus Kemp is claiming financial compensation for the cargo of sick slaves who were thrown overboard to drown, and Ashton is representing the insurers who dispute his claim. Ashton triumphs in court, but not before his beautiful sister, Jane, has encountered Erasmus Kemp and found herself powerfully attracted to him despite their polarised views on slavery. She discovers that Kemp wants to spend some of his sugar and slavery fortune on Britain's new industries: coal-mining and steel. A landowner father of a friend of Jane's tips him off about Lord Spenton's mines, for sale in East Durham, and Kemp sees the business opportunity he has been waiting for.Thus he too makes his way north, to the very same village that Sullivan is heading for . . .

She Won't Get Far Her Bag's Too Heavy - by Marie Stamp

This was a straightforward, entertaining read, telling the story of the author's walk with a few anecdotes from her past. The quality of the writing was competent, with jut the occasional clumsiness or bad grammar/punctuation. I am not sure that it would inspire me to explore the coastal path, but I admired her determination.

What I'm reading

I have started She Won't Get Far Her Bag's Too Heavy by Marie Stamp. After reading some heavyweight fiction, I thought that a light-weight autobiography would be just the job.  Here is the blurb:

A story about a woman and her dog starting out on a walk on the South West Coast Path in 2010 with the intention of walking from Minehead to Land's End. Her dog carrying his own baggage and she carrying a huge rucksack full of things that give her self sufficiency. Sporting shin splints, she stumbles and sweats her way along, making cock-ups and dropping clangers, walking in circles and getting totally knackered. They survive hypothermia and ford streams that have turned into raging rivers after flash flooding. When one man she meets tells her that not many women have backpacked on their own with a dog and walked all of the 630 mile coast path in one go, she is determined when she reaches Land's End, to keep going and the nearer she gets to the end at Poole, the more determined and ambitious she becomes to selfishly finish the whole path. Along the way she tells tales from her youth, like the time she fell down a road side drain on a first and last date with a boy with a carrot red hair and bad acne, and the shoplifting dog she had when she was 12 years old that stole dog food so she could buy cigarettes instead, and other scams she had to fuel her fag habit. She also tells of her adventures while climbing the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc and other long distance walks she has had the privilege to walk. She somehow manages to finish the South West Coast Path after wearing out two pairs of boots and one dog.

The Finkler Question - by Howard Jacobson

It is unusual for me to read a book twice, but I re-read this one because it was my book club selection. I made some comments before, but I guess I now have some new impressions, which are also coloured by the discussion with other club members.

Overall, the book has many fine qualities, not the least of which are numerous well-written passages and word usage that is very pleasing. The characters, for me, were well described. I am not sure that I liked any of them, but they mostly left an impression, which is the point.

The story is really just a loose framework used as a vehicle to discuss ideas - notably the nature of Jewishness, of love and of self. The downside is the loose ends of the story never get tied up - like who did the mugging?

The book is a little long, the last third in particular being a bit repetitive and rambling.

What I'm reading

I have started The Finkler Question by Howard Jacobson. I have read this before, but, as it is my next book club selection, I am reading it again. [I tend to forget the details of books very quickly.] Here is the blurb:

Julian Treslove, a professionally unspectacular former BBC radio producer, and Sam Finkler, a popular Jewish philosopher, writer and television personality, are old school friends. Despite very different lives, they've never quite lost touch with each other - or with their former teacher, Libor Sevcik. Both Libor and Finkler are recently widowed, and together with Treslove they share a sweetly painful evening revisiting a time before they had loved and lost. It is that very evening, when Treslove hesitates a moment as he walks home, that he is attacked - and his whole sense of who and what he is slowly and ineluctably changes.

Shadows Of The Workhouse - by Jennifer Worth

A good read and a fine example of "it does what it says on the tin". As the blurb says, this book is not really about midwifery or much about nursing, but is a very sensitive and moving account of the lives of some of the characters the author met in the course of her work in Poplar. There are many stories that are almost unbelievable - cruelty that seems more medieval than early 20th Century - but I have good confidence in the author's integrity, so it must be true. Many stories are heart-wrenchingly sad, but others are uplifting. I enjoyed the read and feel I learned something, which, for me, is a major goal in reading at all.

What I'm reading

I have started Shadows Of The Workhouse: The Drama Of Life In Postwar London by Jennifer Worth. I enjoyed the previous book and have been recommended this one too. Here's the blurb:

In this follow up to Call The Midwife, Jennifer Worth, a midwife working in the docklands area of East London in the 1950s tells more stories about the fascinating people she encountered. There's the story of Jane who cleaned and generally helped out at Nonnatus House - she was taken to the workhouse as a baby and was allegedly the illegitimate daughter of an aristocrat. Peggy and Frank's parents both died within 6 months of each other and the children were left destitute. At the time, there was no other option for them but the workhouse. The Reverend Thornton-Appleby-Thorton, a missionary in Africa, comes to visit the Nonnatus nuns and Sister Julienne acts as matchmaker. And Sister Monica Joan, the eccentric ninety-year-old nun, is accused of shoplifting some small items from the local market. She is let off with a warning, but then Jennifer finds stolen jewels from Hatten Garden in the nun's room. The case is taken to court and Sister Monica Joan becomes a cause celebre. These stories give a fascinating insight into the lives of the poor in 1950s London, of the shadow of the workhouse that always hung over their lives but also of the resilience and spirit that enabled ordinary people to overcome their difficulties.

The Key To Rebecca - by Ken Follett

I very much enjoyed this book, which quite quickly became unputdownable. The characters are well drawn and the story progresses at fair pace. It had enough complexity and twists and turns to keep me on my toes. There is one brief and not very explicit sex scene, which appears unexpectedly and is rather strangely written, but I can forgive that.

As always with a novel, I hoped to learn something and maybe I do now know something about the events in Egypt during WW2.  I shall certainly be reading more of this author's work.

What I'm reading

I have started The Key To Rebecca by Ken Follett. This was on offer at a low price from Amazon a while back. It looked like a good tale, so, despite having eschewed this author [dismissed as "airport novel" fodder], I thought that I might give it a try. Here's the blurb:

He is known to the Germans as 'Sphinx', to others as Alex Wolff, a European businessman. He arrives suddenly in Cairo from out of the desert, armed with a radio set, a lethal blade and a copy of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca - a ruthless man with a burning conviction that he will win at all costs. The stakes are high, for the survival of the British campaign in North Africa is in the balance. Only Major William Vandam, an Intelligence officer, and a beautiful courtesan Elene can put an end to Wolff's brilliant clandestine reports of British troop movements and strategic plans...As Rommel's troops come nearer to victory, Vandam pursues Wolff across the merciless desert to a terrifying life or death confrontation between the two adversaries.

Dear Lupin... Letters to a Wayward Son - by Charlie and Roger Mortimer

This book was entertaining - Roger Mortimer's style was engaging and I am always drawn to eccentricity. It is a light read, which would lend itself to "holiday reading", and is ideal to turn to after reading something more challenging. Anyway, it made me smile, which is never a bad thing.

What I'm reading

I have started Dear Lupin... Letters to a Wayward Son by Charlie and Roger Mortimer. I heard some extracts of the serialized reading of this book on the radio and it sounded interesting. Here is the blurb:

Nostalgic, witty and filled with characters and situations that people of all ages will recognise, Dear Lupin is the entire correspondence of a Father to his only son, spanning nearly 25 years.

Roger Mortimer's sometimes hilarious, sometimes touching, always generous letters to his son are packed with anecdotes and sharp observations, with a unique analogy for each and every scrape Charlie Mortimer got himself into. The trials and tribulations of his youth and early adulthood are received by his father with humour, understanding and a touch of resignation, making them the perfect reminder of when letters were common, but always special.A racing journalist himself, Roger Mortimer wrote for a living, yet still wrote more than 150 letters to his son as he left school, and lived in places such as South America, Africa, Weston-super-Mare and eventually London. These letters form a memoir of their relationship, and an affectionate portrait of a time gone by.

The Snow Child - by Eowyn Ivey

I am not quite sure how I feel about this book. I was initially concerned that it would be a fantasy story - a child really made from snow. Or perhaps she would only exist in the minds of the couple, conjured up by their desire to have a child of their own. In due course, I found myself cruising through the book, as it all seemed entirely rational. It was only at the end that I was confused/disappointed. I really don't understand what happened to the girl and this left me dissatisfied. Did she have some kind of breakdown [post-natal depression?] and run off naked into the bitterly cold night and perish? Or was it all some kind of metaphor and I missed it?

Ultimately the book is all about the people carving out an existence in the harsh world of 1920s Alaska, the landscape itself and reflections on the human condition. As such, it is very well written and an enjoyable read.

One odd thing. In most chapters, where there is dialogue between characters, the speech is in quote marks, as you would expect. If the girl is involved, there are no quotes. Why?

What I'm reading

I'm on to my next book club book - The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. This is another book that I would otherwise have been unlikely to pick up.  Here's the blurb:

A bewitching tale of heartbreak and hope set in 1920s Alaska. Jack and Mabel have staked everything on making a fresh start for themselves in a homestead 'at the world's edge' in the raw Alaskan wilderness. But as the days grow shorter, Jack is losing his battle to clear the land, and Mabel can no longer contain her grief for the baby she lost many years before. The evening the first snow falls, their mood unaccountably changes. In a moment of tenderness, the pair are surprised to find themselves building a snowman - or rather a snow girl - together. The next morning, all trace of her has disappeared, and Jack can't quite shake the notion that he glimpsed a small figure - a child? - running through the spruce trees in the dawn light. And how to explain the little but very human tracks Mabel finds at the edge of their property? Written with the clarity and vividness of the Russian fairytale from which it takes its inspiration, The Snow Child is an instant classic - the story of a couple who take a child into their hearts, all the while knowing they can never truly call her their own.

When Will There Be Good News? - by Kate Atkinson

Another Atkinson classic. A complex story, with lots of intertwined threads and details, but just at the level that it all fits in my brain at the same time. The story also has a clear enough ending, with a few unexpected twists that kept me interested up to the last pages.

Now I have read all four Jackson Brodie books, I hope that there are more. In any case, I'll move on to read the rest of her work.

What I'm reading

I have started When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson. I was in need of something light, but non-trivial and thought that this would fit the bill. I have read the other 3 in the series, so I look forward to this one. Here is the blurb:

In rural Devon, six-year-old Joanna Mason witnesses an appalling crime. Thirty years later the man convicted of the crime is released from prison. In Edinburgh, sixteen-year-old Reggie works as a nanny for a G.P. But Dr Hunter has gone missing and Reggie seems to be the only person who is worried.Across town, Detective Chief Inspector Louise Monroe is also looking for a missing person, unaware that hurtling towards her is an old friend -- Jackson Brodie -- himself on a journey that becomes fatally interrupted.

Empty Cradles - by Margaret Humphreys

A challenge, when talking about a book like this, is to separate my emotional reaction to the matters described from the quality of the writing used to describe them. By any measure, the mass, involuntary migration of children from the UK to Australia and other countries was a travesty - it should never have happened. The stories of the damage done to these children will stay with me for a long time to come.

I guess I answered my own question about the quality of writing. It it were not good, the story would not have stimulated an emotional reaction. But it did. The story was also quite well paced and it kept me turning the pages. There are a few unanswered questions and, if I want to be critical, I would say that the ending is a little weak - anticlimactic anyway.

Now I have to decide whether to get the DVD of the film Oranges and Sunshine...

What I'm reading

I have started Empty Cradles by Margaret Humphreys. This is my next book club book. It is one that I would have been unlikely to find by myself, but two other members proposed it - part of the value of participating in a book club. Here's the blurb:

In 1986 Margaret Humphreys, a Nottingham social worker, investigated a woman’s claim that, aged four, she had been put on a boat to Australia by the British government. At first incredulous, Margaret discovered that this was just the tip of an enormous iceberg. Up to 150,000 children, some as young as three years old, had been deported from children’s homes in Britain and shipped off to a ‘new life’ in distant parts of the Empire, right up until as recently as 1970.Many were told that their parents were dead, and parents were told that their children had been adopted. In fact, for many children it was to be a life of horrendous physical and sexual abuse far away from everything they knew. Margaret and her team reunited thousands of families before it was too late, brought authorities to account, and worldwide attention to an outrageous miscarriage of justice.

Borkmann's Point - by Håkan Nesser

Overall a good story. I felt quite involved with the characters and wanted to know "who done it?" right up until the end, where there is a nice twist. There is some complexity, but it is not confusing. Likewise the foreign [Dutch?] names are not too hard to internalize. As the book was written in the early 1990s, the world described seems a little old-fashioned, but that is not a criticism. It is much less "gritty" than Larsson or Nesbo, which I am sure many readers would welcome. I think I will probably investigate other books by this author.

What I'm reading

I have started Borkmann's Point by Håkan Nesser. I stumbled on this book, which is another Nordic crime story. After enjoying Steig Larsson and (to some extent) Jo Nesbo, I thought it worth a try. Here is the blurb:

Borkmann’s rule was hardly a rule; in fact, it was more of a comment, a landmark for tricky cases . . . In every investigation, he maintained, there comes a point beyond which we don’t really need any more information. When we reach that point, we already know enough to solve the case by means of nothing more than some decent thinking. A seedy ex-con and a wealthy real-estate mogul are brutally murdered with an axe in the quiet coastal town of Kaalbringen. Chief Inspector van Veeteren, bored of his holiday nearby, is summoned to assist the local authorities. But there seems to be nothing to link the victims. Another body is discovered, again with no obvious connection, and the pressure mounts. The local police chief, just days away from retirement, is determined to wrap things up before he goes. Then there’s a fourth murder, and a brilliant young female detective goes missing – perhaps she has reached Borkmann’s Point before anyone else . . . This riveting novel, full of fascinating, quirky characters and vivid settings, introduces the chess-playing Inspector van Veeteren – a detective already beloved by his European readership – and marks the UK debut of Håkan Nesser, a chilling new voice in crime fiction. 'On this showing, Inspector Van Veeteren seems destined for a place amongst the great European detectives' Colin Dexter, creator of Inspector Morse.

Mockingjay - by Suzanne Collins

So, I have finished the trilogy! I felt that this last book kept up the pace of the first two very well. I did not feel that I knew the ending half way through. Actually there is at least one significant twist that I could not have foreseen. I was pleased that the boom did have an ending, instead of just leaving the reader hanging, and I cannot see any obvious possibilities for a sequel. It is quite a big book, bit I didn't notce, which is a good sign. I will certainly be investigating other work by this author and look forward to the next 2 movies.

What I'm reading

I have started Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins, the last book in the Hunger Games trilogy. After enjoying the first 2 books, I couldn't wait longer to read this last one.  Here's the blurb:

Can Katniss Everdeen win the final fight against the Capitol? Against all odds, she's survived the Hunger Games twice. But now that she's made it out of the bloody arena alive, she is still not safe. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge. Who do they think should pay for the unrest? Katniss. And what's worse, President Snow has made it clear that no-one else is safe either. Not Katniss's family, not her friends, not the people of District 12...

Mummydaddy - by Jeremy Howe

As I expected, this book is a moving account of the author and his daughters' life after the sudden loss of his wife and their mother. I wondered whether there would be parallels with my own experiences, but, realistically what he experienced was much worse - his loss was sudden and he was left with two young children and very precarious finances.

The story is written in quite an emotionally intelligent way, which made it easy [for me] to empathize with the author most of the time. I will admit to being irritated by some of his practical shortcomings in the domestic sphere, but I know that, really, we each have our own strengths and weaknesses. I was pleased that the story had a beginning , a middle and an end. It really covers the first few years after Lizzie's death, then, and the end, it fast-forwards to the present day so we are not left wondering how it all turned out.

What I'm reading

I have started Mummydaddy by Jeremy Howe. Time for non-fiction and autobiography is always a favourite. This one is a little "close to home", but looks interesting.

Catching Fire - by Suzanne Collins

This book carries on very naturally from where the first one left off. Katniss finds herself in a difficult situation, as, although she is being nominally rewarded for winning the Games, she is also strongly out of favour with the Capitol for outwitting them. The story moves on at a very good pace and, like with the first volume, I did not really feel that it was a long book and kept turning the pages.

I wonder whether the world described in these books is intended to be a metaphor for the situation in the world today, where the US is nominally "in charge" and other countries, though not directly oppressed by the US, are dependent upon them as a market for their goods. Or is it simply an extrapolation of other totalitarian regimes such as the Nazis and USSR? There are certainly shades of 1984.

Although, for me, the outcome of this story was not predictable [it was somewhat in the first book], my one criticism is that the ending is wrapped up rather hastily. It is a tidy ending, with some good surprises, but it is covered in just a few pages. I am resisting the urge to read volume 3 straight away ...

What I'm reading

I have started Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins, the second book of the Hunger Games trilogy. I very much enjoyed the first book and, with the movie just released, it seemed a good time to crack on. Here's the blurb:

Katniss survived the Hunger Games. Now the Capitol wants revenge. It's payback time, and her chance of survival is even slimmer than ever... After winning the brutal Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta have returned to District 12, hoping for a peaceful future. But their victory has caused rebellion to break out - and the Capitol has decided that someone must pay. As Katniss and Peeta are forced to visit the other districts on the Capitol's Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. Unless they can convince the world that they are still lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying. Then comes the cruellest twist: the contestants for the next Hunger Games are announced, and Katniss and Peeta are forced into the arena once more...

Present Danger - by Stella Rimington

This book was my next Book Club selection, for discussion at our meeting in April. I read it in one sitting - quite a long sitting, as I was on an aircraft for more than 11 hours. Here is the blurb:

When MI5 officer Liz Carlyle is posted to Northern Ireland, her heart sinks at the thought of working in a backwater. From the moment she arrives in Belfast danger follows and she soon discovers that the peace process in the province is precarious. Then a source reports strange activity at a house on the Irish Sea owned by The Fraternity, an organisation Liz suspects of being a front for renegade former IRA men. Its head is Seamus Piggott, an Irish-American with a gun-running past. Then another informant reports that a plot is being hatched against the security forces. Liz and her colleague Dave Armstrong suspect Piggott is involved, along with a former French Intelligence officer. Travelling to Paris, Liz pursues this connection with her counterpart in French Intelligence. While she is away, Dave Armstrong decides to take matter into his own hands. When Dave goes missing, Liz fears the worst, especially when she discovers that the obvious suspects have all also disappeared. The latest in Stella Rimington’s series of spy novels, Present Danger is a compulsive thriller filled with action and suspense.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, which was well structured and paced, with reasonably well drawn characters. In most respects it was exactly the kind of MI5 based thriller that one might expect from the author. I was unsurprised to find that the key character was female, but I was surprised that she was stereotypically so when it came to matters of the heart.

It is important to me that I have respect for a novel writer's integrity. Clearly the author is writing about a subject that she knows well, but a few details niggled. For example, there is a reference to the Arctic being a continent - I am sure it should have been Antarctica. Elsewhere there is a character who had belonged to an "extremist group" called the Weather Underground. Maybe this was a joke, as WE is a well known website, which is a community supported weather site.

However, I think that I am nit-picking and I would read another book by Stella Rimington if the opportunity arose.

Confessions of a GP - by Benjamin Daniels

I expected this to be a fairly light-weigh, easy read and I wasn't disappointed. However, it proved to be much more than just a collection of trivial anecdotes about amusing patients. There were plenty of such stories, but interspersed with much commentary on the work of a GP and the author's thoughts and opinions about the NHS. Having read it, apart from being entertained, I do feel that I have gained a somewhat greater understanding about the lot of a doctor in general practice.

What I'm reading

I have started Confessions of a GP by Benjamin Daniels. I wanted something undemanding and non-fiction, so a biography would be sensible and this seemed to fit the bill. Here is the blurb:

A woman troubled by pornographic dreams about Tom Jones. An 80-year-old man who can't remember why he's come to see the doctor. A woman with a common cold demanding (but not receiving) antibiotics. A man with a sore knee. A young woman who has been trying to conceive for a while but now finds herself pregnant and isn't sure she wants to go through with it. A 7-year-old boy with 'tummy aches' that don't really exist.These are his patients.Confessions of a GP is a witty insight into the life of a family doctor. Funny and moving in equal measure it will change the way you look at your GP next time you pop in with the sniffles.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest - by Stieg Larsson

A great read. Like the previous two volumes, it is a big book, but I felt undaunted and kept turning the pages. Towards the end, I had that kind of double-think, where I wanted to know what the conclusion would be, but simultaneously didn't want the [pleasure of reading the] book to end.

I was glad that the book did have a tidy enough ending, even though it kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through the Epilogue. At the same time, I think the author left the door open for further books based on the main characters. Sadly, there will be no more unless someone else takes up the challenge. His style was quite individual and I would have doubts about another author emulating it.

What I'm reading

Time for some fiction and a contrast from the last book, so I have started The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson. I enjoyed the first and second books of this trilogy, so I have enjoyed the anticipation of reading this one. I saw a paper copy earlier today and was taken aback at how big it is. I would be daunted by a book that size and would not want to carry it around airports. The Kindle is my friend. Here is the blurb:

Salander is plotting her revenge - against the man who tried to kill her, and against the government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life. But it is not going to be a straightforward campaign. After taking a bullet to the head, Salander is under close supervision in Intensive Care, and is set to face trial for three murders and one attempted murder on her eventual release. In the third volume in the explosive trilogy that has sold more than 26 million copies worldwide, Lisbeth Salander confronts political corruption from her hospital bed while a killer lurks next door.

Call The Midwife - by Jennifer Worth

The recommendations for this book paid off and I enjoyed it very much. It is a very honest account of life in the East End in the 1950s, a time not long before my own childhood.  She paints a very good picture of the all the characters and their environment.

I was particularly interested to notice how various parts of the story were adapted for TV and felt that all the changes made complete sense. I look forward to reading the other (2?) books in the series. 

What I'm reading...

I have started Call The Midwife by Jennifer Worth. Having enjoyed the TV programme, which I understand was an enormous success, and been recommended the books by others, this seemed a good choice. Here is the blurb:

Jennifer Worth came from a sheltered background when she became a midwife in the Docklands in the 1950s. The conditions in which many women gave birth just half a century ago were horrifying, not only because of their grimly impoverished surroundings, but also because of what they were expected to endure. But while Jennifer witnessed brutality and tragedy, she also met with amazing kindness and understanding, tempered by a great deal of Cockney humour. She also earned the confidences of some whose lives were truly stranger, more poignant and more terrifying than could ever be recounted in fiction. Attached to an order of nuns who had been working in the slums since the 1870s, Jennifer tells the story not only of the women she treated, but also of the community of nuns (including one who was accused of stealing jewels from Hatton Garden) and the camaraderie of the midwives with whom she trained. Funny, disturbing and incredibly moving, Jennifer's stories bring to life the colourful world of the East End in the 1950s.

A Week in December - by Sebastian Faulks

This was a reasonably big book, which might have daunted me if I hadn't got it as an e-book. As it was, the book, whilst challenging, kept me turning the pages.

There is quite a large number of characters, whose lives we follow through a seven day period. Lots of things happening in parallel, with various links between them, which are sometimes known to the characters, but often they are unaware. I enjoyed the challenge of following all the threads.

Some particular points:

• There was someone who was going to get an OBE from the Queen. He got a letter signed "You obedient servant". He visualization the Queen discussing the award with the PM and saying "Send for the Obedient Servant and command him to dispatch a letter". I liked this picture.
• I thought that the description of financial stuff, like short selling etc., was clear and interesting.
• The Veal family is very disfunctional. I do wonder what the daughter is up to. There is a strong drug message from the story of their son.
• There are interesting parallels drawn between Islam, Adam's schizophrenic world and Jenni's online game.
• I think that every character has a near-miss with a bicycle with no lights. This was an interesting link, but I do not know what it might mean. A metaphor for the fragility of life perhaps?

What I'm reading.

I have started A Week in December by Sebastian Faulks. This is the next book selected by the members of my book club. An interesting contrast to the last book I read. Here's the blurb:

London, the week before Christmas, 2007. Over seven days we follow the lives of seven major characters: a hedge fund manager trying to bring off the biggest trade of his career; a professional footballer recently arrived from Poland; a young lawyer with little work and too much time to speculate; a student who has been led astray by Islamist theory; a hack book-reviewer; a schoolboy hooked on skunk and reality TV; and a Tube train driver whose Circle Line train joins these and countless other lives together in a daily loop.

With daring skill, the novel pieces together the complex patterns and crossings of modern urban life. Greed, the dehumanising effects of the electronic age and the fragmentation of society are some of the themes dealt with in this savagely humorous book. The writing on the wall appears in letters ten feet high, but the characters refuse to see it - and party on as though tomorrow is a dream.

Sebastian Faulks probes not only the self-deceptions of this intensely realised group of people, but their hopes and loves as well. As the novel moves to its gripping climax, they are forced, one by one, to confront the true nature of the world they inhabit.

The Hunger Games - by Suzanne Collins

I read this book after a strong recommendation from someone, who immediately went on to read the second and third books in the trilogy. I, too, will be reading those before too long. Although quite a long book and, apparently, aimed at "young adult" readers, I found it a gripping read, which I had trouble putting down. Although aspects of the end of the story are somewhat predictable, there are plenty of details and twists and turns in the story that kept me intrigued.

The story takes place in a dystopic society in post-apocalyptic North America at some indefinite time in the future. I suppose it is a kind of science fiction/fantasy, but the most important story element is the characters. It is really about the ultimate TV reality game show - kind of "I'm Not a Celebrity, Get One of US Out of Here Alive". I was interested in the various Roman references: words like "tribute" and "capitol" and the concept of games to the death as entertainment.

I look forward to the movie, which is due to be released next month. I did not look at the trailer before reading the book, but, having seen it now, I am optimistic.

What I'm reading

I have started The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. This is not really my kind of book, but it was time for fiction again and I received a very strong recommendation to read it. Here is the blurb:

A fight to the death - on live TV. The game show where you kill or die, and where the winner's prize is survival. In District 12, where Katniss Everdeen lives, life is harsh and brutal, ruled from afar by the all-powerful leaders of the Capitol. The climax of each year is the savage Hunger Games - where twelve boys and twelve girls from each District face each other in a murderous showdown. When sixteen-year-old Katniss is chosen to represent her district in the Games, everyone thinks it's a death sentence. Only one person can survive the horrors of the arena. But plucky Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature... 

Memoirs of a Fruitcake - by Chris Evans

This book was a natural follow on from the first one and is just as well written and organized. This part of the story of his life  includes a period when he nearly lost everything and was in a strange mental state. I enjoyed reading about his slow return to success, but was most impressed by the attitudes that the experience seems to have left him with. It is very honest writing, which is what I value in an autobiography.

I look forward to the next volume, as, even though this book brings us more or less up to date, I am quite sure that Chris Evan will have more to say before long.

What I'm reading

I have started Memoirs of a Fruitcake by Chris Evans. I enjoyed the first volume of his autobiography, so I thought it was time to get up to date. Here's the blurb:

In Its Not What You Think Chris Evans had written himself a recipe for success. He was poised on the brink of seeing it become a reality. All the right ingredients were there: he was rich, famous; now he was the owner of his own radio station and media company. What could possibly go wrong? As it turned out, the answer was everything…well almost.When we left our loveable ginger hero at the end of It's Not What You Think, Chris Evans had just used his hard earned cash, built up over a hugely successful TV and radio broadcasting career, to purchase the immensely lucrative Virgin Radio.For a while, it looked like Chris had made it. He had achieved some of the highest listening figures radio had ever seen, defined an era of television with Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush and TFI Friday and as owner of his own radio station, had become a media mogul playing alongside the big boys.But little did he or any of us know, things were about to take a very dark turn. Fired by the station he once owned and embroiled in the ensuing bitter court case, Chris’s long held childhood dreams of a job in radio lay in tatters. An endless drink fueled lifestyle with an array of so-called ‘mates’ began to take its toll. Bored and creatively frustrated, the shooting star of British broadcasting had plunged into a downward spiral so deep that escape seemed almost impossible. Until, that is, along came his salvation in the form of a young singer called Billie Piper. Only then could Chris see a way out of the madness.Would he be able to rise phoenix-like from the ashes again? Would he ever be able to regain his popularity, his professional reputation and find true personal happiness? Wouls Chris finally find the maturity to discover that in fact, it is not all about him?Told with the same wit, verve and startling honesty that suprised and delighted readers of It’s Not What You Think, this is the final part (for now) of Chris Evans’s journey of self discovery, in which he learns what it is in life that is most important.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society - by Mary Ann Shaffer

I was a little nervous about this book, as I had recommended it to my book club without having read it myself, but I was reassured when a couple of friends told me that they had read and very much enjoyed it. I am even more reassured now that I have read it myself.

This book suited me on all levels. It is a good story, with strong, well rounded characters and I felt confident that I was learning something. There are essentially three stories: the events in the life of the main protagonist, the soap opera of the lives of the Guernsey people and the history of the German occupation.

I very much enjoyed the letter format, which gave the story a pleasing immediacy - almost like email. Although there were dates, I found myself paying little or attention to them. It is quite an emotional book. It starts out very "feel good" and cheerful, but induces other emotions as the story proceeds.

What I'm reading

I have started The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, This is the next book for my newly formed book club.  Here is the blurb:

It's 1946 and Juliet Ashton can't think what to write next. Out of the blue, she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams of Guernsey - by chance, he's acquired a book that once belonged to her - and, spurred on by their mutual love of reading, they begin a correspondence. When Dawsey reveals that he is a member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, her curiosity is piqued and it's not long before she begins to hear from other members. As letters fly back and forth with stories of life in Guernsey under German Occupation, Juliet soon realizes that the society is every bit as extraordinary as its name.

One Good Turn - by Kate Atkinson

This story starts off as an apparent road rage incident occurs, with various witnesses. It proceeds from a number of viewpoints  - mainly the aforesaid witnesses. Numerous story lines with all kinds of interconnections are a trademark of the author and this book is typical. It needs concentration to keep track of all the threads, which don't really come together until right at the end. I enjoyed the book and I am wondering if any of Kate Atkinsons's book have been made into books or put on TV. 

What I'm reading

I have started One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson. I wanted something to lose myself in and I feel safe in this author's hands, as I have enjoyed her previous books. Here's the blurb:

It is the Edinburgh Festival. People queuing for a lunchtime show witness a road-rage incident - an incident which changes the lives of everyone involved. Jackson Brodie, ex-army, ex-police, ex-private detective, is also an innocent bystander - until he becomes a suspect. With Case Histories, Kate Atkinson showed how brilliantly she could explore the crime genre and make it her own. In One Good Turn she takes her masterful plotting one step further. Like a set of Russian dolls each thread of the narrative reveals itself to be related to the last. Her Dickensian cast of characters are all looking for love or money and find it in surprising places. As ever with Atkinson what each one actually discovers is their true self.Unputdownable and triumphant, One Good Turn is a sharply intelligent read that is also percipient, funny, and totally satisfying.

God Collar - by Marcus Brigstocke

This book was, as I expected, an intelligent and very amusing consideration of what religion is all about, written in very much the way a stand-up comedian might deliver it. The author looks at what the major religions have to offer, but mainly investigates their shortcomings. He considers why religion/God is needed at all and how belief systems have evolved and fit into our world.

The book is also partly an autobiography, drawing upon the author's experiences and including lots of stories from his life. The most thought-provoking aspect is the observation that many people, who have addiction issues and overcome them, tend to find God. In the author's case, he then goes on lose God again, hence this book.

I found it an enjoyable read, that provided much food for thought. Putting over such big ideas, and making the reader think about them, is challenging, but the humorous style makes it painless.

What I'm reading

I have started God Collar by Marcus Brigstocke. It was time for some non-fiction, but I did not want anything too taxing. I have enjoyed hearing the author on the radio - he is extremely funny in a very intelligent way. I am interested in religion from an academic perspective, so this seemed like just the book for me.

The Girl Who Played with Fire - by Stieg Larsson

I was not disappointed with this book! It carries on neatly from the first one, but with a whole new thread. It kept me reading and it got harder and harder to put down. The story is complex, but the big challenge is keeping track of all the Swedish names.
By then end, I have arrived at various conclusions. At a certain level, it is the story of the love between two people, who will not admit it to themselves, let along to one another. The ending is a work of art. The story just stops, but you realise that all the loose ends have been tied up.
I have ordered the DVD of the (original, Swedish) movie and need to resist moving on to book #3 straight away. I feel very acutely the sadness that the world has lost such a gifted author.

What I'm reading

I needed something to get my teeth into, so I have started The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg  Larsson. Having enjoyed the first volume in the trilogy, I am looking forward to being immersed in this one.

It's Not What You Think - by Chris Evans

I was not a Chris Evans fan. I am not really into music radio generally and what I had seen of him just made me think that he was a bit of a jerk. However, my partner persuaded me to listen to his new [at the time] Radio 2 breakfast show a bit and I had to admit that he is a very skilled operator. She also read this book and recommended it.

I have turned around in my views. Evans is clearly a very special guy. He is smart and creative and this book really feels like he wrote it himself. The honesty shines through. He is very happy to blow his own trumpet, but, when he has screwed up (and he's done that a few times) he never tries to blame anyone else. The story has terrific pace and the idea that each chapter starts with a "top 10" is ingenious. His focus and determination are quite inspiring.

At the end I had the feeling that I would really like to meet him. Maybe he can be on my fantasy dinner party guest list. I look forward to reading the second volume of his story.

What I'm reading

I was getting a little tired of Map of a Nation, so I am giving it a rest. It is not that it is a bad book or uninteresting. I just found it hard going and the reverse on un-put-downable. So, I have started It's Not What You Think by Chris Evans. I used to have a rather low opinion of the author, but my partner has guided me to appreciate him more and recommended the book. As I always like autobiographies and this one is not ghost-written, I thought it worth trying. Here's the blurb:

The story of how one council estate lad made good, really very good, and survived – just about – to tell the tale…Chris Evans’s extraordinary career has seen him become one of the country’s most successful broadcasters and producers. From The Big Breakfast to Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush and TFI Friday, Chris changed the TV landscape during the ‘90s; and on Manchester’s Piccadilly Radio, BBC Radio 1’s Breakfast show and as owner of Virgin Radio he ushered in the age of the celebrity DJ.But this is only part of the Chris Evans story. In this witty and energetically written autobiography, Chris describes the experiences that shaped the boy and created the man who would go on to carve out such a dazzlingly brilliant career. Born on a dreary council estate in Warrington and determined to escape, Chris started out as the best newspaper boy on the block, armed with no more than a little silver Binatone radio that he would take to the newsagents each day and through which he would develop a life-long and passionate love affair with the music and voices that emerged.From paperboy to media mogul, It’s Not What You Think isn’t what you think - it’s the real story beyond the glare of the media spotlight from one of this country’s brightest and boldest personalities.

What I'm reading

I have started Map of a Nation by Rachel Hewitt. I have always liked maps and learning history in relation to something familiar can be interesting, so this book appealed. Here is the blurb:

Map of a Nation tells the story of the creation of the Ordnance Survey map - the first complete, accurate, affordable map of the British Isles. The Ordnance Survey is a much beloved British institution, and Map of a Nation is, amazingly, the first popular history to tell the story of the map and the men who dreamt and delivered it. The Ordnance Survey's history is one of political revolutions, rebellions and regional unions that altered the shape and identity of the United Kingdom over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It's also a deliciously readable account of one of the great untold British adventure stories, featuring intrepid individuals lugging brass theodolites up mountains to make the country visible to itself for the first time.