I hope you are all enjoying the book club choice for June which is ‘H is for Hawk’ by Helen MacDonald.    I am finding it mesmerizing and engrossing.  I am nearly finished.  As it was a rather unusual choice, I thought I would put July’s book choice out to the people by way of a democratic vote.   I am going to put up three choices of very different books and the one with the most votes will be July’s book club choice.  That’s how we do it in the other book club I attend, and I must say I think it is very fair!   So, here goes:

1.  The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

“It starts with a murder, is obsessed with ancient Greece and creates the delicious illusion of being admitted to the most dangerous of confidences.”  The Guardian.

2.  The Lives of Women by Christine Dwyer Hickey. ”  A streetwise tale of sex and scandal in Middle America.”  The Independent.

3.  The Storied Life of A.J Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin (already recommended to me by a book club follower and I have read it praised by other writers.) “This novel has humor, romance, a touch of suspense, but most of all love–love of books and bookish people and, really, all of humanity in its imperfect glory.” — Eowyn Ivey, author of The Snow Child.

I look forward to hearing your votes!  Just put a comment at the bottom of this post with your vote on it.  Thanks so much.  I will publish the chosen book on Monday 8th June.   Happy Reading!

This book was recommended by two lovely followers of this website, so I decided to make it the Book club choice of the month for May. The thriller genre is not one I would usually read, and I found it interesting that it was recommended to me by two women. That may sound immediately sexist, but from my initial introduction to the book I felt it was definitely a book more suited to men. So it was good that I shattered both my aversion to thrillers and my sexist thoughts, by thoroughly enjoying it.
For a brief summary I will turn to my friend Amazon: ‘Pilgrim is the codename for a man who doesn’t exist. The adopted son of a wealthy American family, he once headed up a secret espionage unit for US intelligence. Before he disappeared into anonymous retirement, he wrote the definitive book on forensic criminal investigation.’
That is a very brief summary of an altogether more complex set of plots and sub plots. The main story goes as follows: A secret intelligence agent, who becomes known as Pilgrim, has entered the world of espionage partly as a result of a very insecure upbringing – he was adopted by wealthy parents, but he didn’t have any kind of a relationship with his mother and he had a difficult relationship with his father. As the story progresses, we discover that his relationship with his adopted father forms an important and meaningful part of the story, as he realizes his father did care very much for him, and Pilgrim (also known by several other names earlier on in the book) regrets not treating him with more respect.
As well as investigating two murders, the main plot follows Pilgrim, who is trying to track down a man known as the Saracen, after the discovery that he is about to cause absolute carnage in the USA. (I won’t tell how or why as this forms the crux of the book). The Saracen had become a teenage jihadist after watching his father’s beheading in Saudi Arabia, the crime – disparaging the Royal Family. The story develops as we read with baited breath to see whether Pilgrim will be able to stop the Saracen’s ruthless plan. The back story of both the Saracen and Pilgrim are also told in detail, so we understand their motivation and their absolute determination, albeit entirely misguided (in the case of the Saracen anyway.)
There is also the matter of two other murders, one in New York and one in Bodrun which turn out to be linked and along with another cop (who becomes a friend) called Ben Bradley, Pilgrim sets out to solve these murders as well.
There are several other sub plots and the book is a roller coaster ride of intrigue, mayhem and mystery from the off. I felt it was the sort of book that would be ideal for a holiday read. It required time and speedy reading to keep up with what was going on. It was fast paced and although there are some gruesome scenes, I felt the book had enough emotional depth to keep you interested in the characters. I actually grew to like and care about ‘Pilgrim’ and what happened to him.
Some have argued that it was fanciful, unrealistic and not at all credible. I beg to differ. Yes, I felt parts were stretching the realms of the realistic, but it was all part of the thrill and made for an exciting, unputdownable book. I liked the character of Pilgrim, even though he was capable of killing without remorse. I understood there were reasons for that and he had great loyalty to those he cared about.
As the author was a journalist, the research was thorough and the details added so much to the plot. Terry Hayes is also a screen writer and it is very evident in this book. It read so visually and it will make a terrific film, which I am sure is what the author intended.

I would highly recommend this book for anyone looking for ideas for their summer holiday read. Not my usual choice, but very enjoyable nonetheless.

Hello book fans.  Just thought I would check in firstly to thank those who have commented so far on May’s book club choice ‘I am Pilgrim,’ and to ask those of you who may have started it or may be contemplating it, to get  your skates on!

What do you think so far?  Enjoying it?  I have now finished it, but I am not going to put up my review until the last week of May as promised, so if you haven’t read it yet, you best get going!  It’s not a short read!

If you have finished it, what else are you reading?  I am going to put up June’s book club choice on the Monthly Book Club page later today.  If you wish to get started it is called ‘H is for Hawk’ by Helen Macdonald, and I have to admit this is a very personal choice.  You will see why when you read the summary.  You have plenty of time to read it, as I won’t be reviewing it until the end of June.

So, what I want to know is, what else is everyone reading?  I have a pile of books so high by my bed, it is becoming ridiculous.  Among them are; ‘The King’s Curse’ by Philippa Gregory, ‘The Last Empress’ by Anchee Min (the sequel to Empress Orchid which I absolutely adored) ‘The Sense of Style, The Thinking Person’s guide to writing in the 21st Century’ by Steven Pinker (non-fiction, started….brilliant so far) and ‘The Signature of All Things’ by Elizabeth Gilbert.  I feel utterly overwhelmed just looking at them all.   Any tips for which ones I should get on with immediately?!   Anyone read any of them?  Care to comment?

Earlier this year I had a meeting with the people who published my dad’s life story that I wrote with him, Hachette Books Ireland.  As I was leaving they said, ‘oh would you like some books?’ and proceeded to fill two enormous bags with the latest bestsellers.  I can’t even look at them, as I break out into a sweat at all the books I have yet to read!  So if you need any books, you know where to come.  At least I won’t have to buy a book for at least the next year (maybe two!)

Anyway what are you reading? Please do tell.  I am also having a strange urge presently to read classic novels.  I think it was going to see ‘Far from the Madding Crowd’ that did it.  I was reminded of what an amazing story teller Hardy was, and I want to dive back into Tess and all his other great stories.   Oh well, I will just have to take it one book at a time and learn how to speed read!

I first discovered Persephone Books when my aunt sent me ‘Someone at a Distance’ by Dorothy Whipple for my birthday one year.  This beautiful package arrived with a book with an elegant grey cover and cream pages, and a lovely book mark.  I was intrigued.  Who on earth was Dorothy Whipple and what was this book all about?  I discovered it had been bought and sent from Persephone Books, a very unique book shop in London I had never heard of.

The founder Nicola Beauman had a vision of printing books by women written during the 1930s and 40s that were now out of print.  Boy did she do it in style!

The website tell us the following about the founder of this treasure trove for book lovers: “The founder of Persephone Books, Nicola Beauman (née Mann), was born in 1944, brought up in London, and read English at Newnham College, Cambridge. She is the author of A Very Great Profession: The Woman’s Novel 1914-39 (1983), Cynthia Asquith (1987), Morgan: a biography of E.M. Forster (1993) and The Other Elizabeth Taylor (2009). She is married with five children and lives in London. She likes brogues, daffodils, mattress ticking and madeira.”

As for the books themselves – quality is the order of the day.  Beautifully written stories by women about relationships, domesticity, the appalling tragedies of war and much much more.   I remember my cousin recommending Monica Dickens to me, the great granddaughter of Charles.  Her book ‘Mariana’ is available and by all accounts is hilarious. There are also books by men now available and the whole collection is sublime.  For a taster I would read their blog recommendations at http://www.persephonebooks.co.uk/books-info/blogs/

They also stop for tea every day at 4 pm which I think is most civilized!   These books make great presents.  If you have read any of them, or have visited the shop, please let me know as I would love to know your thoughts.  I hope to visit the shop next time I am in London.

Over-hyped. For me that was what this book was in a nutshell. It couldn’t possibly have lived up to my high expectations. From all the quotes extolling it’s magnificence on the cover I was expecting a superb read.
Don’t get me wrong, I certainly enjoyed it. If you love unreliable narrators, then you will enjoy this book just fine, but for me sadly I just found it frustrating.

The book begins with the main character Maud having just found the remains of a compact mirror in the garden, which she recognizes, and this sets up the twin mysteries of the disappearance of her friend Elizabeth, and a previous mystery – the disappearance of her older sister Sukey just after the Second World War.
The main character Maud is beautifully portrayed in the first person narrative and I grew in affection and sympathy for her as the book went on. The descriptions of her descent into dementia were both terrifying and unbearably poignant at times. Healey’s gift for language is impressive.
Where my frustration set in was with the rambling double storyline that seemed to have no end in sight and I found it a bit haphazard at times. Where the bloody hell was Elizabeth?!! I was getting as frustrated as her daughter Helen, and undoubtedly this was the effect the author intended. I was also disappointed in the ending. I won’t actually give it away here, in case someone hasn’t finished reading it yet, but my feeling was ‘I have ploughed through this book for that?’
A beautifully written novel, I loved the character of Maud and her emotional journey. My main issue was with how the plot was structured.
I look forward to hearing what you thought.

I was listening to an Arts Show on the radio last night and they were talking about the short list for the International IMPAC Dublin literary award.  (More details here http://www.impacdublinaward.ie )  They mentioned an author who I hadn’t thought of in awhile –  Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.  She is shorlisted for her book ‘Americanah.’   I remembered reading ‘Half of a Yellow Sun.’  Have  you read it?  It is an excellent read.  It is about the struggle in Biafra to establish an independent republic in southeastern Nigeria during the late 1960s. We experience this through five unforgettable characters: Ugwu, a thirteen-year-old houseboy who works for Odenigbo, a university professor full of revolutionary zeal; Olanna, the professor’s beautiful young mistress and Richard, a shy young Englishman who is in love with Olanna’s feisty twin sister Kainene.

I found this book gripping from the start.  The characters are so vivid and the depictions of war so brutal.  It is also a love story and all the characters lives are expertly told, so that within a very short time you are completely invested in their stories.  I remember seeing the author on television speaking at the Hay Festival.  She was so beautiful and eloquent.   Nigeria has produced some incredible writers and she is definitely one of them.   I can’t wait to read ‘Americanah.’

I was thinking about other books last night that I had completely forgotten about.  Two being ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne du Maurier and ‘Stoner.’ by John Williams.  If you haven’t read ‘Stoner,’ I cannot recommend it highly enough.  It is one of those books that once you have finished it, you sigh and look forward to a time when you can re-read it.  It is a masterpiece of understated brilliance in my opinion.  Happy Reading!

Having finally read two Virginia Woolf classics, I thought I would share my views. Firstly, I am exhausted!  Ms Woolf is most definitely not easy reading (well not for me anyway.) I will start with ‘A Room of One’s Own.’  This book grew out of a lecture that Virginia Woolf had been invited to give at Girton College Cambridge in 1928.

In the book she begins to contemplate women and fiction and on page two we have one of the best quotes I have ever read: ‘A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction; and that, as you will see, leaves the great problem of the true nature of woman and the true nature of fiction unsolved.’   What a brilliant piece of observation and how true! Woolf then goes on to discuss women in literature, women in history and the differences between how women are portrayed in fiction and how they actually lived in reality.

I found this book fascinating, beautifully written and a real revelation, in so far as it raised questions about both women and women as writers, that I had never even thought to contemplate before.  Woolf is a master of description and expressing deep personal reflections in exquisite literary form.  Honestly I can’t do justice to the book.  There are so many good quotes, you just want to read it all again once you have finished.   As a wannabe writer, I found her advice useful, such as “So long as you write what you wish to write, that is all that matters; and whether it matters for ages or only for hours, nobody can say. ”

I did think she was very hard on women at times.  Near the end of the book she says of women ‘you are in my opinion disgracefully ignorant,’ but in the context it is a call to arms for all women to shine and step out of the shadows of men. She imagines Shakespeare’s sister coming forth as a poet and how we all need to be that poet.   This book is one I feel deserves to be read by women and men alike and re-read several times.  A classic.

Now, moving on to ‘Mrs Dalloway’.  How I wish I could have loved this book, but I didn’t.  I felt I should have, as there is no doubting it is a work of literary genius. But for me, it was just too hard work.   The book tells the story of Clarissa Dalloway, who is preparing for a party she is to give at her home in London.  We experience her thoughts and feelings as he goes out into London to do her shopping and then returns home to prepare for her party.  We then experience the views and feelings of others about her as they weave in and out of the story.  A former lover Peter Walsh who has returned from India.  Her friend Sally Seton and a few others.   There is a parallel story running alongside that of Clarissa Dalloway – that of Septimus Smith, a war veteran who is descending into madness.  The action takes place over the course of one day and although they never meet, their stories run parallel and intertwine somewhat at the end.

Honestly I just felt the descriptions were too crowded and too many and the interior monologues were too intense at every moment.   I can appreciate the lyricism of her writing and the beauty of her descriptions, but I couldn’t care enough about any of the characters and I became worn down with the lack of anything actually happening.   I would love to know your thoughts.  I am not sure I will be picking up any more Virginia Woolf, but if you can persuade me I would love to hear which of her novels you loved, if any.  I am however delighted to have read  ‘A Room of One’s Own.’

Following on from my previous post where I mentioned one of the books I have recently read is ‘Why be Happy when you could be Normal?’ by Jeanette Winterson, I decided to post this video.

It is taken from the website of the International Literature Festival, as it is now called.   You will have to set aside an hour to watch it, but if you just want a flavour of  her book, she reads from two of the chapters, so it would give you an idea.

I find her funny, intelligent and a fantastic writer.  You can see how much the Dublin audience love her too, although she does get very frustrated with some of the long winded questions (and who can blame her?!).

Anyway, hope you enjoy it.   Click below to watch the video:

http://ilfdublin.com/video/jeanette-winterson-dwf-2012/

Welcome to the Book Club Cafe. I am delighted you have decided to check out my blog. I have set up this site so I can chat to people about books. Each month there will be reviews of the book club choice.  Recommendations of good reads and ongoing discussions.

So I thought I would start with the last three books I read, which were:

‘The Paying Guests’ by Sarah Waters.  Loved it, loved it, loved it.

It’s set just after the Second World War and it’s all about a girl called Frances and what happens when she and her mother take in two lodgers, called Lilian and Leonard Barber.  It is a great read.    A real page turner.

Then I read ‘The Handsome Man’s De Luxe Cafe’ by Alexander McCall Smith.  A light fluffy read.  As comforting as a warm blanket. He remains one of my favourite authors for when you need something relaxing, entertaining and comforting.

And I have just finished reading ‘Why be Happy when you could be Normal?’ by Jeanette Winterson.   What a great read.  God but that woman can write.   It’s her memoir of life growing up as an adopted unwanted child with the cruel and very bizarre Mrs Winterson.   An absolutely fantastic read with plenty of references to literature, and a bit of a cliff hanger too, as she searches for her real mother.  I loved it and had it read in 3 days.

So onwards.  More books to be read.  Today in the library I picked up two Virginia Woolf books.  ‘Mrs Dalloway’ and ‘A Room of One’s Own.’   I have never read any Virginia Woolf and felt it was high time I did.   Am I in for a treat?  I hope so!

Right, time for a cup of tea.  Till next time.  Look forward to hearing from you.