The Testament of Gideon Mack - James Robertson

We had a great discussion last night at Westbourne Library about this book. The Sunday Telegraph called it "Fascinating, Extraordinary, strange and rich". We all concurred. This book is beautifully written, a pleasure to read his literary style. Book Group members were enthused into reading passages from the book that spoke to them out loud. The book is strange, it is challenging, it is dark. Do we believe that Gideon met the Devil? The jury was still out an hour later last night. Oh and apparently the Devil loves Scotland!

Duma King - Stephen King

This book is really up to the standard set by Stephen King's earlier books. It has suspense, the supernatural and horror. The book builds up the tension gradually until, if you are like me, you had to put it down for a while just to take a breather. I can honestly say there were several times when I was seriously spooked.

The book is about Edgar, who after a devastating accident in which he looses an arm, decides to complete his recuperation in the Florida keys.When he is not taking long walks on the beach, he takes up painting as a gentle pastime, that is when things start to slide into the realms of the sinister. It all happens in such a subtle manner that you are caught up in the life of this man and his recovery and then before you know it you are bang into a Dali-esque nightmare!

Carol Rivers

We have had a great author visit again from Carol Rivers at Kinson Library. Carol was very generous with her advice and tips on a variety of subjects in the question and answer session! Carol writes East End Sagas set in the Isle of Dogs, and I can highly recommend them!

Homesick - Eshkol Nevo

We were very lucky, as part of Jewish Book week to have a meet the author event with this author. a fascinating, honest and erudite speaker.

This is an interesting book, not the least for giving us an honest window into modern Israeli life. The book deals with the homesickness of it's main characters and the effects this has on their lives. It is a novel that is written from the viewpoint of several different characters, polyphonic, and each character comes off the page as a complete and individual voice. It is a lyrical book that keeps you engaged to the final page.

It will make an excellent reading group book.

I was especially interested in his portrayal of the Palastinian character and his interaction with the Jewish characters. This for non Israeli readers gave the book balance.

When questioned Eshkol revealed that he interviewed many Palestinians to find the voice of Saddiq. He also revealed that it was this character that has made this book so controversial in Israel, and a bestseller. It deserves to be one here too.

Boy A - Jonathan Trigell

This book I found deeply disturbing and morally confusing. It would make a superb reading group choice.

A young man of 24 is released from 14 years in prison, with a new identity. As a child of 10 he was involved in the killing of another 10 year old.

This book causes you to question all your closely held beliefs. Should the punishment fit the crime? Is what happens to young people in prison institutions, and I believe that the book accurately portrays what can happen, reprehensible or deserving? Do killers deserve forgiveness? Can they be rehabilitated? When is a child a child and when a monster? And what should we as a society do about them.

This book also raises deep, hard questions about the role of the media in demonising some children and putting others on pedestals thus making victimns of them all.

I challenge anyone to read this book and remain unmoved and unchanged. It gave me nightmares.....

Of Merchants & Heroes - Paul Waters

This is a novel we were again lucky enough to be sent copies to Read and review by Pan Macmillan.

I enjoy historical fiction and this book was no exception. His ability to bring alive the Graeco Roman period is brilliant and this aspect of the Roman obsession with Greece an interesting theme in the novel. I liked the way he wove "real" characters into the novel.

This really is a coming of age story, a tale of revenge , pirates and conflict. It is also a same sex love story and this is where for me personally, I disengaged. I felt the novel needed stronger female characters to keep me interested and also there are only so many descriptions of men's rippling, grappling torsos that I can take!

I have added some reviews from our team in the comments below.

Eat pray, love - Elizabeth Gilbert

I loved the idea of this autobiography and we were lucky enough to be sent copies for our reading groups by Bloomsbury. The idea is fantastic, a depressed woman, after a traumatic divorce, spend 4 months in Italy, 4 months in India and 4 months in Bali, finding herself.

I have to say I was put off by the huge celebrity endorsements on the cover, I am rather cynical I am afraid.

Well I was stunned, I dislike this book intensely. I found Elizabeth Gilbert the most irritating woman on the planet. The section in Italy was quite fun, in spite of the moaning, but when she got to India I just had to question whether this was real or fantasy. Her mystical experiences came over as false and a bit textbook. ( I have travelled many times to India and am a yoga teacher as well) perhaps she did experience them, it just all seemed a little neat. I thought the section in Bali was interesting but again I just could not warm to her, perhaps this book is just too American for me. I imagine if you like those US tell all, angst shows then this is a book for you.

It made a good book group read as the group was evenly divided between those that loved it and those that did not. It certainly led to an interesting discussion....... Here are some comments, let's have some positives too please....