Man Booker Prize 2011

Well this year it was as controversial as always. I have to say that once again none of the books really appealed to me. The only one I attempted prior to the result was this one.

It certainly was not challenging but was very odd. This is a violent and peculiar western. It is very strange I am not sure what was the point of the book, was it to tell us that all sons need and crave their mothers? If anyone can enlighten me please post.

On the announcement of the winning novel, I decided to read it. Again an easy read, and very short, almost a novella. It is beautifully if somewhat self consciously written. It is about a 60 something year old man returning to an event in his past. I can't say too much as it would then contain spoilers.

What I could not decide is whether this book is absolutely brilliant or dreadful. It is as I said very lyrical, but none of the characters appeal, there is really no point that I can perceive to the story. There is no real denouement. The revelation at the end you could see coming, and it really doesn't solve anything BUT that is real life. Other human beings frequently are a mystery to us and there is no 'closure' that can be had, and some people we meet in our lives are just unpleasant or weird.

I am glad I read it , it will be excellent for reading groups as I suspect it will divide the readers into two camps and lead to a lively discussion.

End Of The Line - ed Jonathan Oliver

So what can I say about this collection of horror short stories? They are all loosely based about underground railway systems. They are incredible! A stellar cast of authors have been collected by Jonathan Oliver, Christopher Fowler, Adan L G Neville, Gary McMahon, Pat Cadigan, Paul Maloy, Ramsay Campbell, John L Probert, Nicholas Royle, Simon Bestwick, Al Ewing, Conrad Williams, Mark Morris, Stephen Volk, Michael Marshall Smith, James Lovegrove,Natasha Rhodes, and Joel Lane.
I found I had to read this book very slowly reserving time to read one story a day. They are haunting, terrifying, and very clever, they also stay with you, hence the desire not to overload the synapses.
I should say that next time I take the tube in London I am going to pay very close attention to everything, and be very afraid. I found it absolutely fascinating but not surprising to see how different author's imaginations run when given such a suitable topic. Am I the only person that has always been slightly uneasy on a tube platform?

October has been a busy month!

Phew, we have had a busy month here in Bournemouth. Firstly our reading groups have reached 52! We have been running a survey with them and they have feed back that they would over whelmingly like Readers Days, on Crime, General Fiction and Historical Fiction. So please keep your eyes open for advertising for future author events.

In October we had the excellent Bournemouth Arts by the Sea Festival. As part of this there was the interestingly named Horrorlitic events. Bournemouth has a wealth of literary connections,the author of Frankenstein, Mary Shelley is buried here, as is the heart of her husband! Robert Louis Stevenson wrote The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde while living here, and the author of Dracula, Bram Stoker used to come here on holiday!

So we had the eminent horror writers Ramsay Campbell and Stephen Laws to the Bournemouth Library for tea with a specially commissioned horror cake. Over 40 people came to be chilled by readings of some of their latest short stories. Later they were grilled by the audience on how they wrote, where they got their inspriration from and whether they were normal! ( Their wives said yes!) Waterstones were there to sell books for a signing and I bought a particularly chilling collection of short stories. Review to follow!

This is the same book, so do not be fooled! The publisher clearly thought the original title had to be simplified. Certainly the new cover fits in with those of his later books.

Once again we have a murder mystery/thriller. This time it is set in Long Island, USA in 1947.  Having read this book last in the series, I was impressed as to how deep and structured it was. All the elements I have come to recognise in my fest were there. Once again we are immersed into a rich, complex and textured community, that at the same time is finite in the sense that we have a small cast from which to find our murderer. I loved the character of Hollis the detective. There were all the elements of classic film noir that added to the atmospere.
 It was also very clever how we were drip fed details of Conrad through out the book, so that we were never quite sure what his next move might be. It was not until quite some way into the book that I realised his age!

Again there is much here that would make it an excellent reading group book but also an entertaining read that will keep you pleasurably lost in another world.

Keep writing Mark as I have now run out!

Mark Mills - The Information Officer

This book is more of a murder mystery, than his previous books I have reviewed, as within the setting there is a serial killer on the loose. Once again though it is the setting that is so fantastic. Here we are in Malta in the 1940s. For those of you who loved a Pair of Silver Wings by James Holland here is a novel set in the same time frame and the same place. As such it would make a very interesting reading group challenge, to read the two books together.

Once again Mark has produced an atmosperic thriller with an interesting puzzle. In this novel we also have the added frisson of chapters written from the viewpoint of the murderer. This is an  clever device as clearly we have a small cast from which to pick the murderer, and I found myself, re-reading sections to find clues, as to who it might be. It certainly racked up the tension and once again I was ready until late in the night!

Mark Mills - The Savage garden

Well having searched my BLOG it appears that I did not review The Savage Garden, so here goes.

The thing that Mark does do well in his writing is atmospere, and as I stated in my previous review it is this which kept me reading. Yes there is a puzzle, yes there is a death, but it is the sheer ability of  his skill to immerse you in the period in which he casts you, that holds you and keeps you reading long into the night.

This book is set in the 1950s in Tuscany, Italy. Our hero is tasked with investigating the history of a historical garden for his thesis, the family owning the garden being friends of his professor. As he investigates mysteries begin to surface and he gradually comes to realise that the family that have welcomed him into their midst may have their own secrets. Secrets that may echo those embedded in the garden whose mystery he has set himself to solve. Classy, elegant and much to entertain a reading group. It was a Richard and Judy recommendation and once you have read it you realise why.

Mark Mills - House of the Hanged

I  have just finished a Mark Mills fest. Started on the back of reading this book. I just could not get enough. So more reviews to follow.

This is his latest book and it really is great. It is set in France in the 1930s. It is an engaging thriller and I could not put it down, it took me two days and nights to read it.

I was a big fan of his Savage Garden, see review below, and this is up to that standard.

This would make a good reading group book as there is much that can be discussed in relation to the time period. It is very atmosperic, and you feel totally immersed in the setting that Mark has created.

The book starts in Russia, and then switches to France, it abounds with spies and murder and is thoroughly enjoyable. As with all these thriller there is very little about the plot that can be told without introducing spoilers, however it is to be recommended.