I have just read....

[Emma]

Beautiful Bodies, by Laura Shane Cunningham.

I picked it up at Tescos (we love the Tesco book section )

Six old friends are getting together to celebrate the pregnancy of one of the friends...the book starts out by describing the journey and the state of mind of each friend, and then weaves them all together as they arrive at their destinations and interact with one another. (*See* how I am not adding spoilers!). I mention this because I enjoyed the structure of the book as much as the content

I thought it was a lovely, gently funny and engaging study of how female friends 'get along' (or not!!). On the back it says it's a 'paean to the frailties and foibles of female friendship' Ooh, alliteration!

[Emma]

btw meant this thread as a place for other people's book reviews too....specially as I'm running out of books! Yikes!!

[Forte]

"The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold a tender, beautiful and suspense filled story told from the point of view of a murdered teenage girl. She watches her family (and her un-caught murderer) over several years from heaven until she can do without them and she feels at peace. It made me cry in a good way!

[Sparkles]

'Spellbound' by Jane Green (a very girly book I know). I usually really enjoy Green's books but this one I found predictable and disappointing. Normally her observation of people is pretty much spot on, but in this book she seemed to lose the heart of the story she was trying to mimic (as far as I’m aware this is another first for her, as she usually writes her own stories rather than rewriting others’). Maybe it’s just me, but I felt no satisfaction or glow upon finishing it .

[Stuart M]

...Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

I had always thought this was "cult" science fiction, but on finally getting round to reading it, it turns out to be a slyly clever anti-war novel.

Vonnegut served in the US army in WWII, and ended up as a prisoner of war in Dresden. He got to see first hand the effects of that city's firebombing in 1945, when over 130,000 died in one night (more than either Hiroshima or Nagasaki...). The story is based on his own experiences.

Vonnegut's trick in the novel was inspired by Mary O'Hare, the wife of a buddy he visits in the 60s when he was collecting memories for the book. She berates him for writing it now, 20 years later. Now, she points out, he's misty-eyed about his wartime adventures, not the raw recruit who went to war. Vonnegut took her criticism on board: Billy Pilgrim, the US soldier who is the central character of the novel, is child-like throughout. This makes the whole thing much more powerful (the book's other title is "The Children's Crusade"). Not as funny as Catch-22, but more poinient. And at 150 pages, a much shorter read.

There is a science fiction element, but it's really more of a story-telling device than anything. Overall, I still prefer Catch-22, but this was still pretty good.

[Emma]

This girlie has read Slaughterhouse Five

(though I am ashamed to say I recall almost nothing about it...is that the one where there is a man in a zoo...or is that a figment of my fevered imagination?)

Have also read Spellbound, in one gulp, on the train home from Scotland..which come to think about it I also can't remember much about..

Lovely Bones is a different matter, I remember all about that one - great book. I have been told by more 'literary' friends that her other book 'Lucky' is even better. Though it's a memoir of a rape, which frankly has prevented me reading it so far

[Sal]

"The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold a tender, beautiful and suspense filled story told from the point of view of a murdered teenage girl. She watches her family (and her un-caught murderer) over several years from heaven until she can do without them and she feels at peace. It made me cry in a good way!

I read that and loved it too. So much so, that I read another book of hers - Lucky. You have to be feeling quite strong to read it, as it is the amazing tru story of the author's rape and the repercussions. However, I found it a very inspiring and interesting read.

[DangerousCurves]

I can thoroughly recommend "The Lovely Bones" too - very compelling read.

I've just finished "The Amateur Marriage" by Anne Tyler. Its about a mismatched couple who marry after a highly charged WW2 romance - and then actually get to know each other. I read it on a friend's recommendation and was highly dubious at first since I don't do romantic fiction - but this was more an observation of people, their frailties and contradictions rather then slushy rubbish. I greaty enjoyed it and found it a real page turner!

[Rougeforever]

I've just finished "The Amateur Marriage" by Anne Tyler..... I greaty enjoyed it and found it a real page turner!

I love Anne Tyler, if you enjoyed this one, try some of her others (and there are plenty!). They all have a gentle, observational quality about them.

The book I'm reading at the moment (The Song Reader - Lisa Tucker) reminds me of her writing (which is why, I guess, I'm enjoying it !)

[Winnie]

My friends and I do a book swap on a regular basis. The most recent books I've read: Alice Sebold's "The Lovely Bones" and Mitch Albom's "Five People You Meet In Heaven."

Like others in the book club, I found both books well-written, haunting and difficult to put down. I rarely find stimulating books these days, so book swapping is a fantastic and inexpensive way to share what you enjoy.

I'm now giving Doris Pilkington's "Follow The Rabbit-Proof Fence" a try. Has anyone seen the film?

[johnnyman]

DEVIL MAY CARE by Sebastina Faulks and are starting to read Eric Clapton's biography.

DEVIL MAY CARE is an authorised James Bond adventure. Pretty good and gritty. Seems more like a Bond film posing as a novel rather than a novel per se, but very entertaining.

best
johnnyman

[Mini Mac]

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

This book is amazing and is suited to ages 16 and above for both boys and girls. A story about love and fantasy. Bella is age 17 and is moving to forks in the usa to live with her dad, she quickly befriends a boy called Edward who is much more than he seems.

This book has become a phenonomal hit with teenagers all around the world, the film is being released in november 2008 and a new sequel to it. Breaking Dawn is on sale now.

They're are three other sequels.

New Moon
Eclipse
and Breaking Dawn.

I have started chapter 3 of New Moon and am already on tenterhooks!