The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks

I have learnt now to read the book before seeing the movie. I have yet to see the movie but the books was great. Again another I just could not put down. Sparks grips you with his mannerisms of Logan (the main character) from the start and the chapters that reflect upon his past give the reader more of an insight into the character.

Each chapter is from a different characters perspective but unlike other books that do this it is not disjointed and has a natural flow. This book is not set in rural England like many I read and it gets down in a gentle way to the nitty-gritty of life. This book is based on the tragedy and overcoming it. Sparks could have given us a little more detail on the work of Beth and her ex (slight spoiler) as Beth who is a teacher seems to come home from work with nothing to do. I have to come home, do the washing, marks books etc and I feel just a little more description into this would have benefited (ok I am in teacher mode!).

This book really makes you consider peoples actions and their thoughts on the world and their own lives.

Who is it for: everyone, book clubs, people who want to believe in love.

Score: 8/10

The Mozart Conspiracy

Well this is the second book I have read in the last month written by a man! A first for me. Anyway I digress. I was really looking forward to reading the Mozart Conspiracy by Scott Mariani after watching a lady in my staffroom reading it at lunch time for 5 consecutive days. I gathered from the blurb that the book would run a little similarly to the Dan Brown books The Davinci Code and Angels and Demons. I am sure that because I made this assumption I did not enjoy it as much as I perhaps should have.

The writer follows the main character Ben who has to use his training and 'love' to (spoiler alert) prevent ritual events. I took from the title there would be a lot about Mozart but I was left a little disappointed (perhaps this is because I am a musician and I studied the piece the plot referred too in great depth at University).

Despite my misgivings I did enjoy the book and I did read it in less than two weeks. The writer keeps the story moving (slight spoiler alert) and with a real twist at the end he must be praised.

Who is it for? book clubs, people who know things about guns, crime readers, people who like to be kept on the edge.
Score 7/10

 



Leaving the World by Douglas Kennedy

OMG!!! I don't usually say this about a book but what a story. I loved this book. True there were parts of it when I wanted to shout at the main character, Jane and say 'what are you doing?' but once I got into it I could not put it down. The book is set in America and Canada which was interesting for me because as you know the books I have posted about so far have all been set in rural England. Mr Kennedy dives into the character amazingly and as 'The Times' has noted on the back cover the of the book is 'famous for insightfully writing about women's lives'. I had never really thought about a man writing from a woman's perceptive before but I must agree with the Times, he is absolutely fabulous at it.
The book is divided into four parts, each of which focuses on Jane's stages in the story. Jane is not such a complex character but is portrayed as being very knowledgeable about the world from the start. However like many of us she is taken on a roller coaster ride which keeps the reader gripped.
Who is it for? Anyone but not for those who are struggling with bereavement.
Score: 9.5 out of 10.

Stolen by Lesley Pearse

Well this book took me all of three days to read, I could not put it down! I was gripped from the start. The story is set mainly on the south coast of England in Brighton and it's surrounding area and is about two characters Lotte and Dale. Woven into the story of how they met, became friends and went through a harrowing time together is life, romance and those difficult relationships some of us have.

As I said I was hooked from the start. The book is about a girl (Lotte (or should I say woman)) who is found washed up on a beach and she can't remember how she came to be there. Although I loved this book there was one chapter that I was not so keen on (spoiler alert: the chapter where Lotte and Howard are united) and for this reason alone I am going to reduce my scoring for the book.

Who is it for? ladies and book clubs who want something that isn't just about the middle class way of life in Britain.

Score: 9/10




Going Dutch by Katie Fforde

Well I read this book in less than two weeks which is not bad going for me. It was a good read with lots of thought provoking moments along the way. I liked the fact that Katie Fforde has two main characters that are of different ages and from different stages in their life's. This is a good read for anybody who wants to read a feel good. If you have read as many 'love stories' as myself the plot was fairly easy to grasp from early on (but sometimes isn't that why we read them?) but there were some little twists that made this book interesting. Well done Katie Fforde.

Score: 8/10

New York Valentine by Carmen Reid

This isn't a book selected by my book club but I read it so I shall give it a little review. I finished this book in no time at all. It is the second book I have read by Carmen Reid in the Valentine series. The first the book prior to this one, Celebrity Shopper which I know isn't the first in the series but my sister got it for me.
The book is set mainly in NY City (the one place in the world I am itching to go to) so from an instant I knew this book was going to be a hit with me.
Annie Valentine (the main character) takes us on her visit to NY where she has gone on business (or a jolly!) to help a friend. The book is full of laughs, sorrows and 'isn't life great' moments.
Recommended for: I recommend this book for people who enjoy shopping, fashion, NY, want to go to NY and girls/ladies/females.
Score: 8/10

The Rats by James Herbert

I have to say I was not looking forward to reading this book. It was the choice of my younger sister and as a member of the club I had to read it. Once I got past the first two chapters that were a little disturbing I quite enjoyed the story. The book makes you think about what is out there and how individuals (in this case Harris) can make a difference.
Recommended for: people who like rats, those who aren't scared by much...
Score: 6/10
Watch out for our club discussion to follow.