Book Addicts Anonymous

http://www.19thwife.com/
I will admit when I picked this book up I didn't read the back, the short bit on the front had me hooked.
One Sect, many secrets....and murder
I didn't realise it was about Mormons, and polygamy, I thought it was about a "Bluebeard" type man.
Another brilliant book, with the two tales intertwining throughout. In my eyes, one without the other would possibly have made a weaker novel, but both woven together made for very interesting reading.
If you are a very strong feminist this book will make you angry, how the children are treated is not so good either in my eyes. The indoctrination of the Mormon women of the sect is particularly shocking.

This book can be forgiven for looking like the fluffy sort of book that is packed for holidays. It is despite it's fluffy appearance a very well thought out novel with some good twists to it. The "Missing" person, is included briefly at the start of the novel, then she goes "missing" until about half way through. It is narrated by an omniscient narrator, which works very well, as there are many people affected by the disappearance of Jacqueline Avery.
It did not however answer, or attempt to answer one of the plotlines, but I think that was deliberate. The cover of my copy is a little misleading, as it shows a toddler , beside an old fashioned swing slung from a tree. It is quite a while before the significance of the toddler is revealed. The publisher classes this novel as fiction, which it is, but it is also a mystery. An engrossing read.
Susan Lewis has written quite a few books, for a read of the cover bumph from Missing, click here, click on home when you get there if you wish to find out more about the author and her books.

After the previous abandoned book, this one was a pleasant surprise. It is Flynn's debut novel, but don't let that put you off. The plot is sufficiently complex to keep the reader busy. The timeline, is mostly straightforward, although there are times when the main character, Camille, remembers past events. I was completely hooked, and I know it's a cliche, but I really couldn't put it down. I look forward to seeing more from Gillian Flynn.

A link to Flynn's website is here, so you can find out more, and maybe read an extract for yourself. At the end of this book there was something that I have noticed appearing in many books these days, that is a section on points to consider if using this book with a book group/club.

On the front of this book there's a quote from author Manda Scott.

I haven't read either of those books, but there was definitely something about this one that just hooked me.
Like quite a few books I have read lately it has narratives in different times.
Paul Tomm, the main character has the makings of an investigative reporter, when asked to write an obituary about recently deceased history professor Jaan Puhapaev, he finds mystery surrounds him, and the further he he looks for facts, the more mysterious Jaan Puhapaev appears. Paul Tomm does have a naivety that makes you sometimes want to yell at him in pantomime fashion, "behind you", as he gets himself into some very difficult situations, that it seems to the reader could have been avoided. Yet this is part of his charm as a character. The narrative about Paul Tomm researching is interspersed with the histories of fifteen arcane objects, and the collecting together of them. In this narrative there is a "master of disguises", who at one point is called Abulfaz Akhundov, yet at another has an entirely different name, this man is instrumental in collecting together the objects, and is very ruthless in his methods.
All in all the book is fascinating, and I ended up just sitting reading to finish it, as I was so engrossed.
Then again I knew I was in for a good book when I picked it up, as it is published by Penguin, a publisher that seems to host many good authors.

For further information about Jon Fasman click here. There are more deatils about The Geographer's Library, and his newer book , The Unpossessed City, along with a biography.

I was going to buy this book anyway, but it was also Waterstone's book circle book of the month for March. OK, it's taken until May to get around to reading it, but...lol...I read Firmin, their April choice before they nominated it. :D
Anyway, back to the book, bumph first;

The novel switches narrative from Seth, to Abel and back again, with genetic history, and tales of an imaginary land called Isidora, helping knit the strands together. Abel is an old man by the end of the novel, but we have a "most important events" type narrative from him to start off with, Seth is determined to find out more about his mother's condition, which means uncovering here history that for reasons of her own she has never discussed. As Set finds out more about the progress and transmission of EOA [early onset Alzheimer's] the more he realises he must find out more about his mother's family. There is also a point where he realises that by his Mum's age he may develop the condition, he actually has the blood taken, then takes it from the nurse and bins it, not wanting to know at this point in time. The novel is poignant, but in places a little tough going, usually on the genetic history sections, but stick with it, as they are all relevant to the story. For more about Stefan Merrill Block, click here.

I am just about to read this. I ignored it in the past as I thought it was a religious book, however when my son gave it to me for Mother's Day I turned it over to read the bumph, and there on the lower right corner it said "fiction". I truly hope it is, or I know it will go unfinished.

13th April 2009
Yes, I've finished already.
This is definitely one of those books you can't put down, you just have to know what happens next.
I'll not spoil it for anyone. I'll just give you the blurb from the back cover.

This is the first of a series of books written by Jacqueline Winspear. And in time I might get hold of some of the others.
Masie Dobbs is a private investigator, just starting up in her own business.

London, 1929. Having set herself up as a private investigator, Masie Dobbs is relieved when her first client arrives. Christopher Davenham suspects that his wife is conducting an affair. But Masie's investigations confound her expectations at every turn. And she is forced by her findings to revisit her own turbulent experience of the Great War. For Masie, the boundary between her private and professional life is suddenly blurred.

This is a world still reeling in the aftermath of war, a world in which many secrets lie buried. But Masie is determined to hunt down the truth, however painful it might be....

This book, like the Kellerman was a refreshing change in the "investigation" genre of novels.

http://www.jacquelinewinspear.com/winspear/books.htm

I don't normally read what I would describe as "chic-lit", but the bumph on the back of this book intrigued me. Yes, it has the "chic-lit" type cover, and I very nearly didn't buy it. However I did.
Imogen is married with a 9 year old son, and a husband who works in "the city". They live in London, but her husband Alex's job is not as secure as it once was, and they are living beyond their means. They consider "downsizing" when an old friend of Alex's offers them a cottage on her husband's estate. They accept, the story covers the transition from town to country, and various relationships that may or may not be going on.
Imogen muddles her way through the new experiences she is encountering in a humorous way. The story was engaging, yet light hearted. Although I enjoyed it, I don't think I could read too many in the same vein.
I would say that it is a good book to read when you need something light.
Here's a link to some bumph;
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/catherine-alliott/crowded-marriage.htm

This book is quite unusual for me, as I usually shy away from "stream of consciousness" novels. The whole of Tomorrow is set in the evening /night/early morning between the 16th and 17th of June 1995. The only character whose thoughts we have direct access to is the narrator, Paula. If the blurb had said something like that ...the book would have stayed put on the shelf. But it is by Graham Swift, and I've enjoyed other novels of his, so I got it.

We are allowed access to Paula's thoughts as she lies awake overnight. She has something on her mind, and she addresses her thoughts to her twin children, (Kate and Nick,) but mainly to Kate. It takes sometime before the thing that is keeping her awake becomes apparent, and for at least half the novel I thought that her husband was going to reveal that he had been having an affair to his children. I won't spoil the novel by revealing what is keeping her awake, but she explores the meaning of being a parent, part of a couple, and our views of such.
I would be intrigued to read Kate or Nick's reply, after they have heard what their father, Mike, has to tell them.

http://www.panmacmillan.com/titles/displayPage.asp?PageTitle=Individual+Title&BookID=401885
for a link to the book
http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=auth93#furtherReading for more about Graham Swift and his books

This was ....hmmm...a book I just had to keep reading, but a very curious book. It's not long, only 130 pages , slightly longer than Heart of Darkness, but probably still classified as a novella. It is just as enigmatic as Heart of Darkness, with a lovely circular feel to it. There is a sense of futility and frustration in it, that comes across very well.
I have never read any of Auster's work before, but would definitely look for more of his work. I was going to say that this is a quick read, but it isn't, and it is one that I will probably revisit.

The basic idea behind the novella is in the link below
http://www.paulauster.co.uk/travelsinthescriptorium.htm
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/paul-auster/travels-in-scriptorium.htm

This book has been on Richard and Judy's reading list, various book prize shortlists, and it's not hard to see why.
The initial theme of the book, if a simple, "what would happen if?" Kim Edwards poses a question, I suppose along the lines of the ones Jodi Picoult tackles, then explores it even deeper.
Having been a child in the 1960s, I can understand Dr David Henry's actions, from the viewpoint of the time. But the reason for his actions go much deeper than is first revealed, and the secret that he keeps from his wife, and son, is destined to destroy their relationship.
Only after Dr David Henry's death, do secrets that have been buried, some for longer than 25 years surface, and his actions begin to be understood.

Back in the 60s, children with Down's syndrome were rarely brought up in family environments.
My own Mum finds it hard to be around people with Down's syndrome, so I can relate to the reaction Dr Henry had.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and can see why it has been recommended for prizes.
Another book where you are drawn into the characters lives.

http://www.memorykeepersdaughter.com/
http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780141030142,00.html

Tenth Circle is written in the same accessible style as Judi Picoult's previous books. You know you SHOULD be doing something, but you just want to finish to the next break, the next page, well, OK the next chapter. Then she's left in such a place you just have to read the first bit of the next chapter..... And you don't get anything else done. (At least that is how her books are for me.)
As with all Picoult's books there is a family unit central to the story, and a drama unfolds, as it unfolds it reveals things that members of the family would rather not see the light of day. I know that sounds very formulaic, but that is where any predictability ends. Of the Picoult books I have read the stories are very different. So is this one.
At first I thought the story might unfold in a similar way to "Lucky" by Alice Sebold, but the only real similarity between these two books is that they both feature a rape, and the consequences that unfold afterwards.

There is more than one way to lose a child.

Daniel Stone thought it would never happen to him. How could it, when Trixie's face lit up every time she saw him, when for her whole life he'd been the centre of her world? But recently it seems, without noticing it, his daughter is gone, and in her place is a stranger.

Until the night fourteen-year=old Trixie comes home from a party claiming she was raped, and suddenly she needs him more than ever. Because the whole school knew Jason Underhill broke Trixie's heart, but that doesn't make him a rapist, does it?

For Daniel, there is no doubt: his daughter is innocent. He has failed to protect her once. Now he will do anything to protect her.

Daniel, the father, is a graphic artist, drawing for Marvell comics, his wife, Laura, a college, (Uni for UK readers,) lecturer. Her specialism is Dante's Inferno. This is where the book's title come from, in Dante's Inferno there are only Nine Circles of Hell.
If you wish to know more about Picoult and her books click on the following link. It will take you straight to the info about The Tenth Circle, but if you click home you can find general information, and information about her other books.
http://www.jodipicoult.com/