poshpaws
member
Reged: 15/11/2007
Posts: 4
Loc: Grampian
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I read about this book, including interviews with some of the surviving members, quite recently - thanks for reminding me about it, I'm going to see if I can find it at amazon. 
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If at first you don't succeed ... don't try skydiving.
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efrogwraig
member
Reged: 22/11/2007
Posts: 2
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Resistance by Owen Sheers
1944 and Germany has won the War.
In a remote Welsh Valley the women wake up to find all their menfolk have left
to join the resistance. They do what women always do, just get on with things.
When a German patrol comes into this valley the women embark on a path of passive resistance which changes as the winter sets in. Sarah Lewis a young woman develops a friendship with Albrecht as he talks to her of music and poetry and things her husband never knew about.
Bleak, realistic, heartbreaking but hopeful. My book of the year.
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mag860
member
Reged: 04/09/2006
Posts: 82
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P.S. I love you - Cecelia Ahern
A wonderfully poignant book which captures many of the emotions felt by someone whose husband has died. Holly and her husband Gerry joked about her needing a list to remind her to do things if he should die. When he succumbs to a brain tumour at the age of 30, Holly discovers that Gerry has has left letters to be opened on the 1st day of each month after his death. The bitter sweet emotions created by these letters is almost tangible. It will make you laugh and cry, and will certainly make you remember those you have lost.
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aliirv
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Reged: 15/05/2007
Posts: 245
Loc: northern ireland
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The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney
Set in the snow-bound wilds of Canada in 1867, this book traces the hunt for a murderer. A sullen teenage boy has disappeared after the brutal slaying and this combined with the sudden appearance of a stranger in the isolated township leads to a voyage of self- discovery for a mother. As she follows the trail left by her son, her story is inevitably intertwined with that of other settlers in the desolate region.
A poignant and moving debut novel from an accomplished writer.
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BarMC
member
Reged: 06/08/2006
Posts: 4
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The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl by Shauna Read
Shauna Reid (Dietgirl) from Australia was 23 years old and 25 stone in January 2001 and determined to somehow lose her weight.She created a weblog "The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl" which follows Shauna's diary of adventures as she curbs the calories and starts to enjoy the gym.
This book is hilarious, action packed and entertaining with romance thrown in. A truly inspirational story and a must for anyone embarking on losing weight in 2008.
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janbryn
member
Reged: 06/01/2008
Posts: 4
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On Chesil Beach-Ian McEwan
An elegant book which is much more than a well crafted description of a disastrous wedding night. Florence and Edward, products of the post war era and its severity, fail to adapt to the sexually liberated swinging sixties;their initial comic fumblings move with a certain inevitability to a tragic outcome. We learn that lives can change in an instant and founder because of what is left unsaid. A well written novel in which the tension is palpable, the awkward exchanges between the young couple touching and McEwan's dissection of their characters and relationship masterly.
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pennywales
member
Reged: 06/01/2008
Posts: 1
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The Boy with No Shoes
by
William Horwood
A fictional biography, Jimmy is the fifth child of the family and illegitimate; his older siblings tease and torment him, his mother is portrayed as uncaring. It is the story of his painful growing up and the relationships he forges as a child and young adult. Set in Kent, the author draws you into seaside setting with delightful descriptions.
A beautifully written book, the prose is simple, its meaning so rich. Sentence and paragraph lengths are varied to regulate the tempo of the story to perfection. I couldn’t put it down but didn’t want it to end either!
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nandan
member
Reged: 09/01/2008
Posts: 12
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Written on Glass by Judith Lennox
Set in post war England, this is a story of two neighbouring families torn apart by love, loss, betrayal and misunderstanding.Brothers Dick and Will are rivals for Julie's love, she adores both but in different ways.Marrying one will estrange the other. Her brother, Marius, returns from the war and looks up an old girlfriend. When he finds her, she gives him news that will change his life forever.Old childhood friend,Topaz, who considers herself lonely, unlovely and unloved, watches as passions and secrets develop and unfold.There's no happy-ever-after ending, the characters
develop in a totally unexpected but intriguing way.
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sugarbaby
member
Reged: 10/01/2008
Posts: 2
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A thousand splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini
This book is an unforgettable story about two different women thrown together in troubled times of the Taliban in Kabul. Mariam is only fifteen when she is sent to Kabul to marry the violent bitter Rasheed, who is thirty years older. Nearly two decades later, in a climate of growing unrest, tragedy strikes the fifteen year old Laila, who has to leave her home & join Mariam's unhappy household. Lalia & Mariam finally find consolation in each other, despite their different backgrounds. When the Taliban arrive in Kabul, life becomes a struggle against brutality, starvation & fear. The women's ensurance is tested beyond their worst imaginings and they carry out a dangerous mission. In the end, love triumps over death & destruction & life behind a burkha. A fascinating insight into what women have to put up with in Afghanistan.
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sallyj
member
Reged: 10/12/2006
Posts: 71
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My Sister’s Keeper – Jodi Picoult
Do you believe in designer babies, bred to save a sick sibling? Would you ask your teenage daughter to donate a kidney to her sister? Is it fair that your sick child always comes first and the rest of your offspring exist in their shadow?
These questions and more bubble and simmer all the way through Picoult’s compulsive novel.
Anna was conceived to donate umbilical cells to her ill sister, Kate. But as Kate relapses, more and more is expected of Anna. Finally, Anna hires a lawyer to fight for her medical emancipation but he brings his own emotional baggage…
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sugarbaby
member
Reged: 10/01/2008
Posts: 2
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The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
This beautifully written book keeps you guessing until the end. Set in l939 in Nazi Germany, the book follows the story of nine year old Liesl and her fascination with books. The importance of words is a theme that runs throught the book, from Liesl stealing them and Maz writing them, to the use of words by the Nazi proganda machine. Sadly Liesl is sent to live with a foster family after her parents are taken away for being communists. The story follows Liesl and family as they negotiate the difficulties of living in Germany at this time. The narrator of the story is Death. However he is fair & vulnerable. As expected in these times, the book deals with some difficult subjects and there is plenty of tragedy. Well worth reading this excellent book.
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Frangelina
member
Reged: 13/01/2008
Posts: 116
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Painting Mona Lisa by Jeanne Kalogridis
This isn't a book I would usually have picked up, but I was leant it by my daughter and what a fantastic read.
The story has so many twists and turns that it is a highly believable account of what could have happened around the time that Leonardo painted his famous picture.
A great historical type novel which keeps you enthralled from beginning to end. There were some gory bits (where I admit I had to close my eyes)fitting of that period in history but ultimately this is a story of betrayal and love and passion.
It's well worth picking up.
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Angelique
member
Reged: 17/01/2008
Posts: 1
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Karma by Holly A Harvey
Paige is twenty-eight, and seems to attract bad fortune. She’s in debt, single, unappreciated at work…and, as if things were not bad enough, has a school reunion approaching. People think she’s a pushover and a betrayal makes her re-evaluate her life, with hilarious consequences.
The book follows her adventures as she tries to right a few wrongs she feels Fate has dished out to her. Karma owes her, and she’s going to redress the balance.
This book is comedy fiction with many plot twists, equally funny and touching. You could say, it’s a ‘Paige turner’!
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nandan
member
Reged: 09/01/2008
Posts: 12
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I have read all Maggie O'Farrell's other books and thoroughly enjoyed them, but I think After You'd Gone, which I've just finished, was the best of the lot. It has stayed with me for days,and I'm finding it difficult to pick up another book although I have a pile 3 feet high waiting to be read!It is a book of such extraordinary depth and feeling. Alice, lying in a coma,slides between different levels of consciousness. She relives her troubled childhood and youth and her passion, longing and grief for her soulmate. Her parents,worried sick, have long buried issues to resolve. A truly wonderful read
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megrose489
member
Reged: 21/01/2008
Posts: 1
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Claude Izner - Murder on the Eiffel Tower (Gallic Books, £7.99)
This murder mystery is set in the Paris of 1889, when the newly completed Eiffel Tower was the entrance to the Universal Exposition. A young bookseller, Victor Legris, attempts to solve the meaning behind a succession of deaths, brought about, apparently, by bee-stings. In the course of his investigation he adds to his difficulties by falling in love with the red-haired bohemian, Tasha Kherson. But who can he trust? Nineteenth century Paris is brought to life and peopled with fascinating characters in this page-turner, where all is not what it seems.
Edited by megrose489 (21/01/2008 15:25)
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Gervase
member
Reged: 23/01/2008
Posts: 1
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A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon
Real people, real life, real location! Who would have thought reality could be such a page turner. This beautifully written story is compelling reading and yet any of us could be married to George, be arranging our daughter's on/off wedding or worrying about our son's love life. Haddon shows an understanding of family dynamics and portray crisis, learning and eventual harmony with great expertise and humour.
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sallyj
member
Reged: 10/12/2006
Posts: 71
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The Book Thief by Markus Zusack
Pack this book to save luggage space on your family holiday - it was written for young people but is compelling reading for parents and grandparents too.
Liesel is a young girl growing up in wartime Germany with foster parents. She experiences both the harshness of those times and the loyalty and kindness human beings showed to each other.
The book stands out because of its unusual narrator - Death. But he is neither sinister, nor frightening - just someone who gently carries souls away.
Don’t spoil your holiday fighting over who gets to read this fantastic book first!
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judyw
member
Reged: 03/02/2008
Posts: 1
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A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka (Penguin)
Nadezhda's aged widowed father is in love - with Valentina, a Ukrainian woman half his age. But does she love him or is she after his passport and money? Nadezhda is suspicious and sets about to try and rid her father of this woman. But her father's reluctance to part with his bride and Valentina's tenacity and determination means her job will not be an easy one. Along the way, Nadezhda discovers secrets about her own immigrant family; secrets she cannot ignore. A thoughtful, funny read with many touching moments and a satisfactory ending.
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roger60
member
Reged: 05/02/2008
Posts: 1
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The Memory Keeper's Daughter is a stunning book. Concerns a doctor whose wife gives birth to twins, but the girl is Downs Syndrome, and this is the early 60's when such children were put into institutions. The nurse takes the daughter home, and decides to adopt her and raise her herself. The story concerns the doctor eventually finding out she is still alive, and doing well.There is tragi-comedy and bleakness, as well as a real sense of hope in this story which draws you on and on.
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clare
member
Reged: 21/03/2006
Posts: 27
Loc: Upper Norwood
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I'm reading "Flight of the Falcon" by Daphne du Maurier. Not one of her better known novels, it includes murder, intrigue, historical pageant, all set in Italy. I'm thoroughly enjoying it, it's quite a page turner (and most of my reading these days is restricted to the bus!)If you want a good story, well written in a clear prose style, this could be it!
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Typical Libran, always up and down.
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