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Last Meeting Notes: 15 November 2008 |
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| Chris Darren | John E John M | Ryan Sara | Yvonne Zoe |
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| Review of “Blind Faith” by Ben Elton: |
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| Chris: | Never read any of his books before and thought I wouldn’t finish it as it was too weird. Some of the book made sense and it was a better than I thought, although I won’t be reading any of his other books. Not sure I’ll ever travel on a train again! | 2.5 | Darren: | Finished the book and was looking forward to reading it. Found it to be a quick read, finished in a day and a half. Liked some of the humour and liked the characters names. Thought the end was a bit drastic but not a bad book. Not the best we’ve read. | 2.5 | John E: | Had high expectations of the book but the first 100 pages I really struggled with. Was probably laying foundations for the rest of the book but was really boring. Thank god the book picked up and it did raise some questions in today’s society. It makes you look at certain things around you in society. The book wasn’t full of enough action for me. | 1.5 | John M: | Very believable in that this could happen with the London barrier as of today. Can imagine religious people would get hold as they do. Likes Ben Elton as he always tells it as it could be. Only read half the book and guessing that they are all religious people. Have read all of his books and think this was Ben’s worst, I really struggled to get through this book. There were a couple of funny moments where he saved her and could imagine the video of this on You Tube. Not a great book. | 1.5 | Ryan: | Never read any Ben Elton before and not a great fan of him on stage either but… I would read more of his stuff but it is topical times at the moment so wouldn’t read an old one. Start of the book was funny, lost its way in the middle and very touching at the end. Ryan read out his favourite part about thongs. Not as heard hitting as he thought it would be and would read another but not an old book. | 2 | Sara: | Choose the book as it was very different to other books read by the club so far, thought it was similar to today’s society and can see how the world is going. Really enjoyed the dry sense of humour and the way this book was written. | 3.5 | Yvonne: | Wasn’t looking forward to reading the book as I’m not a fan of Ben Elton or his humour on stage. However, after reading this book I would be keen to read some of his others. Thought the book was well written and found his impression of the future rather scary. Overall, a good book. | 3.5 | Zoe: | Really liked the book. Thought it was interesting and agreed with Trafford about the lack of privacy. Liked the Sandra Dee story and felt sorry for Trafford when he is getting caught and stitched up. Read out a paragraph about hatred. Thought some of it was really true to life already about paedophiles and rapists. | 4 | SUMMARY: | Wow, this book caused a real stir amongst the group during the review process and created some great discussions between men and women!! Overall people enjoyed the book. | 2.5 |
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| Next Book: | Chosen by Darren - “Derailed” by James Siegel |
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| Next Meeting: | 27th December 2008 at 7.30pm |
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| Any Other Business: | Secret Santa pressies to be handed out at the next meeting (27th December), hand in to Sara prior to the meeting please.
Also, please chose a best and worst book of the year and submit choices to Sara before the next meeting. Books of this year to chose from are listed below:
Blind Faith by Ben Elton Breakheart Pass by Alistair McLean The Book With No Name by Anonymous The Apothecary Rose by Candace Robb Gold Diggers by Tasmina Perry Deathworld 2 by Harry Harrison What Was Lost by Catherine O’Flynn Broken Skin by Stuart MacBride |
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12 October 2008 |
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| Attendees: | Apologies: |
| Chris Darren John E John M Ryan Yvonne Zoe | Sara with baby Alice |
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| Review of “Breakheart Pass” by Alistair McLean: |
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| Chris: | Read the book – nice easy read. Had seen the film and thought it was better than the book and couldn't get into the book because of this! Thought the book was an old fashioned story.... | 2 | Darren: | Hated the book, read the book at home and thought it was awful. Thought it was suitable for a 12yr old and not grown ups! | 1.5 | John E: | Like the book, quick read and quite entertaining. Didn't give too much away on the story line and that was a classic McLean book. Plenty of action and liked the characters. | 3.5 | John M: | First read the book 30 yrs ago and think that this is probably the worst of this authors collections. Did enjoy it though but think the storyline was very naive but typical McLean book. | 2 | Ryan: | Enjoyed the short story of the book, easy read, good storyline and would like to read some more of his books. There was a one liner at the end of the book that made me chuckle and thought it was a good choice of book. | 3.5 | Sara: | Didn't read as didn't have time. |
| Yvonne: | Didn't read as didn't have time. |
| Zoe: | Didn't read as didn't have time. |
| SUMMARY: | Just over half of the club read the book but those that did finish it agreed it was a short and easy read. Not the best novel by this author. | 2.5 |
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| Next Book: | Sara's choice by Ben Elton, Blind Faith |
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| Next Meeting: | Sat 15th November 7.30pm |
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| Any Other Business: | Gemma has resigned from the book club. Christmas party – needs to be paid to Chris at next meeting £25.50 per head. Secret Santa – min 5.00 max 10.00 All agreed that yahoo site should be scrapped. There is a group called Drunken Philosophers on Facebook. |
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6 September 2008 |
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| Attendees: |
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| Chris Darren | John E John M | Ryan Sara | Yvonne Zoe |
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| Review of “The Book with No Name” by Anonymous: |
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| Chris: | I chose the book because I like books with silly names. Felt sorry for the bartender, liked the monks. | 4 | Darren: | Really enjoyed the book, couldn’t put it down and finished it quickly. Thought it was funny in places, made me laugh aloud. Want to read the second book. Really enjoyed it. | 3 | Dawn: | No review submitted |
| Gemma: | No review submitted |
| John E: | Great start, read the first chapter really quick. Genuinely liked the book but thought the plot wandered halfway through the book. Thought there was holes in the plot and thought the layout was frustrating. Not a great fan of killfests but did enjoy overall. Chuckled a few times, think it could have some improvements but one of the best books read with the club this year. Thought the ending was rushed. | 3.5 | John M: | Started to read the book and thought it was a Mexican town back in the 1860’s. Found it readable but didn’t quite get the plot. Didn’t think there was enough description/detail of the killings when it’s a violent book. Peto shooting by accident was very funny and two nuns mugging a smurf. Shuld have had more sex/drugs in the book. Lack of description ruined it for me. Ran out of time and had 100 pages left to read. No main character connected with book. | 2 | Ryan: | Not a bad book. Quite liked the start. Thought it could have done with being 200 pages longer. Too much detail crammed in. Really liked the part when Dante and his girlfriend went to see the professor and the street fights with the smurfs. Liked Sanchez but probably wouldn’t read a second one. Not enough detail in the story – too rushed. | 2 | Sara: | Took a while to get into, probably about 100 pages in before she started to enjoy the book. Loved the monks and the explanation of the characters. Thought the last 2 chapters were too crammed in – to much detail on so few pages. Really enjoyed the book overall. | 4 | Yvonne: | Have read the second book. From the first page I was engrossed in the story. Thought there was just enough story and character descriptions in the book. Thought it was the best book read in quite a while. Bought the second book on play.com – The Eye of the Moon. Quite funny and liked the humour. | 4 | Zoe: | Got to page 5 and loved the book. Lots of blood. Got scared about some of the contents. Reminded her of a Freddie Kruger movie. Loved the characters and the whole story. | 4.5 | SUMMARY: | A typical killfest book with memorable characters. The initial impression of people who read this book die soon after led some members of the club to be startled by noisy cats in the dark J - the book does leave its impression on the reader! Overall the book is punchy and witty but could have done with more detail, especially at the end. | 3.5 |
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| Next Book: | Chosen by John E: “Breakheart Pass” by Alistair MacLean |
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| Next Meeting: | Sunday 12th October at 6pm |
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2 August 2008
Attendees:
Chris
Darren John E
John M Ryan
Sara Yvonne
Zoe
Review of “The Apothecary Rose” by Candace Robb:
Chris: Read the book but found it predicable. It was an easy read but also boring. Thought it was going to end as a love story and I was right, seemed like a medieval Mills and Boon. 2
Darren: Looked forward to reading this book but found I was rather disappointed by it. Found it was a huge struggle to carry on and finish reading the book and wont bother to go out and get the next in the series. 1.5/5
Dawn: No review submitted.
Gemma: No review submitted.
John E: This is the perfect book in theory that I would go out and buy to read. Enjoyed the general vibe of the book and read the whole thing without any struggle. 3/5
John M: Found the book to be an easy read but found it boring. Disappointed in the story as I’d read a few similar to this but this was nothing like them. Don’t really have much of an opinion about this book. 2/5
Ryan: Not as good as I’d hoped this book would be, but its fairly readable and the story is ok. The soldier wasn’t convincing though, needed to be more manly. 2.5/5
Sara: Thoroughly enjoyed the book. Found it flowed quite nicely and it was easy to read and I liked the characters. 3.5/5
Yvonne: Was hoping the book would be more like Pillars of the Earth but was disappointed to find it wasn’t. Didn’t find the book difficult to read but struggled to get into the story and took ages to finish it. 2/5
Zoe: Didn’t finish the book – got to page 105 and gave up. Just didn’t get the story at all, thought it was boring and could only find time to read it while on the loo! 1/5
SUMMARY: Majority of members agreed the book was an easy read as the book isn’t too big at 357 pages (paperback version). However, most of the members found the story dull/boring even though all but one finished the book. Main opinion of the club was that the main character was lacking, another opinion was that the Summoner’s death was unrealistic given his background. 2/5
Next Book: Chosen by Chris: “The Book With No Name” by Anonymous
(can be bought from www.play.com for £3.99 including delivery, usually dispatched within 24 hours!)
Next Meeting: Saturday 6th September.
Any Other Business: Wilf has decided to resign from the bookclub as he struggles to find time to obtain and read our set books.
Chris has suggested we think about having our Xmas party in January as November/December is busy for most members – any other ideas anyone?
22 June 2008
Attendees:
Chris
Darren
John E
John M
Ryan
Sara
Yvonne
Zoe
Review of “Gold Diggers” by Tasmina Perry:
Chris: Found the book very easy to read but like Zoe, didn't remember the story after reading. I quite liked Erin but didn't really think the story was memorable! 0.5
Darren: Read the book on my days off as I didn't want to take it into work! Finished in 2.5 days and thought it was an easy read! Quite enjoyed the book - keep reading the back and was waiting for the murder. Thought it happened too late! Molly was very annoying but thought her heart was in the right place. Liked Chris and thought it was sweet that he owned the building! Thought the writing was like Sex and the City with the designer handbags and labels etc. 2
Dawn: No review submitted.
Gemma: I really like this book because it was such a fluffy, brainless read!! The characters are all shallow and vain with no real substance but it’s all harmless fun. I always love it when the worst characters get their comeuppance! Did think the storyline of Marcus killing Karen was a bit of a rubbish twist but still, I did enjoy it. 3
John E: So far quite enjoying it but haven't finished the book - paid the fine but have a right to a vote! Quite like the characters think there are naughty things happening and I am enjoying the read! Quite like the politics and the way people are building their businesses, think the descriptions are okay and not in too much detail. Quite like Erin and the naivety. 2.5
John M: When Zoe chose the book John M was very disappointed - he was looking forward to another shopaholic! Read the book, found it very easy read but gave up when Adam came into character. 1
Ryan: Read the book finished it - took 4-5 weeks. The book was at the same mental level all the way through! There were no peaks, highs and lows. Quite liked Erin, she was a feisty character!! Struggling now.... The story was quite drawn out didn't understand why it was so many pages.. 1
Sara: One of the worst chick lits ever read - tried to be like Jackie Collins but it was boring! Not enough sex, violence, and not enough story. Didn't like the characters at all, couldn't fall in love with the heroes and heroines - found it dull! 0.5
Wilf: No review submitted.
Yvonne: Story wasn't memorable - didn't like the characters at all, didn't get on with them. Descriptions were over the top and clichéd. The end twist was very dull and a little too late! 1.5
Zoe: Couldn't remember the story as read weeks ago! Quite enjoyed it, was an easy read but thought the story didn't come to much! It read easily but didn't really mean anything! Only quite liked Karin but that was it on the characters! 1.5
SUMMARY: Mixed review from the club. Surprisingly enough the girls didn't really like it - she tried to copy other authors too much and didn't find her own writing style. The story was not well written and didn't have the flow needed for chick lits. 1.5
Next Book: Chosen by Ryan: “The Apothecary Rose” by Candace Robb
Next Meeting: 2nd August 2008 at 5pm
Any Other Business: Xmas meal - are we going out for a meal again this year? The vote was decided that we would find out when the Con club Christmas do is and go to the Brasserie to eat.
4 May 2008
Attendees:
Chris
Darren John E
John M Ryan
Sara Yvonne
Zoe
Review of “Deathworld 2” by Harry Harrison:
Chris: Quick and easy read. Quite liked the main character, thought he reminded Chris of Indianna Jones - getting himself in weird situations, and liked that Mikah was annoying and would have got rid of him quite quickly. 3
Darren: Read the book 1 day at work. Thought the story was alright but not interested to read the next part of the series. 2
Dawn: No review submitted.
Gemma: No review submitted.
John E: Wouldn’t classify the book as a sci-fi. Didn’t go into the nitty gritty as much as John would have liked. Got to the end and thought it was an okay book. For the length of the book he could see why there was a lack of detail. 2
John M: John picked this book as he thought the majority of the book club wouldn’t have enjoyed the 1st in this series. John Liked it because it wasn’t future sci-fi. John re-read the book and still really enjoyed it. 3
Ryan: First 30-40 pages Ryan thought was quite good but it was all boring after that. Seemed rushed as it was short. Too much detail on engines. 1
Sara: Didn’t class this as sci-fi, thought it was more of a young adult book. It wasn’t a hard read, went through it fairly quickly. Flowed okay. Preferred last bit, first part was odd. 2
Wilf: No review submitted.
Yvonne: Started off really well but got bored about half way through. Wouldn’t have described this as a sci-fi book and thought overall it was weird. 1
Zoe: Got to page 49 and couldn’t get the gist of the story. Skimmed over to see if it got better, but it didn’t. Thought the funniest part was the part about sex! 1
SUMMARY: Mixed reactions to this book although most members felt the book wasn’t really what we would call sci-fi these days. The book is a quick easy read and it’s quite short. 2/5
Next Book: Chosen by Zoe: “Gold Diggers” by Tasmina Perry (currently available in Sainsburys, Tesco's, etc.)
Next Meeting: Sunday 22nd June
Any Other Business: The suggestion has been made to space the book review meetings out a bit during summer months (so that those wishing to enjoy the long summer evenings can do so without feeling pressured to get on and read the set book). Therefore we’ll make them approximately 6 weeks apart until September.
5 April 2008
Attendees:
Chris
Darren
John E
John M Ryan
Sara Yvonne
Zoe
Review of “What Was Lost” by Catherine O’Flynn:
Chris: Started off enjoying the book with a child detective etc. but then the book got disjointed and the story wasn’t clear in the 2nd part. Didn’t understand why she disappeared until the very end. 2
Darren: Read the book in a day (at work last Sunday). 1st part was good and understood it but got confused when the story started flitting between years - didn’t get that. Enjoyable read but middle part was strange. Nothing sinister but no action. 2.5/5
Dawn: I enjoyed this book, in particular, the parts set in 1984 as the characters seemed more developed and the narrative flowed better than the parts set in 2003. Using the shopping centre was clever as the central location for the story and she really presented it as soulless and habituating. I would be interested to read more of the author's work. Looking forward to the next book! 3/5
Gemma: I really liked this book – found it very interestingly written and the characters well thought out. I was quite upset to find out about Kate falling down the hole and really being dead – I kept hoping that she would turn up alive. Thought the shopping centre as a focal point was a good idea. I would give this book 4/5 as I was pretty engrossed the whole way through. 4/5
John E: Haven’t finished the book yet, have read over half of it though. Thought the book to be a it of a dichotomy. Found first part quite interesting, lost of hidden clues in the middle section. Very similar to Quentin Tarantino movies where it hops around a lot. Book wasn’t predictable, really enjoyed it so far. 3.5/5
John M: Read 71 pages. Started the book, thought the story was going somewhere but it didn’t. Got bored and stopped reading when the story left the 1980’s. 2/5
Ryan: Pleased the book was chosen as the book club needed something different. Finished the book but somewhere along the way the book lost me or I lost the plot. Overall enjoyed the story though. 2/5
Sara: Strange book, read without too much effort or difficulty. Understood the storyline but didn’t get the story at all. Didn’t make sense but wasn’t a hard read. 2.5/5
Wilf: I really enjoyed reading this book. After I finished reading this book, I looked on Amazon to see what reviews had been given and a lot of them were pretentious talking about 'how Catherine O'Flynn played with conventions' and the underlying meaning of the title. I don't think there is the need to overanalyse the book. It had several good factors going for it: first of all, it is short at 240 pages which doesn't make it look too challenging when you first start reading it. Secondly, the book is well-written and interesting with good turns of phrase and story that makes you want to read on: eg, on page 38, the author talks about how the primary school teacher doesn't explain the maths that well and the children find it difficult to get past a particular topic, “...stumbled blindly to the fateful page only to trip over the pile of bodies waiting there for him.” I think another reason why I enjoyed this book is that chimed with different experiences of my life: I have lived in the Midlands; I have been 10 years old once; I have worked in retail and I have been a jaded twentysomething. This meant that when I read the book I could relate to and think about my situation.
In conclusion, this is the best book I have read so far with the book group and one of the reasons I joined a book group - to be challenged to read books that I wouldn't have read in the first place. I won't give it a perfect score because I'm sure there is better stuff out there but I'm giving it a: 4.5/5
Yvonne: Choose the book as it was recommended by a colleague who usually picks a good book. I enjoyed the book thoroughly, thought it was very cleverly put together. Lots of comical moments in the book too. One of the best books read lately for me. 4/5
Zoe: Didn’t read.
SUMMARY: Quite a mixed set of reactions for this book. Although all agreed that the first section about the child detective before she goes missing was enjoyed by all. Some found the final outcome of the child sequence at the end to be frustrating in that you wonder what happened right throughout the book. Some members found the book cleverly put together whereas others found the hopping between years irritating. 3/5
Next Book: Chosen by John M - Deathworld 2 by Harry Harrison (available from Amazon Marketplace)
Next Meeting: 4th May 2008
Any Other Business: A decision has been made to close the book club to all new members except by invitation by an existing member only. It was felt that these meetings can get too serious and it was put together originally as a social group for existing friends to talk about a book. Website will be adjusted to inform any new visitors to the site that the book club is now closed to the public unless invited to join. We will still have a meeting once a year with our existing proxy members.
16 February 2008
Attendees: Chris
Darren
John E
John M
Ryan
Sara
Yvonne
Zoe
Review of “Broken Skin” by Stuart MacBride:
Chris: Really enjoyed the book, loved DI Steele and enjoyed all the characters. 3.5/5
Darren: Enjoyed the book and the other 2 by this author. 3.5/5
Dawn: Broken Skin was an easy introduction to crime fiction. I could pick it up and read a few pages at a time but I wasn’t revited. It made me never want to visit Aberdeen as every few pages was a depressing description of the weather and the buildings – more weather report than atmospheric! I found the characters shallow and the style repetative. The story was a bit like the January weather as I was reading – mainly grim with a few glimpses of sunshine. It’ll take more than Broken Skin to convince me that crime fiction is the new genre for me! 1/5
Gemma: Felt that the book never really got going. Wasn’t particularly gripping or gory! Didn’t work out who Jason Fettes killer was on account of the fact she was only mentioned briefly in one chapter. Not a bad read but not great either. 1.5/5
John E: Enjoyed the book, disjointed in places and felt the theme went off on a tangent. Book draws you in and makes you think about the characters etc. Found it frustrating but enjoyed it overall. 3/5
John M: Ripped me into the story right from the beginning. Loved the characters, big butch lesbians etc., that show how the police should be. Great book and fab score coming its way. 4/5
Ryan: Bloke on the bike was very good! Easy read – two main characters were Insch and Steele. Would like to punch their lights out!! Didn’t particularly like the book – thought it was weak. 2/5
Sara: Enjoyed because I found it amusing. One-liners were great; almost like somebody wrote a comedy of hum dingers. Amusing and quite enjoyed the book. Fairly entertaining. 3.5/5
Wilf: I chose to read 'Broken Skin' by Stuart MacBride. I didn't get to finish it all because I've had a busy month at work. I did enjoy what I read. The writing has a sense of the amateurish. With Crichton (e.g. Next and other books I have read by him), he sounds self-assured but then he has written quite a few books whilst 'Broken Skin' I think is this author's second book. However, I like his use of language (e.g. comparing the police headquarters on page 11 (to 'an ugly Liquorice Allsort'). The story doesn't take itself too seriously and there seems to be a lot of dark humour (e.g. like when they visit the guy who films p0rn and his mum is the receptionist!) I also like the fact that DI Steel is a strong female character. Thinking about the books I have read or liked, I don't think I have seen a character like her and in my opinion she is like a female Gene Hunt (from 'Life on Mars' or 'Ashes to Ashes') in that she's straight and direct to the point! I wonder if this book will get turned into an Aberdonian Taggart with such interesting characters and storylines! ;-)
Summary: If I had been on holiday or on a long train journey or flight, I would have most probably finished this book. It's not amazing or the best ever book I have read but I like the mixture of humour, vice crime and good writing. If I'm ever on a long journey, I'll continue to read this book or if I'm at an airport book shop and I can imagine the journey is going to be boring, I'll most probably buy one of Stuart's books. 3.7/5
Zoe: Didn’t really like the book – read it so I didn’t have to pay the fine. Steele annoyed me and I thought the book was surreal and didn’t like the true story of the police. 0.5/5
SUMMARY: Mixed reaction from the group to this book although the main character, DI Steele gained mostly positive reactions. 2.6/5
Review of “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” by Kim Edwards:
Chris: No way this was true to life. I could never believe that a doctor would do that and give up their child. Book annoyed Chris. 0.5/5
Darren: Enjoyed the book but could imagine the scenario could happen in that time period. Ok read. 2/5
Gemma: Quite disappointed. Felt the author had a good opportunity to tell a sensitive story but we never got to know the characters well enough. Very descriptive though. 2/5
Sara: Loved the book, was very well written – style of book I thought was beautiful.. Had doubts of the father/nurse’s guilt. 3.5/5
Yvonne: Thought it was a beautiful read and was very well written. Only criticism was that I wanted to know more about the girl. 3.5/5
Zoe: Really liked the book, totally surreal but enjoyed the storyline. Totally understood the story about the guy giving up his child and screwing up his marriage. 3.5/5
SUMMARY: Again, a mixed reaction from the group. Some felt the book was written very well, almost poetic where others felt the storyline was completely unrealistic. 2.5/5
Next Book: Chosen by Yvonne - “What Was Lost” by Catherine O’Flynn.
Next Meeting: Saturday 5th April at 7.30pm
New Members: Welcome to two new proxy members this month, Dawn and Marie.
Note to Marie: Please join our yahoo group (web address below) and send the administrator a brief profile for yourself, i.e. your typical book and author preferences. This ensures you will receive all book club notifications, meeting minutes, etc.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/drunkenphilosphers/
Website Stats: The website is still running despite not renewing the domain name charges. Stats for this website this year are:
Site Usage Visits Views
January 2008 44 73
February 2008 18 54
Visitors Unique New Repeat
January 2008 24 24 0
February 2008 16 15 1
Statistics are not available for Yahoo Groups.
Any Other Business: John M not pleased with Yahoo Group for the book club but it was agreed some time ago that renewal fees for the website wouldn’t be paid, so we’ll continue to run both while the website is still available.
Yvonne considering moving from a full member to a proxy member, will inform the group at the next meeting of a decision.
29th December 2007
Attendees: Chris
Darren
John E
John M
Ryan
Sara
Wilf
Yvonne
Zoe Review of “Money: A Suicide Note” by Martin Amis:
Chris: Read 50 pages. Found the book difficult to take in and didn’t like the main character.
Darren: By 10 pages he thought it was going to be a struggle to finish. Didn’t like references to women re. rape scene and violence to women. Page 72 – made a comment about Charles & Diana and found it funny. Got more readable halfway through and liked the rest of the book. Didn’t like the book overall. 1.5/5
Gemma: I didn’t like this book at all! I did finish reading it (although I think this was only because I had paid over £5 for it so I was determined to finish it!) but I found the style of writing too hard to understand and although I did understand the central theme (John’s downfall) I found the actual narrative too confusing – example the way something would happen but you wouldn’t find out what until a few chapters down the line, by which time the reader would be confused by another storyline. This book is obviously supposed to be deep and meaningful and I know it has been described as ‘extremely funny’ but I just didn’t see it myself. Really hard work! 1/5
John E: Got to 60 pages in the book. Never got into the book, couldn’t relate to story or character.
John M: The book reminded him of an oscar winning film – all about the awards and not about the story. Read 50 pages and couldn’t relate, so gave up.
Rohini: No review submitted.
Ryan: Read 9 pages. Found the book hard going and was not in a reading mood.
Sara: Thought the story had potential. Thought things were drawn out too much. Did read 122 pages before giving up. Quite likes the character and there were laugh out loud moments. 1.5/5
Wilf: Really likes the way that Martin Amis writes but can understand why he’s never read his books twice. Very hard book to read but really enjoyed it. 4/5
Yvonne: Read half the book. Found it dark, depressing and distasteful. Was reading for the sake of it, didn’t connect with the character. 1/5
Zoe: Didn’t read.
SUMMARY: A modern classic book set in the early 1980’s. A very hard going book set in a world of conspiracy, violence and egotistical characters. The main character was a male chauvinist who lived for the day in a hard, fast and dying world. Money is a means to an end until you don’t have any! 1.8/5
Next Book: 2 books this month:
1) Chosen by Gemma – “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” by Kim Edwards
2) Chosen by Darren – “Broken Skin” by Stuart MacBride
Next Meeting: Saturday 16th February 2008
Any Other Business: Just for interest, would all members (proxy members also) submit a list of books they’ve read in the last month (at the February meeting) and mark any that should be put on the website as recommendations.
1st December 2007
Attendees:
Chris
Darren
John E
John M
Ryan
Sara
Yvonne
Zoe
Review of Time for the Stars by Robert Heinlein:
Chris: Really enjoyed the book, easy to read. Wasn’t technical and like the twin telepathy theory. My type of sci-fi. 4/5
Darren: Started to enjoy the book and waited for something to happen. Understood the book and liked it. 2.5/5
Gemma: ‘……I started reading this book a few days after it was set and I finished reading it approximately 7 weeks later! I really struggled to have any interest in the characters or the plot line. I did finish the book but it was an arduous task – every time I picked it up, I began to feel drowsy after just a few pages. There was way too much technical detail that I had a hard time following – I felt I might become combustible trying to understand the light years explanation! As for the ending – I would have preferred a bit more detail on how the ‘future’ was. Apart from the mention of a ‘Robobutler’, I don’t recall any other particular reference. 1/5
John E: Really like sci-fi and I did enjoy this book. Felt it was split into 3 section, outbound, planet hopping and return journey. One criticism, the book had either been written to a formula or it had been shortened/condensed! Ending could have been expanded more and couldn’t see the twist. 3/5
John M: This was my chosen set book and I chose this because it was about a young adult and thought it would be an easy read for the club members. Really like the book and couldn’t fault it. 3.5/5
Rohini: No review submitted.
Ryan: Got distracted at women in bikinis while reading this book (was on holiday in St. Lucia at the time!) Poorly written, very weak and took ages to get going. No, didn’t like it. So much potential but it was wasted in the story. 0.5/5
Sara: Was like the sci-fi I used to read as a kid. Found it was an easy read and thought it could have had more detail. Quite enjoyed it and found it a comfortable read. 2.5/5
Wilf: I'm not really quite sure what to say about this book. It wasn't a struggle to read or complete it like some other books have been but then maybe it's on a subject or genre that I like: science fiction. Whilst I was reading it and when I finished it, my thoughts were, “It's like the science fiction that I read when I was at school – like Arthur C Clarke or something.” In a way, it was comforting for me (like the kind of book I read at school). However, this brought out other things for me. I remember in English teacher at school saying the problem with science fiction is that there is a danger that it dates quickly. “Time for the Stars” does this. It talks about the Concord of Bayreuth signed in 1980 when I don't think such a thing was signed in 1980 but then this book was published in the UK back in 1963 before they had even landed on the Moon and just the concept of space travel outside of the orbit of the Earth must have been amazing. In the meantime, we have had probes that have gone further.
The science may have fascinated me when I was younger but it doesn't now. I'm not really quite sure what to say and how to conclude. It isn't a bad book. It has a storyline and direction unlike 'Next' by Michael Crichton; however, it has no wow factor! 2.5/5
Yvonne: Liked the book, finished really quickly. Only criticism was that it was rushed but liked the twin telepathy theory but didn’t understand how the twin would grow differently in age and therefore loose touch. Also didn’t understand that they could start to hear other people’s thoughts. The book started about twins and shouldn’t have digressed – very bizarre. 3.5/5
Zoe: Loved the twins part of the book. Did not like biomaths. Lacked detail in some parts. Liked the book overall though, this is my first sci-fi book I’ve enjoyed. Thought it was odd that he married his great-niece. 3/5
DP SUMMARY: Time for the Stars is literally on another planet! It doesn’t spend enough time on each planet, but moves between thepast and the future in a smooth, accelerated way! Telepathy plays a small part in this book which most people can relate to in the group. Who’s is the next round? 2.6/5
Next Book: Chosen by Wilf. "Money: A Suicide Note" by Martin Am |
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