So, what treats do I have to share with you this month?
- MR Carey - The Girl With All the Gifts
- Nathan Filer - The Shock of the Fall
- Sarah Rayner - One Moment One Morning
MR Carey: The Girl With All the Gifts
I know this has been made into a film and many of you may have seen it and know the story from there, but I absolutely loved the book. To the extent that I don't want to see the film because I found the book so wonderful.
"Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class.
When they come for her, Sergeant Parks keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite. But they don't laugh.
Melanie is a very special girl."
I devoured this book and really enjoyed it. It's well written, the characters are so real they leave the page and the story has great pace and plotting. If you've not yet read this, I can heartily recommend it to you.
Nathan Filer: The Shock of the Fall
"I’ll tell you what happened because it will be a good way to introduce my brother. His name’s Simon. I think you’re going to like him. I really do. But in a couple of pages he’ll be dead. And he was never the same after that."
This may, from its description, not sound like a barrel of laughs but it was! It covers the story of a man's descent into mental illness. I loved the book! I was hooked from the start and there was wonderful characterisation. I lent it to a friend who is a psychiatrist and she loved it too and said that it was not only very funny, but also very accurate. The ending might have been a tiny bit far-fetched but overall this was a great read.
Sarah Rayner: One Moment One Morning
"The Brighton to London line. The 07:44 train. Carriages packed with commuters.
A woman applies her make-up. Another occupies her time observing the people around her. A husband and wife share an affectionate gesture. Further along, a woman flicks through a glossy magazine.
Then, abruptly, everything changes: a man has a heart attack, and can't be resuscitated; the train is stopped, an ambulance called.
For at least three passengers on the 07:44 on that particular morning, life will never be the same again.
Lou witnesses the man's final moments. Anna and Lou share a cab when they realise the train is going nowhere fast. Anna is Karen's best friend.
And Karen? Karen's husband is the man who dies.
Telling the story of the week following that fateful train journey, One Moment, One Morning is a stunning novel about love and loss, about family and – above all – friendship. A stark reminder that, sometimes, one moment is all it takes, it also reminds us that somehow, and despite everything, life can and does go on."
A woman applies her make-up. Another occupies her time observing the people around her. A husband and wife share an affectionate gesture. Further along, a woman flicks through a glossy magazine.
Then, abruptly, everything changes: a man has a heart attack, and can't be resuscitated; the train is stopped, an ambulance called.
For at least three passengers on the 07:44 on that particular morning, life will never be the same again.
Lou witnesses the man's final moments. Anna and Lou share a cab when they realise the train is going nowhere fast. Anna is Karen's best friend.
And Karen? Karen's husband is the man who dies.
Telling the story of the week following that fateful train journey, One Moment, One Morning is a stunning novel about love and loss, about family and – above all – friendship. A stark reminder that, sometimes, one moment is all it takes, it also reminds us that somehow, and despite everything, life can and does go on."
This book takes one instance of life and how it affects everyone involved. I found the characters complicated and realistic and the book was both heart-rending at times and life-affirming at others.
What book finds would you like to share? Leave details in the comments.
Other book finds:
August 2016
September 2016
October 2016
November 2016
December 2016
Comments
Post a Comment