Cramlington Book Club

I suggested this book to the group. I read it in a day or so whilst on holiday in Scotland (did I mention I have been to Scotland recently?) after which my hubby picked up the book and read it himself. This is a rare thing indeed. Not only did he read IT ALL he ENJOYED it. Well, if it's good enough for hubby its good enough for the group so suggest it I did! I think the general requirement for this book is to just go with it, don't question too thoroughly the premise for Hannay to go running off round the countryside, don't try to work out exactly how many miles he was supposed to have covered in a day or the convenience of him bumping in to an acquaintance in the middle of nowhere. If you do you are only going to be disappointed. I love this style of book - pre-war (first) full of gentlemen retreating to smoking rooms, having supper in 'the Club' and referring to everyone as 'old chap'. Each chapter almost read like a short story with its own set of ch...

I like post apocalypse books and I'm a runner. Not a quick proper in your face runner but an average 4 miler twice a week kind of gal. So this book was right up my street. Walker was brief about the circumstances around the world coming to an end which I think worked, lets face it the end of the world has never come about so providing detailed science isn't needed when the book in question is about a running club after the end of the world has occurred. I had two major criticisms of this book the first (and it's a common theme at present) was that the main character was simply not likeable. There is argument that Walker deliberately made him unlikable. Lets face it, allowing your lead character to admit to not liking his children very much is an instant turn off, but I didn't understand Walker's decision because you then simply weren't rooting for him to reach Cornwall. Edgar's character didn't evolve enough for me to change my initial impression and...

A fresh take on Scottish history taking the reader from circa AD 80 to the late 1990s. In the introduction Goring (the books editor) states Scottish history is so much more than William Wallace, Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie and then spends 400 pages proving exactly that. The book covers everything from how the Scots make haggis to schooldays in 1560s right up to significant modern events such as the Lockerbie disaster and Princess Diana's death. Delivered in short sharp snippets with sometimes only the briefest of introductory sentence the book was easy to read unlike so many other historical nonfiction books. The diary entries, newspaper articles and interviews give unique insight into day to day life and despite their brevity I do feel like I have come out of the other side more knowledgeable. Unlike some books where I have trudged through 600 pages to be be none the wiser as I was so bogged down in names, dates and detail the book delivers the point then mov...

I can't believe I forgot to blog about a book, and not just any book but a book of the month! I don't even know why I forgot to blog about it, was it because I was on holiday? No that was Thirteen Reasons Why . Did I miss the meeting? No I remember discussing it so it can't be that. Was it because it was rubbish and it fell from memory altogether? Well not totally as I liked the start and although I cant remember anybodies name I do remember the story line. No excuse then, plain and simple I forgot. The book started brilliantly, a couple leave their baby next door (taking baby monitor and returning to check regularly) to celebrate a neighbours birthday. When they return home the little girl is missing, taken from her cot. The horror they must have felt, the blame, the anger. All of this Lapena portrayed really well. You found the parents initially sympathetic in a world where people are so quick to judge and Madeline McCann is still a name everyone remembers. I though...