2024- March - The Importance of Being Interested- by Comedian Robin Ince

" There are two categories of Idiot: The curious idiot - a category that includes all scientists - and the Idiot, a category that includes all who are certain." p XV1 - Brian Cox. He doesn't mention flat-earthers. 

Some very good statements in this book that I can't find when I go back to look for them. 

It is almost philosophical - the meaning of life etc as far as I have got (p 13)

At about page 100 I am beginning to think that he is just writing to make pages to make a book, with nothing totally factual or stimulating enough for me to want to continue reading. 

I'll try as it is a reading group book.   Peter M mark - 3

Overall marks: 3,4,9,5. ( 3 not scored) =5 avg. 

Agree with the comment about Science:- It seems to work this way.     

H didn't like the fact that he argued both sides of the discussion, she prefers people who come down on one side of an argument firmly. 

P loved the book, thought it was well written, though she listened to it as an audiobook. 

Sweeping comments, really interesting - some of the comments.

It was pretty much agreed that we were glad that we had the book, and that we didn't read just fiction. 

The next book is an autobiography. 

2024-February - Ripper by Isabel Allende

 A one-legged tough guy vet, a beautiful voluptuous massage therapist, a brilliant daughter who runs a on-line game at 14, Father who is the police chief, and then a very rich suitor with erectile disfunction, I think that the Author is taking the mickey out of American super-hero novels. Oh yes, Police chief has a super PA who is a martial arts person and dresses like a weirdo teenager. And the denouement in a ruined fort. I notice the questions that we had at the end:

Is Brunswick a play on the word wolf? Answer - Brunswick, a manufacturer of billiard tables, have one called the Black Wolf

Why did he only Taser the dog and not shoot it?

Why did he crucify Indiana?

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H Comments: Here are my thoughts about the book...

I reached page 170 before I decided I had better things to do with my life.

I enjoyed the first 20 pages, interesting details and the plot had lots of potential. I actually looked forward to the rest of the book. But then the number of characters escalated and I couldn't work out who was who or remember key details about them. My brain switched off from the plot, I didn't identify with any of the characters and didn't care what happened to any of them. Too many details slowed everything down and made reading like trudging through porridge.

The editor must have been a real rookie to pass the manuscript. I'm giving the book a score of 1 because for one short evening I looked forward to reading the rest of the book.

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Marks: 6,5,6,2,4,1. = 24 gives average 4.

2024 - January H is for Hawk - Helen MacDonald

 This book draws you in. It is autobiographical about Helen and her experience getting and training a Goshawk. She has lots of books on the subject, but sticks with the one by T.H.White, author of 'The Once and Future King'. He doesn't seem like a very nice character. she jumps back and forth from her own story to what White did in his training. You almost want to skip over these bits. This lady is not straight in her mind, but that is part of the story.  You keep on reading because you want to know how she gets on with her hawk, Mabel. 

P: However, I have finished the book. My thoughts: Well written, I love birds of prey, so found much of it fascinating, but just found it too long. I kept waiting for more story to kick in and it never did. I also found some of the links to bereavement a bit stretched. My score would be 7, because it was well written and it wasn't a hard read.

Marks in the vicinity of 7. 

2023 - December - Bridge of Clay - Markus Zusak

 I doubt that any of the reading group will make it through this book. 

I am up to page 57 and cannot see any clue as to what it is about. At the moment two intertwined stories about  the 'first person' - 'I' entering the house where the 'murderer' has entered. It is the house where 5 orphaned boys live in some sort of squalor and do what they will, except on this day when Clay is at the track trying to run around it, threading his way through a number of guys who want to stop him, and one of his brothers is taking bets. - Why? Don't know. 

Do I want to read any more? no, I can't be bothered.

Group agreed the mark should be 0. 

2023- November - Border Songs by Jim Lynch

Difficult to describe this book.    A good discussion about it however.  Three plus groups, the Border Patrol, The Marijuana growers/smugglers, and the farmers and others along the border. Lots of smuggling of people and drugs across the Canadian/US border and the Border patrol, including Brandon, the autistic son of one of the farmers, and the farmers who in some cases are being paid to allow the smugglers across their land. Brandon is keen on Madeline, a neighbour, who has got involved in growing MaryJane, and he is excellent at discovering smuggling happening. Eventually John his father has a stroke, and he leaves the BP to run the farm, and Madeline gives up the drug habit and is coming to him. I love the descriptions of how Brandon recognises Birds, and of his temporal art. 

C commented that it was quirky at the beginning and gathers pace at the end. 

It kept me reading - Marks: Mostly 7 with one 6. 

2023 - October. Silent Intruder G. Hammond

Easy to read, largish print. Good story about someone using their house while they are away, and then the bad guys coming to get the intruder and involving Michael and Hilda. Tie this up with them getting married and sisterly really bad feeling and it's an light read. 6

A:    Well I enjoyed it as a relatively uncomplicated read in one sense - but there seemed to be a whole hierarchy of villains who just became more names to remember. The made up genealogy joke played on the snobbish sister just seemed puerile and I don’t think it would make her suddenly see the light - oh am I like that, so sorry ! 

Not looking for other books by the author. 

F:    I found Silent Intruder a straightforward read with a rather unsatisfying ending. The writing style seemed quite abrupt, but maybe that's what a police action book needs? I might read the same author again to see if the style altered according to the plot, but I'm not rushing to do this! 5/10?

2023 - September The Secret Barrister, by The Secret Barrister

 This month we met in Colehill Library for the first time in a few years, with most of us seeing it for the first time. They were impressed. If you are visiting the area you should drop in and say hello to the volunteers.

We felt that the book was like a textbook, and could do with more examples throughout to make it more readable.  It was very interesting and informative, but difficult to read in large doses. Some of us had had experience of the law and thought that the book was spot on. A lot of the time was spent describing our own experiences.  

Only one of us had read it completely and would give it a 9 because of the way that it related to her experiences. the other marks would be 7-8.