Joy's Review of Coraline

Neil Gaimon's Coraline is a dark and quirky tale of a young girl whose boredom and loneliness takes her on an adventure to a fantastical world, much like her own, but with some very absurd and freakish differences. In fact the scare -factor is at times so apparent that it is easy to forget that Coraline is a children's book, with Tim Burton's adaptation a successful children's film. With a mutilated hand that claws it's way back into Coraline's world, to her 'other' father being an imprisoned slug in the basement who tries to attack her, this is truly the stuff of nightmares whether you are 8 or 48! 

The Nantwich Bookworms enjoyed the quirkiness of the novel and the 'through the looking glass' feel that it had, evoking the memories of boring school holidays, the despair at busy parents and the over-active imaginations that often encapsulate our childhoods. The shortness of the novel meant that it was concise, exciting and fast-paced. The imagery used was vivid and powerful, leaving our more sensitive readers slightly unnerved! 

At Nantwich Bookworms we try and choose books that cover a wide range of genres to appeal to all members of the group and to challenge ourselves by reading novels we wouldn't necessarily choose ourselves. Over the past year we have discovered books that have become firm favorites and become excited by authors that we had never heard of before. We are always looking for new members so if you would like to join us, please come along on the first Sunday of the month at the Black Lion in Nantwich at 8pm. 

February's read is Peter Hoeg's Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow. You can contact us through Twitter @booknantwich, email nantwichbookworms@gmail.com, or see the blog for further detailswww.nantwichbookworms.blogspot.co.uk

December's novel and upcoming reads.

Hi Bookworms!

Thanks to all those that attended for lovely Christmas meal on Sunday at Chopstix, it was nice to enjoy a glass of wine and some yummy food with our discussion - we will have to do it more often!

There will be an upcoming cinema trip to see the film of the 'Book Thief' at some point in January - watch this space for details.

As for this month's read, it's a fantasy one for December in the form of Neil Gaiman's 'Coraline'. This is a short but spellbinding read so hopefully we will be able to fit it in alongside all the festivities. We will be meeting on Sunday January 5th at 8pm in the Black Lion to discuss this one.

Upcoming reads for 2014 will be:

January        Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg        (Meet on Sun Feb 2nd)
February      Blue Boy by Rakesh Satyal                                   (Meet on Sun Mar 2nd)
March         Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee    (Meet on Sun Apr 6th)
April            Mort by Terry Pratchett                                        (Meet on Sun May 4th)

As always remember to follow us on twitter @booknantwich and any questions please email nantwichbookworms@gmail.com

Thanks, Kate

Bookworms Christmas Meeting!

Hi Bookworms.

I hope that you're all well and keeping warm on this cold November day.

Is everyone enjoying 'The Kite Runner'? I am looking forward to discussing it!

This month, we are going to have a Christmas meal on Sunday December 1st as well as our usual bookclub discussion, new members are obviously still welcome along. For details please drop me an email at nantwichbookworms@gmail.com

Thanks

Kate

November 2013

Hi Bookworms,

Thanks to those that attended on Sunday to talk about Ian Banks' 'The Crow Road'.
This coming of age tale has a bit of everything - sibling rivalry, death, unrequited love, a murder mystery, religion and lots of alcohol!

Some of our members loved this book, empathising with the transition of a young Prentice McHoan through his early twenties against a backdrop of a beautifully described Scotland. Other bookworms felt that the novel dragged pace-wise but as Banks virgins, perhaps we need to read another of his novels before making a proper judgement.
In summary, it was a fairly well-received read although would always struggle to top last month's 'The Book Thief' which we all adored (and still can't stop talking about!)

Coming up we have Khaled Hosseini's 'The Kite Runner' and our meeting to discuss it on December 1st will be combined with a Christmas meal - details to follow!

As always, any questions please email nantwichbookworms@gmail.com and remember to follow us on twitter @booknantwich

Kate :)

Are you ready for a discussion about 'The Book Thief'?

Good afternoon Bookworms!

Just a quick reminder that Bookclub is this Sunday October 6th at 8pm in the Black Lion pub on Welsh Row, Nantwich.

I'm looking forward to discussing 'The Book Thief' with you all and finding out what everyone thought.

As always, follow us on twitter @booknantwich and any questions or comments then please email nantwichbookworms@gmail.com

See you Sunday

Kate :)

Bookworms September update & upcoming reads

A very productive meeting took place last night with an interesting discussion about Harper Lee's 'To Kill A Mockingbird'.
We agreed that this was a thought provoking, well-written novel with shades of Huckleberry Finn intertwined with more serious subject matter and deeper themes of race, prejudice and loss of innocence. (Full review coming soon!)

A thorough discussion took place as to what we should read next and pleasingly lots of ideas were passed around. We've now been able to be very organised and plan which novels will be taking us through Autumn and into Winter. (See below).
As always, we will be meeting on the first Sunday of the Month in the Black Lion pub on Welsh Row at 8pm and new members are always welcome!

September 'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak         Meeting Sunday October 6th

October     'The Crow Road' by Ian Banks               Meeting Sunday November 3rd

November 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini      Meeting Sunday December 1st

December  'Coraline'             by Neil Gaiman           Meeting Sunday January 5th

January     'Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow'
                                            by Peter Hoeg             Meeting Sunday February 2nd

Remember to keep following us on twitter @booknantwich and any questions please email nantwichbookworms@gmail.com

Joy's Review of 'The Red House' by Mark Haddon

Book Review: The Red House (Mark Haddon)

Mark Haddon's best known first novel for adults, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003) was well-rated by the bookclub, but his second A Spot of Bother (2006) less so, which meant The Red House (2012) was approached with slight trepidation mixed with hopeful expectation.

This time Haddon didn't disappoint. Although his disjointed style and array of characters was somewhat difficult to follow at first, once used to his unique writing style, his poeticism and obscurities added depth to an intriguing portrayal of a modern family.

It is remarkable how Haddon has such insight into a wide range of characters, from a young boy who lives predominantly in a fantasy world, to a teenage girl who can't decide whether she is a Christian or a lesbian, and an adolescent boy as he makes his complex journey into manhood. And that's not to mention the sexually aggressive daughter of a secretive mother and her step-father, the sister of whom is mourning the death of a stillborn baby some fifteen years ago and who's husband is revealed to be having an affair. Throw all of these characters together into the pressure-cooker situation of a family holiday in a Welsh cottage for a week, and you can imagine what the results maybe. Not only does Haddon have an understanding of the individual, but also how they work together in familial relationships.

Everyone felt that there was an aspect to The Red House that they could relate to, whether it was the location of the Welsh getaway, or the experience of family relationships, this book was enjoyed by all.