Book Reviews
Send us your Book Review!
If you have recently read any books and would like to tell us about them, send your reviews to Jenny Oliver, and we will try to feature a selection of them on this page.
Camberwell Beauty by Jenny Éclair
Excellent! I really enjoyed reading the story. I didn't know what was going to happen until the end!
Anne Loiseleur (Six Book Challenge reader)
Lily, a Ghost Story by Adele Geras
It was spellbinding! I couldn't put it down, but I didn't expect it to end as it did. Great story.
Rose Allen (Six Book Challenge reader)
Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett
Very sunny & enjoyable & I will be reading more of his books.
Gerald Bullen (Six Book Challenge reader)
Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfeld
There were lots of interesting themes in the book, early psychoanalysis, power and corruption and the role of women. We thought that the portrayal of New York in the early 20th century was brilliant but there was perhaps a twist too many in the plot and too many revelations left to the last pages.
Central Library Reading Group
Modern World Affairs by Peter King
Very interesting. I found much political and historical information in this book.
Ruhul Choudhury (Six Book Challenge reader)
The Book Boy by Joanne Trollope
I thought it would be a more interesting book, but for my English and understanding, it was great, very easy.
Katerina Zavodna (Six Book Challenge reader)
A Dark Adapted Eye by Barbara Vine
Ruth Rendell at her best. I doubt whether I will read a better crafted book this year. Incredible detail as if it was the author's own family. Important points were cleverly revealed gradually throughout the book.
Paul Yeandle (Six Book Challenge reader)
Rodeo Renegade by Ty Kirwan
This was a gripping story with plenty of action and adventure.
Nigel Whitty (Six Book Challenge reader)
Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson
Not too bad. I like books with letters to someone.
Gillian Packer (Six Book Challenge reader)
The Grey Man by Andy Macnab
A worker who keeps himself out of the limelight. He wanted some adventure in his life and robbed his bank.
Andrew Rouse (Six Book Challenge reader)
Risking it All by Ann Granger
First of her Fran Varady books I've read. Not as good as 'A Restless Evil' but still a good read.
Mary Chipping (Six Book Challenge reader)
Stray Dog by Gareth O'Callaghan
It was an emotional book but also a happy one. I really enjoyed it. It only took me half a day to read as I got so into it. It also showed what can happen when you have faith.
Amanda Tallis (Six Book Challenge reader)
What was lost by Catherine O'Flynn
I found the characters in this story very appealing, particularly Agent Kate Meaney, the little girl would-be detective. They are sad, rather lost individuals playing out their lives against the background of the huge Green Oaks shopping centre with its glossy malls and endless, grey service corridors. A compelling and beautifully told story in an unusual 21st century setting.
Staff review
Eat, pray, love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Opinion was divided on this voyage of self-discovery in which the author describes her search for happiness and harmony after a bitter divorce. Her mental journey is paralleled by physical travels to Italy, where she enjoys the language and the food, India, where she practices prayer and meditation on an ashram, and Bali, where she discovers love. Some of the group found it too self-absorbed and hard to get through. Others were compelled by it, laughing out loud and staying up late to finish it. A thought- and opinion-provoking book.
Home Bookworms and Central Library Reading Groups
Cage of Stars by Jacquelyn Mitchard
A gripping human story about a family dealing with a terrible tragedy, told through the eyes of a teenage girl, Veronica Swan. Her adolescence is dominated by the brutal murder of her two little sisters by a mentally ill young man, a crime which she cannot forgive. In spite of the subject matter, the book is ultimately hopeful and positive.
Staff review
Girl on the Platform by Josephine Cox
I was really disappointed . I have read a lot of Josephine Cox and this was not a good read. Long and boring.
Raw Voices by Vanessa Feltz
Brilliant read, very inspiring. I highly recommend.
Rebecca Jenner (Six Book Challenge Reader)
Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
I really enjoyed this book, one of the best I have read.
Kieran Glendon (Six Book Challenge Reader)
Stormbreaker by Anthony Horowitz
This book was not what I had imagined but turned out to be a very enjoyable read. The boy we follow in the story is like a teenage James Bond. Having finished the book on my eight-year-old son's recommendation I rented the film version. This I have to say as a 'film buff' was a bit disappointing! The book chapters are moved around, some bits are missed out altogether and other details are changed. For the first time in my life a film was not as good as the great book!
Robin Dennis (Six Book Challenge Reader)
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