September
The Constant Gardener 
John le Carre
A good read and a re-introduction to Le Care for most of us. A gentle, poignant love story set in Africa. The cold war is long gone and the new threat is to 3rd world countries and domination by unscrupulous drug manufacturers. Most of us enjoyed the film too and thought it very true to the book. 

August
The Secret Life of Bees
Sue Monk Kidd
Brilliant! No dissenting voice amongst us-Must be a first!
The book is set in the American Deep South at the time of the Civil Rights movement. This is a moving story of one girls' experiences of running away with her black maid. The story intermingles with flash backs to an unhappy childhood, with burgeoning young love and with the 'Secret Life of Bees'!
Great Read-take it on holiday.

July
The Circle
Peter Lovesey
A fun and light crime novel by a Sussex author and set in Chichester. It was amusing spotting all the local locations (sometimes he got his streets mixed up!) and some of the characters felt vaguely familiar...but the story rattled along and kept us all reading. If you want a good holiday read with no demands, try this.

June

May
Never let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

March
Birdsong
Sebastian Faulks
Most of the group had read this book several years ago- so it was a re-visit. Although we all thought it a terrific read, the detail of trench warfare during the first world war did go on a bit and its one of the few books we have discussed which we knew had appealed to male readers-even though there are none in the group! Why has a film not been made of it yet we wondered. As it was first published in 1962 we thought it might have been converted to the big screen by now.

February
Eats Shoots and Leaves
Lynne Trust 
Generally it was agree a funny read, though perhaps a bit too pedantic in places and made everyone question remembered rules of grammar from their schooldays! Good to read a non-fiction book for a change.

Of Love and War
Maria Corelli
This was an autobiographical account of an English girls time in Italy during the second world war. Although an interesting story the group all felt the main character was rather unsympathetic and some of the narrative seemed rather 'embroidered'. She seemed more concerned about the loss of her considerable wardrobe than the carnage going on around her.

January
Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

December
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
A light read for over Christmas, but one most of us enjoyed. The reactions ranged from a slight smile to a gentile titter, to a full blown belly laugh with tears!
Written in the 1930s the humour is rather dated and it helps if you know the novels by Mary Webb of which this is a pastiche, but once you realise what's going on you soon appreciate the humour -how could you not react to 4 cows called Graceless, Pointless, Feckless and Aimless, 2 of which had missing legs!

November
A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka
Looking for a Christmas present for an avid reader? You cannot do better than the curiously titled 'A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian'. Marina Lewycka's novel had the members of the Oving Readers' Group laughing from start to finish. But there are serious moments.
Now widowed, 84 year old Nikolai came to England from the Ukraine with his wife and two daughters after World War 2. Estranged since their mother's death these daughters (now married with children of their own), are appalled at father's sudden announcement that he intends to marry Valentina-she of the voluptuous breasts, green satin bra, and boil-in-the-bag meals. Obviously the old man is senile, and she, at 36 years old, is just a gold-dogger, grabbing him so that she can stay in England and educate her son. But is he so senile, if he can write a detailed engineering treatise about tractors, and why should she not strive for a decent life?
With a sure, deft touch the author amuses us, but also asks us to consider family ties, the divide between the 'have' and the 'have-nots', ands the deep secrets that lurk in seemingly ordinary human experience. We thoroughly recommend this novel.-Beryl Lang

Comments from anyone who has read these books are welcome-just email webmaster

Previous months reads
September-Eve Green by Susan Fletcher
OKish, but no-one was raving, certainly not a 'page turner'. Comments: Lots of interesting issues packed into 1 book; good descriptions of Wales & it reminded one member of something they had read years ago-But what was it?!
August-Small Island by Andrea Levy
General opinion-OKish. Deals with an interesting period in British history, just after the war when 1000s of West Indians came to England in search of a better life.

July and ongoing  - On the Eve by Turegnev (a modern classic)

July - We need to talk about Kevin by Lionel Shriver
winner of the 2005 Orange Prize for fiction.
Noisy debate on this book-Is there such a thing as a wicked person? Can you be born wicked? Its the old chestnut about nature or nurture, and the inevitable debate about  whether it's ALWAYS the parents fault! Remember Philip Larkin's poem 'They F*** you up your Mum and Dad...'!
But in this case we felt not, and most people had some sympathy with the mother; there but for the grace of God and all that. NOT RECOMMENDED for newly pregnant women!

June  - Riding Out by Pam Goodall 
An account of a Sussex author who travelled round the world on her bike, recording her experiences. The June meeting had reduced numbers of 5, but the discussion on this book was still lively, and members couldn't decide if the author was intrepid or foolhardy! None of us would have been brave enough to just knock on doors and ask for a place to pitch a tent for the night, especially in America. Either way, we all admired her for just 'doing it' and the descriptions of some of the characters she met on the way were interesting and amusing. 

May - The Two of Us by Sheila Hancock
Review coming soon...

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time  
by Mark Haddon
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – was the curious title of the most recent Readers’ Group choice.  Written by Mark Haddon for the teenage reader, this book has become a bestseller for all ages and Winner of the Whitbread Book of the Year.  

The story is of a quest to solve a crime. However, what makes the book unique is that Christopher, the narrator, is a 15 year with Asperger’s Syndrome. Unable to comprehend human emotions yet seen as a mathematical prodigy, Christopher, in the process of solving the mystery, also uncovers the unpalatable truth about his parents

The book and the wider issue of living with someone with Asperger’s certainly generated some passionate discussion. Whilst some found it difficult to use the word ‘enjoy’, everyone was pleased that this selection had encouraged them to read a book they might not had chosen for themselves.
Janet Johnson, Colworth

Queen’s Fool by Philippa Gregory
This book met with mixed response but everyone finished it and agreed it was an easy read. Nearly everyone found the heroine, Hannah, a bit of a goody-two-shoes and our resident historian Beryl, didn't believe a woman of 17 could have got away with wearing breeches in Tudor times but maybe we should now read some other historical fiction to compare. 

The Shadow of the Wind by  Carlos Ruiz Zafon
This book has had a lot of media hype, been featured in papers, magazines, on radio and on Richard and Judy. The general consensus of the group was that it was a ‘dark’ novel with somewhat unsympathetic characters, but the complex story kept you turning the page and we all agreed it would make a cracking, ‘Gothic’ film. It’s hard to put it in a genre and I don’t think we should try and pigeon hole books for the convenience of librarians and their shelves. But, if you like a mystery, doomed love or books with a sense of place and time, read it!

See what we're reading in 2007