Week 17:
"The Great Gatsby" by F Scott
Fitzgerald
This is my favourite book; the writing is beautiful, the
characters strong and I will remember the ending forever. I would
try to say more but I'm frightened I wouldn't make it sound as good
as it is! Cara, Manor Park Library
Week 16:
"Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie
Chapman: Lover, Traitor, Hero, Spy" by Ben
Macintyre
A reviewer said about this book that if this was fiction it would
be unbelievable and I cannot put it better than that. A book that
simply can't be put down until it's read. Mark, Stratford
Library
Week 15:
"Slave" by Mende
Nazer and Damien Lewis
Again this was a book I
read hoping to understand the thinking of man, as with "A Long
Way Gone". I was truly moved by this book, it shows the evil of
man coupled with the kindness which hopefully the majority of us
have. Elaine, Stratford Library
Week 14:
"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" and
"Everything Is Illuminated" by Jonathan
Safran Foer
He is my new favourite author, I love
love love him! He is hysterically funny, random and unusual, yet
both novels are also incredibly touching and sad. Nine year old
Oskar in "Extremely Loud" is brilliant! Cara, Manor Park
Library
Week 13:
"Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi
Germany" by Hans J. Massaquoi
I liked this book because it goes against the grain. It shows that
not everyone in Germany at that time supported the Nazi line and
that not everyone who joined the party truly understood what it
stood for. Elaine, Stratford Library
Week 12:
"The Road of the Dead" by Kevin
Brooks
Awesome, it grabbed me from the first page
and wouldn't let go. Late one night, two brothers from East
London learn that their sister has died in the worst way
imaginable. Ruben and Cole set out to find their own answers and
retrace Rachel's final journey, which take them into the country
where they encounter some really creepy people. Read it!
Mike, Stratford Library
Week 11:
"Lord of Light" by
Roger Zelazny
This is a great science-fiction
story that really makes you think; the parallels with religions
in our own world are eerily familiar, and the story of men that
have become gods to their fellow humans is the stage for lots of
crucial questions: What is belief? Why are there have's and have
not's? And can we ever know why we are here? Paolo,
Stratford Library
Week 10:
"The Surgeon" by Tess
Gerritsen
Oh. My. God. This book is absolutely
fantastic! It had me gripped from beginning to end. You really
don't know what is coming on the next page with this book and
Tess Gerritsen has you feeling the fear of the main characters.
I couldn't put it down and loved it so much I have now read the
entire Jane Rizzoli series. Vicky, Library @ The
Gate
Week 9:
"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People" by Stephen R Covey
This is, quite simply, an enlightening and inspirational read!
Samuel, Manor Park Library
Week 8:
"Blood River: A Journey to Africa's Broken
Heart" by Tim Butcher
A Richard and Judy book
and a great read. Tim Butcher attempts to recreate Stanley's
expedition through the Congo, and along the way describes a
country and its people, both completely failed by their leaders
throughout history. Mark, Stratford
Library
Week 7:
"Ashes to Ashes" by Tami Hoag
Fantastic read, especially if you like a good whodunit. This book
will keep you guessing right till the end. I found it a little
difficult to get into Tami Hoag's style of writing at first but the
story is so good that it quickly becomes easier and you find
yourself trying to race through the pages to find out who the
cremator is. Great Read! Vicky, Library @ The
Gate
Week 6:
"All that Really Matters" by Campbell
Armstrong
Written by the author at the request of his ex-wife who is dying of
cancer. In the little time left to her, she tracks down the
daughter she gave away at birth, only to find that she too has
cancer. Although this sounds a sad theme the book is far from sad.
It conveys the strong love that these two women give to each other,
more than most people ever get in a lifetime. Absolutely brilliant.
Ann, Stratford Library
Week 5:
"On Beauty" by Zadie Smith
This is full of strong and sometimes hateful characters, but after
I'd read it I couldn't stop thinking about the characters and their
lives as if they were real. There were times when I wished they
were so I could scream at them how awful they were. It was a very
real book and I liked it! Cara, Manor Park
Library
Week 4:
"Getting Rid of Matthew" by Jane
Fallon
A very funny very cynical take on chic lit. The main character in
this book finally gets the man of her dreams to move in with her
only to realise that she doesn't want him at all! Don't read this
if you want roses and happy endings! Angelina, Library @
The Gate
Week 3:
"A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael
Beah
I read this book hoping to understand how people can live side by
side for years then suddenly turn on each other. I am afraid I did
not get the answer but this was a truly sad and moving book, and I
have to admit I did shed a few tears whilst reading.
Elaine, Stratford Library
Week 2:
"Relentless" by Simon Kernick
I haven't read a more exciting book in yonks. Over much too quickly
it's a can't-put-it-down race-against-time thriller where you could
easily imagine yourself in the same situation. John Meron, a
happily married father of two who's never been in trouble, receives
a phone call that will change his life for ever: his friend is
murdered over the phone after saying where John lives. Within
minutes his life will get one hell of a lot worse. Mike,
Stratford Library
Week 1:
"The Other Side of You" by Salley
Vickers
This is the story of a psychotherapist whose new patient, a
thirty-something woman, just does not want to reveal to him why she
attempted suicide. She eventually does, but only after the
psychotherapist has begun to talk about himself and his own
relationship with his deceased brother. The mix of sadness over
lost opportunities and the emergence from grief makes a bittersweet
but thought-provoking read. At the end I was thinking, and not for
the first time, 'Carpe diem'. Angela, East Ham
Library |