The Sixth Lamentation

The Sixth Lamentation by William Brodrick was November's book. Set in the present day, it is a gripping tale of revenge and love told mainly from the point of view of a monk. The book concerns a suspected war criminal who sees sanctuary at the monastry. Various characters turn out to have involvement in the wartime events. It was greatly enjoyed by the Group and we felt it had more depth than some of our recent choices. However, we felt that some of the plot twists were a little too neat and convenient. December's book is The Colour by Rose Tremain. I had already read it and enjoyed it so I recommended it to the Group. I also thought that Music and Silence by her was fantastic. It will be interesting to see if the others like it too,

The life and death of Charlie St. Cloud

The Doon Reading Group's latest book was The life and death of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherlock. Most of the group enjoyed the book. Some felt it was a bit light and fluffy, but still a good read. Some members felt that it had a comforting spiritual message about the survival of the spirit of loved ones. Personally I enjoyed all the boat and sailing bits the best.
Our book for November is The Sixth Lamentation by William Brodrick, recommended by a group member.

Maggie O'Farrell

I have just finished reading After you'd gone by Maggie O'Farrell. I tried it because I have recently read The distance between us also by her and enjoyed it. We have the second title in the library but I borrowed the first one from East Ayrshire Libraries. They are both absorbing reads dealing with male/female relationships and are similar in style. They both feature short chapters and jump about in time and in place, so the reader has to concentrate and focus on the details, which is partly why they are so absorbing. Both heroines are young women who have been hurt in their lives, but things happen for them completely differently. I found I was very emotionally involved with the fate of both the heroines. I don't want to mention any more about the storylines as I think it would spoil the pleasure of reading them both. Highly recommended.

War crimes

I have just finished reading Dan Fesperman's The small boat of great sorrows. It is a gripping mystery set in modern Europe featuring a Bosnian refugee who becomes involved in investigation a World War 2 war crime because of his previous career as a policeman in Sarajevo. The book won an award and I am not surpirsed as I thought it was terrific. It gave insights into the wars in Bosnia combined with interesting plotting and suspicious Americans.

Michael Connelly writes the Harry Bosch crime thrillers. I have read a couple and quite enjoyed them, so I was feeling positive about starting The Narrows which is quite a new one. However, I found it a bit of a disappointment and rather predictable, but I did find it sufficiently appealing to finish it.

The food of love

The Staff Reading Group generally felt this month's book The food of love by Anthony Capella was not altogether a very satisfying read. Despite all the foodie detail there were no recipes so that you couldn't try out the dishes described so lavishly in the main part of the book. Some of us felt that the plot died out two thirds of the way through the book and that the ending was very contrived. However it was quite fun and most people enjoyed it. Maybe we will have better luck with next month's book, The life and death of Charlie St. Cloud by Ben Sherwood. It is also from Richard & Judy's recommended book list.

Starting out

This a blog about reading and writing run by Mrs Bax, school librarian at Doon Academy, with contributions from other staff and pupils.

To get things going I am going to mention what I am reading at the moment which is The Colour by Rose Tremain. The novel is set in New Zealand at the time of the gold rush and features a couple who have emigrated from England. Rose Tremain is great at giving you a feel for the countryside and for life at that time. It is a compelling read.

There is a new Terry Pratchett discworld book out called Thud! officially due to be published in hardback on 1st October 2005. Thud! stars Capt. Vimes and features a murdered dwarf. It will be on my Christmas list.

The Staff Reading Group is currently on The Food of Love by Anthony Capella. I finished it almost immediately and thought it was great fun. I love Italy and Italian food and the book is full of both.