May Book

The staff book for May was The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. We all really enjoyed a change from our normal reading fare. The mixture of popular science and social history was fascinating and we felt it followed on very well fron The Help by Kathry Stockett which we had read recently.

The Little Stranger

The Little Stranger by Sara Waters was the Staff Book for April. Some people found it a compelling read and some who hadn't had time to finish it due to work pressures wanted to extend it so that they could. It's a gripping supernatural tale set during and after World War 2.

Room

Staff Book Group book for March was Room by Emma Donoghue. This was quite a controversial choice and split the group. Some members were unable to finish the book because of the subject matter and others persevered and loved it. It is written from the point of view of a 5 year old child who is imprisoned in a small room with his mother by "Old Nick". Despite the subject matter it is an uplifting story of the relationship between mother and child.
In the afternoon after the meeting Room came up for discussion in Radio 4's "A Good Read". You can still here the discussion on iPlayer.

For April we are reading The Little Stranger by Sara Waters.

Staff Book Group Christmas lunch

Here are the members of the staff book group at their Christmas lunch with their book shaped parcels from Santa.
Happy Holiday Reading!

The Secret Scriptures

The Secret Scriptures by Sebastian Barry was the Staff Book for November. It was very popular with the group who nearly all said they enjoyed it.
Highly recommended.

Yacoubian Building

The Yacoubian Building by Alaa Al Aswany is considered a modern Egyptian classic and has been available in English for many years. As a change of perspective, the staff book group read it in October. Some staff enjoyed it, but most dislike the fractured nature of the separate stories of the different residents. This combined with some of the content meant that it was not a popular choice.
November's book The Secret scriptures by Sebastian Barry may be more popular.

April book

The book the staff group read in April was The House at Riverton by Kate Morton.
On the whole the group really enjoyed it, but there were a few quibbles about perceived gaps in the plot. We would have liked to know more about the housemaid who was narrating the story. We felt that she actually had a more interesting life than the aristocratic sisters she was serving. We wanted to know more about her later life and her family. However the bits about life below stairs in a grand house were interesting and illuminating.

In the Dark

For our March book the staff group read In the Dark by Mark Billingham. It's a fast paced detective mystery set amongst the gang culture of London with some surprising twists in the plot. Most of the group really enjoyed the book, especially as the setting was so different from here. It was also complete different from our previous book, Who's that girl?
At the meeting we swopped some of our own books too. One Day by David Nicholls is working its way around the group having been highly recommended. The Harry Hole series of Norwegian crime thrillers by Jo Nesbo is also popular.

February staff book

The Staff Group book for February is Who's that girl? by Alexandra Potter. A rom/com which looks at what might happen if you could turn back time. The perfect antidote to stress!

Christmas books

Our usual Christmas party produced some interesting and different offerings from Santa.
Melissa Benn - One of us
Barbara Kingsolver - The bean tree
Cecelia Ahearn - A place called here.
Lots of reading time over the Christmas holidays!

November book

The Staff Book Group book for November was Enderby by Sebastian Faulks. Two members managed to complete the book, but everyone else either ran out of time or found the main character so unsympathetic that they gave up.

October Book

The staff book group read Netherland by Joseph O'Neill during October. Most people failed to complete the book. It is a bit different from our usual choices. It is set in New York and concerns a Dutch investment analyst whose marriage is failing and who gets involved in playing cricket, very much a minority sport in the US. Those who completed the book were not very enthusiastic about it.

Easter read

The staff book group read Speaking of love by Angela Young over the Easter holidays. The group was not very enthusiastic about the book. It is the story of mental illness and loss of a parent and the effect they have on a family. Some people quite enjoyed it, but some found that they were not engaged enough by it to finish it and one person hated it.

Staff Book Group

We read When will there be good news? by Kate Atkinson in March. It is a mystery set in in the Edinburgh area with an interesting set of characters, some familiar to readers of her other books and some new ones. It was entertaining and gripping at the same time. Everyone enjoyed it and some people were spurred on to read some of her other books including Behind the scenes at the museum.
April's book is Speaking of Love by Angela Young.

Down River by John Hart

The latest staff book was Down River by John Hart. It was a very popular choice, a gripping thriller which kept us guessing until the end, with lots of red herrings along the way.

Winter book choices

If anyone has any suggestions for books for the library, please let me know as I still have some money to spend. I am looking for ideas for S3/4 that you think other people would like as well as yourself.

Staff Book

Our last staff book of the month was Notes for an Exhibition by Patrick Gale. The group all really enjoyed it and would recommend it very highly.

March book

The Staff Reading Group book for March was

Then we came to the end by Joshua Ferris

. This was the most unpopular book we have had for some time. Only one person finished it, everybody else hated it and couldn't see any point in continuing it until the end. We didn't think it was funny and were not engaged or involved with the cast of characters. Admittedly it is unlikely that teachers in a rural secondary school in Scotland will have a lot of sympathy for staff of an advertising agency in Chicago.

February book

This month the group will be reading Lori Lansens The Girls. Members got their books yesterday and it has already provoked some discussion.

December book

Our December book, which we started on St. Andrew's Day, was Janet Paisley's White Rose Rebel, the story of a female Jacobite leader in the period leading up to the Battle of Culloden. It is a true bodice-ripper with lots of sex and violence, which makes a change from our usual fare. Some people found the battle scences rather too graphic, but on the whole the group enjoyed the book and felt it was a good choice for the run-up to Christmas when everyone was feeling tired and stressed.
We have a very pleasant Christmas lunch followed by presents out of Santa's sack. We had agreed to buy and book by a author who's surname began with our initial and then wrap it for the sack.. This proved an interesting challenge and produced some unusual titles, from Mr Darcy's dairy by Maya Slater to Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky. We have agreed to report back in January and have a swop around.