My apologies! More haste less speed. Put it down to post christmas exhaustion.
Sent from my iPhone by Alison may
0777 315 8181
On 29 Dec 2017, at 2:50 pm, Steve Nutt <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi,
Am I losing it though, or is this list about access tech? I didn’t think it
was a book club. <Smile>.
All the best
Steve
From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of ;
Ian Macrae (Redacted sender "ian.macrae1" for DMARC)
Sent: 29 December 2017 14:39
To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [access-uk] Re: Alison's amended December reads
Hi Alison. I’ve always been slightly suspicious of Hosseini although I did
enjloy The Kite Runner. I think he may have been wooed to the American
proppagandist persuasion. I read your Peter James some time ago and found it
enjoyable though I’m not a fan of his Brighton cdetective series.
Ian Macrae
ian.macrae1@xxxxxxx
On 29 Dec 2017, at 12:57, CJ&AA MAY <chrisalismay@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I accidentally omitted the last of my December reads, not only the best of
the month but for me the best of the year:
Girt, The Unofficial History of Australia written and read by David Hunt; I
don't usually enjoy humorous books but I did like the style of this and think
I might have found history a more enjoyable and memorable lesson if it had
been presented by this author! It's a very tongue in cheek explanation of
Australia's beginnings whilst being factually correct. However, initially I
did have difficulty adjusting the Milestone's speed to accommodate the
reading as the comination of the reader's accent and the speed at which he
delivered facts, made it difficult to absorb the information. (3*)
Snatched byMandasue Heller; I really enjoyed this book where the setting is a
deprived area of Manchester and whose plot centres on how the community react
when one of their neighbour's houses goes up in flames and her daughter goes
missing. Lots of colourful characters - and yes, lots of colourful language
too! (3*)
Elephant Moon by John Sweeney; I thoroughly enjoyed this story about a young
English school teacher who sets out to rescue 62 mixed race orphaned Burmese
children as the Japanese advance on Rangoon, especially the second half of
the book when the elephants put in an appearance. It is based loosely on
truth in that elephants were often used by refugees in order to reach the
safety of the Indian border. Some well penned characters and lots of
descriptive passages about the landscape too. (4*)
Why the Whales Came by Michael Mopurgo; perhaps not the best of this
author's offering, but still a good read. The Story is set in the Scilly
Isles around the period WW1 breaks out and, typical of this author, is a good
read for both youngsters and adults alike. (3*)
'48 by James Herbert; I quickly abandoned this when the opening pages of
this very short book just consisted of some macho guy careering round an art
gallery on a motorbike. The story seemed quite promising, where a group of
Black Shirts are desperate to track down those who are immune to the virus
Hitler has infected the country with in order to obtain their blood. It
somehow missed the mark. (1*)
Hard Girls by MARTINA Cole; Another disappointment! I just wasn't in the
right frame of mind for this book about the brutal murder of a prostitute. I
found it too waffly and eventually gave up on it. (2*)
Silent Witness by Nigel McQuery; another in the Sam Ryan series. Perhaps the
plot is a little slow but this story which follows the investigation of a
young man's murder and possible occult implications made a good read. (3*)
Dreamer by Peter James. A young woman starts to have vivid threatening
dreams which begin to impact on her life. An original story with lots of
suspense and strong characters. (4*)
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini; What a fantastic book to end
the year. This book tells the story of how an Afghani 15-year-old
illegitimate girl is married off to an abusive older man in Kabul and takes
the reader through the city’s various upheavals from the time of the Russian
occupation. It gives a real insight into what the country has had to endure,
how life has been for Afghani women under Taliban rule and is both inspiring
and very moving in parts. (5*)
Alison
