Here is another book review from my monthly Book Club meeting.
I haven’t done one of these in a while as our meetings have been a bit different. Our July meeting was a trip to see ‘Where the crawdads sing’ as the book had been read at Book Club previously, and I have read it and loved it.
August/some of September was devoted to out next read, the one I will be talking about – ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest’.
We decided to go for a classic for August as we all expressed a wish to read more of them! So someone chose One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest.
If you have ever read it (or indeed any classics tbf) they are a bit harder to get into so we gave ourselves longer to read it, seeing us through August and most of September, meeting last week.
So, let’s get into it!
One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest
SYNOPSIS
‘In order to escape the prison labour, McMurphy, a Prisoner, fakes insanity and is shifted to the special ward for the mentally unstable. In this ward he must rise up against a cruel nurse, Ratched.’
THEMES
•Stigma and Mental Health
•Power
•Masculinity/Feminity
•Human Dignity
PROS
It’s a classic and it is always nice to add a few of them to your repertoire.
I really enjoyed the characters and found them to be very interesting, likable, endearing and charismatic – for me, they are one of the best bits of the book.
I also really like how thought provoking it is, in its themes and the way it conveys them through plot devices, imagery and the characters themselves.
CONS
It’s quite a slow burner, a slightly arduous start to the story and a story where ultimately not alot happens (considering the book is over 300 pages.)
It is also written in a very confusing way, sort of disjointed with A LOT of dialogue.
Also, the font is tiny. You feel as if you have read alot but haven’t got very far at all.
I also much prefer a book when there are short, clearly defined chapters – this one didn’t which was a shame!
Rating out of 5:
☆☆☆☆☆ (2.5)
Would you recommend it?
Y / N
Have you read this book? What are your thoughts? 💭
We are halfway through 2022 (HOW!?!) So I thought I would do a halfway round up of what I have read so far…
So far…
Harry Potter and the Philosphers Stone: Minalima Illustratred edition
I know what you’ve done by Dorothy Koomson
Cometh the Hour by Jeffrey Archer
22 Britannia Road by Amanda Hodgkinson
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling
Her majesty the Queen investigates… The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett
Trust me by T M Logan
The Sanitorium by Sarah Pearse
The Land of Stories: An Authors Odyssey by Chris Colfer
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley
Love, Locked down by Beth Reckles
Nalas World by Dean Nicholson
This was a man by Jeffrey Archer
Midnight is a lonely place by Barbra Erskine
Walking on Sunshine by Giovanna Fletcher
Wrong Place, Wrong Time by Gillian McAllister
The Summer Fair By Heidi Swain
The Baby is not mine by Oyinkan Braithwaite
The Donor by Clare Mackintosh
1. My Favourite book so far: ‘Wrong Place, Wrong Time’
This is an absolutely fantastic book. It had me at the synopsis – never have I sent a synopsis to so many people because it sounds SO good. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I didn’t want to put it down. The characters and their relationships were lovely and it was a great reading experience.
2. The most gripping so far: ‘Wrong Place, Wrong Tim’ & ‘The Hunting Party’
These were both brilliant books for making you say ‘Just one more page’. There was lots of drama, lots going on and lots to keep enticing you to the end.
3. My Least Favourite so far: I know what You’ve done.
Simply because I didnt find it as gripping as Dorothy’s other books and I found the characters less likeable. It did have a good few twists though.
4. Easiest to read: ‘Love Locked Down‘
It was weird reading a book about the madness that was the beginning of the pandemic but it was quite cool reading about something that you’ve actually been through in a relatively light hearted way. I liked the variety of characters.
5. One I would recommend: ‘Wrong Place, Wrong Time.’
The time loop and just the sheer depth of the plot ans suspense made it a fantastic reading experience. I really enjoyed her writing style.
So something pretty awesome happened this month and if you are a bookworm like me you’ll definitely appreciate how cool this is!!!
On a book club page on Facebook I read this Synopsis…
‘It’s every parent’s nightmare. Your happy, funny, innocent son commits a terrible crime: murdering a complete stranger. You don’t know who. You don’t know why. You only know your teenage boy is in custody and his future lost. That night you fall asleep in despair. Until you wake . .. . . and it is yesterday. Every morning you wake up a day earlier, another day before the murder. Another chance to stop it. Somewhere in the past lie the answers, and you don’t have a choice but to find them . . !’
This book is called ‘Wrong Place, Wrong Time.’ By Gillian McAllister.
Never have I read a synopsis and thought OMG I NEED TO READ THIS BOOK RIGHT NOW – it intrigued me so much!! I also immediately sent this synopsis to so many people because I knew they would think the same!!
I put this book forward as a suggestion at Book club last month… everyone went for it and I subsequently tweeted about it being our chosen book on my Twitter page for this blog… and then this happened…
😱😱😱
I never thought the author herself would tweet me asking to join our meeting. I was shocked!!
After lots of sorting out (and stressing out behind closed doors by me 🤦🏼♀️🙃) it all went off really well.
Gillian was lovely to chat to and was really eager to answer our questions and listen to our thoughts on her book.
It was interesting listening to everyones views and perspectives on the book, with her added into the mix. It was also great to get some background information on how she came about her ideas and the thinking behind certain areas of the plot, the chatacters etc.
It just added a different dimension to our usual meetings and it was fascinating to get a real authors perspective on something you’ve just read (and thoroughly enjoyed!) As well as the writing process as a whole.
I’m so glad I was able to organise it successfully and that everyone really enjoyed themselves.
I already know that I will be scouring my local library for some more of her books asap.
The power of Books, Blogs and Twitter 📚🌟
Have you read the book? Or any of her other ones?? What did you think??
It was our 31st Birthday earlier this month and I thought I would share with you some of the cool Harry Potter bits that I got given.
Let’s go!
Some of these recipes look super cool – I do love baking so fingers crossed I can do them justice. They will be fun to try nether the less.
These two items were on my list, from my husband. The Triwizard tournment top is really cool and understated and I love that you can choose your Hogwarts house (Gryffindor ofc) and get your name on the back.
The fourth HP film is one of my faves too.
I also loved this little Niffler badge, its so pretty and cool! Plus, Nifflers are adorable.
Have you seen the new Fantastic Beasts film?? It’s great!!
I also got this cool illustrated copy of the book ‘The Tales of Beedle the Bard’. I love these illustrated versions, they are such a cool item to add to my collection.
The illustrations are beautiful and I find them way more interesting to read than the originals now 😂
And finally, I got a really cool Hogwarts house towel. This is ideal for when I go swimming at my local pool.
Fun Fact: My Hogwarts House on Pottermore, last time I did the quiz, was Ravenclaw.
A group of old Oxford friends celebrates their annual reunion at a lodge in the remote Scottish Highlands. With an impending blizzard on the way, the nostalgia ends abruptly when one of them is murdered.
THEMES
•Friendship •Jealousy •Betrayal
PROS
•Short Chapters, my favourite kind • Very gripping, interesting Chapters •You learnt lots of new information about the characters here and there which added to the twists and turns of the book – and there were a few!!
CONS
•There are a lot of different characters that make up the friendhship group, in this story. It got a little confusing at the start remembering who was married to who, who was bestfriends with who, how did they meet etc. I made lots of notes on the back page of the book.
Elin, A British Police Officer, taking a break from work, visits Le Sommet hotel in the Swiss Alps – the hotel was previously a Sanitorium.
Soon into her visit we learn of family trauma, fractured relationships – and then people start to go missing… people are being picked off, but who is the culprit??
So, I’ve always wanted to be part of a Book club and this week that dream came true.
A lovely local cafe near me runs a book club and I found out about it after having a chat with the cafe owner. I was so excited when she mentioned that they run one as its a lovely little cafe and easy for me to get to. My twin sister joined with me.
It was SO awesome!! I can’t wait for the next meeting and to start our new book.
I’ve decided that since we will discuss these books in more detail, these will be the books that I do a little review of. This means I have one a month to write about/recommend (hopefully) to you guys.
So, here is the first book that I read for the book club… February 2022!
22 Britannia Road By Amanda Hodgkinson
SYNOPSIS
This book follows the story of Janusz, Silvana and their son Aurek from Poland. The story goes back and forth from the past, when they first met, when war broke out, and during the war, as well as the present when they are trying to rebuild their lives after the war. We find out how it has affected them, their relationship, and their relationship as a family, as well as the secrets that they have carried along the way.
THEMES
•Family •Survival •Love •War
PROS
•Easy to read •Interesting insight into the impact of war on the women and children. •Mixture of past & present.
CONS
•Quite sad in parts •Geography of Ipswich wasn’t spot on
Would you recommend it?
Y/N 👍🏻
Especially to anyone who lives in the local area of Ipswich.
So, I started the new year by giving my bookcase a little reshuffle.
Here are the different shelf arrangements…
1. The Harry Potter Shelf
This is obviously a must 🤪
It’s a mixture of my copies of the book series as well as other illustrated versions and books about the wizarding world and films.
2. The tbr Shelf
My ‘to be read’ (tbr) shelf is all of the books that are on my list to read. It’s rather extensive at the moment – who else has a problem with being unable to stop buying books?! 🤪
It’s got quite a nice mix of different genres to choose from, from easy readers, Thrillers, Autobiographies, Novels, Romances, Fantasy etc.
3. Recommendations Shelf
This shelf is my go to when anyone asks for a recommendation. I get asked for recommendations quite a bit so they are handy to grab.
4. My Favourites Shelf
These books are some of my alltime faves. Most I have read more than once.
Some of my favourites include ‘Bridget Jones’ – ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ – ‘Animal Farm’ – ‘The Land of Stories Series’ and ‘Goodnight Mr Tom.
This one kinda spills onto two shelves – special mention to Heidi Swain whos books almost have a whole shelf to themselves now haha.
5. My Childrens Book Shelf
Working with Children as well as being an Auntie means that I can appreciate a good picture book. I have some classics as well as just random ones I have picked up on the way. These are a mixture of Fiction and Non Fiction.
I love colour co-ordinating my shelves too, I have done this with my ‘tbr list’ as there is quite an array of different books and covers.
So, here is my final reading update of 2021, July – December.
[Disclaimer: I’m not that fast a reader sometimes, it comes in fits and spurts, and I’ve had lots of revision to do, so its not as long a list as I’d like]
All my lies are trueBy Dorothy Koomson
A springtime affairby Katie Fforde
Be careful what you wish forby Jeffrey Archer
The Catch by T.M Logan
The Skylightby Louise Candlish
The little dreams of Lara Cliffeby Milly Johnson
A baby at the beach cafeby Lucy Diamond
The Land of Stories: Beyond the Kingdomsby Chris Colfer
A country escapeby Katie Fforde
Mightier than the swordby Jeffrey Archer
The Invisable Girlby Lisa Jewell
Underneath the treeby Heidi Swain
The Road Trip by Beth O Leary
Dying for Christmasby Tammy Cohen
I wish it could be Christmas everyday by Milly Johnson
Roseanne Byford 