Book Reviews and Recommendations

Pies and Prejudice: In Search of the North by Stuart Maconie p/b £6.99

Stuart Maconie's latest bestseller is a must-read for those living either side of the tenuously defined North-South border and for those curious as to how regional stereotypes and prejudices have come about.

Despite professing his contempt for Southern snobbery, Maconie is never caustic in tone and for the most part the book uses humour to convey its satirical message. The book also frequently lapses into humorous parentheses and personal anecdotes to give it a lighter hearted narrative tone, yet this is never to the detriment of Maconie'sintelligent observational style which touches on some salientlinguistic, social and ideological debates.

Overall, Pies and Prejudice is a fun and insightful look at an issue that in one way or another affects all who inhabit the British isles.

Review by Thomas Clements

The Road Home by Rose Tremain p/b £7.99

This was my favorite book of the summer. It is about Lev, a Polish migrant worker who comes to London, after losing his wife and his job, to earn enough to help his mother and daughter survive.

His struggles to cope with a celebrity and money obsessed London are funny and moving and the cast of characters entirely convincing.

Rose Tremain always writes beautifully and here she has given us a story of our time which is sympathetic and wholly believable.

Kath

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro p/b £7.99

If you enjoyed The Hand Maid's Tale by Margaret Atwood then you will love this book by the author of The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro.

A dark and sinister novel telling the story of a group of specially selected individuals who gradually learn their true purpose in life as the story makes progress. A rights of passage book in the true sense of the word, this is never a comfortable read but as the story unfolds you are bound to feel compassion for the narrator and her friends.

I read a lot, and although I read Never Let Me Go about three years ago, it is the book that always comes first to mind when I am asked to reveal my favourites!

Melanie Russell

We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver p/b £7.99

This book is narrated, in letter form, by Eva the mother of a boy who, at 15 years of age , goes on a killing spree at his high school.

This book challenges all preconceptions about bonding with your child and whether a child is inherently evil, or is a product of their upbringing.

The twist at the end is breath-taking, I would never have predicted it.

This is a harrowing, but totally gripping read and I would highly recommend it.

Sarah

A note from Kath-I have just read Lionel Shriver's new book The Post-Birthday World. It is totally different from We Need To Talk About Kevin, but is equally perceptive about relationships and is a really enjoyable thought provoking read.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini p/bk £6.99

Reviwed by Aaron Farrelli Age 13

Eragon is one of the best books I have read, it's full of suspense, adventure and imagination. As you should know the film Eragon came out a few months ago, but why see the film when you've got the book!

The book is about a boy named Eragon who stumbles upon a small polished blue stone when he is out hunting. He takes the stone back to his village thinking it might be worth something but when the stone hatches into a small dragon hatchling this seals his fate. Overnight his life changes forwever and he must choose whether he can take up the perilous mantle of the Dragon Riders, and the fate of the empire is now in this hands.........

I just hope when I get round to reading the sequel 'Eldest' it is as exciting and worthwhile as the first!

The Broken Shore by Peter Temple p/bk £6.99

Having read a brief review of this book I decided to read it. It was a thrillingly good read. The language is strong and the behaviour and tension between characters reveals a side of small town Australian life that I had not thought still existed between the indigenous people and other Austalians.

On the strength of this book I have since read 'In the Evil Day' by the same author. Another exciting book.

Jenn