The First Thirty Swaps!

Given by Paul and read by Anna

2010

When we were orphans: Kazuo Ishiguro
Rating and comments: **** Anxiety-inducing, but brilliant!

Suite Francaise: Irene Nemirovsky
Rating and comments: **** Elegant and gentle, yet hard-hitting.

Dance, Dance, Dance: Haruki Murakami
Rating and comments: *** Challenging concepts in a meandering but captivating story.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Rating and comments: ** An optimistic central character, despite a grim situation.

The Book Thief: Markus Zusak
Rating and comments: ***** Captivating tale about family, friends and the power of stories.

Birdsong: Sebastian Faulks
Rating and comments: *** Beautifully crafted but hard-going tale of the trenches.

The Third Policeman: Flann O'Brian
Rating and comments: **** A masterful and surprising analagous work.

David Golder: Irene Nemirovsky
Rating and comments: *** Dangerous stereotypes in a tale of greed and ambition.

Kitchen: Banana Yoshimoto
Rating and comments: **** A beautiful and gentle tale of bereavement, self-awareness and love.

Our Man in Havana: Graham Greene
Rating and Comments: *** Brilliantly thought-provoking. Slightly anxiety-inducing. Involves vacuum cleaners.

Nineteen Eighty-Four: George Orwell
Rating and Comments: ****A great read - gripping and challenging.

Brave New World: Aldous Huxley
Ratings and Comments: ***Enjoyable - offers a different view of humanity.

The Birds: Daphne du Maurier
Ratings and Comments: ****Creepy and brilliant! Leaves you hanging.

Kokoro: Natsume Soseki
Ratings and Comments: ***Sweet and sad and thoughtful.

Skipping Christmas: John Grisham
Ratings and Comments: *** Great fun and an easy read. Finished it on Christmas day.

2011

Hiroshima: John Hersey
Ratings and Comments: ****Surprisingly gentle, but haunting account of the bomb, its aftermath and the stories of some of the survivors.

The Post Office Girl: Stefan Zweig
Rtaings and Comments:

The First Thirty Swaps!

Given by Anna and Read by Paul

2010

Mother's Milk: Edward St Aubyn
Rating and Comments: **

The Fifth Elephant: Terry Pratchett
Rating and Comments: ****

A Spot of Bother: Mark Haddon
Rating and Comments: ***

Small Gods: Terry Pratchett
Rating and Comments: **** Good fun

The Virgin Suicides: Jeffrey Euginedes
Rating and Comments: ***** Excellent Read

Flying Under Bridges: Sandi Toksvig
Rating and Comments: *** Good, but there were times when the propaganda overpowered the literature.

The Prestige: Christopher Priest
Rating and Comments: *****+++ Fantastic book!!

The Eyre Affair: Jasper Fforde
Rating and Comments: **** Very good

The Almost Moon: Alice Sebold
Rating and Comments: *** Bit Scary

The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint: Brady Udall
Rating and Comments: **** Loved it, especially the second half.

Middlesex: Jeffrey Euginedes
Rating and Comments:*** Real Epic!! Especially liked the Nations of Islam!

Just So Stories: Rudyard Kipling
Rating and Comments:*** Super quick read!

Memiors of a Geisha: Arthur Golden
Rating and Comments: ***** Top book - easy flowing story.

Teacher Man: Frank McCourt
Ratings and Comments: *** Autobiographical - interesting in it's own way.

Good Omens: Terry Pratchett and Niel Gaiman
Ratings and Comments: *** Good fun to read.

2011

Through a Glass, Darkly: Jostien Gaarder
Ratings and Comments: *** Easy to follow, but not sure I fully understood it...

K-PAX: Gene Brewer
Ratings and Comments: