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: