Harvest by Jim Crace

 

I enjoyed this read. It is about the desire for belonging. It was a longlist nominee for the Man Booker prize

Good points:

Wonderful descriptions, often dream-like

It has a timelessness, it is very hard to place although clearly a piece of historical fiction

I enjoyed all the references to the land

Bad points:

The end itself was an anti climax. 

 

Brown Owl's Guide To Life Kate Harrison

 

Bought on a whim after middle daughter when on a brownie pack holiday. It is an easy read.

But

It didn't really have a engaging plot

I didn't like how it jumped between the 70s and now

There is a mystery in it and whilst the author concludes it it seems very brief and unsatisfactory. 

Dry Store Room No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural History Museum by Richard Fortey

 

Good points:

The role of museums and their importance - the book reminisces, reflects on e and discovers what research is being carried out and why it is important

Once picked up it was hard to put down - I like Fortey's humour and writing style

 I love the topics

Bad points:

I would have liked more odd anecdotes about his fellow workers or events

 

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

 

 

This was a Costa novel award winner describing chances to relive your life again and again set during the early parts of the twentieth century.

 

Good parts: 

I like the mixture of happy and unhappy endings

Kate Atkinson dots in between events, returning later to fill in the details. 

I enjoyed the descriptions of everyday family life

 

Bad points

The ending was strange

During times it was confusing

 

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami

 

I love love love Haruki Murakami. His books are a mixture of Alice in wonderland crossed with diskworld ... they are very strange!

It describes characters being transported into parallel world 

Good points

Even if you read the end before you should (shhh) you have no idea how the book will get there

Everything is meticulous described... there are no odd ends

The construction of the chapters is very clever - one character write one, the other the next and then back to the first - very clever

Bad points

It is long

I finished it....

A Room with a View By E. M. Forster

 

This was read as part of my book club.

Good Points:

This has philosophical parts and a good old fashioned romance.

Forster writes about the changing values of society.

I liked the humour in the book

Bad points

It took me a while to work out who the characters all were - they get introduced quickly

Cambridge Blue by Alison Bruce

A murder mystery set in Cambridge

Good points:
It is set in Cambridge
Quirky main character
It doesn't require any effort in reading

Bad points:
It is badly written
Plot points seem odd and unbelievable
Ending was a let down