UK Book Club discussion

Does anyone wish to nominate any books for this month? If not I'll just reuse the nomination list from last month!

How about books to do with or have in the title Guy Fawkes/fireworks/bonfires etc in honour of bonfire night or on a more sombre note books about the Wars since its Rememberance Day

Ooh that's not a bad idea actually! Or horror books for Halloween (Though not sure I'd like that too much!!)

In that case, does anyone have any book to do with Bonfire Night/Halloween/Remembrance Day that they want to read and discuss?

Also, I'm back at uni now so should have more time to discuss books without running away on holiday all the time!

I'm going to attack my library on the weekend so I'll have a look around and see what they've got then with regard to Bonfire Night as I can't think of anything at the mo. And I'll see if they have any interesting ones on the soldiers' stories too.

Halloween you could go for the classics of Dracula, Frankenstein, Jekyll and Hyde etc. Susan Hill The Woman in Black is a good ghost story (gave me chills when I read it). I've got a few good horrors in my collection so feel free to have a nosey for more ideas :-)

I read Heaven Sent which is a chick flick about fireworks and it's a very easy read but I know that a lot of people in this group aren't too keen on chick flicks!

I wouldn't worry, gotta get people reading out of their comfort zones sometimes :-)

Stardust was a little bit of a chick flick so might leave it for a bit before people leave thinking it's a girly group! :)

I'm reading a war book at the moment - Catch-22 which is actually a lot funnier than I was expecting! It's quite a big book though so probably wouldn't be suitable for a monthly read, but it is a classic which a lot of people want to read!

That's a good point, although i had it down as more of a fantasy thing but thinking about it, it is a bit soppy aint it lol.

I've read that it was very funny did take me a bit longer than my usual to get through it though, but was so worth it :-)

I highly recommend All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, for Remembrance Day. It's a fantastic book based on the experiences of German soldiers during WW1. I read it for my real life book group after the library couldn't get the book we wanted and chose this one for us, and it's brilliant.

Rose wrote: "I highly recommend All Quiet on the Western Front"

I studied WW1 literature in English when I was at A Level and was going to read this book but never got round to it! I thought that Private Peaceful was a good book, even though it is aimed at young adults (Even my English teacher recommended it!) The book we had to read was Regeneration which I'm not sure I'd recommend, and I also read Enigma which was a good book!

If you want to suggest a scary book I can try to stop being a wimp and read it! :) I do have a lot of horror books at the moment which my mum gave me as she no longer wants them... Might make me brave enough to actually read one!!

Errm, I'll have to have a quick look!!

There are about 25 of them or more so I wont write all of them! But there are authors like Mary Higgins Clark, Stephen King, John Grisham, Graham Masterton and Tim Willocks and more!

Yeah that sounds like a good idea! :)

Yup, The Woman in Black A Ghost Story is good, haven't read it for years.

All Quiet on the Western Front is a great war novel and I really liked the whole Regeneration Trilogy by Pat Barker. And Catch-22 is a classic.....

Birdsong A Novel of Love and War is perhaps too obvious???

The Bloody Chamber is a good one for Halloween, although it might be a bit too fairy-tale after Stardust...

I'll have a look on my want to read list for something I HAVEN'T read yet either!!

On the subject of war and remembrance, what about Anne Frank The Diary of a Young Girl?
Or has everyone read it?

Sam wrote: "That's a good point, although i had it down as more of a fantasy thing but thinking about it, it is a bit soppy aint it lol.

I've read that it was very funny did take me a bit longer than my usu..."

Were you meaning Catch 22 or Stardust?!

Oooh that's not a bad suggestion! I've not read Anne Frank The Diary of a Young Girl which is quite embarrassing to admit!!

Liz wrote: "Sam wrote: "That's a good point, although i had it down as more of a fantasy thing but thinking about it, it is a bit soppy aint it lol."
That one was about Stardust


Liz wrote: "Sam wrote: I've read that it was very funny did take me a bit longer t..."
And that one was Catch 22!

Zoe, you know I want to nominate "An Apple for the Teacher", but I guess it'll be too expensive for others to read.

Tim, seeing as it's not to do with Halloween/Remembrance Day/Bonfire Night I'll add it to the poll for next month! :)

Sorry, I wasn't keeping up. As you know, there are quite a few fireworks in it, though! :)

Liz wrote: "Sam wrote: "That's a good point, although i had it down as more of a fantasy thing but thinking about it, it is a bit soppy aint it lol.

I've read that it was very funny did take me a bit longer t..."

The first one was about Stardust and the second bit about Catch 22, didn't make it too clear did I lol

Ooooh, just thought. What about Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith? It may be a bit of a gimmick, but I'd love to try it - certainly would be good for Halloween!

That does sound like it could be an interesting read! There are quite a few suggestions now so I think I'll create the poll now :D

Liz, I've read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and it is rather good, not the typical zombie over running everywhere story and the two stories blend surprisingly well :-) you should defin give it ago

Sam wrote: "Liz, I've read Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and it is rather good, not the typical zombie over running everywhere story and the two stories blend surprisingly well :-) you should defin give it ago"

I will (whether it ends up being the next monthly read or not!!!)

By the way I've found another relavent book on the whole Guy Fawkes thing, but it's non-fiction:

The Gunpowder Plot by Antonia Fraser (she seems to write historical biographies by the yard...)

Ok, the poll has ended and the book to read this month is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies! I'll add a topic for discussing it!