The 39 Steps by John Buchan

When Richard Hannay returns from a long stay in Africa, he becomes caught up in a sensational plot to precipitate a pan-European war.

After the discovery of a corpse in his flat, Hannay flees the attentions of both the conspirators and the forces of the law, and the pursuit turns

into a thrilling manhunt.

Set against the hot summer which precedes the outbreak of the First World War, The 39 Steps is one of the finest and most highly admired thrillers ever written.

We rarely fail to please with our classics. As a group we can see the merit in most of these literary gems, even if it does not fall into our preferred genre. The 39 Steps was seen for what it was; a boy's own adventure with quick, punchy episodes written to entertain. The hero, Richard Hannay, delighted us as he skipped his way through the country side as a more than competent espionage agent dodging enemies and much of the humour was not lost to us.

On a more serious note, we found the descriptive passages, particularly of the Scottish landscape beautifully written and believe Steps to be a book of its time that ticked many of boxesd for an engaging adventure novel in 1915.

A few of us were not quite so impressed, finding the writing a little amateurish with too many coincidences and an unbelievable story line. Old-fashioned it may be, but as a forerunner to the modern-day, adventure espionage novel, you are not likely to get anything better.

November Book - Tuscan Rose by Belinda Alexandra

A mysterious stranger known as 'The Wolf' leaves an infant with the sisters of Santo Spirito. A tiny silver key hidden in her wrapping is the one clue to the child's identity ...

Rosa's only family is the nuns who have raised her. When she turns 15, she must leave them and become governess to the daughter of an aristocrat and his strange, frightening wife. Their house is elegant but cursed and Rosa is torn between her desire to know the truth and her fear of its repercussions.

And all the while the hand of Fascism curls around the beautiful Italy and none of her citizens is safe. Rosa faces unimaginable hardship; her only weapons are her intelligence, intuition and determination ... and her extraordinary capacity for love.

It is safe to say that our group is paying the price for reading good fiction, because once you have turned down that road there is no going back! Popular fiction just does not make the cut anymore and such has been the fate of this month's book Tuscan Rose by Belinda Alexandra.

There was a long list of complaints; characters underdeveloped, errors, too long, too many coincidences and full of mawkish sentimentality. And a number of us found the main character's psychic ability very annoying!

Thankfully this did not impede the discussion and our sense of humour saw us through. A few relented and admitted that Rose was not all that bad, for an easy, light read. And the war history component edged on the interesting.

Alexandra has a number of titles released, much along these same lines, but I don't think you'll find any of our group reaching for them in a hurry.

Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler

Widowed, re-married, divorced and the father of three daughters, Liam is a man who is proud of his recall, but something occurs to jolt him out of his certainty. Obsessed with a frightening gap in his memory, he sets out to uncover what happened.

His ex-wife and daughters worry about him so his teenage daughter Kitty is sent to stay - though it's not clear who is minding whom.

Noah's Compass is about memory and its loss, about incidents and relationships which open up sight lines into a painful past long dead for a man who becomes aware that merely trying to stay afloat may not be enough.

Considered a favourite author for many of our group, Anne Tyler has done it again. Her realistic characters and their relationships, if a little on the banal side, always seem to spawn a discussion that satisfies. This, her latest novel scored high with us and there were some who went back and read Noah for a second, even third time, finding more in the characters and their predicament with each reading. Now that's a dedicated novel reader!

If you have yet to try Tyler, why not add one to your summer reading list. A perfect choice for holiday reading is our recommendation.

August - Wanting by Richard Flanagan

Bass Strait, 1839. A young Aboriginal girl, Mathinna, runs through the wet wallaby grass of a wild island at the edge of the world to get help for her dying father. Eighteen years later in Manchester, the great novelist Charles Dickens is a sensation, starring in a play that more and more resembles the frozen landscape of his own inner life.

Explorer Sir John Franklin, and his wife, Lady Jane, adopt Mathinna as an experiment to prove that the savage can be civilised - only to discover that within the most civilised can lurk the most savage.

Inspired by historical events, Wanting is a haunting meditation about love, loss and the way life is finally determined never by reason, but only ever by wanting.

Last month's book certainly left a few of us wanting. Left us wanting more direction, more continuity and a movie version please!

It has been a while since we have had so many of our group give up on a book with at least half never finishing this novel and for much the same reasons; very disjointed with the story line jumping around too much and tenuously connected characters. Nadine felt that the writer was just trying to be too clever, leaving most readers simply 'not getting it'. There were a few head nods around the table at this comment, so Nadine was not alone.

On the other side, there were a few who could see the book's merit, but would not go so far as to say they enjoyed it. Respected it and its writer would have to be its highest reward. And then Jeanette waked us all from our stupor and announced that she loved this book and proceeded to point out the humour and the wonderfully descriptive passages of London and its characters. She found the writing intelligent and the contrast of civilisation and savagery brilliantly done. Viti agreed with her and we then found ourselves delving into the title's meaning and where it was relevant throughout the book. We discussed Richard Flanagan's other novels, which some of us had read and we marvelled at how each of them seem to be written in a different style. Something very unusual indeed, forcing at least some of us to try him again. But it was universally agreed ... we still want a movie!

We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

Two years ago, Eva Khatchadourian's son, Kevin, murdered seven of his fellow high school students, a cafeteria worker and a popular algebra teacher. Now, in a series of letters to her absent husband, Eva recounts the story of how Kevin cam to be Kevin.

Fearing that her own shortcomings may have shaped what her son has become, she confesses to a deep, long-standing ambivalence towards both motherhood in general and Kevin in particular. How much is her fault? When did it all start to go wrong? Or was it, in fact, ever 'right' at all?

As expected this book resulted in an amazing discussion ... not just on the book itself, but also on families, relationships, and the trials and tribulations of having and rearing children. These can be intense and emotional topics, but our group has never shied away from engaging in such. Who needs professional counselling when you belong to a book club!

Group comments included; 'Brilliant writing, couldn't put it down.' 'Disturbing, confronting subject matter.' 'Excellent research, considering author had no first hand parenting experience.'

Scores given were varied, which is often the case with our group, but amongst them were six 9/10. Very high praise indeed from our discerning readers!

Recommendation? Well, if you are looking for something riveting with a moral challenge, Kevin could be your answer.

June Book - The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham

Set in England and Hong Kong in the 1920s, The Painted Veil is the story of the beautiful but love-starved and shallow Kitty Fane. When her husband discovers her adulterous affair, in his revenge he forces her to accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic.

Stripped of the British society of her youth and the small but effective society she fought so hard to attain in Hong Kong, she is compelled by her awakening conscience to reassess her life and learn how to love.

This classic, tradgic love story was a qualified success in the discussion stakes this month. For although we had plenty to say, with a full table, it took us awhile to get through everyone's comments ... but in the end it proved worth it. With scores ranging from 5 to 9, we came to the conclusion that even though at times it leaned towards the melodramtic, it had most of us captivated from the start.

Some felt it lacked depth and wanted fuller character outcomes, but in the same breath said it was clever writing with a magnificent turn of phrase. This was the first Maugham for some of us, a return for others. It was mentioned by a few that this was a book of its time, considering the views on divorce, adultry and foreign policy, but from the enjoyment that we found in the reading, it would seem that his stories are timeless and still hold a place in today's literature.

The recent movie adaptation also received a positive 'thumbs up' and those who had not seen it were encouraged to do so. Both are available from our library collection. Sounds like a good way to spend a winter's evening?

May Book - Dog Boy by Eva Hornung

Abandoned in a big city at the onset of winter, a hungry four year old boy follows a stray dog to her lair. There in the rich smelly darkness, in the rub of hair, claws and teeth, he joins four puppies in the warmth of their mother's coat.

And so begins Romochka's life as a dog. Weak and hairless, with his useless nose and blunt little teeth, Romochka is ashamed of what a poor dog he makes. But learning how to be something else ... that's a skill a human can master. Fortunately, because one day Romochka will have to learn how to be a boy.

This book drew a few strong reactions, which, considering the basic survival theme, is not really surprising. The fact that it was a small child who found himself in such circumstances only heightened our groups distaste, so much so that a few could not even read on.

But for those who did, it was an emotional and unforgettable read. Denise found the writing excellent, tense and very edgy. Most found it amazingly believable, which was unexpected. We felt that this age old story of a boy being raised by dogs (or wild animals of some kind) belongs more in the fantasy or fairytale category, with references being made back to Mogali of Jungle Book and as far back as Ancient Rome and the poet Publius Ovidius, which is covered in the David Malouf book An Imaginary Life. But this very contemporary story dwells in the here and now of Moscow, which a few of our members have visited. Tera thought the descriptions of Moscow very well done. She even brought us photos she had taken of the city's subways and train stations that feature so prominently in the book. There is of course a hefty handful of true life feral children, so our suspended believe need not be stretched too far.

Viti found the treatment of the poorer classes and general conditions disturbing and a good deal of our discussion centred on this. The winters in this part of the world are harsh and we reflected on how difficult it would be for the homeless and abandoned.

There were a few points that did not sit right with some of us. We found it out of character for Romochka to kill his uncle, no matter how much he deserved it! Romochka to this point had only been taught to kill for food or in self defence. And the torture scene was hard to bear. Did children really behave in this cruel manner? Again, Tera had had first hand experience with the street orphans of Moscow and she confirmed that the survival instinct is extremely strong and that she did find this event within her realm of believe.

So, if you are not prone to squeamish reactions and like a good, gutsy human hardship tale, Dog Boy could be good choice over these winter months. It will certainly make you appreciate your warm and cozy reading corner!

Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

At the end of his three decades of service at Darlington Hall, Stevens embarks on a country drive, during which he looks back over his career to reassure himself that he has served humanity by serving 'a great gentleman'. But lurking in his memory are doubts about the true nature of Lord Darlington's greatness and graver doubts about his own faith in the man he served.

A profoundly compelling portrait of the perfect English butler and of his fading, insular world in postwar England.

Variety goes a long way to creating a satisfying reading experience and we do love our variety! Pulled from the depths of the multicultural contemporary Australian suburb, this month we found ourselves up to our stiffened high collars of England's post-war aristocracy with Ishiguro's fabulous Remains of the Day. Other than the fact that a few of us found it a little slow, it was enthusiastically considered a great read with praise coming across the table on everything from writing style and characterisation to remarkable witticism and humour.
It is interesting that a pedantic, formal, and let's face it, boring character such as Stevens could produce so many opinions and intense scrutiny as he did with our group. Everyone had ideas as to how and why this loyal, stuffy butler marched through his life with blinkers the size of tennis rackets on! His childhood, society, the class system, his birth right, the upstairs/downstairs effect, personality dysfunction ... they were all thrown in and tossed around until poor Stevens had been psychologically studied to death ... What fun!

Viti faithfully (as always) brought us a wonderfully feasible explanation of the title, being the reflections of a day's work (Stevens work was his life), so casting a look back on the remains of his life. Remains could also be considered the wreck of his life. Very profound, we all thought.

There was plenty more to discover in this small but truly enjoyable book, with new insights into a very political time in England between the two World Wars. We all enjoyed the humour of the 'bantering problem' and came to the conclusion that Lord Darlington was probably not anti-Semitic but did cave into the pressures of the time. Not totally forgivable within our group!

We scored it high with nothing under a 7/10, so if you would like a beautifully written, leisurely read with great characterisation and thought provoking themes, Remains of the Day gets our approval this month.

The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas

At a suburban barbecue, a man slaps a child who is not his own. This event has a shocking ricochet effect on a group of people, mostly friends, who are directly or indirectly influenced by the event.

In this remarkable novel, Christos Tsiolkas turns his unflinching and all-seeing eye onto that which connects us all; the modern family and domestic life in the 21st century. The Slap and its consequences force them all to question their own families and the way they live, their expectations, beliefs and desires.

Nine out of 10 times, a book club discussion will serve up surprises. And not necessarily through opinions alone ... at times the surprise comes from whom those opinions are expressed.

Our March book The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas was always going to prove somewhat of a challenge. The language, violence and sex content were more than what we usually indulge in, and yes, all these issues were included in our discussion. But the acceptance level from some of our readers was amazing. Jeanette in particular thought it to be a remarkable book. She found all the characters believable and especially enjoyed the Monolis chapter, in which we see the goings-on through the eyes of Greek immigrant grandparents.

Nancy found the story to be a very good depiction of our society; with our main motivation being greed and the belief that we are entitled to whatever we want. Something I think we were all generally in agreement with.

There was much talk about the male characters (not surprising in an all female group!) with comments such as despicable, morons and ugly. Not exactly endearing descriptions, but they were spooned out along side comments including clever, well drawn, gritty and honest.

It certainly proved to be a challenging read for our group. Some believed the author took on too much here, but whether you love or hate these characters, they are sure to produce a strong and emotional opinion in all but the most faint-hearted of readers.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

In a dusty post-war summer in rural Warwickshire, a doctor is called to a patient at lonely Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for over two centuries, the Georgian house, once grand and handsome, is now in decline, its masonry crumbling and its gardens choked with weeds. The owners - mother, son and daughter - are struggling to keep pace with a changing society, as well as with conflicts of their own.

But are the Ayreses haunted by something more sinister than a dying way of life? Little does Dr Faraday know how closely and how terrifyingly their story is about to become entwined with his.

As we start our new list for the year, we have been thrown the challenge of a supernatural theme in The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. But as we made our way around the table, it was soon clear that most of us found much more than ghosts within the walls of Hundreds Hall.

In fact, a few of us took in little or none of the spirit world and found its basic theme more about class structure, power struggles and human frailties. Was there ever a ghost or poltergeist in Hundreds Hall? Well, we differed in our opinions on this and a few others points. Some found the story slow to start, with predictable character lines and there was also the opinion that the book could have been a few hundred pages shorter!

On the up side, there were those who found the writing style gripping with wonderfully descriptive passages of the old mansion in its post-war deterioration, effortlessly transporting the reader into the halls and ballrooms of the past. Alongside these views, we did all agree on one dominating theme, and that was the presence of the social class structure and how it was eroding during the post WWII era.

By the end of our discussion (and it was unanimously thought to be a good one) we more or less agreed that the story was never intended to have a neatly tied-up conclusion and that the many loose ends are intentionally left dangling. However, two very interesting points were tabled by Nadine and Denise, Firstly, Nadine felt that the book was highlighting the unexplainable, and how we as humans need to have a clear and definite answer to anything that we cannot logically explain. And then, in the end, whose explanation is the correct one ... and correct to who?

And then Denise brought up an idea that I don't think any of us had thought of. Is Waters doing a calculated study of the old established families and their mansions? Why are so many of them supposedly riddled with ghosts of the past? And are these ghosts and demons simply a manifestation of the family's frailties in an insecure world where their position and status is threatened? Is the house simply displaying the family's madness?

We don't really expect there to be answers to these questions, but it was certainly fun rifling through them and then coming no closer to the truth about The Little Stranger.

December book - Breath by Tim Winton

When paramedic Bruce Pike is called out to deal with another teenage adventure gone wrong, he knows better than his partner, better than the parents, what happened and how.

Thirty years before, that dead boy could have been him.

Breath is a story about the wildness of youth - the lust for excitement and terror, the determination to be extraordinary, the wounds that heal and those that don't - and about learning to live with its passing.

Our last book for 2009 provided a lively discussion for our first meeting of the year. We divided into two camps over Tim Winton's Breath. We had the die-hard Winton fans who, to put it mildly, absolutely loved this book! It was brimming with Australian 'Winton' charm, superb characterisation and a wonderful sense of place ... his much loved West Australian coast.

Then we had the not so converted. This was grounded mostly in the writing style. It is true that Winton's style either works for you or not, with the latter being the case here. A few thought it just a surfing story with too much description and not enough rounding off of the main character's adult life.

His his fans strongly disagreed with these views and our discussion moved onto the other issues covered in the story; teenage recklessness and thrill-seeking, parent/child relationships, simply coming-of-age and something more sinister ... the control of young lives by dysfunctional adults. This particular issue was disturbing for some of our readers, mainly the inclusion of auto-erotic asphyxiation, but then, when has Winton ever shied away from stepping outside the boundaries?

Reagardless of its critics, Breath scored well with our group and I think it will be a contender for a 2010 favourite. All in all, a great start to a new year of reading. If you haven't taken the plunge yet, dive in and see what you come up with!

Favourte book for 2009

Well, another year of reading has come and gone and this has been one of our best for attendance yet. Every year we seem to grow stronger as book clubs become more popular and self-professed bookworms become more enthusiastic about sharing their reading experiences. If you love reading and haven't joined a book club yet, make it a New Years resolution and find a club that suits your needs. You won't regret it!

Here at Dapto we're all looking forward to 2010 and a new list of books to read ... but which was our favourite for 2009? It was a simple exercise this year, as The Book Thief by Markus Zusak won by a clear margin. We read this early in the year, so there is no review post for it, but I can tell you that it was close to unanimous that this is a fantastic read. Comments that were put forward included; wonderful characterisation, good momentum, beautiful language and original narrative. And of course the scores were high, which resulted in its first place among the year's books.

On the negative side a few of our readers thought the writing to be a little on the young level, aimed more at teenagers (although many of us disagreed with this) and it really was just another story about the holocaust, which there are too many of anyway. These few things aside, The Book Thief proved to be a popular choice and the first of its kind for more than a few of our members ... a worthwhile accomplishment for any book club.