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!