February Books - Group Reading

A shorter month and fewer books read too.  Thank goodness my Book Club deadlines keep me focussed and force me to make time for reading or some months I might not read at all!

Each month, a member suggests a choice of books for the monthly read and then we vote.  While I waited to get hold of the February "winner" I grabbed one of the "rejects" from the library: Rachel Joyce's "Perfect".  Right from the start I knew I was reading a book that would haunt me. Like many of last month's books it had different narrative voices and times, alternating between present day Jim and a young schoolboy Byron growing up 40 years earlier.  Byrons's schoolboy view of the world is naive and confused.  Reading between the lines of clipped conversations, the reader has a better idea of the potential chain of events spiralling out of control.  Recently released back into the community, modern day Jim is equally lost and confused following the closure of the psychiatric home where he's lived for many years.  Again the reader watches with a greater understanding, uncomfortably anticipating the reactions of Jim's co-workers as he struggles to cope in the "real" world, relying on OCD rituals to soothe his fears.  The alternating narratives intertwine and gradually reveal their connections ... with a final surprise twist for the unwary.

February's Book Club "winner" was "The Cuckoo's Calling" by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K.Rowling).  This book had its flaws, not least the ridiculous choice of name for the private eye hired to re-investigate the death of model Lula Landry: every mention of Cormoran Strike set my teeth on edge!  However the plot raced along with plenty of red herrings to keep me guessing and, despite some heavy sign-posting revealing the murderer, I couldn't work out the motivation.  I was reminded of the Agatha Christie novels I loved as a teenager - we even had a Poirot-esque big reveal in the final pages.  Galbraith/Rowling is planning to write another few (six?) books featuring Strike and his female sidekick Robin.  As there were plenty of unanswered questions about the characters' pasts and several intriguing hints about future developments, I'll probably read on.

Finally I am currently reading March's "winner" in plenty of time for our next meeting.  Louisa Young's "My Dear, I Wanted To Tell You" was chosen because the centenary of the outbreak of the "Great" War is being celebrated commemorated this year.  Riley is a working class lad in love with upper class Nadine and she with him.  When she is removed from his life, he volunteers to serve in the army for the duration of the war (he viewed the alternative of enlisting for a year as an excessive commitment).  Riley's descriptions of life on the front line, the field hospitals and his periods of leave back in Blighty have had me in tears several times. Whilst there are some graphic descriptions of the effects of warfare on the common man, it is the emotional impact on Riley and his fellows that really hits home.  The book also recounts the lives of several women left behind who, under normal circumstances, would have been content to live out their wifely/motherly/spinsterly lives but are forced into  new roles thanks to the lack of men and the straits of wartime.  The novel is so well crafted that I have no idea how the main characters' stories will develop and I cannot wait to continue reading.  Highly recommended (so far)!

Do you belong to a reading group?  How do you choose which books to read?