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Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

MNHQ have commented on this thread

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Find your new favourite book or recommend one on our Book forum.

MNHQ have commented on this thread

What we're reading

Book Club

77 replies

DaisyRaine90 · 03/11/2017 15:07

So who’s up for having a book club on here? All choose one book, read it in a month (for the busy ones 😂) and then come back with a 🍷 and some 🍫 and discuss our thoughts? Like a digital book club? X

OP posts:

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beachygirl · 20/12/2017 10:59

A bit late to the party, but I'd like to join and have just bought Do No Harm. I read lots of fiction but my non-fiction stays in the same few areas so this will be good to get my out of my rut.

babybythesea · 20/12/2017 10:31

I've finished the Cathy Kelly now.
I really didn't think it was that good. It passed the time but that's about the best I can say for it. I'm pleased I'm not the only one who struggled with the number of characters. I read it on kindle so flipping back to check who someone is wasn't possible and it got quite confusing. In particular the reintroduction of Isobel at the end. Who the hell was Isobel?!

i thought so many of the characters were caricatures. I just really couldn't engage with them, or with the book generally. And I didn't really like the writing style. Not massively taken with the choice of language or phasings.
I (very patronisingly) have a category of fiction I call 'WH Smith fiction.' I don't buy decent books from WH Smith, I go to a proper bookshop! (I said it was patronising!)
This was a cross between that and chick lit. I don't like either genre - this really was not the book for me.

Pleased I've read it though - it's good to occasionally read stuff you wouldn't otherwise bother with just to make sure you are properly challenging your ideas and prejudices.

Blueroses99 · 08/12/2017 16:41

Ok so I did enjoy the book. It’s not a genre I read frequently so didn’t seem particularly cliched but I can see why you might say that.

The infertility storyline was very realistic and well written, especially the inner turmoil of repeated unsuccessful IVF cycles and the affect this has on relationships... unfortunately I can relate to Jojo’s feelings. When you know you’re being unreasonable but can’t help your negative emotions taking over.

Anyway, that’s what’s sticking in my mind from reading the book.

StripySocksAndDocs · 08/12/2017 15:46

There were two paragraph early on that said the same thing twice.

Must have been the first chapter. I got that too.

StripySocksAndDocs · 08/12/2017 15:43

I'll 'fess up. It went back to the library after 20 pages. Couldn't stick it.

My three words:

cliche
unimaginative
generic.

BigPinkOrchid · 08/12/2017 11:24

Struggled through it...didn't enjoy it at all, really wanted to shelve it.

Your first question Stripy - what three words would you use to describe this book? First word that came to me instantly was 'overpopulated'! Far too many characters. And not only the characters that the story was actually about, but all the names of other people thrown in...every new name I had to think about whether they'd been mentioned before, were they relevant to the story (mostly no!), and what was the point of bringing in these new people's views/comments for the sake of a sentence or two?

Also agree with you Cherry, lots of sexist nonsense in there. The author seems to not have a very high opinion of men at all.

Can't say any of the characters particularly endeared themselves to me. Very much disliked Bess.

I probably have more to say, but I'll leave it for now...

Cherrypi · 08/12/2017 09:58

I’m half way through. I found it confusing, comforting and sexist. There were too many characters for me I was getting a bit muddled at the start. I like the characters and the story so far. It did seem to generalise and run down men a lot. I was surprised editing errors crept in with such a famous author. There were two paragraph early on that said the same thing twice.

StripySocksAndDocs · 07/12/2017 14:55

Can't find any questions for the particular book so here's some generic ones:

What three words would you use to best describe this book.

What was your favorite moment in the book? Your least favorite?

If you were in charge of casting the movie version of this book, who would you cast as each character?

If you could invite one character over to your house for dinner, who would it be & why?

If you had to trade places with any character in the book, who would you choose & why?

What surprised you the most when you were reading this book?

Why do you think the author chose to tell the story from the perspective that (s)he did?

Who would you have chosen as the narrator?

How did the setting of the book (location, time period, or both) impact the story?

If you had to choose one lesson that the author was trying to teach us with this story, what would it be?

If you could write one more chapter after the ending, what would you write?

StripySocksAndDocs · 07/12/2017 13:53

It's the 7th so I'm bumping us up!!

It looks like it's just the Cathy Kelly that's up for discussion - think the nonfiction is to be discussed next month (along with whatever fiction is chosen).

Cherrypi · 30/11/2017 08:03

January? That works for me.

BigPinkOrchid · 27/11/2017 08:12

Thanks Cherry. I thought the non fiction was for next month, but I might be wrong about that...? (I hope it is!)

Cherrypi · 27/11/2017 07:52

Till 7th December. Are we discussing the non fiction then too. I haven’t started that yet and I’m only about a quarter of the way through the Cathy Kelly.

BigPinkOrchid · 25/11/2017 11:27

I was a bit late joining, so I'm just about to start the Cathy Kelly book...how long have I got?!

babybythesea · 24/11/2017 19:29

I'm in. I'm in a RL book club too so it may prove difficult to keep up but I'd like to give it a go.

Cherrypi · 24/11/2017 12:24

Found do no harm in the library. Now just need to get off and mumsnet and get reading.

DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 22/11/2017 09:14

Brilliant I've just got both (one kindle one on paperback). Good suggestions!

DaisyRaine90 · 19/11/2017 20:30

Ok Do No Harm it is
Exciting

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BigPinkOrchid · 19/11/2017 20:06

I got Do No Harm free with something...I can't remember what...life insurance...?! Anyway, whatever it was, I remember reading some very good reviews about it, but just haven't gotten around to reading the actual book yet.

Cherrypi · 19/11/2017 14:03

Henry Marsh.

DaisyRaine90 · 19/11/2017 09:27

Do no harm sounds good, who is it by? x

OP posts:

Cherrypi · 19/11/2017 07:30

Do no harm is shorter I think. Always a good quality on a book club book.

BigPinkOrchid · 16/11/2017 20:22

Ooh, can I join too please? Have just ordered the Cathy Kelly book.

For the non-fiction, what's the author of First Do No Harm pinkingshears? I've got a book called Do No Harm - Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh...is that the one? Haven't read it yet, so if that's the one you're talking about, I'll definitely second it.

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DaisyRaine90 · 15/11/2017 23:13

which non fiction are we going with then? just finished my last book so starting cathy Kelly now :) x

OP posts:

StripySocksAndDocs · 15/11/2017 08:05

I think I've read a Cathy Kelly. Will need to look my read book list in goodreads and try recall what!!

Cherrypi · 14/11/2017 07:42

I want to read both of those too pinkingshears.

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