Atomised by Michel Houellebecq

I read this in December 2016 for Book Club (January 2016 meeting)
Must say I was looking forward to this book, but it left me indifferent I'm afraid.  Maybe it something to do with the translation? I don't know.
It's about 2 half brothers, very different, both children of the 'flower power California' lifestyle of the 60s , but they turned out very different, yet somehow very much the same....a story of love, hate, despair....it does have a lot to say about contemporary society  and when it does that was interesting.  But it just didn't grab me I'm afraid...

I won't score it as I have no feelings one way or the other about this book...read it for yourself and let me know what you think

Looking Good Dead by Peter James

I read this Autumn 2015, I like Peter James novels and found this recently.
the first paragraph goes as follows:
'The front door of the once-proud terraced house opened, and a long-legged young woman, in a  short silk dress that seemed to both cling and float at the same time, stepped out into the fine June sunshine on the last morning of her life.'
I wish I could write like that - says all we need to know to entice us in.
A tale of torture and murders and snuff videos.  Quite gruesome in places.
10/10

The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill

I read this Summer 2015
Another in the Simon Serrailler series, having read it I think I might have read it before, but no matter you always forget details in crime novels (well I do)
A women goes missing in the fog on 'The Hill' and the investigation leads to uncovering a mass murderer.
I really like Susan Hill
10/10

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

I read this Summer 2015.  The latest Sarah Waters offering.  This was a Waterstones bookclub choice, which happened to coincide with when I was reading it anyway!
A typical Sarah Waters, if you like her you will like this.
The story line centres around a mother a dn daughter who having fallen on hard times have t take in lodgers, a young couple, newly married.  The daughter and wife fall in love.
If you like Sarah Waters you'll like this
9/10

Look Who's back by Timur Vermes

I read this for Waterstone's book club read (my choice)
It is about Hitler coming back in the present a sort of ' Adam Adamant' type scenerio... he wakes up and comes out of his bunker and it's present day Berlin.  The people think he's a comedian/ imitator and he can't get to grips with the fact that people are not reacting to him as being real.  I think it was a good concept that rather fell flat (maybe in translation?) but I did hear it on Radio 4 and it seemed funny then, so maybe it's a book to be listened to not read
6/10 

Life after Life by Kate Atkinson

I read this summer 2015
I like Kate Atkinson, her books are so different.  This one is no exception.  We read story after story of teh same life, lived in so many different ways, so many 'What ifs' I really enjoyed it
9/10

The End of Mr Y by Scalett Thomas

I read this Summer 2015
A novel in the Magical Realism genre.  Ariel finds a cpy of the End of Mr Y in a secondhand book shop, wriiten by a Victorian Scientist it's a novel of timetravel, and adventure.  I love this genre and really liked this book.
9/10