Water for Elephants ~ Sara Gruen

Set during the Great Depression,  Water for Elephants  gives you an insight into how      desperate men will do anything to remain in work even if it is with the unscrupulous Uncle Al,  the owner of The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth.

This is also a love story, and the love interest is in the form of the talented Marlena whom Jacob, our narrator, is very attracted to.  Marlena is married to August the head animal trainer.  August is a paranoid schizophrenic and a very unlikable character indeed. 

The novel is told by Jacob in the present remembering his life in the past, he is 90 or 93 - he's not too sure - and lives in a nursing home.  When a circus comes to town it triggers his memories.

Not generally a fan of love stories, I was surprised by just how much I enjoyed this novel.

PS Rosie is a legend J

The Wasp Factory ~ Iain Banks

The teenage narrator of the Wasp Factory reminded me of Tom Ripley from The         Talented Mr Ripley - Frank Cauldhame is a psychopath or a sadist but you  get to like him like you do Tom Ripley.

I liked the way the novel unraveled the events from the past which shaped Frank's present, and the revelation that even Frank is not what he seems. 

It is very well written, but it is also very violent and graphic and it would probably be wise not to read it if you are an animal lover.  I had to keep telling myself - it's only a story, it's only a story..........

World War Z ~ Max Brooks

I was about a quarter of the way through this novel when I realised that there were was more to it than initially met the eye, so I went back to the beginning and paid more attention to what I was reading.

Told in a ‘documentary’ format, this could have been any war in history that was being discussed and dissected.  Told by various survivors it covers the initial source of the zombie infection, the inability of governments to act on the intelligence given and the how the aftermath of the plague was being handled ten years later.

The enemy in all wars is given a nickname ie Jerry for the Germans and in this case the zombie is known as Zack by the defending forces.  The dialogue used by the military interviewees really made this story feel believable!

Overall, I thought it was an intelligent well thought out novel, and definitely a stand out in this genre. 

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Lightkeeper's Wife ~ Karen Viggers

If you are feeling a bit 'down', don't read this novel.  It is as grey and morose as the Tasmanian weather where it is set.

The book blurb states that "The Lightkeeper's Wife is a moving story of love, loss and family."  Well, it's a theme that has been done to death, and a lot better too.  For a start it's more about the Lightkeeper's son, not the wife, and there Viggers is totally unable to write a sympathetic New Age male character without him coming across as pathetic and feminine.

I was completely bored with this novel and frustrated with it's whining monotone.