Waterstone's Bookclub

Dorothy Koomson - live webchat 9/3/2010 (1-3pm)

Dorothy Koomson is the author of six novels. Her first novel, The Cupid Effect, was published in 2003. After that, she didn't look back - The Chocolate Run was published in 2004, and then her "breakthrough" novel, My Best Friend's Girl, was released in 2006. It was picked for the Richard and Judy Summer Reads Book Club and went on to sell over 500,000 copies. Dorothy recently spent two years living in Sydney Australia, but is now back in England, but only for the time being, as she has been "well and truly bitten by the travel bug".

Her latest book is The Ice Cream Girls.

About The Ice Cream Girls:

"At only eighteen years of age, Poppy and Serena were the only witnesses to a tragic event. Amid heated public debate and scrutiny, the two glamorous teens were dubbed "The Ice Cream Girls" by the press and forced to go their separate ways and to lead very different lives. Twenty years later, Poppy is keen to set the record straight about what really happened, while married mother-of-two Serena wants no one in her present to find out about her past. But some secrets will not stay buried - and if theirs is revealed, their lives will start to unravel all over again..."

Read more about Dorothy on her author page

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Andrea Levy - live webchat - 18/2/2010

Andrea Levy was born in London, England in 1956 to Jamaican parents. Her first three novels explored - from different perspectives - the problems faced by black British-born children of Jamaican emigrants. Her first novel, the semi-autobiographical Every Light in the House Burnin' (1994), is the story of a Jamaican family living in London in the 1960s. Her second, Never Far From Nowhere (1996), is set during the 1970s and tells the story of two very different sisters living on a London council estate. In her third, Fruit of the Lemon (1999), Faith Jackson, a young black Londoner, visits Jamaica after suffering a nervous breakdown and discovers a previously unknown personal history.

Small Island, her fourth novel,( the historic winner of both the 2004 Orange Prize and the 2005 Whitbread Prize for Fiction), is set in 1948 and, through the stories of both English and Jamaican characters, it explores a point in England's past when the country began to change. It was successfully adapted for television in 2009. Her latest book is The Long Song.

About The Long Song:

"You do not know me yet. My son Thomas, who is publishing this book, tells me, it is customary at this place in a novel to give the reader a little taste of the story that is held within these pages. As your storyteller, I am to convey that this tale is set in Jamaica during the last turbulent years of slavery and the early years of freedom that followed. July is a slave girl who lives upon a sugar plantation named Amity and it is her life that is the subject of this tale. She was there when the Baptist War raged in 1831, and she was also present when slavery was declared no more..."

Read more about Andrea on her author page

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Marian Keyes - live web chat - Friday, 20th March

We had a fantastic a live webchat with Marian Keyes between on Friday 20th March - you can read the questions and answers on the thread below.

Marian Keyes is a publishing phenomenon. Though she didn't start writing until ten years ago, she is now one of the most successful Irish novelists of all time. She describes herself as "an accidental novelist." Though she was brought up in a home where a lot of oral story-telling went on, it never occurred to her that she could write. Instead she studied law and accountancy and finally started writing short stories in 1993 "out of the blue." Though she had no intention of ever writing a novel ("It would take too long") she sent her short stories to a publisher, with a letter saying she'd started work on a novel. She was born in Limerick in 1963, and brought up in Cavan, Cork, Galway and Dublin; she spent her twenties in London, but is now living in Dún Laoghaire with her husband Tony. She includes among her hobbies, reading, movies, shoes, handbags and feminism.

About This Charming Man:

Lola has just found out that her boyfriend - charismatic politician Paddy de Courcy - is getting married. To someone else. Heartbroken, Lola flees the city for a cottage by the sea. But will Lola's retreat prove as idyllic as she hopes? Journalist Grace wants the inside story on Paddy de Courcy's engagement and thinks Lola holds the key to it. Grace knew Paddy a long time ago. But why can't she forget him? Grace's sister, Marnie, might have the answer but she also has issues with the past. Her loving loving husband and beautiful daughters are wonderful, but they can't take away memories of her first love: a certain Paddy de Courcy. What will it take for Marnie to be able to move on? Alicia Thornton is Paddy's wife-to-be. Determined to be the perfect wife, Alicia would do anything for her fiance. But does she know the real Paddy? Four very different women. One awfully charming man. And the dark secret that binds them all.

Read more about Marian on her author page and watch a video

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The Book Circle - The Other Hand

Welcome to the Book Circle - our brand new book club.

We're launching with Chris Cleave's The Other Hand, join in our discussion below to share your views on this emotional read.

About the book:

The Other Hand tells the story of two very different women—a young refugee from the Nigerian delta and a suburban English housewife-whose lives collided years ago on a beach in Africa. Told in alternating voices, with humanity and humour, the story follows the course of their friendship as they struggle to save themselves and each other from the cruelties of life. In the end, their bond will face the ultimate test when each woman must make a devastating decision.

"This is truly an amazing, heart-wrenching book. I'm speechless at its beauty and cruelty and can't bring myself to write or say anything about the actual storyline for fear of not doing it any justice or giving anything away. What I will say is that Chris Cleave has captured the fear and single-mindedness of being alone, vulnerable and terrified, and has blown me away with this book."
Nicola Golding - Waterstone's Bookseller

Read more about Chris on his author page

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Life-Changing Books - What was yours?

A bit of a difference on the bookclub this month, as we ask you to tell us about your "life-changing books" - books that have either literally changed your life, or that have had a long-lasting effect on you or your outlook. We'd love you to nominate a book or books that is memorable for you and tell us why...

Earlier this year, booksellers from every Waterstone's store were asked to nominate a book that had made a profound impact on their lives and to give a short explanation why this book made such an impression. Over 100 titles have made the final list, and we've highlighted a few of our favourites here. If you pop into your local Waterstone's you'll be able to see more of the reasons our booksellers gave for their choices too.

We also asked our Waterstone's Cardholders to nominate books for this promotion, and four have been included in the final list and are shown on this page too. Don't forget, if you'd like the opportunity to nominate books for future Waterstone's promotions, as well as access to exclusive competitions and offers, and the chance to earn points while shopping, then sign up for a Waterstone's Card.

Michael Angill of Waterstone's Cardiff on Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts...

"This book at times moved me to tears and at other times stirred in me a great desire for adventure."

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A Spot of Bother

Jonathan Turner of Waterstone's, Darlington on A Spot of Bother :

"I developed a strange affliction while I was reading this book. I  started wanting to read it out loud to whoever was around me at the  time. That was fine when it was my wife, but it wasn't so good on the  train. There were just so many bits that I thought were worth quoting.  I only laughed out loud twice but he's got such an easy and amusing  style I wanted to share it with others."

This is Mark Haddon's follow-up to his amazing debut, The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time - a mordant, darkly humorous look at family relationships, which is almost uncomfortably true-to-life as it allows the reader to look into the everyday life of George, and the impact on his family as his mind gradually unravels in a miasma of paranoia.

If you've already read the book, we'd love to hear your opinions on it. If not, why not pick up a copy today and join the discussion later?

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The Lies of Locke Lamora

The Lies of Locke Lamora is something of a mixture between Hustle and  Oliver Twist, with a hint of The Pink Panther and a dash of Ocean's Eleven.
 
Part historical novel, part revenge thriller, part crime novel  and part fantastical adventure this is a brilliant debut novel from a  hugely talented first-time author.
 
In the words of Jennifer Williams, a bookseller based at Waterstone's Greenwich:
 
"Lies is funny, twisty, clever, violent and rude, with likeably wicked  characters and a story that's a mixture of The Sting and a gangster  movie. It's also extremely addictive and you are guaranteed to be  desperate for the next part, Red Seas Under Red Skies. Easily the best  book of 2006.." 
 
If you've already read the book, we'd love to hear your opinions on it. If not, why not pick up a copy today and join the discussion later?

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The Interpretation of Murder

The Interpretation of Murder has been called:
 
"A dazzling literary thriller - the story of Sigmund Freud assisting a Manhattan murder investigation. Think Shadow of the Wind meets The Historian. The Interpretation of Murder is an inventive "tour de force" inspired by Sigmund Freud's 1909 visit to America, accompanied by protege and rival Carl Jung.
 
  In the words of Jeffrey Karacs, a Waterstone's bookseller based at Waterstone's Kensington:
 
"Mix together New York in the early 1900s, the murder of a beautiful young woman, a trainee psychiatrist, a rookie cop and a host of sinster characters and you have the recipe for a perfectly formed historical novel. Add to this the figures of Freud and Jung and you will discover what I found to be an original, page turning spin the detective genre which held me in suspense right until the very end. I predict it to be on the best sellers list in 2007 from a first time novelist, and not since 'Shadow of the Wind' have I so enjoyed a book."

If you've already read the book, we'd love to hear your opinions on it. If not, why not pick up a copy today and join the discussion later?

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The Blood of Flowers

The Blood of Flowers is a powerful and lyrical debut novel set in 17th century Iran. Describing one young girl's troubled journey from childhood to womanhood, it interweaves ancient folk tales with the narrative to paint a vivid portrait of Iranian culture, as well as addressing the universal themes of maturity, sensuality and family relationships. In the words of one Waterstones.com reviewer:

"The Blood of Flowers is a sweeping, extravagant and sexy tale brought  to life by gorgeous descriptions of the scenery and architecture, the  bazaars and market stalls, the food and the drink, the hand-knotted  carpets and the factories in which they are made"

If you've already read the book, we'd love to hear your opinions on it. If not, why not pick up a copy today and join the discussion later?

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25 Years of Bookselling

We recently asked all our booksellers to vote on their favourite books of the past twenty-five years, and the top hundred titles are, as you'd expect, are a very mixed bag indeed. With choices ranging from Frank McCourt to Steven Hawking, and Irvine Welsh to Joanne Harris, you'd think there would be something to suit all tastes - but when it comes to literary leanings, you most definitely can't please all of the people all of the time...

Do you have a favourite book that doesn't feature on the list, that you feel has been unfairly overlooked? If so we'd love to hear from you, and have your opinions on which books you think should really have made the top hundred, and which titles really didn't deserve to be on the list...

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