Book of the Month - March 2012 - Me Before You

The Book

The publishers cover blurb bills this book as a romance, but it is in fact something more complex.

It is story of the coming together of two unlikely people - Will Traynor, a former successful  well-paid lawyer who has been injured in a road traffic accident - and Lou Clarke, a bright but directionless young woman who after losing her job at a local cafe reluctantly starts working as a care assistant.

It deals with some sensitive subjects - those of disability, quadriplegia, personal care and human rights which makes for a thought provoking read.

The Author

JoJo Moyes is both a successful author and journalist. Born in 1969 she grew up in London and gradauted with a degree from Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, London University. She worked at The Independent for over ten years including as Assistant News Editor and the Arts and Media Correspondent. In 2002, she became a full time novelist. She has written 9 novels and her first book was called 'Sheltering Rain'.

More Information

Access JoJo Moyes' website at http://www.jojomoyes.com. The book was selected as a Richard and Judy Book Club choice in Spring 2012. View the book club review at: http://www.richardandjudy.co.uk/books/Me-Before-You/169

Book of the Month - February 2012 - The Mystery of Edwin Drood

The Book
This was Dickens' final novel which he left uncompleted upon his death from a stroke in 1870. The story is a murder mystery set midst the fictional cathedral town of Cloisterham. It centres around two young orphans - Edwin Drood and Rosa Bud and Edwin's uncle, the troubled John Jasper, the cathedral choirmaster.
As with his other novels, Dickens includes a varied cast of true to life characters ranging from young urchins, the local town mayor, the 'angular' lawyer, Grewgious and Princess Puffer who runs an opium den.
This being a whodunnit....the question is to ask ourselves who is the culprit...Neville Landless? John Jasper?....or does the mystery have a different explanation? You'll have to read the clues Dickens peppers throughout the novel carefully.....
The Author
7 Feb 2012 marks the 200th anniversary of Charles John Huffam Dickens' birth. Dickens is one of, if not the most famous British author. His books have been adapted for film and television more than 400 times and his novels remain a part of the British psyche. He was the master of the cliffhanger ending and his name as entered the English language through phrases such as 'What the Dickens?'.

More Information

Find out more about the BBC TV adaptation of 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' at http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jan/04/mystery-edwin-drood-dickens-bbc
Access details about the Dickens Museums in London and Portsmouth - http://www.dickensmuseum.com/ and http://www.charlesdickensbirthplace.co.uk/
If you are interested in Dickens you can also check out http://www.dickensfellowship.org/