Book of the Month - The Ocean at the End of the Lane - January 2014

The Book 

This is the story of an unnamed man who returns to his hometown for a funeral and gets caught up in events that started forty years earlier. The book concerns themes about the search for self-identity and the "disconnect between childhood and adulthood".

It was voted Book of the Year 2013 at the British National Book Awards by a 'significant margin' - an award that is voted for directly by the public.

The Author

Neil Gaiman as a versatile individual known for being both an author and an actor. Born in Portchester, Hampshire in 1960, he now lives in the United States. As an actor he has starred in Coraline and Beowulf. His writing includes comic books, graphic novels, children's books, short fiction and film scripts.

More Information

Find out all you need to know about Neil Gaiman on his website at: - http://www.neilgaiman.com/. If you use Twitter you can follow him at: https://twitter.com/neilhimself

Book of the Month - The Lighthouse - December 2013

The Book

This is the story of Futh, a middle aged man who has recently divorced his wife. The story is set over his weeks walking holiday in Germany. Gradually through flashbacks we learn more about Futh's troubled past and the significance of the lighthouse which draws him into a bond with a bored guest house owner's wife.

The book was nominated for the Man Booker Prize in 2012 (whose eventual winner was. Hilary Mantel). This is no mean feat considering this is a debut novel published by a small independent publishing firm, called Salt.

Sir Peter Stothard, editor of the Times Literary Supplement and chair of judges for the 2012 Booker Prize, said: "The judges admired The Lighthouse's bleak inner landscape, a temperature control set low and an impressively assured control." What will the book club members in Ponders End think? 

The Author

Alison Moore is a 40-something mother of one who lives in Leicestershire. She has previously written short stories.

More Information

Read more about the author at http://www.alison-moore.com/books/the-lighthouse/