Fire and Sword

Book 3 in Simon Scarrow's epic story of Napoleon and Wellington is another absorbing story. You can feel the suffering of the troops as they march, counter march, deal with low rations and impatient generals. The generals have to deal with non-military imterference into what they know they can achieve. The characters of the two men are developing as they move towards their Waterloo. Napoleon is starting to give into his megalomania viewing all others as subordinate to his visions. Wellington had a much slower rise to much less power and was required to do much more with much fewer resources. The battles are detailed in vivid descriptions so that you can imagine being one of the great generals and trying to decide where and when to commit your last reserves.

Wendy

who hasn't had doubts?

The DVD DOUBT has had critical acclaim for its uncompromising storyline and searingly honest portrayals of the main characters by some fine actors. Meryl Streep (Sister Aloysius) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (Father Flynn) shine in this movie, ably supported by Amy Adams as the idealistic nun slowly losing her innocence as she encounters the gritty realities of running a school. The movie is based on the Pulitzer Prize and Tony award wining play by John Patrick Shanley who also wrote and directed the movie. What is the relationship at the heart of the movie? Is the merciless headmistress or the affable priest the real supporter of the children? How does a mother best protect her son in the light of unreasonable constraints? The film raises questions rather then providing answers in an absorbing and complex exposition.

Wendy

From Little Britain to fiction

David Walliams is best known as one of the creators of the Little Britain TV series. This first novel is an exploration of "The Boy in the Dress" and seeks to explain a boy's journey into cross dressing. Beautifully illustrated by Quentin Blake, the boy in question comes to an understanding with his class mates at school and with his father. He is helped by being one of the school's best soccer players and is needed for a crucial game. I can't help wondering if a boy without a sought-after talent would have fared quite as well. More fable than gritty but an enjoyable read nonetheless. Walliams has a light and sure touch and hopefully will write more.

Wendy

All marriages have their own secrets.....

A thought provoking read as a man re-discovers his life after his wife dies suddenly in The Marriage Club by Kate Legge. Each person in their circle of friends starts to wonder how much they each know of their friends and of their own marriages. The Age writes " Legge's compassionate intelligence informs a graceful and deeply felt novel that will arrive as a welcome breathing lesson in many lives. Satisfying and interesting.
Wendy

Quantum of Solace - The Complete James Bond Short Stories

James Bond has had so many incarnations it is difficult to tell what defined the 'real' Bond from the hyperreal cinematic spy. Each actor has brought various aspects of Ian Fleming's iconic character alive from Sean Connery's seminal tough, handsome and uncompromising portrayal through to Daniel Craig's near brutal, strikingly masculine and physical realisation in the most recent films.

However, you need to go back to the original source material to get the feel, the grit, the intellectual thrill of the real James Bond. Ian Fleming wrote 12 Bond novels and 2 collections of short stories. Quantam of Solace collects these short stories in the one book. The brilliance of this volume is that the length of each story necessitates a concise plotline and distils for the reader the essence of Bond that is raw man, considerate and occaisionally compassionate human, as well as the cold instrument of the British government.

It is a great introduction to the written Bond and although they are half a century old, the stories still excite and make for compelling reading.
Matt