bookworm
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Nick Hornby.
Nick writes for the New Yorker and is author of Fever Pitch, High Fidelity, About a Boy and How to be Good. In 1999, he was awarded the E.M.Forster award, by the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
The Suicide Club by Rhys Thomas
So, first to the favourite novel of the month. A raw and compelling slice of
teenage angst, taken to the limit. It tells of the ‘new boy’ influencing a bunch of misfits, loners, who need to belong and who embrace the idea of forming an elite group, how he influences them and the dreadful consequences that entail. All teenagers wonder what life is about and if it’s worth it and this novel so captures that disillusionment. It’s painful but highly recommended.
Synopsis
Craig Bartlett-Taylor was always trying to kill himself, but when he took an overdose at the back of Mrs Kenna’s classroom, Richie thought he’d finally succeeded: it was a real-life Worst Case Scenario. But then the new kid, Freddy, steps in and saves Craig’s life, and for Richie the lure of this mysterious newcomer is irresistible. Freddy is like nobody Richie has ever met. Dark, sardonic and dangerous, he gives flight to Richie’s imagination, introducing him to a way of life he’d never thought possible. But when a night-time prank goes gut-wrenchingly wrong, Richie begins to question Freddy’s motives, and all too soon he finds himself committed to a sinister pact, with inescapably tragic consequences. It’s true that Freddy saved a life - but could he take one, too? With great wit and an unflinching eye for the muddle and drama of adolescence, The Suicide Club is a pitch-perfect portrait of teenage disaffection that sets boy against boy, imagination against reason - and, ultimately, life against death.
I Do Not Come to You by Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
A witty and compelling novel following the story of Kingsley, whose aspirations for pursuing knowledge and education get knocked back by a family tragedy, leading him in to the seedier, money-making world of email-scamming.
Synopsis
Kingsley is fresh out of university, eager to find an engineering job so he can support his family and marry the girl of his dreams. Being the opara of the family, he is entitled to certain privileges - a piece of meat in his egusi soup, a party to celebrate his graduation. But times are hard in Nigeria and jobs are not easy to come by. For much of his young life, Kingsley believed that education was everything, that through wisdom, all things were possible. But when a tragedy befalls his family, Kingsley learns the hardest lesson of all: education may be the language of success in his country, but it is money that does the talking.
In desperation he turns to his uncle, Boniface-aka Cash Daddy-an exuberant character who suffers from elephantiasis of the pocket. He is also rumoured to run a successful empire of email scams. But he can help. With Cash Daddy’s intervention, Kingsley and his family can be as safe as a tortoise under its shell. It is up to Kingsley now, to reconcile his passion for knowledge with his hunger for money, to fully assume his role of first son. But can he do it without being drawn into this outlandish milieu?
Juliet, Naked. by Nick Hornby
As you would expect in a book about relationships revolving around a music obsession Nick Hornby manages to get in his musical references and loves in
to the pages throughout this book. The story is about a relationship where the characters are facing middle age and wondering if they have wasted years not really achieving anything in their lives. If it sounds a little bit depressing don’t worry, as always, Hornby injects his humour throughout the story and creates interesting and memorable characters.
Synopsis
Nick Hornby returns to his roots - music and messy relationships - in this funny and touching new novel which thoughtfully and sympathetically looks at how lives can be wasted but how they are never beyond redemption. Annie lives in a dull town on England’s bleak east coast and is in a relationship with Duncan which mirrors the place; Tucker was once a brilliant songwriter and performer, who’s gone into seclusion in rural America - or at least that’s what his fans think. Duncan is obsessed with Tucker’s work, to the point of derangement, and when Annie dares to go public on her dislike of his latest album, there are quite unexpected, life-changing consequences for all three. Nick Hornby uses this intriguing canvas to explore why it is we so often let the early promise of relationships, ambition and indeed life evaporate. And he comes to some surprisingly optimistic conclusions.
Now that you have had a taster of the above novels why not get yourself a cuppa and visit our website www.theorbit.biz to read the book sample downloads.
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The Orbit
APRIL 2010
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e are delighted to have discovered a fantastic, book website that actually allows readers to download a snippet of a book you might like, before purchasing. We at The Orbit, thought this was a wonderful idea and have brought you, courtesy of lovereading.co.uk, a sample of a few delights on offer.
e have chosen two of the books that are currently lovereading.co.uk’s books of the month and another written by acclaimed pop music critic,
WHILST OUT HAVING A RELAXING DRINK MAYBE..?
SOMETHING TO DO
Across
1 The animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions that features 11 different cars racing against each other in various road rallies, is entitled the [what] Races? (5)
4 Which word completes the phrase that means ‘very clear and easy to understand’, as plain as a [what]? (9) 9 Which word, meaning ‘deadlock’ or ‘stalemate’, was the title of a 1969 American film starring Burt Reynolds, which concerned a group of adventurers trying to recover gold lost in the Philippines during World War II? (7) 10 What is the surname of Wendy, the heroine and female protagonist in the Peter Pan stories by J M Barrie? (7) 11 In the British version of the children’s television programme The Magic Roundabout, what sort of creature was Brian? (5) 13 Which name is given to a man’s detachable insert (usually starched) to simulate the front of a shirt? (5) 15 Paul Carrack was the original lead singer of which rock band, whose only British top 20 hit single was How Long in 1974? (3) 16 Which word completes the title of a David Gates song that has topped the singles charts for both Ken Boothe and Boy George, Everything I [what]? (3) 17 See 28 19 Which ‘supergroup’, formed in 1966, consisted of Jack Bruce, Eric Clapton and Ginger Baker? (5) 21 Who, according to the Gracie Fields’ song was the ‘pride of our alley’? (5) 23 Which word, derived from the Latin for ‘to worship’, means ‘love and respect deeply’? (5) 24 Which word, repeated three times, was the title of a 1983 hit single for Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson? (3) 25 The American actor, singer and former teen idol who has starred in over 40 major motion pictures, was born Arthur Andrew Kelm, but is better known as [what] Hunter? (3) 26 The Grammy Award winning Jamaican roots reggae singer and musician, who was born Winston Rodney, is better known as Burning [what]? (5) 28/17 All or Nothing, Itchycoo Park and Lazy Sunday were all top 10 hit singles for which mod group from East London? (5,5) 29/31 Who, in March (2010), became the first woman to receive an Academy Award for Best Director for her film The Hurt Locker? (7,7) 33 Which English rock band that had a string of hits in the mid 1960s, is notable for having started the careers of three of rock’s most famous guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page? (9)
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34 By what other name would a histrion or thespian be better known? (5)
Down
1 Derived from the Low German for ‘partitions’, what name is often applied to areas of wooden panelling on the lower part of the walls of a room? (9)
2/24 Which of Gerry Anderson’s Supermarionation sci-fi characters was constantly battling against the Mysterons’ (7,7) 3 Which English progressive rock band has released best-selling albums entitled Fragile (1971), Close To The Edge (1972) and Tales From Topographic Oceans (1973)? (3) 4 Which word, in law, means ‘state formally in court whether one is guilty or not guilty of the offence with which one is charged’? (5) 5 See 14 6 In which British sitcom did Ronnie Corbett star as the mild-mannered librarian Timothy Lumsden? (5) 7 Which verb can mean to ‘heighten or intensify’ or ‘give lifelike qualities to’? (7) 8 What name is given to a piece of music that begins
with a simple tune that is then repeated by other voices or instrumental parts with small variations? (5) 12 What was the nickname of the EastEnders’ character George Holloway, played by actor Tom Watt? (5)
14/5 Which famous Western character created by O Henry, was portrayed on television by actor Duncan Renaldo from 1950 to 1956? (5,3) 18 In the television series Frasier, starring Kelsey Grammar, what is the title character’s surname? (5) 19 Which musical with lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Abba’s Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson, premièred in the Prince Edward Theatre in London on May 14, 1986? (5) 20 What was the name of the ship in which the Pilgrim Fathers sailed from England to Massachusetts in 1620? (9) 22 The name of which edible marine crustacean was in the title of a B-52’s 1979 hit single? (7) 24 See 2 25 Which famous wine from Hungary did Louis XIV describe as ‘the wine of kings and the king of wines’? (5) 26 What name is usually applied to ‘a low woody perennial plant usually having several major branches’? (5) 27 Which Scottish television detective drama based on the novels by Ian Rankin, has starred John Hannah and Ken Stott in the title role? (5) 30 Which coordinating conjunction means ‘and not’? (3) 32 Panaji is the capital of which former Portuguese territory, situated on the west coast of India? (3)
The team here at Orbit would like to Thank Jeff Whittington for putting our first crossword together for us. And we hope you enjoy, oh yeah, the answers are on page....26
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100% ENTERTAINMENT MONTHLY
QUIZIT
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