A crazy book. Just when you think things can’t get any more insane, they do. I raced through it while sunbathing in Cyprus. It was a perfect holiday read: easy, very original and ultimately uplifting.

Interesting to read points of view of different old people. Humourous in parts with a slightly farcical ending.

I didn’t think I was enjoying this book as I was reading it but it turned out that I galloped through it at quite a pace. It’s good, dramatic and tender and has a real sense of the time it was set in – the 40’s. The parts are in reverse chronological order which allow the story to unfold in an interesting way. It makes for compulsive reading as blanks are filled in all the way to the end. There are lots of characters; I had to make a list to help me remember as read.

I applied Sarah’s Rule and read 100 pages of this. There is a very funny bit: Renton and his colleagues have a regular competition to see who can do the biggest poos (on newspaper, for measuring). This time their boss is on his way to the toilet so they have to ‘pick up the papers, open the windaes and fling oor bombs oantae the flat roof’ before the boss catches them.

But there isn’t anything noteworthy about the rest. I’ve read 105 pages – the whole first part – and there isn’t anything pushing me to read on. The stuff that is good has been done before; if I’d never met Begbie in Trainspotting I might have found him more amusing/shocking, but I have already met him before. I first read Trainspotting when I was about 18 and I was totally blown away by it. I remember enjoying it just as much the second time I read it but, on reading it again some years later, I’d had enough of it. Perhaps that’s why I’m not interested enough in Skagboys.

Like Noughts and Crosses, this is a real page-turner. There’s a lot more hate and less love in this one though. There are more good observations of how black/white people are represented in the media, treated by police etc. It’s written in the same style: very simple, almost like a script. The ending is a cliffhanger but, because I’ve read the third book’s blurb I know what the outcome is. I agree with a book reviewer who condemned it as a lazy ending; I would have preferred a decisive and devastating ending like that of Noughts and Crosses. Still, this is a complusive read and I can’t wait read to the next one.

I read this book for my library book club. It’s a beautifully written and extremely perceptive book. While it isn’t a comfortable read – I found it a bit incestuous in parts – it is throughly engaging and reminded me of The Sense of an Ending because it is a gorgeously crafted tale leading to a shocking climax. I would recommend it.

I read this on the recommendation of Teacher Jo, whose pupils have studied it. It has a lot in common with the Hunger Games: it’s set in an alternative world to teach the reader something about their own world, it’s a thrilling page-turner and the style is very obviously aimed at teenagers.

I enjoyed the book very much but it’s not without its shortcomings; I could see some plot developments coming a mile off (and I usually can’t predict anything in stories) however I didn’t predict the end, even though I really should have. I do prefer a more sophisticated writing style but, having said that, it was nice to be albe to whizz through a book without tripping up on long words. I absolutely loved the love story part of it; that was wonderful stuff, very real. I would definitely recommend this book and I’m excited about reading the rest of the trilogy.

Read this for the library book club. I enjoyed its light, humourous, affable style. There are some archaic words and phrases which were mildy annoying but that’s the only negative thing I can think of to say this book. There is a hidden, deeper level of meaning to this book. Hints are dropped and towards the end it’s pretty much given away, but I have to admit, I didn’t realise the significance of the other characters in the book (apart from Mr Golightly). I think I’d have got more out of the book if I’d had some Bibilcal knowledge, but luckily the book group discussion filled in the gaps for me.

I read this for the library book club. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to make the meeting due to work but, after reading the book, I did listen to the author talking about it for the BBC World Book Club, which gave me some much needed context.

This is a very unsettling book. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it but it’s very successful at creating a tense atmosphere. I didn’t know much about apartheid in South Africa so I couldn’t imagine the novel being anchored in a time and place. Perhaps that’s why I didn’t feel sympathetic to any of the characters, although I’m more certain that it’s because they aren’t developed enough. The book is only 200 pages long. While plenty happens, I didn’t understand the motivations of the characters until I heard the talk. I’m not sure if Id recommend this as a good read but there is plenty to think about and it’s well written.

This book starts off slowly but luckily for me it picks up around p80 (I only give books a maximum of 100 pages to make an impression on me). The pace accelerates after that, hurtling with breakneck speed towards the unsettling ending. The Little Stranger is a beautifully crafted and extremely creepy novel. It definitely warrants a re-read as, after I listened to the Guardian book club podcast, there is a fair bit I missed the first time around.