Brazzaville Beach - William Boyd

This particular book has sat on my families bookshelf since I was about 11 years old and because of the wonderful cover illustration has always enticed me.  I couldn't find the right cover but managed to find the illustration which I think just draws you in.

Anyway, I finally got around to reading the book recently and in quite a rare beginning for me and I imagine most people I started reading the book with no idea what it was about.  All I knew was that both my sister and Dad were fans, it was quite a refreshing change to start a book with no knowledge at all of the story.

It tells the story of Hope and two significant events in her life that have led to her living on the beach of the books title.  AS with other William Boyd novels I've read he sculpts a brilliant story that progresses at exactly the right pace and really conjours up the places and people he describes.

As I've said before, I'm a latecomer to William Boyds writing and I'm very pleased to have finally discovered him.

Non Stop - Brian Aldiss

Another sci fi classic and another good read.  The story is based on a long forgotten space ship, although that isn't immediately apparent when the story begins in a medieval style village.  This is a tricky book to write about without ruining the story for others (not that I need be concerned about my sizable readership being disappointed in this manner of course).

The story unfolds gradually revealing more and more about the world in which the protagonists find themselves and the book maintains an appropriate sense of claustrophobia and the pace quickens as the story progresses.

Not my favourite book, but I enjoyed the read.