Best Read 2008!
The ten books will be featured every Wednesday, when you will get to hear from the author and then see what Richard & Judy and two celebrity guests think about the books. This year’s selection will transport you to every corner of the world, from Afghanistan to the Crimea, the heart of the Congo to a remote Pacific Island. As usual, we’d like you to vote for your favourite book to win the Galaxy British Book Awards (9th April 2008). We hope you love the books as much as we do. Happy reading!
Our featured books are available from all good bookshops or you can buy online at The Richard & Judy Book Club
Wednesday 12th Mar 2008
The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davies
Sceptre
In the wake of D-Day, the war brings two very different Germans to Wales. One is a German Jewish refugee working for British Intelligence, who arrives to interview a notorious captive, Rudolf Hess. The other is a German solider incarcerated in a POW camp. As both men come into contact with Esther Evans, a 17 year old Welsh girl, all three come to question where their loyalties lie.
Live Web Chat
Join us here on Wednesday March 12th for the live author chat with Peter Ho Davies.
Wednesday 9th Jan 2008
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Bloomsbury
A haunting tale of two Afghan women growing up in different generations who, by various tricks of fate, end up being married to the same man. Covering the turbulent period of Taliban rule, it is written by the author of the hugely successful The Kite Runner.
For more information about our book reviewers please click here
Wednesday 16th Jan 2008
Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann
Black Swan
A beautifully told tale of two interconnected stories - 1992: Following the death of his girlfriend, Leo Deakin is sucked into a spiral of despair. 1917: Moritz Daniecki, a fugitive from a Siberian POW camp faces a perilous seven thousand kilometre journey on foot to be reunited with his sweetheart. Cinematic, brimming with emotion, and a joy to read, it is a remarkable debut.
For more information about our book reviewers
Wednesday 23rd Jan 2008
Rose of Sebastopol by Katharine McMahon
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
An historical novel set during the Crimean War that tells the story of Mariella Lingwood and her beautiful and charismatic cousin, Rosa. It’s an epic love story with serious themes of medicine, and a refreshingly strong female heroines.
For more information about our book reviewers
Wednesday 30th Jan 2008
A Quiet Belief in Angels by Roger Jon Ellory
Orion
Beginning in rural Georgia, 12-year-old Joseph Vaughan is haunted by the terrible spectre of a killer who is beating, raping and murdering little girls. The book follows Joseph’s progress as he grows up and, eventually, we discover the identity of the killer. It’s an elegantly executed Thriller, with stunningly beautiful prose which elevates it above others in its genre.
For more information about our book reviewers
Wednesday 6th Feb 2008
Notes from an Exhibition by Patrick Gale
Fourth Estate
An eccentric and bipolar artist living in Cornwall dies suddenly, leaving her family to discover who she really was and where she came from. Full of warmth and rich in texture, the novel tells the stories of all the family members.
Wednesday 13rd Feb 2008
Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
Viking
Bravely and successfully written in the first person plural (We) and set in Chicago, this remarkable debut brilliantly evokes life in an office as it is for many people, an endlessly futile, monotonous, soul-sapping way to live. The book is rich in humanity, humour and optimism.
Wednesday 20th Feb 2008
Visible World by Mark Slouka
Portobello Books
An evocative, powerful novel about a son's attempt to understand his mother's past. It’s a search that leads him to uncovering a tragic love affair and the heroic story of the assassination of a high-ranking Nazi by the Czech resistance in WWII.
Wednesday 27th Feb 2008
Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones
John Murray
Booker Shortlisted, Mister Pip is set in a small village on a lush tropical island in the South Pacific. War is encroaching from the other end of the island. The villager’s children are surprised to find a reclusive white man re-opening the school and introducing them to Mr Dickens.
Wednesday 5rd Mar 2008
Blood River by Tim Butcher
Chatto & Windus
As a Telegraph journalist sent to cover Africa in 2000, Tim Butcher became obsessed with the idea of travelling through the Congo, following the footsteps of a former Telegraph journalist, Henry Morton Stanley, a journey which had massive repercussions and terrible consequences for this troubled continent.
Relax, take time out, rebalance… read.
Relax, take time out, rebalance… read.
Taking time out to read can be an everyday or once-a-week indulgence. And what better to enjoy at this moment than your favourite Galaxy chocolate bar. As a primary partner in indulgence, Galaxy is adding to the enjoyment of reading by supporting Richard & Judy's Book Club.
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