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  1. THE BOARD ROOM

    1. Welcome to BGO!

      Find out more about Book Group Online, learn how to use the board and say hello!

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    2. Board Business

      The place for discussions about BGO and its operation. Suggestions welcome!

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    3. Site News & Support

      This forum is for general announcements and any tips or questions about the site.

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  2. GENERAL FICTION

    1. Central Library

      This is the place to discuss general book-related matters.

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    2. 21st-Century Fiction

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    6. Writers' Corner

      Whether you're a professional or budding writer or just write for fun, this is the place to discuss writing - whether it's fiction, non-fiction, comedy, journalism etc.

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  3. FICTION GENRES

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  4. NON-FICTION

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  5. CHILDREN & YOUNG ADULTS

    1. Children & Young Adults - General Discussion

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    2. Read To

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  6. BGO GROUP READS

    1. BGO Book Group Meeting Point

      Current talking points, suggestions and votes.

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    2. The Dead - James Joyce

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    3. Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë

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    4. Me Talk Pretty One Day - David Sedaris

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    5. Things Snowball - Rich Hall

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    6. Food

      BGO Book Group Reads

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    7. Crossing to Safety - Wallace Stegner

      The secong group read of 2014

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    8. Book Group Archive

      This is an archive of all the discussions from earlier book group choices.

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  7. ANYTHING BUT BOOKS

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  8. SUBSCRIBERS' AREA

    1. Subscribers' Offers

      Occasionally we are given special offers for promotional purposes. These offers are usually restricted to our Subscribers and posted here, with thanks for their support of the board.

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  • Posts

    • megustaleer
      Books of Josephine Tey

      By megustaleer · Posted

      The Singing Sands, the last of the Inspector Alan Grant series, published in 1952. I have now read them all.   Leaving the overnight sleeper to Scotland after a sleepless night battling with claustraphobia, Inspector Grant sees the attendant roughly  trying to wake a still sleeping passenger. Grant intervenes, and realises the man is dead. Being 'off duty' he leaves the guard to deal with the matter, but inadvertantly walks away with a newspaper from the compartment. Later he discovers some enigmatic lines of verse that the deceased had apparently scrawled on the newspaper. This is the start of a puzzle - to decipher the meaning of the lines, to find out if the man on the train is who his documents say he is, to find out if his death is the accident the inquest says it was, and if not, to find out who is responsible and why. The combination of a relaxing fishing holiday and an intriguing puzzle help Grant to unwind and overcome his stress-induced claustraphobia and, of course he finds out the truth in the end. Although the story was interesting enough to keep me turning the pages, there was much in the writing that I did not enjoy. There was a degree of racism, xenophobia and class snobbery  that I found quite unpleasant - attitudes that I have found in previous Inspector Grant books. They were attitudes which I could just about let pass in something written in the 1920s & 30s, but found much more distasteful in the 1950s. I am glad this was the last of the series, but wish she had stopped at The Daughter of Time.        
    • lunababymoonchild
      Very Long Books - Are they worth it?

      By lunababymoonchild · Posted

      I've never heard of most of the books on that list.     I have A Suitable Boy on my shelf so might seek that out sooner rather than later.
    • Clavain
      Very Long Books - Are they worth it?

      By Clavain · Posted

      Thanks for that Viccie, have found a version taught in schools and with great reviews but without the masses of padding, Strange to be re starting nearly the same book. 
    • Binker
      Very Long Books - Are they worth it?

      By Binker · Posted

      A Suitable Boy was a wonderful wonderful read.  Everyone I recommended it to who read it just loved it.   I also loved every moment of War and Peace.  I remember being mystified about why the masonic rituals were so emphasized and so asked my mother if the Masons were or had ever been controversial.    She said they were considered shocking at the time of this novel because they emphasized equality of men (not women, of course) and so to have  Prince join the Masons was a very revolutionary act.  I also loved the battle scenes, but I think I'm generally a sucker for those because I liked them in the "Aubrey/Maturin" novels, too.  
    • Viccie
      Very Long Books - Are they worth it?

      By Viccie · Posted

      To my surprise I've read several of those books - well part of them, I confess to only reading two of the books in Dance to the Music of Time and I think I skipped Clarissa in places. I don't remember And the Ladies of the Club being that long and A Suitable Boy was just sheer enjoyment all the way through. There is an abridged version of Les Mis - look it up on Amazon. Cuts approx 400 pages.

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