Did You Know?

About a Boy by Nick Hornby

The novelist Nick Hornby has written several books, and what they have in common is his sharp observations of how people interact in modern society, all presented in a witty manner. He writes about sports and music, themes that most people can relate to. This is not so much the case in About a Boy, but the aimless behaviour of his main character is easily recognizable from his other novels.

Read what the publisher says about the book: "Too cool! At thirty-six, he's as hip as a teenager. He's single, child-free, goes to the right clubs and knows which trainers to wear. He's also found a great way to score with women: attend single parent's groups full of available (and grateful) mothers, all hoping to meet a Nice Guy.

Which is how Will meets Marcus, the oldest twelve-year-old on the planet. Marcus is a bit strange: He listens to Joni Mitchell and Mozart, looks after his mum and has never owned a pair of trainers. But Marcus latches on to Will - and won't let go. Can Will teach Marcus how to grow up cool? And can Marcus help Will just to grow up?"

This very entertaining and thought-provocing novel has been adapted for the screen by the same name starring Hugh Grant as Will.

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

Lily has grown up believing she accidentally killed her mother when she was just four years old. Now, at the age of fourteen, she yearns for forgiveness and a mother’s love. Living on a peach farm in South Caroline with her harsh and unyielding father, she had only one friend, Rosaleen, a black servant.

When racial tension explodes one summer afternoon, and Rosaleen is arrested and beaten, Lily is compelled to act. Fugitives from justice, the pair follow a trail left by the woman who died ten years before. Finding sanctuary in the home of three beekeeping sisters, Lily starts a journey as much about her understanding of the world as about the mystery surrounding her mother.


Critical praise:
" A moving first novel...Lily is an authentic and winning character and her story is compellingly told. The bees presage her journey toward self-acceptance, faith and freedom that is at the heart of this novel." (USA Today)


"Fully imagined...the core of this story is Lily's search for a mother, and she finds one in a place she never expected." (The New York Times Book Review)


"This is the story of a young girl's journey toward healing, and of the intrinsic sacredness of living in the world. Simply wonderful." (Anne Rivers Siddons)