Merry Christmas / Nadolig Llawen!

The 2020 Booker Prize

 

Thursday 19 November will see this year’s winner of the 2020 Booker prize announced from a shortlist of six titles, all of which are very much worth a read.  Let’s find out more about them:

The New Wilderness by Dianne Cook - A daring and imaginative debut novel that explores a moving mother-daughter relationship in a world ravaged by climate change and overpopulation, a suspenseful second book from the author of the acclaimed story collection, Man V. Nature.

This Mournable Body by Tsitsi Dangarembga - In This Mournable Body, Dangarembga returns to the protagonist of her acclaimed first novel, Nervous Conditions, to examine how the hope and potential of a young girl and a fledgling nation can sour over time and become a bitter and floundering struggle for survival.

Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi - This is both a love story and a story about betrayal between mother and daughter. Sharp as a blade and laced with caustic wit, Doshi tests the limits of what we can know for certain about those we are closest to, and by extension, about ourselves.

The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste - Set during Mussolini's 1935 invasion of Ethiopia, The Shadow King takes us back to the first real conflict of World War II, casting light on the women soldiers who were left out of the historical record. A heartrending exploration of what it means to be a woman at war.

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart - Shuggie Bain is the unforgettable story of young Hugh "Shuggie" Bain, a sweet and lonely boy who spends his 1980s childhood in run-down public housing in Glasgow, Scotland. Thatcher's policies have put husbands and sons out of work, and the city's notorious drugs epidemic is waiting in the wings.

Real Life by Brandon Taylor - A novel of startling intimacy, violence, and mercy among friends in a Midwestern university town. The author asks if it's ever really possible to overcome our private wounds and buried histories—and at what cost.

Ar ddydd Iau 19 Tachwedd bydd enillydd gwobr Booker eleni’n cael eu cyhoeddi o restr fer o chwech o deitlau, pob un yn werth ei ddarllen. Gadewch i ni ddysgu mwy amdanyn nhw:

The New Wilderness gan Dianne Cook – Nofel gyntaf feiddgar a chreadigol sy’n edrych ar berthynas deimladwy mam a merch mewn byd wedi ei anrheithio gan newid yn yr hinsawdd a gorboblogaeth, ail lyfr afaelgar gan awdur y casgliad o storiâu, Man V. Nature.

This Mournable Body gan Tsitsi Dangarembga - Yn This Mournable Body mae Dangarembga yn dychwelyd at arwr ei nofel gyntaf gymeradwy, Nervous Conditions, i edrych  ar sut mae gobaith a photensial merch ifanc a chenedl newydd yn gallu suro dros amser a throi’n ymdrech chwerw a di-drefn i oroesi.

Burnt Sugar gan Avni Doshi - Dyma stori serch a stori am frad rhwng mam a merch. Yn finiog fel cyllell ac yn llawn ffraethineb pigog, mae Doshi’n gwthio ffiniau’r hyn y gallwn wybod i sicrwydd am y rheiny sydd agosaf atom ni a, thrwy hynny, amdanon ni’n hunain.

The Shadow King gan Maaza Mengiste - Wedi ei osod yn ystod cyrch Mussolini yn Ethiopia yn 1935, mae The Shadow King yn mynd â ni yn ôl at wrthdaro cyntaf yr Ail Ryfel Byd, gan daflu goleuni ar y milwyr o blith menywod a adawyd allan o’r cofnod hanesyddol.  Ystyriaeth ddirdynnol o beth yw ystyr bod yn fenyw ar adeg rhyfel.

Shuggie Bain gan Douglas Stuart - Stori fythgofiadwy yw Shuggie Bain am yr Hugh "Shuggie" Bain ifanc, bachgen hawddgar ac unig sy’n treulio’i blentyndod yn ystod yr 1980au mewn cartref adfeiliedig yn Glasgow, yr Alban. Mae polisïau Thatcher wedi achosi colli gwaith i ŵyr a meibion ac mae problem gyffuriau’r ddinas wrth law.

Real Life gan Brandon Taylor – Nofel o gyfathrach ryfeddol, trais a thrugaredd ymhlith ffrindiau  mewn tref prifysgol yng nghanolbarth gorllewinol yr Unol Daleithiau. Mae’r awdur yn gofyn a yw’n wir bosibl goresgyn ein creithiau preifat a’n hanes a gladdwyd – ac am ba gost.

Reading Well for Children Wales launches in October!

The Welsh Government are supporting The Reading Agency to deliver Reading Well in all 22 library authorities in Wales.

Reading Well for children will be the third Reading Well scheme to be delivered in Wales following on from Reading Well for dementia in 2018 and Reading Well for mental health in 2019.

Reading Well Books on Prescription for children provides helpful reading to support children’s mental health and wellbeing. The books provide quality-assured information, stories and advice. Books have been chosen and recommended by leading health professionals and co-produced with children and families

They are endorsed by health professionals and can all be found in your local library.

Overview of Books

Mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn cefnogi The Reading Agency i ddarparu Darllen yn Well ym mhob un o’r 22 awdurdod llyfrgell yng Nghymru.

Darllen yn Well i blant fydd y trydydd cynllun Darllen yn Well i gael ei ddarparu yng Nghymru yn dilyn ymlaen o gynllun Darllen yn Well ar gyfer dementia yn 2018 a Darllen yn Well ar gyfer iechyd meddwl yn 2019.

Darllen yn Well Llyfrau ar Bresgripsiwn i blant yn darparu darllen defnyddiol i gefnogi iechyd meddwl a lles plant. Mae’r llyfrau’n darparu gwybodaeth, straeon a chyngor gyda sicrwydd ansawdd. Mae llyfrau wedi cael eu dewis a’u hargymell gan weithwyr iechyd proffesiynol blaenllaw a’u cynhyrchu ar y cyd gyda phlant a theuluoedd

Fe’u cymeradwyir gan weithwyr iechyd proffesiynol a gellir dod o hyd iddynt yn y llyfrgell leol.

Darllen yn Well i blant Trosolwg o’r teitlau

 

Online Book Group Wales - Join today!

 

Are you missing your usual reading group? Join Online Book Group Wales by visiting the 'Welsh Libraries' page on Facebook.

Each month, titles will be chosen by popular vote. Titles will become available as eBook or/and eAudio through our Borrowbox service, or you can join in with your own print copy. We will have a Welsh & English title available for discussion every month.

Here are this month's titles, chosen by the group.

 

We will prompt a 'half-way' discussion, followed by a final discussion at the end of each month. Join the Facebook group today!

https://libraries.wales/my-digital-library/borrowbox/

  

Y ydych yn gweld eisiau eich Grwp Darllen arferol? Ymunwch a Grwp Darllen Arlein Cymru drwy Facebook @Welsh Libraries.

Bob mis, byddwn yn dewis teitlau newydd drwy bleidlais. Bydd y teitlau ar gael fel eLyfr neu/ac eLyfr Llafar drwy ein gwasanaeth Borrowbox, neu gallwch ymuno efo’ch copi printiedig. Byddwn yn trafod un teitl Cymraeg ac un teitl Saesneg bob mis.

Dyma deitlau'r mis hwn, a ddewisywd gan y grwp. 

  

Byddwn yn annog trafodaeth ‘hanner ffordd’, a thrafodaeth olaf yn digwydd ar ddiwedd y mis. Ymunwch a'r grwp Facebook heddiw!

https://llyfrgelloedd.cymru/my-digital-library/borrowbox/

Mandy reviews... 'A Year in Provence' by Peter Mayle

Here's library staff member Mandy with a review of 'A Year in Provence' by Peter Mayle.

Dyma Mandy gyda'i barn am 'The Voices Series' gan Peter Mayle.

There is nothing quite as nice as revisiting an old favourite where books are concerned. It’s rather like catching up with an old friend. And this week my old friend has been Peter Mayle’s ‘A Year In Provence’. It’s a simple book, a monthly account of Peter Mayle’s first year in the Provence farmhouse that he bought with his wife. Mayle shares his experiences and reflections in a gentle and humorous way.  It’s a breath of fresh air as there is no hint or whisper of moaning or belittling.

From the start he’s able to bring to life the tastes, smells, weather and all nuances of life in the southern French Valley through his quiet observations. Like the seasons, he moves seamlessly throughout the year and we get to know characters, become familiar with the house, and discover the beauty of Provence from the comfort of our homes.

Let me start with my favourite: food. Mayle is a descriptive genius and almost always has me drooling as he introduces us to the local cuisine. From the extravagant ‘ ...they were moist and fat and fluffy with a tiny deep nugget of truffle in every mouthful, a last rich taste of winter” to the food of the local peasants ‘there were saucissons spotted with peppercorns. There were tiny sweet onions marinated in fresh tomato sauce. Plates were wiped once more and duck was brought it.’ He becomes almost poetic in places ‘as for the oil, it was a masterpiece, before dinner that night we tested it, dipping it into slices of bread that had been rubbed with the flesh of tomatoes. It was like eating sunshine.’ I want to eat sunshine!

I salivate at these descriptions - even being vegetarian - as he talks about rabbit stew or wild boar pate, it’s all part of the books charm.  But it’s not only how the food is eaten. You become au fait with the ways of truffle hunting, the correct breads to use with each meal, and of course grapes and wine making.

The characters are captured in tender tones, be it Monsieur Menicucci, the local plumber who likes to play the clarinet, and has a bonnet for every season; or Massot, the local hunter, with the cigarette-stained moustache who gives tips on cooking fox and shooting mice that run around the attic. They drop in and out like friends popping in for tea and biscuits, welcome distractions in a world gone mad.

Mayle also observes how the French view the English ‘lls sont bizarres, les Anglasi.’  Be it the French recalling visits to England and the standard of the food they ate there, or the British and their constant upset stomachs! Sometimes it’s nice to view yourself from a different angle, especially a humorous one.

Mayle’s own experiences of British people is also a treat; friends of friends of friends who regard the house like a bed and breakfast but don’t pay any board, drink all the wine and playing havoc with the plumbing! (The British and their upset stomachs.) But even with all this inconvenience Mayle refuses to let it dampen his spirits. How could he? Living in this beautiful landscape, where there the sun is shining and the local vineyards produce your wine for the year, you can dip into the cool swimming pools or walk deep into the forest of the Luberon to explore.  There are the local events such as goat racing around the village, and farmers markets selling vegetables picked from the fields before the crack of dawn. 

If you’ve not read this book, get your self a glass of wine, sit in the garden and discover the south of France from another time. If you have read it, I’d recommend revisiting, it’s worth coming back to this old friend.

Angharad reviews...'The Voices' Series by G.X.Todd

Here's library staff member Angharad with a review of 'The Voices Series' by G.X. Todd.

Dyma Angharad gyda'i barn am 'The Voices Series' gan G.X. Todd.

Fans of Stephen King’s The Stand will love the premise of this series. Set in modern times after an apocalyptic event divides humanity into those who hear mysterious inner voices and those who don’t, two people who are far more than they seem are brought together by a voice. It tells the enigmatic traveller Pilgrim to buy lemonade from lonely teen Lacey as though doing so would fulfil a prophecy. Pilgrim takes its guidance and so begins a long and harrowing journey.

The pair become an unlikely duo; though different, they share a unique bond. They are among the few lucky survivors of the wasteland that is the post-voice world. A place where people kill others and themselves as a result of their inner voices. The voices are dangerous, or so it seems. Where did they come from? What sparked their arrival? Who is the sinister Flitting Man and why is he searching for those who hear them?

G.X Todd creates a bleak and frequently savage world where trusting the voice in your head can lead you to salvation or slaughter. Between the voices and what’s left of humanity’s morals, you’ll ask yourself who the real enemy is time and again.

The atmosphere of this series is like a gust of wind swirling dust down a long backwater road. The setting is really brought to life through Todd’s descriptions. Every character feels authentic, every scene is paced perfectly, steadily. Each book begins as a slow burn, with some seemingly innocuous events only making sense much later in the story when things culminate. This approach works so well within the narrative and there’s some satisfying twists that make the build-up worthwhile. Everything happens for a reason, and incidentally this is also a theme within the story itself.

If you enjoy gritty survival-based stories with a focus on introspection and character development and a huge side of dangerous sci-fiction forces – think Birdbox, The Walking Dead, The Happening and The Last of Us- then there’s a very good chance this could be your new favourite book series. The final book’s expected publication is set for late 2020, so listen to your inner voice and start this series now!

(Books in quadrilogy- #1 Defender, #2 Hunted, #3 Survivors and a fourth to be announced.)

Angharad reviews... Wranglestone by Darren Charlton

Here's library staff member Angharad with a review of 'Wranglestone' by Darren Charlton.

Dyma Angharad gyda'i barn am 'Wranglestone' gan Darren Charlton.

In a post-apocalyptic America, a community survives in a national park, surrounded by water that keeps the Dead at bay. But when winter comes, there's nothing to stop them from crossing the ice.

This is a teen zombie thriller with a setting that is as much a character as the humans, dead or alive. Inspired by the beautiful but harsh terrain of national parks like Yellowstone, author Darren Charlton has spun a twisting tale of terror involving an unlikely protagonist. Peter is a homebody who lacks the skills his wilderness community needs to keep them all safe. When he naively allows a stranger to come ashore one of the islands in their Wranglestone sanctuary, he puts everyone at risk. The community decides he must help Cooper, a boy he’s always watched from afar, herd the dead from the lake before it freezes over. He will finally make himself useful. But as love blossoms, the pair discover a dark secret about the sanctuary’s past, and nothing is as it seems.

There’s plenty of scares, gore and suspense in this refreshing tale of a vulnerable boy in a dangerous world. A perfect for zombie horror fans, and there’s a sequel in the works!

Ghost Wall - Customer Review

During these unusual times we have been working hard to stay in touch with the members of our shared reading groups to find out what they've been reading.  Some have put down their thoughts as reviews that we'd like to share.  Here's Doreen with her opinion of 'Ghost Wall' by Sarah Moss.

Yn ystod y cyfnod anarferol yma rydym wedi bod yn gweithio’n galed i aros mewn cysylltiad ag aelodau o’n grwpiau darllen i ganfod beth maen nhw wedi bod yn ei ddarllen.  Mae rhai wedi rhannu’u barn ar ffurf adolygiadau ac fe hoffem rannu’r rhain.  Dyma Doreen gyda’i barn am  'Ghost Wall' gan Sarah Moss.

This book is set in Northumberland. It opens with a chilling first chapter, expertly evoked, and fuelling our expectation of what might follow. A Professor of Archaeology and his three students have set up an encampment to engage with the lives of Iron Age people. The Professor is particularly interested in the practice of ritual sacrifice at that time. They are joined by a family of three. The father, a keen historian, has forced his downtrodden wife and seventeen year old daughter to accompany him for their summer holiday. The Professor and students sleep in modern tents but the father, insisting that they should be more authentic, compels his wife and daughter to sleep with him in the Roundhouse, which had been built by the students as part of a course on 'experiential archaeology'. They are dressed like Iron Age people and attempt to eat and behave in the same way. Not only do we see Iron Age practices being pursued but we also observe the psychological and physically abusive relationship of the father towards his wife and daughter.

I found this book an interesting but disturbing read, building on the suspense right up to its conclusion.

Staff review - The Animals at Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey

Here's library staff member Angharad with a review of 'The Animals at Lockwood Manor' by Jane Healey.

Dyma Angharad gyda'i barn am 'The Animals at Lockwood Manor' gan Jane Healey.

When Hetty Cartwright is charged with the safekeeping of The Natural History Museum’s mammal collection during its evacuation to its temporary home at Lockwood Manor, she believes the biggest threat to the precious taxidermy animals is the destruction of war. But as pieces begin to mysteriously vanish, only to reappear all over the manor, she begins to wonder if the rumours of ghosts and curses surrounding Lockwood are true.

The premise of this book is very much in the same vein as The Silent Companions and The Miniaturist, so if you enjoyed the mystery (and creepy moving objects) elements of those books, I would recommend this one.
What sets The Animals of Lockwood Manor apart however is its romance, which is a conscientious depiction of a sapphic relationship during the difficult period of the 1940’s, where war, class and patriarchal obstacles stand between women and their dreams.

Though at its heart a gothic romance, with a few dark events and buried secrets revealed later in the story, The Animals of Lockwood Manor carries a lighter tone than some of its predecessors, so for if you’re looking for deeper chills, this is maybe not the right tale. Mystery-lovers hoping for something a little more eerie won’t be disappointed however.

Circe - Customer Review

During these unusual times we have been working hard to stay in touch with the members of our shared reading groups to find out what they've been reading.  Some have put down their thoughts as reviews that we'd like to share.  Here's Olivia with her review of 'Circe' by Madeline Miller.

Yn ystod y cyfnod anarferol yma rydym wedi bod yn gweithio’n galed i aros mewn cysylltiad ag aelodau o’n grwpiau darllen i ganfod beth maen nhw wedi bod yn ei ddarllen.  Mae rhai wedi rhannu’u barn ar ffurf adolygiadau ac fe hoffem rannu’r rhain.  Dyma Olivia gyda’i barn am  'Circe' gan Madeline Miller.

‘In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child--not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power--the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.’

Madeline Millers’ Circe gives a powerful voice to the goddess of magic and daughter of the sun Helios. As a plot device in Greek mythology – most notably her infamous spell in Homer’s poem of turning Odysseus’ men into pigs – it is refreshing to read a magical and heartfelt recount of Circe that explores a woman’s perspective in a predominantly male collection of myths.

Circe is foremost a beautifully written story about self-transformation and adapting from strife, as we develop an understanding of the alternative side to the jealous and vindictive goddess. Miller tactfully touches upon themes of family outcasts, female rivalry, motherhood, love and loss; and it is so authentically written that you will feel like you are making spells with Circe in her cobbled floor cottage, sailing the seas with her on one of her iconic journeys, and prowling Aiaia with her familiar lion.

“I had been cold and stern for so long, carved with regrets and years like a monolith. But that was only a shape I had been poured into. I did not have to keep it.”

As a Latin and Greek teacher, Miller’s knowledge of the Titans and Olympians is extensive and fresh as she weaves the story in and out of the well-known myths and legends with a fine gold thread, and invites us to suffer Circe’s injustices and triumph with her as she becomes a powerful sorceress in her exile. The writing is so vivid and illuminated that I felt like a part of Circe’s long life and was reluctant to leave her at the end. I highly recommend this unique novel of the unsung heroine. 

John William Waterhouse - Sketch of Circe, 1911-1914

Girl, Woman, Other - Customer Review

During these unusual times we have been working hard to stay in touch with the members of our shared reading groups to find out what they've been reading.  Some have put down their thoughts as reviews that we'd like to share.  Here's Doreen with her opinion of 'Girl, Woman, Other' by Bernadine Evaristo.

Yn ystod y cyfnod anarferol yma rydym wedi bod yn gweithio’n galed i aros mewn cysylltiad ag aelodau o’n grwpiau darllen i ganfod beth maen nhw wedi bod yn ei ddarllen.  Mae rhai wedi rhannu’u barn ar ffurf adolygiadau ac fe hoffem rannu’r rhain.  Dyma Doreen gyda’i barn am  'Girl, Woman, Other' gan Bernadine Evaristo.

'Girl, Woman, Other' by Bernardine Evaristo is a worthy winner of the Booker prize,  which she shared with Margaret Attwood . Interestingly she writes with no full stops. In the book we meet many diverse, colourful characters, who are linked in different ways. The story covers various issues of gender,  race and class. It leads to a satisfying conclusion but some may ask what happened next. I think this book can be enjoyed by any age and not necessarily just by women.

‘Highly Recommended!’ by the staff at Torfaen Libraries

Welcome back!  Last time, library staff recommended books for our junior and teenage readers.  This month it’s the turn of the adults, four more books that are well worth a look!

The Priory of the Orange by Samantha Shannon (recommended by Angharad) – A diverse and inclusive set of characters in a fantasy epic filled with original cultures, myths and creatures.  Most unique fantasy book I’ve read in years, it’s long but I loved it!

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters (recommended by Mair) – A richly written, well-crafted story set in 1922 London, full of subtlety, intensity and a mix of genres.

The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary by Catherine Gray (recommended by Skye) – An insightful read that reframes how you approach everyday life.  Catherine has a humorous writing style that is down to earth and relatable.

Gutsy Women by Hillary and Chelsea Clinton (recommended by Skye) – An informative and inspiring collection of stories featuring pioneering women who have contributed greatly to the fields of politics, civil rights, science, sports and education.

We hope you enjoy whatever you’re reading this month, don’t forget that you can access more books for free online on BorrowBox by using your library card.

Croeso ‘nôl!  Fis diwethaf, rhoddodd staff y llyfrgell gymeradwyaeth o lyfrau i’n darllenwyr iau a’r rheiny yn eu harddegau.  Dyma dro’r oedolion felly, pedwar llyfr sydd werth eu darllen!

The Priory of the Orange gan Samantha Shannon (cymeradwywyd gan Angharad) – Cymeriadau amrywiol a chynhwysol mewn stori ffantasi’n llawn diwylliannau, mythau a chreaduriaid gwreiddiol.  Y llyfr ffantasi mwyaf unigryw i mi ddarllen ers blynyddoedd, mae’n hir ond roeddwn i werth fy modd!

The Paying Guests gan Sarah Waters (cymeradwywyd gan Mair) – Stori  gyfoethog a chrefftus wedi ei seilio yn Llundain yn 1922, llawn cynildeb, dwyster a chymysgedd o genres.

The Unexpected Joy of the Ordinary gan Catherine Gray (cymeradwywyd gan Skye) – Llyfr craff sy’n ail-ffurfio’ch ffordd o edrych ar fywyd pob dydd. Mae gan Catherine ddull digrif o ysgrifennu sy’n ddiffwdan a chydymdeimladwy.

Gutsy Women gan Hillary a Chelsea Clinton (cymeradwywyd gan Skye) – Casgliad o storïau llawn gwybodaeth ac ysbrydoledig yn cynnwys menywod arloesol sydd wedi cyfrannu’n helaeth ym meysydd gwleidyddiaeth, hawliau sifil, gwyddoniaeth, chwaraeon ac addysg.

Rydym yn gobeithio y byddwch yn mwynhau pa bynnag lyfrau y byddwch yn eu darllen y mis hwn, peidiwch ag anghofio bod modd i chi gael rhagor o lyfrau am ddim ar-lein ar BorrowBox gan ddefnyddio’ch cerdyn llyfrgell.

The Aftermath - Reader Review

During these unusual times we have been working hard to stay in touch with the members of our shared reading groups to find out what they've been reading.  Some have put down their thoughts as reviews that we'd like to share.  Here's Mary from the Pontypool book group with her opinion of 'The Aftermath' by Rhidian Brook.

Yn ystod y cyfnod anarferol yma rydym wedi bod yn gweithio’n galed i aros mewn cysylltiad ag aelodau o’n grwpiau darllen i ganfod beth maen nhw wedi bod yn ei ddarllen.  Mae rhai wedi rhannu’u barn ar ffurf adolygiadau ac fe hoffem rannu’r rhain.  Dyma Mary o grŵp llyfrau Pont-y-pŵl gyda’i barn am  'The Aftermath' gan Rhidian Brook.

So I am going to write on ‘Aftermath’ which greatly impressed me; not a difficult read and it told me things that happened in my lifetime and an underlying current of reconciliation that worked in the end and took away much rightful condemnation.  The feeling of ‘the only good German is a dead one’ prevailed among some people who had lost family and friends for a long time.  The war didn’t really end in 1945 with rationing going on into hr fifties and of course the rebuilding and also registered permanent loss of historical buildings and areas forever on both sides.  This novel pitches the German point of view with defeat in 1945 of the Nazi promise of ‘a Reich of a thousand years’ and the elimination of all Judaism and opposition.  This was made plain when the concentration camps were opened up.  What Jew could forgive that? 

The hero of the novel, an English colonel, thinks in a different way.  He had worked himself up through the ranks so had a certain amount of power and saw the possibility of a way forward through Reconciliation.  The German nation was utterly defeated and he uses his characters to portray the hardships of a devastated race in the determination of children with nothing and nobody to survive with a little gang, some very young carrying others.  A leader even there emerges and they live by begging and stealing.  This is the English zone after partition of the city and capital of Berlin.  It couldn’t have happened in the vengeful Russian zone.  When he invites a rich German non-Nazi to share the requisitioned rich man’s mansion he did a huge thing in opposition to many of his own soldiers and certainly that of some Americans who are out to rob for their own future.  Even the top men have to be carried along with the idea, and he takes the risk because he cannot bear to see the children, any children, starve to death among the devastation that was 4-zoned Berlin.  This despite his own loss of a son, the elder of two, killed by a casual German bomb.  Even his wife is against him and the rich German Nazi-brainwashed teenage daughter who lives there too and whose mother had died in an Allied raid. 

We see his humanity when he gives his chocolate ration to the starving beggared children in the homeless streets.  The author got much information from male relatives of his who survived the war and the whole epoch of the unknown to the Allies concentration camps.  I remember exactly a story by an uncle of mine, young then of course, who related doing that himself in Berlin after much fighting in the desert against the respected German commander Rommel.  Being taken prisoner too and witnessing the slaughter of the British at Monte Casino.  He was called up in the very early stages of the war, went through it all and then saw only the British coast before becoming part of the Occupation troops for as long as the army could keep him until demob.  He was a charming man but hot-tempered and didn’t suffer fools gladly even at a loss to himself and he practically ordered the Tommies to give up their chocolate rations.  Even their beloved cigarettes which the children could sell to farmers for food. And they did give!

Throughout, this is a novel showing the best in mankind in the face of disaster.  A city of no hope which had suffered retaliatory bombs for Coventry on a mighty scale.  Like the second bomb in Japan it wasn’t all necessary for the innocent suffered for the wicked with their enormous cruelty.  It was a novel which made one think of dilemmas and questions hard to answer.  A war that had to be fought against insanity and utmost cruelty and greed and how to mend it all afterwards.  At least the hero showed a way.  

Fancy a quick quiz?

This month, while many people are at home, we are posting a short book quiz for you to try!  Answers are at the bottom of the blog so scroll down when you’re finished to check how many answers you got right.  Good luck!

Y mis yma, tra bod nifer o bobl gartref, rydym yn mynd i osod cwis llyfrau byr i chi roi tro arno!  Mae’r atebion ar waelod y dudalen felly rholiwch y sgrin unwaith y byddwch wedi gorffen i weld faint gawsoch chi’n gywir.  Pob lwc!

Missing Letters! - Uncover the author...

Llythrennau Coll! - Datgelwch yr awdur...

1) Ulysses                    J_m_s _o_c_

2) Moby Dick                _a_e_ M_l_i_l_

3) To the Lighthouse    _i_g_n_a _o_l_

4) The Color Purple     A_i_e _a_k_r 

Opening Lines! - Guess the book from the opening line...

Llinellau Agoriadol! - Dyfalwch y llyfr o’r llinell agoriadol...

5) 'It was a pleasure to burn.'  

6) 'My suffering left me sad and gloomy.'

7) ‘Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.’ 

8) 'Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.' 

 From the Bookshelf! / O’r Silff Lyfrau!

9) A father and son walk alone through a ravaged post apocalyptic American landscape in which 2006 Cormac McCarthy novel? 

10) Bridget Jones's Diary is a 1999 novel by which English author? 

11) What does George Orwell call Britain in the book 1984?

12) The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe tells the story of the children Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy, but can you remember their surname?

Answers!   /   Atebion!

1) James Joyce

2) James Melville

3) Virginia Woolf

4) Alice Walker

5) Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

6) Life of Pi by Yann Martell

7) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

8) Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K.Rowling

9) The Walk

10) Helen Fielding

11) Airstrip One

12) Pevensie