Book review: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach

The first I heard of Deborah Moggach's The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (originally called These Foolish Things) was when the film - starring a bevy of Britain's best acting talent - was released.

I haven't seen the film, but picked up the book for a bit of light reading based on the fact that the film trailer amused me.

Doctor Ravi Kapoor is fed up with his father-in-law Norman - an insufferable old man who can't seem to keep his manners in check or his hands away from places they shouldn't be. When Ravi meets his cousin Sonny, a businessman from India on a trip to London, the two hatch a plan to open a retirement home/hotel in Bangalore.

And so a rag tag bunch of pensioners find themselves living in a hotel past its sell by date, learning about a new world while also coming to terms with the art of being old.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was a fun read, and a quick one, with plenty of amusing moments and plenty of blue humour of the likes I wasn't expecting. Still, considering its main characters are a bunch of pensioners who between them have seen and done it all and who are now living each day unsure of whether they'll be around for the next, the honesty shouldn't have been that surprising.

Moggach's cast of characters is vast - there are countless residents at the Marigold Hotel, plus loved ones back home (some of whom we visit, some we don't), plus all the people who work at or around the hotel who the elderly encounter in their day to day lives. With so many characters floating around, Moggach is only able to delve deeply into the lives of a few. This meant there were some who I'd like to have seen more of, but whose storylines were left a little more vague because of space constraints - including the sweet but barely seen Graham, and the prickly Dorothy, whose back story was obviously the most interesting.

I did grow to love some characters, including Evelyn, who morphs from being a bit part to the heart of the novel. I perhaps could have done with more of her and less of some of the others, like fellow pensioner Muriel, or Evelyn's daughter Theresa and son Christopher. It was Evelyn who I felt was best able to get to the heart of what it means to be elderly, and how to cope with the difficulties advanced age brings, but also the freedoms.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is an interesting examination of age, and of love, but while I liked it while I was reading it, it's not a book I would reread, or one I will spend too much time thinking about.

How I got this book: Purchased

Book review: London Villages, Explore the City's Best Local Neighbourhoods by Zena Alkayat

With its huge skyscrapers, constant traffic and jam-packed streets, it's easy to forget that London does have its quieter, less manic areas.

In London Villages, Zena Alkayat exposes some of the city's hidden gems, selecting 30 neighbourhoods split into north, south, east, west and central, and recommending some of the best places to visit in each.

Of course, there are the usual suspects, such as Columbia Road and Hampstead Village, 
but most of the places Alkayat picks are little visited by those who don't know and love them well.

This makes for great reading, and great inspiration. Alkayat recommends five places you must visit in each of the neighbourhoods she selects, from cafes to haberdasheries to galleries, but those are just the starting point for readers wishing to explore further.

There are lots of bookshops Alkayat mentions which I plan to visit, and I'll definitely be popping in to the Blue Brick Cafe, which serves a vegan and vegetarian all day menu, in East Dulwich when I get the chance.

Even Londoners who think they know it all will find Alkayat's book helpful, packed as it is with great tips for places to visit. I'll be carrying it in my bag and using it to get to know the city a bit better.

How I got this book: From the publisher Aurum for review

•London Villages is book eight in my challenge to read 12 non-fiction books in 2013.

The Sunday Post (#28) and Showcase Sunday (#14)

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer, and Showcase Sunday is hosted by Books, Biscuits and Tea and inspired by Pop Culture Junkie and the Story Siren. They're a chance to share news, a post to recap the past week on your blog, highlight our newest books and see what everyone else received for review, borrowed from libraries, or bought.

Book stuff
Review: The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg
My week in books (#13) - World Book Night 2014, Sarra Manning and more

Non-book stuff
Film review: Parkland

I started my new job this week, so haven't had a whole lot of time to write/shop. I did acquire a bunch of stuff though:

Urban Outlaws by Peter Jay Black
The Disgrace of Kitty Grey by Mary Hooper
Knightley and Son by Rohan Gavin
Wednesdays in the Tower by Jessica Day George

And I got a proper copy of When Mr Dog Bites by Brian Conaghan. I also own a proof of this, but haven't read it!

What have you been up to?

My week in books (#13)

My week in books is a feature where I share things I've found interesting from the past week that concern books, literature and all things book blogging.

Natalie over at Natflix&Books mentioned last week that she'd acquired the new Sarra Manning novel, Adorkable, which sent me on a spiral remembering how much I loved Manning's Diary of a Crush columns, which were printed in J17 magazine when I was a young teenager. I already follow Manning on Twitter, so I went looking for her website, and had a great time reading about her writing. Ahh, memory lane.

With Catching Fire out this week (still haven't seen it, boo), here's a post from Gotcha Movies about 13 Young Adult Adaptations to Look Out For. Some of these look good, others I'm apprehensive about in case they spoil books I love (anything by Maggie Stiefvater).

Flavorwire has a piece here about 10 Great Books Contemporary Culture has forgotten, which is full of authors and books I've never heard of.

Book Riot has a really interesting piece here about the problem with gendered reading. I'm a big advocate of getting kids reading, and there's a particular problem with getting young boys into books. 

Hopefully that problem will be given a good kick with the selection of books for World Book Night 2014 UK and Ireland, which you can see here (a selection are also pictured below). In an effort to reach more non-readers, there are a bunch of quick reads on the list, and books chosen to specifically appeal to males (Robert Muchamore's The Recruit is a brilliant choice). You can also sign up to be a book giver on the night - I'm off to go do my application.

If you've seen anything interesting this week, share it in the comments.

MyMy week in books is a feature where I share things I've found interesting from the past week (usually) that concern books, literature and all things book blogging. - See more at: http://girlreporter.blogspot.co.uk/#sthash.rOrsYgk1.dpuf

My week in books is a feature where I share things I've found interesting from the past week (usually) that concern books, literature and all things book blogging. - See more at: http://girlreporter.blogspot.co.uk/#sthash.rOrsYgk1.dpuf

Book review: The Heist by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg

I love Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels, so it was with some glee I picked up The Heist, co-written with Lee Goldberg. My glee wasn't unfounded, The Heist is White Collar meets Ocean's Eleven meets Miss Congeniality, all in book form.

After years of chasing, FBI Special Agent Kate O'Hare has finally caught Nicolas Fox, a handsome, charming con man. Only he brokers a deal with Kate's bosses - he'll help Kate catch America's most wanted if the FBI keeps him out of jail.

The pair's first target is Derek Griffin, a playboy who conned clients out of millions and then ran off to an Indonesian island. Recruiting a rag tag crew of misfits, Nick and Kate head to Indonesia to catch Griffin, and get back the money he's stolen.

The Heist doesn't feature any great surprises when it comes to the main characters. A lot of what it contains has been seen before on our television or cinema screens - Nicolas has more than a whiff of Neal Caffrey from White Collar about him (no bad thing), and Kate is clever and witty and unlucky in love.

But the crew Nicolas and Kate assemble are an interesting bunch, from the egotistical actor to the speed loving 50-something who bought herself breast enhancements as part of her Big Adventure.

The book is a fun read, and does have some great elements. Kate's dad is particularly engaging, and there's a twist in the capture of Griffin that's both unexpected and fun (in a gun slinging kind of way).

The Heist made me remember why I loved Evanovich's writing so much. While the Stephanie Plum series has now gone on slightly too long and only provides minimal laughs, this book had me chuckling throughout. I hope Evanovich's partnership with Goldberg continues for a few more books, and we get to see more of Nicolas, Kate and their crew.

Film review: Parkland starring Zac Efron, Marcia Gay Harden and Billy Bob Thornton

Nearly everyone knows the story of President John F. Kennedy's assassination - Jackie wore pink, Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK from a 'grassy knoll', conspiracy theories abound.

But as the 50th anniversary of JFK's death approaches (November 22) Parkland takes a different look at that day in Texas in 1963.

Named after Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, where JFK was treated, Parkland is the story of the people behind the scenes of one of the most scrutinised moments in history, from the doctors and nurses at Parkland, to the man who caught on camera the shooting of the President, to the reaction of Oswald's brother.

Crucially, the face of JFK (Brett Stimely) is never fully seen, and even Jackie (Kat Steffens) is relegated to the background, ensuring the focus is on other characters and their reactions. But that's where the great points end.

Zac Efron plays young doctor Charles 'Jim' Carrico, who unexpectedly finds himself tasked with trying to save the life of the President, which we all know is futile. Dialogue at the hospital is kept to a minimum - in these scenes it's all about the (overblown) looks of anguish on the characters' faces. At times, it's farcical, and there are no prizes if you guess the 'twist' at the end for the hospital staff.

Elsewhere, Paul Giamatti puts in a solid performance as Abraham Zapruder, the man who filmed JFK's assassination (see a video here about how LIFE magazine brought the video to light), while Billy Bob Thornton plays the chief of the Dallas Secret Service, tasked with getting the footage developed and catching the suspect. While Zapruder's role is an interesting one, the to-do between the police, the Secret Service and the FBI becomes rather dull after a while, and as Zapruder's entourage becomes bigger and bigger, it all starts looking a bit like an ensemble comedy, rather than a drama.

The most interesting character in the film is Oswald's brother, Robert (James Badge Dale). He's a sympathetic character, who embodies a range of emotions throughout the film, and whose demeanour at his brother's funeral is far more powerful than all the wailing and weeping and sweating that comes before for JFK (a scene where JFK's coffin is forced onto Air Force One by grieving agents is really, really cringeworthy).

But apart from Robert, the film isn't brilliant, particularly when you add in the annoying soaring music over emotional scenes (all of them). And let's not mention Oswald's mother.

Parkland, based on the book Four Days in November by Vincent Bugliosi, had the potential to be brilliant. It had an interesting take on the President's death, but failed to reach the dizzy heights it aimed for. Rather than a thoughtful film, Parkland comes across as a cheap made-for-television Sunday afternoon drama, albeit one with a stellar cast.

•Parkland is out in the UK on November 22.