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Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks is set in the Derbyshire village of Eyam in 1665 – the year that plague spread devastatingly through the country. The story follows the fortunes of three central characters: Anna, a serving girl; the local rector and his wife, Elinor as they try to cope with the appalling tragedy unfolding around them.

I wasn’t sure if I would like this book – the blurb on the back cover made it sound somewhat politically correct and I’m not a fan of historical fiction which gives a modern interpretation to archaic events or people. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Geraldine Brooks does a wonderful job of making the characters and events accessible to a modern audience, but still maintains the feel and attitudes of a remote 17th century village and offers a lot of interesting historical detail without ever making the reader feel they are being lectured to. 

The book really turns on it’s characters, and all are beautifully drawn and believable. The relationships between the central characters are intriguing, and complex – I won’t say too much because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it, but all is not what it seems!

All in, Year of Wonders is a wonderful novel and well worth a look if you want to add something a little different to your summer reading list.

Find out more about Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague

Just found a Wikipedia entry about the least popular films of all time. The films are sorted into various categories and taken from a range of sources, including the IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes. Some are of the ‘so bad it’s good’ type, others are just plain terrible. It was interesting to see how many of the films were made with a pretty big budget. Proof, if it were needed, that throwing money at a project does not guarantee success.

Oh, and if you are interested, I compiled a list of my 10 least favourite films a while ago. You can see it here.

PS: The post tile is taken from Rob Vaux’s comment about Battlefield Earth.

I don’t know about you, but I have a habit of heckling the protagonists in action and horror films. I can’t help it, actors seem to lack the rudimentary knowledge required to survive serial killers/movie monsters/homicidal aliens. However, what, in reality, would be the average person’s chances of surviving car chases, alien invasion or the attentions of unpleasant cannibalistic types? Find out here.

If you are a budding film maker in need of some exposure, pop over to the BBC film section and find out how you can submit a short film to their Film Network And while you are there, take a look at a favourite of mine, Spring Heeled Jack, a delightfully dark fairytale.

PS: Don’t forget to vote in the latest poll, you will find it in the sidebar!