ready to go...let's pin our comments to this message
and...Mariella seems to think it was all about Patrick - d'ya think so, too?

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Ok - hope we've got a few avid readers poised at the keyboard for 9pm GMT...just thought I'd put up a few kick-off thoughts...which we can then ignore and just spend the hour talking about Patrick
which leads me to:
- did you think the main characters were believable? Robert, the very wise little boy...Mary, the kindest mum ever, and Patrick, the...the...y'know?
- and does it matter whether they are believable or not?
- and...what about the ending? did it work for you / frustrate you / bring it all to a perfect close?
- do you want to read the other books in the trilogy?...giving the backstory on Mother's Milk
- Was Edward St Aubyn a master-storyteller, or just a gifted wordsmith? Or Both?

anyway, like I said, from here on I'm a chatter in a democratic book chat from 9 'til 10 - see you soon

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Judging by the comment-stream on a previous blog - 'Mother's Milk' has gone down a treat. There's plenty more to discuss though - and I'm looking forward to finding out about what you all think of the characters, the themes, the authors writing style etc.

Please feel free to post questions you may have about the book before Monday's discussion, so we can have a 'mull' over the weekend.

So, make sure you keep that hour clear on Monday evening and get on-line. I know that plenty of you have signed up to the club so it would be great to hear from you. You can look on the archive section on the site to see what last month's discussion was like for 'The Vendor of Sweets'.

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Thanks to everyone who joined into October's discussion of 'The Vendor of Sweets' last Wednesday. Comments were coming through thick and fast - it was great fun and really interesting. I'm enjoying reading a book and actually paying attention!

So now you've hopefully all started 'Mother's Milk' chosen by the very lovely Ms. Frostrup. Please feel free to make comments as you read the book. It's good to know what others are making of it as you go along. Or you can wait 'til the end of the month and join in the 'on-line' discussion. All you need to do is to log in on Monday the 3rd of Decemeber at 9pm - go to 'book discussion' and click on 'comments'.
Make sure you refresh the page regularly to catch up on the discussion. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy the book!

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The once illustrious, once wealthy Melroses are in peril. Caught in the wreckage of broken promises, child-rearing, adultery and assisted suicide, Patrick finds his wife consumed by motherhood, his mother consumed by a New Age foundation, and his five-year-old son Robert understanding far more than he ought.

"It [Mother's Milk] was Booker listed last year, but mysteriously, in my opinion, didn't make it to the shortlist. It is a fantastic, blackly funny and inventive account of the growing pains of a middle-aged man." Mariella Frostrup

Apart from being a multi-talented presenter and columnist (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/presenters/mariella_frostrup.shtml) and having a very sexy voice, Mariella also likes a wee bit of Burnt Sugar from time to time She discovered us at last year's Guardian Hay Festival where she kept seeing Rory McGrath wandering around licking crumbs of Burnt Sugar's delicious crumbly fudge from his lips. Not put off by this disturbing image (only joking Rory, we love you really) she made a hasty dash to our stand to try it for herself.

So when we asked her to choose this month's book - she was only too happy to oblige.

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