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This book talks about “The Fulani” that are a group of people in Africa who raise cattle.
The young Fulani have to do a long and dangerous journey walking across the edge of the Sahara Desert leaving behind their girlfriends and families for become authentic herdsmen.

In this journey, they have to get care and feed their cattle herding as well as get it adapts to a dry climate.

If they bring back fat cattle, then they will be considered true herdsmen and they will be able to get married with their girlfriends.

In my opinion, it is a good book because is short to read if you don’t have a lot of time, and you will learn about another culture. In addition, you will learn a new and different vocabulary.

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Animal Farm is a fable by George Orwell’s set on a farm in England at a time when animals are much cleverer than now.
Mr. and Mrs. Jones are the neglectful owners of the farm until Old Major, an old and respected boar, talks to the rest of the animals about “Animalism”, which is a philosophy based on the equality and freedom of animals. This starts a rebellion that leads to a coup on Jones, establishing the pigs being the smartest ones, as overseers of the rest. Snowball and Napoleon are in charge, being the brains and brawn of the revolution respectively.  At the beginning everything goes perfectly, with the support of the majority. Snowball focuses on education and plans to improve the farm, but Napoleon, corrupted by power, takes the leadership and gradually establishes a dictatorship. He brainwashes the other animals, aided by Squealer, a pig with excellent communication skills, and terrifies them using an army of dogs.
The language and plot of the text are intentionally clear, with the aim of making it understandable for everyone, which is what I valued most. However this fable seems to me a subjective simplification of a very complicated process, which is a revolution.
Our first impression could be that the human being is corruptible and that there is no hope possible. You can only choose who is going to exploit you because all systems become totalitarian. Nevertheless, not until we take this as a warning of what has happened before, do we not stop repeating the same mistakes in the future.

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“The Hand that First Held Mine” by Maggie O´Farrell

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“The Hand that First Held Mine” by Maggie O´Farrell

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“The Hand that First Held Mine” is a novel written by Maggie O´Farrell, one of Britain´s most engaging contemporary novelists and winner of important awards such as the Somerset Maugham Prize. It is set in London in two different periods, in the 1950s and in the present day. It immediately became an international bestseller.

This moving book tells the story of two women. On the one hand, Lexie Sinclair is a woman who leaves her family in the countryside to move to London, where she meets Innes Kent, editor of a newspaper who shows her life in the city in the fifties. On the other hand, in present day, we meet Elina, a woman who has just become a mother and is facing motherhood without the help of her partner because fatherhood is too much for him. The link between the two women is revealed in a narrative that builds up with quiet intensity to a devastating climax.

The great strength of this book is how the characters are so well-written that you feel as if they are sitting next to you, telling you about their experiences. My only criticism would be that this book starts with two parallel stories but separated in time and place. At first, I struggled to make sense of the stories and there were times when I felt a bit lost, but before the middle it began to make sense to me.

Not only is it an elegant and tender novel, but it also talks about motherhood and parenting in a strong and firm way. I strongly recommend it. It is a gripping and unforgettable book.

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“WarHorse”, a novel by Michael Morpurgo, an English writer who, having written more than a hundred books, is a master storyteller. The plot is set in The United Kingdom, in 1914 when the First War World broke out.

The main character is a horse, Joey, who tells, in the first person and with a very human-feeling perspective, his experiences from when he was a small foal. Sold and separated from his mother, Joey now belongs to a farmer with a quick temper. Fortunately, the farmer’s son, Albert, is a gentle boy with a heart of gold who takes care of Joey and treats him with respect and love, earning his trust and affection. After a while, the war explodes and Joey is sold again to the English army without the knowledge of Albert who, once he realizes, swears to find him. During wartime, Joey meets kind people and a loyal horse that help keep him alive but, in the cruelty of the war, they will lose their lives. The war continues and Joey still has Albert on his mind and Albert is supposed to be looking for him.

This story is absolutely fascinating. In the second half, there is a mixture of feelings. Some of the chapters are really creepy but also moving. My only criticism would be that the first chapters go a bit slowly.

The story is incredibly gripping and quite thought-provoking. Only when you a have a real friend for life do you realize that friendship is a very valuable and priceless gift. For lovers of dramas, “WarHorse” is a must.

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The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

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The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time by Mark Haddon

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The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a 2003 mystery novel by British writer Mark Haddon. A thriller set in the present day in a small town in the west of England called Swindon, the book became a work of reference in learning environments and was awarded outstanding prizes, such as the Whitbread Book Awards for Best Novel and Book of the Year, the Commonwealth Writers' Prize for Best First Book and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.

The novel features a 15-year-old boy called Christopher Boone with Asperger’s Syndrome (never mentioned in the book, though), but with meaningful abilities in some fields of science, such as maths, physics and geometry. One night, the young man discovers a dog allegedly killed with a garden fork and wonders who could have done that, partly influenced by his obsession with Sherlock Holmes. Against all odds, his first reaction is to carry out a thorough analysis of the scene, noting every subtle detail such as the way the garden fork was stuck, searching for the presence of other wounds or even reasoning whether the garden fork could have been stuck in before or after the dog died. Concluding it could be a murder case, he decides to investigate it. The story gets complicated when the little man learns of his mother’s death. Christopher seems to fit the usual special boy profile: he finds it difficult to understand reality, especially when it comes to human feelings, trying to see beyond factual events, awareness, catching lies, catching jokes, catching embarrassing situations, social relationships and so on. That is why he is not able to imagine things that did not happen to him before or to tell lies. But on the other hand, this type of profile, in many cases, is linked to A Wonderful Mind.

One of the most remarkable strengths of this book is the way it is narrated in the first person, with a flat, neutral, toneless voice, the voice of a person who is not aware of being examined, even questioned and does not need to persuade other people to think or feel in a certain way. At the same time, the novel conveys to the reader the always comforting feeling that any good purpose can be achieved if one works properly. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that it would have been very appealing to expand the book in the form of a sequel, following this idea of pursuing our dreams and seeing how the teenager becomes a successful man thanks to his ingenuity, sometimes utterly amusing because of his naivety.

Not only does this novel encourage us to think twice about the way we face events, but it also gives the reader the feeling that any setback can be overcome in the pursuit of their dreams. I find especially gripping the fact that our hero just showed up, he was not intentionally created by the author. For all lovers of non-conventional thrillers, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a must.

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The Curious Incident of the Dog In the Night-Time - Cover

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This is one of George Orwell’s best-known novels, if not of all his works. This novel, belonging to the subgenres of science fiction and dystopia, is set in 1984 and in the following years in a futuristic London, part of one of the three superpowers that divide the world: Oceania, Eurasia and Central Asia.

The main character is Winston Smith, who works at the Ministry of Truth, where he manipulates historical documents to ensure that the evidence of the past coincides with the official version of history supported by the State. After years working there, Winston is becoming aware of the purpose for which these changes are made: maintaining the sham created by the totalitarian government. Winston, moved by his desire to debunk the disinformation spread by the Party, falls in love with a rebel girl called Julia, equally tired of the omnipresent vigilance of Big Brother, the dictatorial leader of Oceania. Together, Winston and Julia decide to join a resistance movement: the Brotherhood. However, this decision, although clever, will bring about unexpected consequences for their relationship.

Although this novel is not an easy read due to its dark and creepy plot, the intriguing atmosphere felt on all pages makes the book incredibly gripping. Never had I read a novel that reflects so accurately how the cruelty of the human beings has no limits.

If you are looking for a though-provoking book that doesn’t leave you indifferent, I highly recommend ‘Nineteen Eighty-Four’. Despite the slow progress at the beginning, this novel is essential to understand many elements of population control that are used today.

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If you like Mistery and murders books you have to read it.

This book was written by Patricia Highsmith and it has 19 chapters, some shorter than others.
The Story is about a mad man who travels on a train with the idea of meeting a man who will help him commit a murder.

I consider that it is easy to read for the vocabulary.
I didn't have to look many words in the dictionary.

Finally, the introduction is really good.
The book hooks you since the first chapter.

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Review by Grace C. Pérez

Communicating science use to be difficult, due to the deep and technical language generally used to explain or describe the most extraordinary discoveries in our mundane world. “The Brain that changes itself” by Norma Doidge is a perfect model to learn a great way to do this.

Doidge’s book is by itself a whole experience that introduces general readers or those who are interested in science to the world of Neuroscience, especially Neuroplasticity.

Eleven amazing and learned chapters supported with historical notes and references to articles, describe not only what neuroplasticity is, but also its relevance nowadays.

What makes this book particularly different is its writing style, which in my opinion is the key factor to it be being understandable and readable, using personal and real stories from scientists and patients who transformed their lives by transforming their brains without operations or medication.

Nevertheless, although the author manages to connect with the reader, the book requires a curious and motivated mind, inasmuch as not everyone would feel strongly attracted this genre without a good professional or personal reason.

If you still think people born deaf or blind do not have any possibility to see or hear, you should read this book. You will discover that not everything is said as it seems.

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Review by Alberto García B1

Do you like stories of magic, unimaginable creatures, evil cities
and epic battles? Don´t think any more, this is your book!
'Conan the barbarian: Red Nails' is a story written by Robert E. Howard, a very famous comic writer in the twenties. He wrote many kinds of hero stories. This story is about one of Conan´s travels. Conan is the main character of the story. He´s a huge barbarian - a very strong man with an enormous steel sword that he manages with high skill. He finds Valeria, a very intelligent warrior and better pirate and thief. Together, they travel and experience many difficults situations. One time, they survive thanks to their war skills, and other times, they use their intelligence to run away from the enemies.
The plot is interesting, especially if you are a lover of the Conan comic collection (in that case this book is a must) The vocabulary is focused on the world of war, so there are a lot of very specific words. However, the reading is very easy and fun.

I recommend this book if you are looking for an accion story and you want to improve your vocabulary

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Review by Ricardo Olivas B2.2C

I have recently stopped reading the book American Psycho, and I say “stopped” because I could not finish it. However, I read half of the book (and had a quick glance at the rest) so I believe I am able to make a review of it. The book is a first-person narration of the daily life of a wealthy, narcissist and, of course, psychopath called Patrick (Pate/Pat) Bateman (Bates). He is what we call a “yuppie” and he represent the values of extreme U.S. capitalist ideas. After all, it is a satirical novel too.

I will start explaining the worst parts of the book and why I stopped reading it. It is too slow-moving (for my liking), this is because Bret Easton makes very long and detailed descriptions of the things that our yuppie protagonist is obsessed with: clothing and fashion, expensive restaurants and music. In fact, there are whole chapters where Pat only gives us an internal review of music groups or singers (“Genesis” for example), with an incredible anaesthetic effect in the reader.

On the other hand, those heavy  going descriptions are made to get you into the mind of the character, an obsessive pitiless person that is bored with his daily routine and who is able to do cruel, brutal things to other people (some passages are very hard due to the graphic violence). It is sometimes difficult to say if those savage acts are a mere product of the main character’s imagination to escape from his reality or if he is truly doing those things. Furthermore, the book is a continuous criticism of the system and, in fact, the main character’s idol is Donald Trump, who is now the U.S. president.

Finally, I would not recommend this book to any person not used to reading. It is a difficult book (and even more so in a second language) and it is important to mention that it has very explicit violence and pornography. However, those chapters are usually the most interesting parts, when you see that pate is really mad. It has a lot of underlying criticism of rich Wall Street people, and you will learn a lot about clothing: types of suits, ties, bow ties, double breasted coats or high heels; and about expensive food that you will probably will never be able to afford (and after reading the book, you will surely be grateful because this kind of lifestyle can be a serious mess).

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 LOVE, NINA
Review by Isabel Náguila

Almost 30 years ago,Nina Stibbe published those letters that she sent to her sister when she was working as a nanny for an atypical and well-off family in London.
This book was winner of the 2014 National Book Award for the most popular non-fiction book of the year. It has been adapted to a TV series and it was recently chosen by our reading workshop at the school.
It is 1982. Nina has just arrived in London from Leicester, looking for a job as a nanny, After several interviews, she is finally accepted in this family. She soon becomes part of the family and their distinguished and unusual friends. She starts writing a letter almost daily, to describe her problems and achievements.
This book has been written as a diary. Each letter is a resume of Nina´s day. It is for this reason that it always has the same structure, so it could be a bit boring to read. However,it is interesting because of the familiar and informal language which has been used by the author.
The essential thing is that Nina is an outsider and the book could be a  perfect  illustration of how fun it can be to meet someone from a completely different world

more_vert
´´AMSTERDAM´

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She soon becomes part of the family and their distinguished and unusual friends. She starts writing a letter almost daily, to describe her problems and achievements.
This book has been written as a diary. Each letter is a resume of Nina´s day. It is for this reason that it always has the same structure, so it could be a bit boring to read.

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Review by Maria Luisa Rodriguez .
This book was published in 1999 by Antoinette Moses,.

The year 2051 CONTROL, the government of Europe, keeps everyone happy in a virtual reality.This wonderful music is made by dolphins gives everyone pleasure. It`s a world which changed forever when music critic Saul Grant discovers what makes dolphins sing and sets out to free them.
This book is perfect to read by students of English level 5.
Entertaining sci-fi book, really easy to read.

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'The Enemy'                  Álvaro Díaz B2.2A  

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'The Enemy'                  Álvaro Díaz B2.2A  

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The Enemy is a thriller written by the English author Desmond Bagley. It is mostly set in London.

The main characters in the book are a couple and the woman’s father. Malcolm Jaggard says he is an economist, but is really working as a spy catcher for the British Intelligence. He is engaged to Penelope Ashton, the daughter of the Russian scientist called George Aston.

Malcolm uses his position to investigate Penelope’s father and finds out that his identity is classified at the highest levels. For this reason, his superiors order him to guard George Ashton. But George Ashton suddenly disappears.

What I like the most about this book is that it keeps you hooked and tense all the time to the end. There are not several possible suspects like in the typical thriller, because it all revolves around the main characters, but still there is an unexpected end to be disclosed. The only weak point is that the plot is a bit predictable in some situations.

For people who like reading, this book is a must. It is not only a gripping novel, but also a quick read.

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Hickory Dickory Dock          Mª Ángeles Rico Hernández, B2.2A 

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Hickory Dickory Dock          Mª Ángeles Rico Hernández, B2.2A 

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This mysterious book is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie. It was first published in the UK by "Collins Crime Club" in 1955. It's set in London and its best feature is the Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, a peculiar man who impresses everyone with the use of his grey matter to solve the most complicated cases.

An outbreak of apparent cleptomania in a hostel of students and some murders are the essential elements of this disturbing and gripping novel, in which nothing is what it seems. In fact, what looks like just a series of robberies leads to several horrible murders that will be investigated by the police and Poirot.

The strength of this thought-provoking history is Poirot, he is a splendid character who leads the reader through confusing facts which are being solved throughout the book. In addition, ingredients such as passion, envy, pride, bad intentions, tricks and a large number of characters make this novel a magnificent story. My only criticism would be that this large number of quite different characters is also the weakness of the story. The readers sometimes may feel lost if they don't have a good memory and some passages need to be occasionally reread.

I strongly recommend this thrilling book. It's stimulating fiction that keeps the reader thinking about potential solutions from the first page to the last one.
For all lovers of thought-provoking and mysterious stories, Hickory Dickory Dock is a must.

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Review by Manuel Gómez.

‘Love, Nina’ has been the first book read in the Book Club that our school is organising. All the club members have felt very satisfied with the experience and I’d personally encourage anyone to participate in next editions.

Regarding the book, it is a non-fiction story about a nanny working for a family composed of a mother, a Londoner editor, ex-wife of the English director Stephen Friars, and their two sons: Sam, aged ten and a half, and Will, aged nine. The book is a series of letters (hence the title, typical closing for letters to relatives) that Nina, the protagonist, writes to her daughter in the early eighties narrating all the funny and curious family anecdotes. The story topics are the contrast between the nanny and the peculiar family and their neighbourhood of famous people in the culture fields; and the first years of Nina studying Literature in the University after having left school at an early age. Everything is narrated with the funny point of view of Nina and you end up loving the peculiar characters.

If you like funny and charming daily-life stories you’ll love this book. On the contrary, if you want a book to have a fictional plot and a clear story line, this might not be your story.

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Review by Yolanda Santalla

‘Love, Nina’ is the first novel by the British author Nina Stibbe. This novel won the Non-fiction Book of the Year award at the 2014 National Books Awards and has been recently adapted for the BBC. This is the first book picked for the EOI Torrejon Book Club.

In the early ‘80s, twenty-year-old Ninna, from Leicester, begin to work as a nanny for editor Mary Kay Wilmers’ children, Sam and Will. Through the letters she writes home to her sister, the book describes Nina’s tribulations and triumphs, as well as offering a glimpse of ‘80s literary London.

Always witty and sometimes sharp, this collection of funny letters, some of them really hilarious, offers the reader a vision of the artistic scene of a London which appears to be quite odd for the young midlander's mentality. Some characters introduced to the reader suddenly disappear with nor clear reason but nothing will stop you reading to the end.

The letters, written in slang, refer on many occasions to British customs and brand names which, at some point, may well be difficult to understand for an English student. Despite these difficulties, it is an easy-to-read book, as you can read just two or three letters per day without losing the thread.

I really enjoyed reading this book and sharing the anecdotes with my fellow book-club-members.

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Review by Elena Rodriguez.

I am still thinking about the novel "Holes" written by Louis Sachar. It's a thought-provoking book which plunges us into Stanley's life.
Stanley is a poor boy, who is a weak person both mentally and physically. He is bullied at school and everything in his life is wrong due to his bad luck. He believes this bad luck is because a woman put a curse on his great-great-grandfather and all his descendants. He is unfairly accused of stealing a pair of shoes. However you wonder if it is due to his bad luck or he is just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Both things may be possible and he is punished at a young offenders unit named Camp Green Lake, it's in California, USA, and it was a lake but nowadays it is a desert without a drop of water. In this facility he and other young boys have to dig one hole each day, including Saturdays and Sundays. In this way they'll "build their characters and will be able to be good adults" -obviously that is a lie. But while Stanley is extending his muscles, his mind will find the truth...
Sachar deals with important issues such as bulling and relationships. He writes with a clear style and engages the reader step by step in a story so interesting that you don't want to put the book down. He is able to transmit  a lot of sensations that Stanley is feeling. It seems you are living Stanley's life. The only thing slightly negative is the ending. The author spends a lot of time describing how they dig holes and then the ending is resolved very quickly.
I'd recommend this book to all ages because it is a fascinating story. But especially I'd recommended it to young people, they can identify with its characters.
For me it has been a great read.

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Review by Yolanda Santalla

‘The Lighthouse’ is the thirteenth novel by P.D. James, the British mystery novelist best known for her fictional character Adam Dalgliesh of Scotland Yard. Heir of Agatha Christie as queen of mystery novels, James worked in the criminal section of the Department of Home Affairs so it is not strange she excels at this type of genre.

Combe Island, an imaginary offshore island twelve miles off the Cornish cost, is a haven of rest for stressed high-level executives, some of whom visit this retreat on strictly incognito. But when one of its distinguished visitors, a world-famous novelist, is found hanging from the island's lighthouse in what appears to have been a murder, the peace of the island breaks down. Commander Dalgliesh is called to handle this sensitive case during a difficult personal period, not only for himself but also for his team. After a second brutal killing, with a small group of suspects, Dalgliesh must deal with a threat more dangerous than a killer.

With all the typical characteristics common to classical mystery novels, the author treats murder as a serious business without humorous elements. Offering the reader a rich description of the every character’s back story in the novel, she involves the reader in the analysis of all the clues and motives for murder. My only criticism would be that there are a lot of names of characters and locations which make you struggle to follow the thread of the story.

Not only did I enjoyed this story, but its also well-written which made this novel a pleasure to read. If you like a modern Agatha Christie novel, as I do, you will surely enjoy this book.

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THE QUIET AMERICAN by Graham Greene

Review by Isabel  Náguila

The English novelist Graham Greene is one of the most controversial and contradictory writer of the 20th century.
In this thriller , his personality and experiences are revealed. His travels to remote places as a journalist or a secret agent, as it is also said, allow him to have a real perspective of other cultures and lifestyles, which he paints masterfully with his pen.
The novel is set in the French colony of Indochina in the early ´50s, during the struggle for independence from French. It was written not log after World War II and, surprisingly, it is clearly anti-American, as Greene criticizes the American intervention in the conflict.
Regarding the plot, it is centred on a love triangle: a beautiful Asian girl, Phoung, and two western men with opposing characters, an old British journalist, Thomas Folder, who is the narrator and a thirty-year-old called Pyle, employed in the Mission of Economic Aid and an undercover CIA agent. Each caracter depicts different cultures and points of view, which generates incomprehension between them all.
In my opinión , the best aspect is the QUIET pace at which everything happens: the action flows constantly and naturally, written with a simple but gripping style.
I would recommended this book because is seems to me a masterpiece, where fiction
 and history are perfectly mixed.

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THE QUIET AMERICAN by Graham Greene

Review by Isabel  Náguila

The English novelist Graham Greene is one of the most controversial and contradictory writer of the 20th century.
In this thriller , his personality and experiences are revealed. His travels to remote places as a journalist or a secret agent, as it is also said, allow him to have a real perspective of other cultures and lifestyles, which he paints masterfully with his pen.
The novel is set in the French colony of Indochina in the early ´50s, during the struggle for independence from French. It was written not log after World War II and, surprisingly, it is clearly anti-American, as Greene criticizes the American intervention in the conflict.
Regarding the plot, it is centred on a love triangle: a beautiful Asian girl, Phoung, and two western men with opposing characters, an old British journalist, Thomas Folder, who is the narrator and a thirty-year-old called Pyle, employed in the Mission of Economic Aid and an undercover CIA agent. Each caracter depicts different cultures and points of view, which generates incomprehension between them all.
In my opinión , the best aspect is the QUIET pace at which everything happens: the action flows constantly and naturally, written with a simple but gripping style.
I would recommended this book because is seems to me a masterpiece, where fiction
 and history are perfectly mixed.

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`PEAKY BLINDERS´ SERIES
Review written by Marta Tobares 

`Peaky Blinders´is a haunting drama series set in 1919, in Birmingham.
 It was directed by Steven Knight, shot on location in different places like Birmingham, Dudley, Leeds and Liverpool.
 It´s set in the twentieth century, with impressive evocations of hellish industrial sections of the towns that have a science-fiction feel.
 The main characters are a gangster family of four brothers: Tommy Shelby, Arthur, John and Michael, a sister, Ada Shelby, and the aunt, Polly. The star is Tommy, a medal-winning soldier with psychological problems due to the war, who is a businessman producing, buying a bar, creating a betting house, later, producing the most popular liquors of the moment and the ones that women like the most, and, ultimately, leading his family to success. Little by little, he becomes more popular in the city, with the  bad and good things that his business brings, such as a fight with a crime sindicate.

The greatest strength of the series are the difficulties that Shelby family finds with business, wars and life in general at that time. It´s really interesting, as it shows us the differences between men and women, presenting these a secondary role, with the men making all the decisions.

Not only is this a complex series, but also tackles real problems in society such as poverty caused by problems with the economy. It only consists of four seasons, no more. It´s good to be concise from time to time, and for this rason I recommend it. For all lovers of psychological dramas, `Peaky´ is a must.

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`PEAKY BLINDERS´ SERIES
Review written by Marta Tobares 

`Peaky Blinders´is a haunting drama series set in 1919, in Birmingham.
 It was directed by Steven Knight, shot on location in different places like Birmingham, Dudley, Leeds and Liverpool.
 It´s set in the twentieth century, with impressive evocations of hellish industrial sections of the towns that have a science-fiction feel.
 The main characters are a gangster family of four brothers: Tommy Shelby, Arthur, John and Michael, a sister, Ada Shelby, and the aunt, Polly. The star is Tommy, a medal-winning soldier with psychological problems due to the war, who is a businessman producing, buying a bar, creating a betting house, later, producing the most popular liquors of the moment and the ones that women like the most, and, ultimately, leading his family to success. Little by little, he becomes more popular in the city, with the  bad and good things that his business brings, such as a fight with a crime sindicate.

The greatest strength of the series are the difficulties that Shelby family finds with business, wars and life in general at that time. It´s really interesting, as it shows us the differences between men and women, presenting these a secondary role, with the men making all the decisions.

Not only is this a complex series, but also tackles real problems in society such as poverty caused by problems with the economy. It only consists of four seasons, no more. It´s good to be concise from time to time, and for this rason I recommend it. For all lovers of psychological dramas, `Peaky´ is a must.

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LOVE, NINA
Review by Isabel Náguila

Almost 30 years ago,Nina Stibbe published those letters that she sent to her sister when she was working as a nanny for an atypical and well-off family in London.
This book was winner of the 2014 National Book Award for the most popular non-fiction book of the year. It has been adapted to a TV series and it was recently chosen by our reading workshop at the school.
It is 1982. Nina has just arrived in London from Leicester, looking for a job as a nanny, After several interviews, she is finally accepted in this family. She soon becomes part of the family and their distinguished and unusual friends. She starts writing a letter almost daily, to describe her problems and achievements.
This book has been written as a diary. Each letter is a resume of Nina´s day. It is for this reason that it always has the same structure, so it could be a bit boring to read. However,it is interesting because of the familiar and informal language which has been used by the author.
The essential thing is that Nina is an outsider and the book could be a  perfect  illustration of how fun it can be to meet someone from a completely different world

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Review written by Paco LLuna.
´Amsterdam´ is a psychological novel written by Ian McEwan, one of the most successful English novelists today. This book was published in 1998 and it is set in an unknown city of the United Kingdom and in Amsterdam. It was awarded the 1998 Booker Prize.
The book begins with the funeral of Molly Lane, a fascinating and liberal woman whose life was marked by her intensity. Three of her former lovers are present at the funeral, along with her current husband George: Clive Linley, a successful composer, Vernon Halliday, a very influentional director of an important newspaper and Julian Garmony, a conservative politician whose intention is to become the next prime minister. The emergence of some compromising photographs of a sexual nature taken by Molly will affect the relationships among them and will bing unexpected consequences...
Ian McEwan writes a thought-provoking novel with a gripping plot full of turns and twists. As the novel progresses, the author deals brilliantly with topics such as manipulation in the media and euthanasia, as well as the hypocrisy of the political class. Moreover, McEwan elegantly confronts the creativity of the artistic world represented by Clive against the consumerist society personified in the rest of the characters. In fact, McEwan describes  all the characters perfectly. He inmerses us  in the life of each one and in their routines and this leads to dinamic and entertaining reading. However, from my point of view the end is too unexpected and this means that the reader feels that the mystery of novel is solved in a far-fetched way.
I strongly recommend reading this best-seller not only because it is a complex and interesting novel, but it also tackles a wide range of moral dilemmas. Although it was written in 1998, the topics covered are present in 2019, such as the true meaning of friendships or the eefect of the media on our society.What I liked most is that these dilemmas are dealt with in a conversational style without pedantry. Undoubtedly Mc Ewan is a great writer, the book is a real page-turner and that is why this novel will not leave the reader indefferent.

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This is a 2012 movie, directed by John Madden (`Shakespeare in love`), with a plot based on the novel "These Foolish Things", by Deborah Mogach.
Some stories about elderly people (around 60 years old) take place in the renovated Marigold hotel in India. These people are trying to break with their past lives and find new incentives and hopes in this colorful Asian country. They are looking for their dreams with an abrupt change.
It's an optimistic movie about how to finish one life stage and to start a new one, accepting disappointments. However, things always go well in the end; if not, that's not the end...
All the veteran actors are notbale, especially Dench and Wilkinson, whose characters maybe have more power. The photography is great, and it allows the Indian city of Jaipur to shine like a place of redemption.
If you feel sad or hopeless, watch this film, I'm sure you'll have an injection of vitality!

RAÚL NIETO GONZÁLEZ

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The last of the Mohicans is a historical novel written by James Fenimore Cooper in 1826. It's the second book in a series of five.
The story takes place during the Seven-Year War, in which France and Great Britain fought for the dominance of the American colonies. It's also the story of the end of a tribe, the Mohicans, who struggled to preserve the past and the history of their people.
In fact, the novel has been a valuable document to learn more about these tribes today. Mohicans, Delawares and Hurons are the protagonists of the book, where Uncas, Chingachgook's son, is the last Mohican.
The book comes with a dramatized audio with which you can review the pronunciation and intonation in a second reading of each chapter.
Actually, it's an action novel that encourages you to continue reading almost without pause. I'm already thinking about watching its latest film adaptation, with Daniel Day Lewis as the main character. And you?

RAÚL NIETO GONZÁLEZ

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Review written by José María García, from the Oral Skills group.

What we did on our holiday, is the original name of this hilarious film, in Spain was titled “Mis últimas vacaciones en Escocia”.
This film was directed and written by Andy Hamilton and Guy Jenkins in 2015. This famous British film received a lot of good reviews from newspaper critics during the following weeks to its premiere in London.  These critics said thinks like “This movie is a warm witty and delightful British Comedy” or “it’s a real and hilarious treat in the comedy world”.
The film is shot on different locations in Scotland and it tells a story about the last family’s holiday of a young couple and their three children: Lotie, the wise and sensitive eldest daughter, Tommy, the son, who dreams to become a Viking warrior and little Jess, who speaks with her imaginary friends like the stones.
The main characters are, Doug (David Tennant), his pretty wife Abi, who is played by Rosamund Pike and Billy Connolly, as Doug’s father, Gordie.
The film shows how Doug’s family travels to the Highlands to attend the birthday party of Doug’s father, who is rather delicate due to a cancer and how the family tries to hide their secrets like the recent separation of the parents to the grand-father. In that comedy, it’s soon clear that when it comes to keeping secrets under carpets, children have the biggest ability, because they have a close relationship with their grand-father, who finally died on his birthday, when they were playing on the beach, and the children decided to celebrate a Viking burial in the sea for Gordie.
In my opinion, this film could be the most hilarious British comedy that  I’ve seen for years and this film also makes you think of feelings and emotions of the family, playing with the funny situations in the film.

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Review written by Silvia Valladares Naranjo, from the Oral Skills Course

FILM REVIEW
The shape of Water
by Guillermo del Toro 2018

It tells the story of a creature and two cleaners in an official building in 1962: Elisa Sally Hawkins and Zelda Octavia Spencer.
Little by little, you realize that the creature feels, speaks and is intelligent.
Elisa, a young mute woman, and the creature can´t speak but their communication is clearer and richer than in most of other relationships. From this point on things start, happen.

The soundtrack is one of the most important parts of the film. Parts of the movie make you laugh out loud and other parts are heartbreaking, rounded up with a completely unexpected ending. The characters are convincing and you really care about them. There's lots of suspense and tension. It allows you to escape into an imaginary world.

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‘Revolution’ was written by Jann Huizenga and Linda Huizinga.

This book is about the American colonies and their independence process. It is set in America and the United Kingdom from 1754 until 1789. It starts with the first independence figures in the colonies and, what is more important, with those unfair taxes that were the beginning of American independence. Of course, it tells us the French still supported this war in order to destroy English power in the world. One more time, the main cause of independence were economic and political problems. This book tells you about war of independence but focuses on the most important moments and the figure of Washington, until the creation of the first Constitution in the world, the Bill of Rights.

I found this book very interesting, because it is about and old independence process, but we could be in a similar situation now. You learn about a transcendental fact in human history and what are the true causes of that.

To sum up, if you like history or you are interested in politics, I think you SHOULD READ THIS BOOK. I believe it is going to make you to improve your knowledge about history and It is not hard to read.

Reviewed by Christian Perez, B1B

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Review by Jose Mª Hdez.

`Martin Luther King´ is a biographical book. It was written by Alan C. McLean and it is aimed at B1 level students.

The story is set in USA between 1929 (King birth) and 1968 (King murder), but also it tells us some things about his legacy until nowadays.

The book is about racial segregation and the fight for equal rights. It is very entertaining and helps to understand how much  people who are in disadvantage have to fight for their rights.

I would recommend this book. I´m sure you´ll enjoy it.

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THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME                                                                                                                                                               “The curious incident of the dog in the night-time”, a novel by British writer Mark Haddon, is narrated by the character of a fifteen-year old boy with a disability. The book has won several awards, such as the Booker Prize, the Whitbread Book and Alex Awards among others and sold more than two million copies. A fifteen-year old boy with Asperger’s syndrome, a disorder on the autism spectrum, Christopher has an astonishing memory. He is highly gifted for maths and sciences. However, he is unable to establish normal relationships with other people. One night, he finds his neighbour’s dog dead in the front garden. This event encourages him to discover the killer and to write a book about it. However, while he investigates, he uncovers many unexpected mysteries.What makes this story so unusual and interesting is that Christopher, an autistic boy, is the main character, who tells his own story in first person. It gives you a unique insight into the way his mind works and you appreciate his experiences from his personal perspective. It’s really interesting to learn the singular perception of an autistic person of his surroundings, his feelings and his reactions towards them. It’s a fantastic way to understand better people with disabilities and disorders, which are mostly unknown by society.  I’m highly impressed by the difficulties and obstacles they have to cope with in their daily life due to their autism. The story is told in an exciting and engaging way. However, the chapters describing Christopher’s brain function with too much detail makes the reading a bit tedious and excessive technical information about certain aspects of his mind leads to a boring and difficult read. However, all in all, it’s an original, thought-provoking and heart-touching story and it’s a great book, well worth reading. I would absolutely recommend it. 

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THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME                                                                                                                                                               “The curious incident of the dog in the night-time”, a novel by British writer Mark Haddon, is narrated by the character of a fifteen-year old boy with a disability. The book has won several awards, such as the Booker Prize, the Whitbread Book and Alex Awards among others and sold more than two million copies. A fifteen-year old boy with Asperger’s syndrome, a disorder on the autism spectrum, Christopher has an astonishing memory. He is highly gifted for maths and sciences. However, he is unable to establish normal relationships with other people. One night, he finds his neighbour’s dog dead in the front garden. This event encourages him to discover the killer and to write a book about it. However, while he investigates, he uncovers many unexpected mysteries.What makes this story so unusual and interesting is that Christopher, an autistic boy, is the main character, who tells his own story in first person. It gives you a unique insight into the way his mind works and you appreciate his experiences from his personal perspective. It’s really interesting to learn the singular perception of an autistic person of his surroundings, his feelings and his reactions towards them. It’s a fantastic way to understand better people with disabilities and disorders, which are mostly unknown by society.  I’m highly impressed by the difficulties and obstacles they have to cope with in their daily life due to their autism. The story is told in an exciting and engaging way. However, the chapters describing Christopher’s brain function with too much detail makes the reading a bit tedious and excessive technical information about certain aspects of his mind leads to a boring and difficult read. However, all in all, it’s an original, thought-provoking and heart-touching story and it’s a great book, well worth reading. I would absolutely recommend it. 

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Review by Diego Pascual

'My family and other animals' was written by Gerald Durrell and it was published by Oxford University Press, with an adaptation by Bill Bowler.
'My family and other animals' is set en the Greek island of Corfu in 1935, where Gerry (Gerald Durrell), his family and Roger, his dog, come because the English weather is very bad and almost all of them are ill. There Gerry meets a lot of people, learns a lot about animals that people give him or that he finds in the countryside and experiences a lot of funny situations with his family and friends.
On this book Durrell shows us how a boy discovers nature in its original state mixed with the daily life of a family.
I would recommend this book. It is entertaining and easy reading.

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Review by Isabel Náguila

This new film is the story of the rock band Queen, told around its well-known Singer Freddie Mercury. It could be a biography of any gay person in the seventies with all its taboos and social difficulties. Nonetheless, not only does Freddie pursue his goals but also he encourages his band to go ahead. Their compositions an daring perfomances make Queen a revolutionary rock band of all time.
The acting is spectacular, notably Raimi Malek, who is outstanding as Freddie Mercury.
As regards filming it was shot in real places and, as you could guess, the most famous Queen songs are there in all their splendor, both the music and lyrics.
Sometimes the movie is different from the real story, small details have been changed, It is like Bohemian Rhapsody, it has three good parts, but is too focused on the development of the band and the problems that Mercury is suffering because of his complex personality. The remaining part is very entertaining and ejoyable.
I would recommend this film if you are a Queen enthusiast. Watching it in the big screen with that surround sound, is awesome. If you are not yet a fan , I prrettñy sure you will become one.,

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THE PURSUIT OF HAPPyNESS, by Chris Gardner 

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THE PURSUIT OF HAPPyNESS, by Chris Gardner 

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Review by Isabel Náguila

Chris Gardner's life story could seem like a fairy tale. However. it is the true story of a black man who had never gone to school, and after a period of being homeless, became a successful stockbroker.
This impressive story has been taken to the movies. Will Smith's perfomance in this rags-to-riches story ended up being a blockbuster.
The influence of Gardner's mother in his difficult childhood, the promise he makes about his future fatherhood, the helpful people he meets on his way, his own tenacity and strength of caracter, help him to be successful.
I recommend Reading the book before you watch the film, as the movie does not include the full story and skips some details.
Like all fairy tales, the book could be motivating or frustating. It depends on each person's own experiences.

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Review by Isabel Náguila

This book is included in the OXFORD BOOKWORMS COLLECTION. Each book is focused on one theme. Both classic and modern authors have added a short story. In this case, it analyzes love, its different forms and how people react under its influence.
There are ten stories and each of them has been written by famous authors throughout the ages, such as Virginia Woolf, James Joyce or Graham Green, among others. For that reason, the book is a fascinating mix of literary styles.
All genres , from romantic to comedy , are represented there. Someimes the stories have an open or unexpected ending.
I would recommend it because it is easy to read, it could probably help you to improve your vocabulary and because it is a proof that love has not changed through time

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The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
This review was made by Silvia Valladares, from the Oral Skills course

The Time Machine tells the story of a scientist inventor named “Traveller”, and the concept of time travel by using a vehicle that allows travelling by selecting the date forwards or backwards in time. Time is the fourth dimension as the Traveller tells his guests in his weekly dinner. One of the guests gets into the machine and travels/ is carried through time; when he returns to the dinner the following week he tells his experience.

Herbert George Wells wrote a short story for the college newspaper that was the draft for the science fiction novel published in 1895 as The Time Machine. The Time Machine has been adapted in various movies as well as series and comic books.

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Milk (Mi nombre es Harvey Milk), by Gus Van Sant

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Milk (Mi nombre es Harvey Milk), by Gus Van Sant

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This review was made by Alejandro Guerrero, from the Oral Skills course.

Milk is the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay politician in USA in the decade of the seventies.

Milk was an insurance worker in NY who moves to San Francisco with his boyfriend. They started as activists to help and join to the gay community around Castro district. As the gay rights weren’t well avowed, Milk decided to run for San Francisco supervisor. He failed several times, until he started to include in his electoral program other social problems like those about the seniors. Finally, he had success in 1977. His best success was the defeat of the proposal 6, which was a threat against homosexual people. However, he was shot and killed by another supervisor in 1979.

This movie was directed by Gus Van Sant and won two Oscars: best actor, for Sean Penn (his second Oscar), and best original screenplay.
In my opinion these are deserved. The best of the film are Sean Penn and the story itself, because tells the inflection point in the gay’s rights in USA, an unknown story for most of the people.

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Review by Antonio García Porlán, from the Oral Skills Course

The big sleep is the classic novel of the private detective by excellence: handsome, intelligent, hard, ironic, temperate, polite but without exaggeration, and honest with himself and his clients, although this can bring him complications.
At the request of a client, he gets involved in more dirty matters than he would like but, more inclined to use the brain than the revolver, he manages to get out of each mess almost without disheveling.
Published in 1939, it was the author's first detective novel, introducing the character of the charismatic Philip Marlowe, who was later taken to the cinema on several occasions, first in 1946 performed by the inimitable Humphrey Bogart, and later in 1978 by Robert Mitchum, being recently inspiration to The Coen Brothers’ in “The Big Lebowski”.
Chandler stands out for his intelligent and surprising use of language, especially in their particular descriptions of places, characters, thoughts, ... probably in this small adaptation of barely 80 pages cannot be appreciated as in the original book.
In short, a book that is read with interest and without difficulty, since it includes a brief guide and a glossary at the end, and some exercises for those who want to review their understanding of it.

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This review was made by Alejandro Guerrero, from the Oral Skills course.

Oliver Twist is an orphan in the Victorian London (mid XIX century). At the beginning he is living in an orphanage in very bad conditions, until he gets away.
Walking by London, Twist is captured by the thieves of Fagin, an old terrible burglar who wants to turn Oliver into another robber.

It is the second novel of Charles Dickens, written in the decade of the thirties of XIX century framed within the genre of picaresque.

Oliver Twist is a criticism of the Victorian society and its hypocrisy. It is a story of the life in Victorian London and how hard the day to day was in mid XIX century.

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This review was handed in by Antonio García Porlán, from the Oral Skills Course.

It is a small book of just 80 pages, easy and pleasant reading, organized in 7 short chapters introduces us to the history, customs, legends, climate and places to visit in Scotland.

Essential as a mini travel guide for anyone considering a trip, and recommended reading in any case to simply get to know this beautiful country better.

Includes self-assessment exercises and a CD with the complete recording of the book, and other resources.

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national trust for places of historic interest or natural beauty

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This is the first book we have chosen for the Book Club in EOI Torrejón de Ardoz. I hope some of the readers can post an opinion once we have started reading. We're looking forward to reading all your recommendations.
Remember we can talk about books, but also magazine articles, films or TV series.
Tell your classmates about your findings!!