MARCH, 2024 --- BOOKS BY IRISH AUTHORS

 

This month we read various novels by Irish authors.  It was a very interesting meeting with a wide variety of authors and subjects.

 

ED:   THE LOCKUP by JOHN BANVILLE

The story was set in Dublin in 1957.  Rosa Jacob’s body is found in her car in a lock up (garage). It is first thought to be suicide, but the pathologist discovers it was murder.  The detective inspector, John Strafford and the pathologist are the main characters in this novel and John Banville’s previous novels. There is a lot of animosity between them. Rosa had links to a wealthy German industrialist and his son.  She had suspected he was supplying materials to Israel to make an atomic bomb. Rosa’s friend was a journalist in Israel and together they were delving into the matter to find out when her friend was killed in a hit and run accident. Rosa’s sister, a newspaper reporter from London, returns to Dublin to investigate.  Ed said it was enjoyable and easy to read.

PRUE:   DAYS WITHOUT END by SEBASTIAN BARRY (Published 1955)

This is a story of an Irish boy who left Ireland in the 1850’s for America.  He is barely 17 and had no way or surviving when he met another young man. They got a paid job dressed up as girls as they were young and quite good looking.  They did this for a few years and then decided to join the American Army to fight the Indians and then later they fought in the Civil War.  The story showed the effects of cruelty on soldiers and Indians.  Prue said it was a beautiful book about comradeship, friendship, love and companionship.  It's simple, precise and poignant. The narrative flows and it was easy to read with not a wasted word. 

DIANN FORD:   PROMISING YOUNG WOMEN BY CAROLYN O’DONOHUE (2018)

Diann said this was not her type of book.  The main character, Jane Peters, is a 20 something by day and a world-weary aunt by night, taking care of her nephew.  When an office party goes too far, Jane goes into a world being the other woman after an affair with a married man.  Diann lost interest in the story line of this book after reading the first 36 pages.  She felt her time would be better spent with a different Irish author’s work with a different theme.  It was a learning experience for Diann.

JOAN:  KITTY O’SHEA: THE STORY OF KATHERINE PARNELL by MARY ROSE CALLAGHAN (Published 1989)

This is a biography.  It is the historical love/sex scandal story set in Ireland and England during and part of the Irish fight for independence in the 19^th and early 20^th century.  It is also a love story between a man and woman.  Kitty had married the wrong man, Willy O’Shea.  He was lazy and a womaniser.  She was a Victorian woman who did not leave her husband.  When Kitty and Charles Parnell met, they began a long affair. He was the leader of the Irish Nationalist Party, also known as the uncrowned King of Ireland.  Joan said it was a very good book. 

LYN:   THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RAINBOW by MAIRE BRENNAN with ANGELA LITTLE (Published 2000)

This is the autobiography of the voice of Clannad.  Maire Brennan was born in 1952 in the village of Gweedore, county Donegal, Ireland.  She is the eldest of nine children, born into a very musical family.  She is a folk singer, song writer, trained harpist, and philanthropist, and the sister of Enya, a very talented and well known singer. After singing in her father’s tavern, she began performing professionally in 1970, aged 18, when members of the family formed the band called Clannad. They became very well known and toured throughout the world.

 She married young, but the marriage only lasted 18mths or so. The music scene was becoming very much involved in the drug culture and Maire made many unfortunate life choices, indulging in heavy drug and alcohol use. Lyn enjoyed this book.  It was full of trials and tribulations and overcoming religious differences in her second marriage.

VAL:   SO LATE IN THE DAY by CLAIRE KEEGAN

This is a little book about a middle-aged man who goes back to his flat after work each day to his cat.  He reminisces about a French girl he had a relationship with some time ago.  He had bought a wedding ring for her, but she changed her mind about marrying him.  She gave him the reasons why and he was now ruminating on how it might have been different if he had behaved differently.  Val said it was beautifully written.

PAMELA:   PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by JAMES JOYCE (1916)

Pamela had read this when she was 15. This is Joyce’s first novel.  It is written in the modernist style.  The main character is Stephen Dedalus, Joyce’s fictional alter ego, whose surname alludes to Daedalus, Greek mythology’s consummate craftsman.  Pamela said the first two chapters were okay.  By the third chapter he was being taught by the Jesuits about the seven deadly sins.  She couldn’t read much further and thought it was self-indulgent.  She disliked the content, not the writing.  This book was published in 1916 and in 1918 he was writing his masterpiece “Ulysses”.

JUDY D:  THE NOTHING MAN by CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD

This book is a psychological thriller. It is a story in two parts. One part is about the characters and the murders.  The other part is spoken by the Nothing Man.  A young lady called Eve is obsessed with catching the killer.  The Nothing Man came to her house when she was a 12year old child. She was the only survivor of a brutal attack on her family by this serial killer. Eve writes a true crime story about her efforts to track down the Nothing Man who murdered her family. When he reads the book, he has no choice but to stop her first.  Judy said it was excellent.  There are no gruesome details.

JUDY J:  A WEEK IN WINTER by MAEVE BINCHY

Stoneybridge is a small town on the west coast of Ireland where all the families know each other.  In 1990 Chicky Starr had left Ireland in disgrace and estranged from her family, to travel to New York with a cool and suave American tourist she had met, who promised her the world.  When he abandons her, she is left to survive on her own.  After becoming successful, she returns to Ireland and takes on an old, decaying mansion set high on the cliffs overlooking the windswept Atlantic Ocean and turns it into a restful place for a holiday by the sea. A group of accidently gathered strangers arrive for the opening week of the hotel.  Judy said she enjoyed the book when it first began, what life was like in Ireland in the 1990’s and Chicky’s struggle to succeed in New York, but when this unlikely, but magically connected group of people began to arrive, for the opening week, it became a little shallow.  The ending is disappointing as it finishes with the last character’s story. It almost seemed to be rushed and incomplete.  It was an easy, enjoyable read, as all her books have been.

BEV:  THE LIAR’S GIRL by CATHERINE RYAN HOWARD

 Bev is not a fan of books that go back and forth in time.  Alison, an Irish girl met an Irish fellow who went to the same university as her. She falls in love but when he is sent to a psychiatric hospital for murdering 5 young women, she moves to the Netherlands to start a new life.  10 yeas later, a girl’s body is found, and it seems like a copycat killing.  When the police try to talk to the serial killer in the psychiatric hospital, he says he will only talk to his ex-girlfriend.  Bev couldn’t read anymore.

PAT:  SMILE by RODDY DOYLE

Pat only got half way through.  The story is told through Victor Forde who goes to Donnelly’s pub every evening to enjoy a pint. One day he is interrupted by a man called Frederick who knew him from school.  It brings up bad memories of his time at the Christian Brothers and one Brother in particular.  This is a novel; unlike any he has written before.  Pat said it was well written but a bit boring.  It didn’t hold her interest.

ROSEMARY:  A CLASS APART (published 2018)

This is the first in the historical fiction series called A Matter of Class.  It is self-published.   The story is set in 1828 and Ireland is in turmoil as Irish tenants protest against their upper-class English landlords.  This is a gripping historical romance set in the Irish countryside.  As the title implies, the heroine Bridget, a refined intelligent young heiress, and her childhood friend, Cormac, the stable hand on the estate, turned loved interest, are from different social classes.  Throw in a miserable controlling mother and the odds of their relationship working out become even bleaker.  This saga narrates the story of forbidden love, loss, tragedy and unyielding passion and kept me enthralled throughout. Rosemary is up to Book 4 in the series and the saga continues.

TAM:  WHAT HAPPENED THAT NIGHT by SHEILA O’FLANAGAN

This is a story about a mother and daughter and their life in Ireland.  It is a story of the past and the present following both women’s stories.  It centres around a robbed jewellery store.  Mother and daughter are impulsive and make bad decisions.  They seem to overcome the bad outcomes.  Tam read it in a couple of days.  She said it was a good holiday read.

JUDY A:  COUNTRY GIRLS by EDNA O’BRIEN (Published 1960)

Judy had an Edna O’Brien month.  She read her first and last book and a couple in between. This is her first novel.  It is often credited with breaking silence on sexual matters and social issues during a repressive period in Ireland following the Second World War. The book was banned, burned and denounced from the pulpit and caused an estrangement from her family.  It’s a BILDUNGSROMAN, which means a coming-of-age novel - two teenage girls, Kathleen and Bridget growing up in Ireland – fairly tame by today’s standards.  The book was followed by Girl with Green Eyes and then Girls in their Married Bliss. These books form the Country Girls Trilogy.  Her last book, published in 2019 was called Girl.  It’s based on the kidnapping by the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram in 2014 of 276 girls aged 16 to 18.

TERESA:   AKIN by EMMA DONAGHUE (published 2019)

The setting is contemporary. Noah, a retired professor is turning 80 years old.  His wife and sister have died. He decides to go back to his birthplace in France.  When he was very young, he was sent to America.  While he was living in America, he found photographs of his mother living in France.  He started to suspect she was working for the Germans.  He investigated and was relieved to find she was part of the French Resistance.  Noah’s sister’s 11year old grandson is becoming a ward of the state and Noah is becoming his guardian.  He takes him to France.  It works out well.  Noah teaches him history and Michael helps him with technology. It was funny.

KRIS AND HELEN:  SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE by CLAIRE KEEGAN

Hilary Mantel wrote “Wastes not a Word…….Exquisite.”

It’s just a small book but it tells a very powerful story. The story is set in an Irish village in 1985. Through the story of Bill Furlong and his family, it paints a portrait of life in Ireland at the time.  Bill is a coal and timber merchant and coming up to Christmas is his busiest time.  Through his deliveries to the convent, he meets a young girl who is desperate to escape the Magdalene laundry system, a mothers and baby’s home where many girls and their babies died.  Bill knows how much control the Catholic Church has in his small community and the price he will pay if he makes a stand.  Kris said is what well written and concise and worth reading.  Her writing is a pleasure to read.  Helen could not be at book club, but she said this book was full of hope and love. She enjoyed the read.

JO:  SNOW by JOHN BANVILLE

Although Jo could not be with us today, she sent in her book report.

The story is about a priest who abused the boys in his care.  He was castrated and stabbed in the neck.  The detective also abused the boys.  It was a good book despite the subject.  He is a good author.  The title is from the prevailing weather at the time of the murder.  It was snowing a lot where they don’t usually get much snow.

LESLEY:  OLD GOD’S TIME by SEBASTIAN BARRY (2023)

Lesley could not be at book club today either and sent in her book report.

 This is a fictional story set in Dublin, 1960’s.  The main character, Tom, a retired policeman, widowed, lives in an annexe of a castle overlooking the sea.  He’s withdrawn from society, living through his memories of some happier times.  An old case is reopened, and distant memories emerge - long buried secrets, his upbringing in an orphanage, child abuse, crimes where justice didn’t prevail. His recall of times past blend with his obvious dementia. What’s real and what’s imagined?  It’s a bleak story, slow moving just like his memories but beautifully and carefully written.  The facts are that violence and abuse are long lasting.  Lesley said it wasn’t an easy read.

 

Kris

 

APRIL:  Aussie April -  we read any books by Australian authors

Theme for February: Cold Climates

 ED: THE SEVEN SKINS OF ESTHER WILDING  by HOLLY RINGLAND

This is the very moving story of a family struggling with the loss of a beloved member.

Esther Wildings older sister had left their Tasmanian home to study in Copenhagen. Here she becomes very reclusive and is last seen walking along the beach towards the sea. Esther reluctantly travels to Denmark and further afield following the trail of stories her sister had left behind: seven fairy tails about mermaids, swans and women and verses that were tattooed on her body.

Ed really enjoyed the book, the author’s previous novel being The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart.

 

HELEN: THE ART OF BREAKING ICE by RACHEL MEAD

 

This novel is the fictionalized account of Nel Law, the first Australian woman and visual artist to set foot in Antarctica at Mawson Station 8^th February 1961.

In 1960 the legendary icebreaker Magga Dan set sail for Antarctica and hiding on board was Nel, the wife of expedition leader Phil Law. Though a talented artist, Nel was defined by her role as “the explorer’s wife”. But with the outstanding polar landscapes and the abundance of penguins her artistic talents begin to flourish. She experiences misogyny from the all-male crew  and her presence on the expedition threatens the foundation of the patriarchal world of polar exploration and puts a huge strain on her own marriage.

A very interesting story.

 

ROSEMARY W: THE FROZEN RIVER by ARIEL LAWHON

ROSEMARY S

The book tells the fictionalized story of a real late 18^th century midwife, Martha Ballard who kept a record of every birth and death she witnessed along with other crimes which  happened in the community. 

In1789, she is summoned to the local tavern to examine a body which was found in the Kennebec River in Maine. The river is frozen from November to April each year.

When local physician declares the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own, based on other information she already knew.

This fascinating book is not really a crime thriller but more accurately described as historical fiction.

 

JUDY A: TO THE BRIGHT EDGE  OF THE WORLD by EOWEN IVEY

 

This is an epistolary novel told from 3 points of view. 

Firstly, in 1885, Colonel Allen Forester receives a commission to navigate Alaska’s hitherto impassable Wolverine River, accompanied by a small group of men. The river is key to opening up Alaska’s huge reserves of gold, but previous attempts have ended in tragedy. We learn about the journey from his diary entries.

The second point of view comes from the diary entries of Allen’s wife Sophie who is pregnant and back at the army barracks in Vancouver. She is a budding photographer and ornithologist. Her battles lie with a boring and critical lot of army wives in that restricted environment.

The third point of view comes from correspondence in the current time between Colonel Forrester’s 70-year-old grandson Walt and Josh, the 30-year-old creator of the museum in the town of Alpine, near the Wolverine River. The letters  start out very formally but over time they become good friends as they discuss their enjoyment of the contents of the diaries.

Judy described the writing as ‘beautiful’ and thoroughly recommended the book.

 

KERRIE: THE MUSEUM OF WHALES YOU WILL NEVER SEE by KENDRA GREENE

Kerrie is soon to travel to Iceland and so has been reading about the 265 weird and wonderful museums that can be found in this country. They range from small backyard ones to the more traditional and show what the local people want to see and value.

The book was well written and an informal way of look at things we see in museums.

 

BEV: STRANGE SHORES by ARNALDUR INDRIDASON

This is the 9^th book in the Detective Erlendur series. Every year he takes his holidays in the area he lived in as a child and where, many years before, his young brother died in a blizzard. His body has never been found. While he is searching, he learns of a young woman who went missing 25 years ago in the same area and is determined to find out what happened to her. He interviews people still alive from that time and he finally finds the answer.

All the time he is still looking for clues to the whereabouts of his brother’s remains.

Bev has read and enjoyed several books in this series.

 

JUDY J: CITY OF THIEVES by DAVID BENIOFF

 

Set in Leningrad in January 1942 when the German army had surrounded the city deciding to wait it out and starve the citizens and remaining Russian soldiers. The desperate result was the death of 2 million Russian soldiers and civilians!

Lev, a young Russian Jew is arrested for looting and Koyla is captured having deserted his Russian Army post. Expecting to be shot on the spot, instead they are given an outrageous task to complete and save their lives. They must find a dozen eggs for a powerful Soviet Colonel to use in his daughter’s wedding cake.

They are forced to go behind enemy lines, show immense courage and ingenuity and learn to trust each other.

It was not an easy or enjoyable read, with extensive descriptions of brutality, desperate survival measures, violence and the young men’s continual talk of sex!

 

TERESA: THE STORY OF EDGAR SAWTELLE by DAVID WROBLEWSKI

 

Written in 2008 and set in the coldest imaginable winter in Wisconsin, Minnesota, it’s the saddest story of love, murder and survival.

Edgar is born a mute and with his brother Claude, they  grow up on their family’s farm breeding dogs. Edgar has a particularly close relationship with the dogs. Claude was never as keen with the dog breeding business and leaves the farm to join the Navy during the Korean War.

After his father is killed Edgar runs away with his dogs, learning to survive in the wilderness until the day he is forced to return hoping to prove his suspicions of who murdered his father.

Teresa loved the book, having previously read it. She particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the area, and the understanding that the weather governs the life of the people who live there.

 

JUDY De L T: FAST ICE by CLIVE CUSTLER

 

This is No 18 in the NUMA Files series, National Underwater Marine Agency featuring Kurt Austin.

When a colleague goes missing while researching the icebergs in Antarctica, Austin and his assistant go to investigate. Here they discover man-made fast-growing ice that could lead to a new Ice Age. This Nazi-era plot must be stopped to save the world!

This action adventure is fast moving and easy to read.

 

KRIS: MISS SMILLA’S FEEL FOR SNOW by PETER HØEG

Smilla Jaspersen was born to  a Greenland mother who was a hunter and a Danish physician father. Now living in Denmark she has an almost intuitive understanding of all types of snow and their characteristics.

A young boy falls to his death from the top of his apartment building. The police believe it was an accident, but Smilla is convinced it was foul play from studying his footsteps in the snow on the rooftop.

In her quest to reveal what happened, Smilla boards the specially equipped ice breaker called the Kronos enroute to a Greenland destination unknown to the captain and crew.

Kris described it as an intriguing story that she enjoyed reading.

PAMELA:

Pamela also read this book, describing as a very complicated book. People change and don’t seem to be who they were. There seemed to be no conclusion to the story.

 

VAL: THE ROCK BLASTER  by HENNING MANKELL

 

The job of the rock blaster is to set the dynamite to make a tunnel for a new railway line. When it doesn’t go off, Oskar Johansson is sent in to check and is badly injured in eventual explosion. Originally thought to have died, he survived, although badly injured. But he returned to rock blasting, married, had 3 children and lived to  80 years.

The book looks at how he survived and dealt with his problems. He saw the injustice in society, he is seen as low class and dropped out of society. 

Val said the book was beautifully written, and as Oskar is so positive with his life and situation, it is not a sad read. She thoroughly enjoyed it as it was totally different from his usual books. (Kurt Wallander series)

 

PRUE: DARK ISLAND by RAGNAR JÓNASSON

 

This is the 2^nd book in the Dark Iceland series  featuring policeman Ari Thor and takes place in Northern Iceland. Even though it is summertime, the 24-hour light is turned to darkness with the ash cloud from a recent volcano eruption.

When a man is found murdered, a young reporter leaves Reykjavik to investigate on her own, while the local police struggle with the increasingly complex case as well as their own problems.

The plot is complex, fast paced and the writing is very good.

According to Prue, Icelandic people are great storytellers and writers, and this was a very exciting book.

 

LESLEY: IF YOU LIVED HERE I’D KNOW YOUR NAME by HEATHER LENDE

 

The book is non-fiction, part memoir and part travelogue. The author lives in Haines, Alaska with her husband and 5 now grown children. She writes obituaries for the local newspaper, along with general articles, essays etc about life in a remote, small town in Alaska.

But her obituaries are not the usual few lines. She researches the deceased, and their family, writing lengthy reflections. She knows virtually everyone in the town, as the title suggests.

She gives a whole picture of what small town life is like especially the effects of the cold weather.

The community spirit is strong, all levels of politics are there but Heather remarks that since they all must get along, mostly it just works.

 

JOAN: “SOUTH” THE ENDANCE EXPEDITION OF ANTARTICA BY ERNEST SHACKLETON 

 

In 1914, a party led by veteran explorer Sir Earnest Shackleton sets out to become the first to achieve the crossing of Antarctica from the Weddell Sea via the South Pole to the Ross Sea. As the icefield slowly thickens, trapping the ship for 8 months. Eventually the ship was crushed and sank. The party camped on the ice which drifted north for over 1000 miles. When it could no longer support them, they took to the 3 boats from the ship and made for Elephant Island. Shackleton and five others, in another boat made the sea journey to South Georgia .

From there it was an epic struggle across the mountainous interior of the island to reach the whaling station and summon help. What happened to those brave men forever stands as a testament to their strength of will and the power of human endurance.

The book is an account of the expedition taken from journals and logs of Shackleton and some of the crew, their story, as told by the man who led them.

 

TAM: SUNRISE OVER MERCY COURT by FIONA McCALLUM

 

Although the book is not set in a ‘cold landscape’ it is a heart-warming story about Howard and Elsie Manning  who have been married for 59 years, have become bored with the predictability of life, coping with aching joints, dwindling finances and too frequent funerals of friends.

A new arrival in the neighbourhood unexpectedly turns their lives around.

Tam’s only criticism of the book was that much of the story is told through dialogue. She felt that sometimes this was not necessary.

PAT: BURIAL RITES  by HANNAH KENT

The book is the debut novel of the author and was inspired by a true story. It tells of a young woman who has been accused of murder in Iceland in 1829 and is sent to an isolated farm to await her execution date.

Only the priest seeks to understand her. But as her death looms, the farmer’s wife and their daughters learn there is another side to the sensational story they’ve heard.

Pat described the book as moving and well written. The bonus of having listened to the story was that the Icelandic names and places were read to her and correctly pronounced.

Thoroughly recommended.

 

 

 

March 

 

Books written by Irish authors

JANUARY, 2024 SANTA SACK - BOOKS WE READ OVER THE FESTIVE SEASON

 

JUDY DE:  THE LABYRINTH OF THE SPIRITS BY CARLOS RUIZ ZAFON

This is the final volume of novels set in the Universal Cemetery of Forgotten Books.  Zafon is a master storyteller.  This is a mystery set in Barcelona.  It’s full of drama, intrigue and passion.  In this story he introduces a sexy new heroine whose investigation shines a light on the dark history of Franco’s Spain.  Judy read three books, but this was her favourite.  She said it was well written and easy to read.

JUDY J:  LOLA IN THE MIRROR BY TRENT DALTON

This was published in 2023.  It’s sometimes hard to read, other times hard to put down but always compelling.  His descriptions and his eye for detail are amazing.  A girl and her mother have been on the run for sixteen years from the police and the monster they left in the kitchen with a knife in his throat.  The girl does not know her name and only knows her mother as mum.  Home is in an orange Toyota van parked by the Brisbane River.  They are just 2 of the 100,000 Australian sleeping rough every night.

The girl dreams of becoming an artist.  The mother becomes involved with an underworld drug queen to make money.  When the mother dies her daughter takes over her position as a courier.  It’s a love story and a story of victims of domestic violence.  There is black humour, touching moments, drug culture, violence and the ruin of people’s lives.  If you read Boy Swallows  Universe you should read this book.

BEV:  THE RAGING STORM BY ANNE CLEEVES

This is the third instalment in the Matthew Venn series, a new detective.  The story is set in Greystone, Devon. – a small remote coastal village. When Jem Rosco, a local legend arrives in town, the community are happy to see him. Not long after he  disappears and his body is found in a lifeboat off Sully Cove, a place with secrets. This is an uncomfortable case for D.I. Venn as he went there as a child.  Most of the community are Barum Brethren.  Venn left the sect when he was 18 and now he is not welcome.  When another body is found at Scully Cove, Venn’s judgement is clouded.   The village is cut off by a storm, putting his team in danger. Bev gave it a 5/5.

JUDY A:  THE FROZEN RIVER BY ARIEL LAWHON

The author writes, what she calls, biographical fiction.  She takes an historical figure and sets a narrative around them.  The figure she uses in this novel is Martha Ballard, born in 1735 and died in 1812.  She was a midwife and healer who birthed over 1,000 babies.  She kept a daily diary which is now considered a valuable historical document of the times. A man’s body is pulled from the frozen river – Martha is called on to examine the body.  She judges him to have been bashed and hung before being thrown into the river.  He had been accused of raping the pastor’s wife.  A local physician undermines Martha’s conclusion and declares the death an accident.  Martha is forced to investigate the death on her own.  Judy really enjoyed the way Lawhon weaves facts into a book that is historical fiction, mystery and romance all rolled into one.  She gave it 5/5.

 We welcome our new member, Teresa and hope to see her next month.

TERESA:  DICTIONARY OF LOST WORDS BY PIP WILLIAMS

This book was recommended highly but but Teresa felt it wasn’t what she expected.  It was a bit slow at first. She thought it would focus more on the words rather than on women and their rights.

JOAN:  THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL BY BARONESS ORCZY (Pub 1905)

This is historical and adventure fiction.  It is set in 1792 during the French Revolution following the double life of English aristocrat, Sir Percy Blakeney, the swashbuckling rescuer of French aristocrats.  Joan said it was an exciting, mysterious and action-packed story. It was a very good read.

JOHN:  LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY BY BONNIE GARMUS

The story is set in 1950’s.  Elizabeth Zott wants to be a chemical engineer, but she ends us being on television doing a cooking show.  The management don’t like the way she uses chemical names etc. but the audience love her.  Her personality is well portrayed by the author.  John said he loved the story. He said it was a wonderful book, well written and thoroughly readable.

VAL:  BEST WISHES BY RICHARD GLOVER

It’s about his 365 wishes covering all manner of subjects.  Val found it a bit irritating after a while.  It is humorous, but when it’s a serious subject, he has a strong view.  The humorous parts are quite good.

PRUE:  IMPLACABLE (THE LOST FLEET): BOOK 3 IN THE OUTLANDS SERIES BY JACK CAMPBELL

This series is about the military space adventures of Black Jack Geary – a space pilot revived from an escape pod 100 years on and his current adventures in commanding a fleet into alien spaces to set up negotiations with them.  Prue loves these stories.  This is book 17 in the Lost Fleet set of related stories.  She said they are exciting, easy to read, out of reality entertainment.

SHEILA:  DANNY DUNN BY BRYCE COURTENAY

Sheila loves Bryce Courtenay.  He writes about the experiences of actual people.  This is the story of a family in the aftermath of the Great Depression.  Danny’s family run the local pub.  He signs up to go to war.  The soldiers are caught in Singapore.  His face is destroyed in the prison camp.  He retains integrity and the care of his men.  It’s the story of his life and family in Balmain.  Sheila would highly recommend this book and said it was a very easy read.

PAMELA:  SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE BY KURT VONNEGUT

The first 22 pages are non-fiction.  The rest is about Billy Pilgrim who survived with others from Dresden.  He was a POW in Dresden. Pamela said it’s not her favourite book.  It is a difficult book but not as depressing as she thought.  It is set in New York, Germany and a planet. Billy has become a time traveller. He travels uncontrollably back and forth in time and place.  It’s not chronological.   The central theme is the horror of the Dresden bombing and the futility of war.  Pamela says it’s a strange book, humorous at times.

KRIS:  ONE ITALIAN SUMMER BY PIP WILLIAMS (2017)

Before Pip Williams had written her celebrated novels The Dictionary of the Lost Words and the Bookbinder of Jericho, she and her husband Shannon had dreamed of the good life on the land.  They wanted to slow down their busy lives, grow their own food and spend more time with their children, family and friends.  They quit their jobs and went to Italy for a summer to work as woofers on various organic farms.  It’s a wonderful heartwarming and funny story about their experiences.

Kris

 

FEBRUARY:   We will be reading books with the theme COLD LANDSCAPES,  Choose your own title