THIS YEAR IT WILL BE DIFFERENT BY MAEVE BINCHY

This is a book of short stories, all with a Christmas theme.  Many were set in England or Ireland and each story follows a few main characters and their relationships over the Christmas period.

JULIA:  Julia did not really like the book and did not finish it.  She found the stories too short and "you did not find out what happened".  There were good moral issues in the stories, although sentimental and predictable.  There was only one story she enjoyed.  

CONNIE:  Connie does not normally like short stories.  She felt the stories did not have a beginning or end and they weren't satisfying.  She also read  Skipping Christmas by John Grisham.  She enjoyed this book and found it very amusing.  It was a light and easy read about a family who had chosen not to have Christmas as their daughter was overseas. They decided to go on a cruise instead but the pressure from the neighbours to participate produced some amusing results.

KATHY:  Kathy was not keen on short stories either.  It was "all there" - romance, family problems, affairs etc. but she would have liked to get to know more about the characters.

WENDY:  Wendy likes Maeve Binchy but wonders why she always has extramarital affairs coming into the stories.  The husbands are always repentant and the wives always take them back.  Why?  Wendy told us that Maeve Binchy gets her stories from eavesdropping? at bus stops.

PAMELA:  Pamela read a"White Christmas" by Wanda Brunstette.  She only got to page 47.  She said Wanda is one of those writers who does not trust her readers so repeats herself quite often. Her writing is abysmal and there is a paucity of vocabulary.  Pamela found it hard to believe anyone would publish the book.


KATE:  As Kate was away she did not read the book.  Instead she read "Hell West and Crooked" by Tom Cole.  She really enjoyed it.

MERILYN:  Merilyn is our newest member.  At the moment she is reading a book by Ruth Rendell.  She said it is "hard going".  It is about the early days of the main character Inspector Wexford.  He doesn't seem to pick up the clues.  She found it better on the television.

JOAN:  Joan has been away so she also did not read Maeve Binchy's book.  Instead she read "Brooklyn" by Colm Tabin, an Irish writer.  It was about the forced emigration of a young Irish girl to America.  A priest in Brooklyn says she can come over and they will set her up there.  Joan found it a lovely story of love, loss and heartache, having to move to another country and start again.  It follows her first Christmas there helping serve lunch to the poor and needy Irishmen who have also made their home in America.


LESLEY:  Lesley read "The Christmas Thief" by Mary Higgins Clark.  She described it as light and fluffy but very funny.  It is a farce about a criminal who steals diamonds by way of a scam.  He hides the diamonds in the top of a christmas tree knowing it grows so much each year.  Unfortunately the tree is chosen to be cut down and moved.  The following attempts to get the  diamonds back by the bumbling criminals makes hilarious reading.



JO:  Jo read "Knit the Seasons" by Kate Jacobs, an American writer.  It is a book about a woman who inherits a shop that sells yarn after her mother dies of cancer.  Friends come on Friday nights to knit beanies for people who have lost their hair due to cancer treatment.  Jo said it was well written but not her sort of book.  It was a bit slow.

KRIS:   Maeve Binchy has written some good novels but the short stories in this book do not have a lot of substance.  It was good to read at this time of the year when time is so precious.

ANN:  Ann only read about five or six stories.  She didn't want to continue as she wasn't enjoying it.  She also found it sentimental and predictable.

November Book Club

For our November meeting we were asked to read books with a Russian theme. This led to a variety of books covering a number of genres. Following are comments from those who attended.

Sheila: "Great Catherine" by Carolly Erickson
This a biography of a remarkable lady - reasonably light reading but well worth it.
She was a bright, precocious child, (probably had ADHD) and was not loved by her mother.
At 15 years old she was taken to Russia as a prospective wife for the Tsarina's nephew Peter.
She was smart enough to be politically correct and survive in the Royal Household.

Jo: "Rasputin's Daughter" by Robert Alexander
Set during WW1 and the Russian Revolution - very bleak background. Most people were very poor and few lived a life of luxury.
It's the story of how her father got so much power and became a despot.

Anne: "Tatiana's Table, Tatianas & Alexander's Food & Love" by Paullina Simons
All recipes with no pictures!

Julia: "Catherine the Great"
Modern history is not my go - ruthless woman, ambitious and vane even though pictures show her to be very large!
          "Russian Winter" by Daphne Kalotay
Fantastic novel. Set post WW2 and revolves around a necklace that was looted after the war. The jewel held the key to a life changing secret.

Anne B: The House of Dvina
The story of a Russian childhood from pre Revolution, 1905 up until WW1. The young girl has a Russian father and Scottish mother. It was intriguing to learn about living in that time, such a rich culture. I couldn't put it down. There is not much detail on the politics of the time.

Kris: Nicholas and Alexander" by Robert Massey
The story of Czar Nicholas and his family.  You know the ending but it is still terribly sad.
It explores the effect of hemophilia in their downfall. They didn't understand the changes happening in their country and were very influenced by Rasputin. If he hadn't been in their lives, things may have been different.

Virginia (Ginny): "50 Russian Winters: an American Woman's Life in the Soviet Union" by Margaret Wetterlin
Story of a woman who married a Russian and had to move around Russia by train, escaping from the German invasion. Bleak, heavy going and quite depressing!

Kathy: "Winter Garden" by Kristin Hannah
A Russian woman is married with 2 children. There was no love showed by the mother, but told them fairy tales at night. On their father's deathbed he makes the grown daughter listen to the mother's story of her early life and how it related to the fairytale.

Connie: "Dr Zhivago" by Boris Pasternak
Pure fiction but includes lots of his own philosophy that don't have anything to do with the story. It was published in 1950s and loses lots in translation.
The description of scenery is excellent, but the conversation is stilted and not real.
The story shows the horror and bleakness of the times. The Revolution is in the background, the peasants take over but are unable to rule.

Wendy: "The Romanov Autumn the last century of  Imperial Russia" by Charlotte Zeepvat
The peasants destroyed the aristocracy and couldn't run the country themselves.
There was massive wealth and a sense of duty working towards  more egalitarian times, and good intentions. Fascinating to read about their lives eg health wise, many died from TB.
Very readable and well written. It's the most readable history book I've read!

Pamela: "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov
Published in USA in the 1950's, and it's not an easy read.
 But its not pornography. It's funny, a satirical look at social conventions in USA as well as being tragic, and a love story. It's hard to categorize. There is a farcical, horrible, funny murder in it. There are literary jokes and French and Latin quotes.

Judy: "The Amber Room" by Steve Berry
A novel is based around the mystery of the disappearance of the Amber Room at the end of WW2. It is a work of fiction based on some facts. The Amber Room was constructed between 1701 and 1709 containing 55 sq meters and 6 tonnes of amber and looted by Nazi Germany during WW2.
The story revolves around several parties looking for the room for different reasons. It reads like a Dan Brown novel, fast paced, a few killings, a little sex, great descriptions and all neatly wrapped up at the end.

The World Beneath by Cate Kennedy

Following are a selection of comments from the discussion in October of Cate Kennedy's debut novel, The World Beneath. As usual, there were a broad spectrum of comments.

• I liked the book, but not the characters. It's a bit like my own life...life in the 70s, protests etc
• The characters had some good qualities but the plot was a bit strained. Difficult to accept that Sophie would go on that walk with her father.
• The divisions between the generations was well spelt out. There were some funny spots. The 3 characters had changed by the end.
• The wilderness was wilder than I had imagined. Enjoyed reading about it.
• They all cut their hair, what was the symbolism of this? The tree was cut down...letting light into their lives.
• I became irritated with the characters, tired of them because they did such silly things.
• Needed more resolution at the end....the trip was very long, but ended very quickly.
• I liked the ending.....finished on a high. Everything doesn't have to be resolved by the author.
• Took awhile to connect with the characters.
• I got bored with it....characters drove me insane.
• Very well written. her debut novel and up to now, author has mainly written short stories.
• Sandy was living in a time warp but towards the end she was starting to question her life and make her own decisions.
• Rich was obnoxious and narcissistic, living on past glories. The absent parent is often seen as being able to do no wrong.
• Sophie took the role of the adult in many situations, but was looking for good role models...the teacher, fellow walkers.
• The plot moves between all 3 characters, giving each their due, following their trek through the wilderness.

Author events at Hawkesbury Library

Tuesday 15 November 6.30pm – 8.30pm

Shafeen Mustaq introduces her book Financial Empowering of Women in Bangladesh through Microcredit.

Microcredit is the extension of very small loans (microloans) to those in poverty designed to spur entrepreneurship. This book outlines how microcredit has provided village women in Bangladesh the opportunity to gain communication and interpersonal skills, independence and a position of authority within the family environment. It has motivated them to grow and develop skills which allow them to proceed onto skilled labour and open up new avenues of opportunity.

Read more about the book here

Where: Tebbutt Room, Hawkesbury Central Library, Free, All welcome

Bookings essential: Phone 4560 4460

Wednesday 30 November 6pm

Jason Foster & Peter Seymour present Seven Bones, one of the most bizarre murder investigations in Australia's history. Two wives die in suspicious circumstances: arriving on the scene, Detective Peter Seymour realised he was dealing with the world's unluckiest husband or a serial wife killer.

Where:

Hawkesbury Central Library, Free, All welcome, Refreshments provided.

Bookings essential: Phone 4560 4460

National Year of Reading

Hi everyone,
I thought you may be interested in looking at this information about the
National Year of Reading 2012.
A collection is being created which, read together, describe the Australian experience. Check out this website to see which books have been included for the different states.
You can vote for your favourites from November 1.
You should find some good ideas for reading here too.

The National Year of Reading will be launched on February 14th 2012, so look out for events planned here at our library.

Happy reading,
Marie

http://www.love2read.org.au/our-story.cfm

Suggestions for 2012

These are some suggestions for our meetings in 2012. Please add any more in the comments sections or bring them along to the next meeting.

Suggestions for Book Club Meetings in 2012

·      Geraldine Brooks

·      Stories set in Medieval times

·      Daphne Du Maurier

·      Larry McMurtry

·      Jane Yolen    (Briar Rose)

·      Biography/Autobiography

·      Peter Carey

·      Jill Kerr Conway  (The Road to Coorain)

Books we would like to recommend

The following are books that members of the book club have read recently and would like to recommend to others. The highlighted titles are available from the Library

Wendy:  Maeve Binchy  "Minding Frankie"
              Rosie Thomas   "The Kashmir Shawl"
              Deborah Rodriguez  "Little Coffee Shop of Kabul"

Connie:  Joy Fielding  "Still Life"

Joan:  Rebecca Skloot  "The Immortal Life of Henrieta Lacks'

Dianne: Adam Hochschild  "To End all Wars: How the First World War Divided Britain"


Pamela: "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" 

Kris:  365 Thank Yous

Shiela:  Geraldine Brooks  "People of the Book"  


Julia & Kathy:  Michael Robotham  "Lost" "The Wreckage" "The Night Ferry" "Bombproof"


Judy:  Rupert Isaacson "The Horse Boy; a father's quest to heal his son" 


Ann:  S J Watson  "Before I Go To  Sleep"  


Maree:  Markus Zusack   "The Book Thief"
              Diane Chamberlain  "The Midwife's Confession"


Connie also recommended "goodreading" a magazine published monthly in Australia.
It is available in the Library or you can subscribe at www.goodreadingmagazine.com 

September Book Club Meeting

This month we met and discussed the following books by Mitch Albom: Tuesdays With Morrie, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, For One More Day and Have a Little Faith.
Following are a selection of comments from the discussion.

Tuesdays With Morrie is the chronicle of Mitch's time spent with his beloved professor. As a labor of love, Mitch wrote the book to help pay Morie's medical bills.
*written with compassion - mostly positive the way he faced death
*his wife suffered through his death
 *gave ideas of ways of facing death - lucky to have so many people around him - could help others facing death
*a teacher to the end
*made me think about things I should do
*couldn't understand why he wanted to make his death so public
*maybe author got more out of it, learnt a lot about himself, grew up

The Five people You meet in Heaven
*its about forgiveness and being forgiven, full of emotion
*I like the idea that you die and go to heaven and everything is explained
* I've met one of my 5 people - sent briefly to speak to me at a particular time
*found it very confronting - all his books are reflective and about what transpires before death. Don't want to be there.
*thought of Kerry Packer's near death on the polo field. He reckons there is nothing on the other side.
*shmaltzy and light - If you were not religious in any way, meeting these people has a point. Calms people down. There is another way of coping with the thought of death
*very descriptive language used eg how he describes all the colours

For One More Day is the story of Charley, a former baseball player who encounters many problems with his career, finances, family and alcohol abuse. This leads to a suicide attempt and the opportunity to spend the day with his mother who had died many years before.
*about the unconditional love of his mother
*children often try to win the love of the parent who shows them the least amount of affection
*gave good insight into how difficult it was for divorced women and separated families...not just financial but the attitude of the community
*syrupy writing  but made me think about the importance of family
*he never really understood how many sacrifices his mother made for him and yet he was easily led by his father
*confused by the ending and the revelation of the identity of the narrator...didn't seem necessary or make sense
*Albom has said that his relationship with his own mother was largely behind the story of he book, and that several incidents are actual events from his childhood.


Have a Little Faith - the Rabbi is dying and asks Mitch to write his eulogy
*a true story story
*brings together Jewish faith, black and white, rich and poor etc
*has to go back and learn about his faith again which he had left in his childhood
*also meets a local pastor preaching to the poor and homeless in his rundown church
*what is faith?

Upcoming books for discussion

The following are the titles for Book Club discussion for the rest of the year.
Copies of these books will always be available from the Library

September
Any book written by Mitch Albom.

His best known titles are 'Tuesday with Morrie' and 'The Five People You meet in Heaven'

October
The World Beneath by Cate Kennedy

Her debut novel -  'a beautifully written novel of ideas with vibrant characters, and fraught relationships that savvily questions the way we live now'.

November
 Russian stories

An historical story of your own choice,  set in Russia

December
Christmas stories

August Meeting - Catcher in the Rye

Our book for discussion this month was Catcher in the Rye written by J D Salinger and first published in 1951. This evoked a variety of responses from...'couldn't finish it, I had other books I would rather read' to 'can't wait to read it again and discuss it with my son'. Others suggested that they were glad they had read it even though they really didn't enjoy it..
Most agreed it was a difficult book to read and either didn't like or became frustrated with the main character, Holden Caulfield.
*he was a thoroughly unlikeable young man
*lonely discontented young man
*poor little rich boy trying to grow up too quickly
*amazed at the life style of a 16 year old

There were thoughts expressed that the story was about 'unresolved grief' over  the death of his brother. This lead to what was assumed to be a nervous breakdown. There was hope at the end though, when he talks about the people he missed.

There were problems with an absent father, not uncommon in those times, and a mother who was barely coping. It is only his younger sister Phoebe that he shows any affection and concern for.

After hearing a bit more about the author's own life, there were thoughts that some of the story may have been autobiographical.
The book was originally written for adults and panned by critics when first published. But is now studied in many schools and Holden has become an icon for teenage rebellion.

Next month: books by Mitch Albom

CHANGE OF STARTING TIME! Now 10am

Following discussions at our last Book Club, it was decided to begin the meetings at 10am from now on. They should conclude at around 12 noon. Hope to see you at the next meeting.

July Meeting: Biographies and Autobiographies

At our meeting this month we discussed biographies or autobiographies  we had read recently. The following are a selection of comments

Sheila  "A Fence around the Cuckoo"  by Ruth Park
the story of her early life in NZ.....grew up during the Depression, experiencing poverty and sexism
taught herself to write......went on to write numerous books for both children and adults......acknowledges those who helped her

Ann  "Romulus my Father" by Raimond Gaita
outlines the life of his father....determination to educate his son who became a well know philosopher
beautifully written, more of a personal tribute than a biography

Jo  "Life without Limits: How to have a Ridiculously Good Life" by Nick Vujicic
born without arms and legs....overcomes incredible handicaps.....most inspirational book
2 degrees, now a motivational speaker living in the USA

Virginia (Ginny)  "In the Frame" by Helen Mirrem
 lived an interesting and bohemian lifestyle.....early part of career spent in the West End and Shakespearean theatre .....TV career only began in the 1990s.....many beautiful photos

Maree  "Parcel  arrived safely tied with string" by Michael Crawford
stories from his childhood.....lots of funny incidents in his early career.....often seen as a gawky character then appeared in Phantom with this glorious voice
good person, liked people and loved by everyone

Judy  "The Happiest Refugee" by Ahn Do
his arrival as a refugee with his family.....growing up in the Western Suburbs.....graduates with Law degree but becomes comedian....younger brother became Young Australian of the Year 2005
you laugh and cry as you read of their struggles and successes

Di  "Precious Bodily Fluid, A Larrikin's Memoir" by Charles Waterstreet
thought to be the model for 'Rake'.....more off beat though.....stories of his early life but difficult to believe some of these ....just jaw-dropping.....mad streak in him.....
lives the extreme life but you just have to like him


Connie  "Bunyan of Elstow" by Judith Gunn
the facts of the life of author of Pilgrim's Progress.....preached against the Catholic faith and king being all powerful.....supported himself in jail by making shoelaces.....driven with his religion and neglected his family.....became famous due to his preaching.....a celebrity

Ann  "Taken on Trust" by Terry Waite
held hostage for 4 years in Beirut 1987-19991....solitary confinement, blind folded, chained to floor....had gone to negotiate release of other prisoners but taken himself....survived by retreating into his memory
          "Body and Soul" by Anita Roddick with Russell Miller
founder of Body Shop.....dynamic woman.....pain in the butt to some people
promoted her shops with the philosophy 'Trade nor Aid'

Julia  "Journey From Venice" by Ruth Cracknell
memoir of time in Venice.....last 3 months with her dying husband who she loved and adored
her humour still comes through
          "Bravemouth" by Pam Stephenson
hilarious.....story about both of their lives ( husband Billy Connolly)

Wendy  "High Spirits" by Joan Sims
comedian.....like many she was shy, lacked confidence.....gained confidence through her work
never made lots of money.....no royalties from her work.....a good read.....a good actress



Joan  "Takeover Target: the best $1375 Joe Janiak ever spent" by Joe Janiak
story of the horse and the trainer.....buys this cranky horse for $1375.....ends up winning over $6 million, racing overseas including Ascot.....Aussie battler invited into Queen's box

Kate  "Mary Poppins She Wrote: the life of P L Travers" by Valerie Lawson
life of Travers.....moved in 'arty' world....always going through life looking for something.....lived in her own world.....her Mary Poppins very different from Walt Disney version

Dear Fatty....our thoughts

The following are some of the points brought up during a lively discussion of Dawn French's autobiography 'Dear Fatty'.

• there was a lot of sadness in the book- loss of her father, IVF attempts, race issue, her appearance, moving schools etc
• loved the letters to her father, very emotional, writing it was possibly quite cathartic
• it was very easy to put down.....glad it was a library book!
• comedians are often sad people
• wanted more understanding of the mind of the comedian
• didn't 'get' the Madonna letters
• found the letter format confusing and annoyed by the lack of chronological order
• she comes across as a warm and bubbly person, but probably quite hard to live with though
• the photos had me laughing, she made fun of herself being fat
• glad I read it but I didn't really enjoy it
• I was from there so could relate to the people and places she talked about....sorry it came to an end. Liked her black humor.
• saw her recently on television -  she has lost a lot of weight and has separated from her husband

1st Tuesday Book club visit

Tuesday 31st May saw 12 of us travel on the bus, provided by Hawkesbury Library, to watch a taping of Jennifer Byrne's show - The 1st Tuesday Book Club. The day was a great success from being delivered directly to the front door of the ABC studios to watching the process of how a TV show is recorded. Jennifer Byrne came across as an extremely warm, friendly & intelligent interviewer. She easily put her guests, as well as us, at ease. We were lucky to watch the recording of Jennifer's interview with Geraldine Brooks - an Australian journalist, foreign correspondent & Pullitzer Prize winner. Geraldine's journalistic career saw her reporting from many tense, sometimes dangerous hotspots. She has a great sense of curiosity & attention to detail which comes out in her books. The 2nd segment recorded was a discussion panel that included (Australian author) Michael Rowbotham & (actor) Virginia Gay. The other usual guests included Marieke Hardy & Jason Steger. The novels discussed included Cold Comfort Farm  & the Last Werewolf. The panel were interesting, entertaining & showed a depth of knowledge of the craft of writing. A thoroughly enjoyable day.

Coming up in June

At our June meeting we will be reading 'Dear Fatty' by Dawn French. If you were not at the May meeting, ask at the library for a copy.

Books we discussed in May

With a theme of 'Motherhood' the following titles were discussed.

• Careless  in Red - Elizabeth George
• A Great Deliverance - Elizabeth George
• The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards
• The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd
• The Joy Luck Club - Amy Tan
• Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah
• Not My Daughter - Barbara Delinsky
• Midwives - Chris Bohjalian
• We Need to Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver

Other books discussed were

• Rainbow Pie - Joe Bajeant
• Murder on the Yukon Quest - Sue Henry

Richard Glover on genre

It started with 'chicklit'. To check out Richard Glover's amusing take on genre, click on the link below. 

For writers seeking a genre, the path ahead is lit

 

Bus trip to the First Tuesday Book Club

We have a bus going from the library to a taping of the First Tuesday Book Club at the ABC studios on Tuesday 31st May.
The bus will be departing the library at 10am amd will return before 5pm.
Details of the show can be found at :
http://www.abc.net.au/tv/firsttuesday/

The books to be discussed are:

The Last Werewolf By Glenn Duncan

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

If you would like to go please contact Rebecca Turnbull on 4560 4439
The cost is free! Just bring your own lunch or purchase something there.

The Suspect by Michael Robotham

The majority of the group read this book for our April selection. Generally the readers liked the twists and turns in the book and no-one guessed the finale. It was felt that the main character - Joe - was portrayed as very human with his own insecurities and bumbling manner making him a likeable lead. The author Michael Robotham, an Australian, was well received with a number of readers saying they would probably read more of his works.

W Somerset Maugham - titles for March.

The Casuarina Tree.

Ashenden.

The Explorer.

Of Human Bondage.

The Magician.

Mrs Craddock.

The Christmas Holiday.

Cakes and Ale.

The Creatures of Circumstance. 

The Painted Veil.

Up at the Villa.

Short Stories - a number of volumes.

W Somerset Maugham

March saw the book group read a variety of novels & short stories by W Somerset Maugham. Spending his early years in Paris, losing his mother at an early age, being sent to boarding school in England, developing a stammer that would affect him for most of his life and completing a medical degree (although never practising medicine) shaped his writings and gave him much information to use in his works. He was a world traveller, especially around the Pacific between the wars.Many of his acute observations of people, set against the background of the last days of Imperialism & colonial India, became features in his books.
The group, as usual, had  a wide variety of views regarding his writings. Some thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions, details & themes whereas others thought his works were dreary, slow and lacking plot.
All the different opinions expressed meant the meeting was lively and fun.

April is Crime Fiction month for the Third Thursday Book Club

Come along to our next meeting on Thursday 17th March to collect your copy of 'The Suspect' by Michael Robotham or choose from a selection of Kerry Greenwood' s Phryne Fisher mysteries.

In March we will be discussing the work of W. Somerset Maugham. All new members are welcome. Either come along and join in the discussion about this author, or just come along and hear what others have to say.

Book Reporter

 Book Reporter
 Click on the link above to check out this website that has lots of interesting information including book reviews and author interviews and book club guides. You can sign up to receive a regular newsletter by email, and there is also a blog. The link can also be accessed from the 'Reading Resources' page on this blog.

'The House at Riverton" by Kate Morton: Some questions to consider

1. The House at Riverton switches between scenes with the older Grace in the late 1990s and the younger Grace's life around World War I. Do you think this was a good way for Morton to tell the story? What does this structure bring to the story that would be lacking in a linear telling? Or, do you think a linear structure would have been more appropriate?
   
2. Why do you think Grace chose to tell her secret to Marcus?
3. Why do you think Ruth seems ashamed of her mother's years of service? What is Grace's attitude toward her position at Riverton?
4. Why do you think Grace was so loyal to Hannah? Did you believe that she would choose service over Alfred?
5. Do you think Teddy changed after he married Hannah? How was their marriage different than she expected?
6. What do you think attracted Hannah to Robbie?
7. Do you think Hannah and Robbie's relationship would have survived if Grace had not brought Emmeline to the lake?
8. Was the ending believable?
9. What did you think of the way the minor characters -- Alfred, Ursula, Marcus -- become connected to Grace's story in the end?
10. Did you learn anything new about World War I?
11. Rate The House at Riverton on a scale of 1 to 5.

Upcoming selections for the Third Thursday Book Club

For our February meeting we will be reading a novel by Australian writer Kate Morton:
The House at Riverton also known as The Shifting Fog.
If you do not yet have a copy and are thinking of attending, please contact Marie at the library on 4560 4460 to have one put aside.

In March the theme will be the work of W. Somerset Maugham.

Anita Shreve and that house

Here are some articles about the house as a character in her books.
At Home with Anita Shreve - A muse full of dormers
The origins of 'Sea Glass'

Click on photo for larger view.

Welcome to our new blog

Hi everyone,
Tell us what you think about our new blog. Our aim is to make information about the book club accessible to all our current members and hopefully encourage new members to join us.
We will put all the lists of books we have read on here so that there will be an archive of previous meetings all in one place. I think this will be a lot easier than having to trawl back through individual emails as before.
Over time we will add more information. For now click on some of the topics at the top. 'Read It 2011" may be of particular interest to those looking for extra inspiration for reading.
If anyone has any trouble figuring out how to add a comment, give me (Marie) a call here at the library on (4560 4460).

January 2010 Titles

In January all the books were by the author -

Anita Shreve.

Rescue.

A Change in Altitude.

The Last Time they Met.

The Pilot’s Wife.

Resistance.

Sea Glass.

Testimony.

Strange Fits of Passion.

(The only different author read was Lillian Jackson Braun –

‘The Cat Who Could Read Backwards’.)

December 2010 Titles

December Books we read: Christmas theme

A Cedar Cove Christmas / Debbie Macomber

Christmas Holiday / W.S. Maugham

Dashing through the Snow / Carol & Mary-Higgins-Clark

The Christmas Thief / Carol & Mary Higgins-Clark

A Christmas Visitor / Anne Perry

A Christmas Journey / Anne Perry

A Christmas Beginning / Anne Perry

Aunt Dimity’s Christmas / Nancy Atherton

A Christmas Carol / Charles Dickens

Skipping Christmas / John Grisham

The Spy who came for Christmas / David Morrell

A Hampton’s Christmas / James Brady

November 2010 Titles

Books read in November: Travel theme

The Talented Mr Ripley/ Patricia Highsmith

The Olive Farm/ Carol Drinkwater

The Long, Hot Summer/ Mary Moody

Birds Without Wings/ Louis De Bernieres

Notes from a Small Island/ Bill Bryson

The Sewing Circles of Heart/ Christina Lamb

The White Masai/ Corinne Hofmann

Evening Class/ Maeve Binchy

A Passage to India/ E.M. Forster

The Islands/ Di Morrissey

Secrets and Lies/ Jaishree Misra

September 2010 Titles

Books we discussed in September:
Our first official meeting: Any book we had read

Drylands/ Thea Astley

Rekindled/ Tamara Alexander

Watching the detectives/ Deborah Locke

The second-last woman in England/ Maggie Joel

Playing Beatie Bow/ Ruth Park

Swords and crowns and rings/ Ruth Park

Three cups of tea/ Greg Mortenson

A town like Alice/ Neville Shute

The number 1 ladies detective agency/ Alexander McCall Smith

Inheritance/ Judith Michael

Bloodlust/ Nick Bleszynski

Rain in my heart/ Barbara Ferguson

Truth/ Peter Temple

The dragon man/ Garry Disher