At the final meeting of the Third Thursday Book Club we decided, as individuals, to review the best book (not one read for Book Club) we had read over the past year and briefly present it to the group. Such variety!
We also bade cheery farewells to Connie, a very special long term member of our group. Whilst we may not have Connies happy presence anymore at our meetings, every time we feel the need to look at a map or follow a journey we will think fondly of Connie.
HELEN - WE DON'T KNOW OURSELVES - Finton O'Toole. A personal history of modern Ireland written by journalist Finton O'Toole examining the political influences, the Catholic Church, myths and long held beliefs, changing World events etc that have all led to present day Ireland.
DIANN FORD - THE GOLDMINERS SISTER - Alison Stuart. A perfect blend of romance, mystery, action and history. Diann really enjoyed the fictional story, the thrills and tension, set in gold fields of Australia. A winner.
JO - SOMETHING WICKED - Jennifer Rowe. A dead body, a secluded landscape, domestic violence and a cult. A very involved storyline that Jo thoroughly enjoyed.
JOHN - TACTICS - THE ART AND SCIENCE OF SUCCESS. Edward De Bono. Examines over 50 successful individuals and considers how their thinking styles led to their successes.
ROSEMARY - DAMASCUS - Christos Tsiolkas. The events surrounding the beginning of Christianity using the letters of the Disciple Paul and the interactions of other apostles. Well researched, it keeps you wondering. Mind blowing history!
JOAN - HALF A LONG LIFE ROMANCE - Eileen Chang. 1930's Shanghai a young man falls in love, against his family's wishes. The family stops the romance. The story resumes later, it's fast, disturbing and complex how the characters are used, influenced, exert their powers, with traditions and expectations in play. Shows what China during the 1930's and 1940's was like.
CONNIE - LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY - Bonnie Garmus. Main character, Elizabeth Zott, extremely bright scientist, difficult to be accepted/taken seriously in a man's world in the 1960's. Many troubles with the system, the male hierarchy and her intelligence. Finally finds love, he dies and she's pregnant. Elizabeth needs work - begins a cooking show on afternoon TV. But - she fills it with scientific facts and information. It's a huge hit with women, not so with the TV executives who want a traditional 'women's' cooking show. Connie really enjoyed the book.
TAMARA - ANN CLEEVES - Ann Cleeves. Tam just really enjoys the books of Ann Cleeves so her favourite reads this year have been any she's read of .....Ann Cleeves.
PAT - THE DRESSMAKERS SECRET - Lorna Cook. Historical fiction set 2 time frames, WW2 and present day. Chloe's grandmother, Adele, worked for Coco Chanel, she lived at the Ritz Hotel Paris (during German occupation). Many Nazi's also lived there. Chloe - present day discovers the history of her grandmothers involvement with Coco, of Coco's involvement with the Nazi's, her secret work sending information to the Allies, her assistance in helping Jews escape. A really good story.
JUDY A - SLOUGH HOUSE - Mick Herron. A series of books - the 1st is called SLOW HORSES. Washed up spies all want to return to MI5, all have disgraced themselves but want back in the action. Jackson Lamb is the head of the house. 8 Books in the series. Clever writing, sly humour that bubbles all through the books.
BEV - VIOLET KELLY AND THE JADE OWL - Fiona Britain. Set in a brothel in Paddington during the 1930's, an orphan - Violet - runs away from home and ends up living at the brothel. A girl arrives, chained, abused, about to be killed and Violet makes it her mission to save her. The book improved the more Bev read.
JUDY J - THE CHAIN - Adrian McKinty. Written by and Irish novelist the story takes place during the time of the Troubles. A university lecturer receives a mystery call saying her daughter has been kidnapped. A ransom must be paid and another child must be kidnapped. This begins a chain of events. What would you do? A thriller, fast paced, a page turner.
ROSEMARY S - DAUGHTERS OF WAR - Trilogy by Dinah Jefferies. Begins in 1944 where 3 English sisters are living through WW2 in a small French village. Wartime sees them take risks to survive. Characters are well balanced, many harrowing events to overcome, plot is strong. The Hidden Palace has 2 timelines with only 1 sister - Florence - followed. She returns to England fleeing brutalities only to be asked by her mother to return to find another sister. There are few clues for Florence to follow. 3rd book is In the Night Train to Marrakech. Set in 1960's with a backdrop of rising worldwide political tensions, this book is a strong thriller and follows the daughter of one of the sisters. Moroccan scenery, food, sounds and smells are beautifully portrayed. Very much enjoyed.
LYN - ARCADIA - Di Morrissey - Family mystery set in southern Tasmania, 3 generations, a lush forest and a secluded farm, good friends, some danger and a mystery. The descriptions and word pictures of the forest and surrounding countryside created by the author were just beautiful.
JUDY DEL T - STONE YARD DEVOTIONAL - Charlotte Wood. A woman leaves her city life to return to her early life. She struggles to recover from the death of her mother. The community she rejoins is strange, reclusive, monastic. With 3 unusual events occurring, her stability is shaken and she faces deep questions - can anyone be truly good? What is forgiveness?
KRIS - WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING - Delia Owens. Set in 1950's in isolated marshes of North Carolina. As main character Kya grows she lives a secluded, quiet life surrounded by nature and the natural environment. Called 'The Marsh Girl' and considered unfit for polite society, she becomes friendly with a local boy who shares her love of nature. When he goes to College she doesn't understand. When another local boy is found dead attention turns to Kya. A moving story worth reading.
VAL - JAMES REDBANK. An English pastoralist in the Lake District, writes about traditional farming methods. With the industrial revolution farming changed dramatically and many other problems became evident. James sees value in the traditions and wants a balance between the 2 methods.
PRU - THERE, THERE - Tommy Orange. 12 characters are followed, all are urban Native Americans. Lives eventually collide. The novel shows the resilience and challenges that Native Americans face whilst also grappling with their 'painful history'. The characters struggle with depression, alcoholism, unemployment, poverty etc. Beautiful, sad and funny - well worth a read.
LESLEY - HOMECOMING - Kate Morton. Historical fiction with 2 timelines. Present day - Jess returns from London to be with her beloved grandmother Nora. Both Nora and Jess are strong, smart and successful. 1959 - in the Adelaide Hills a young mother and her 3 children, living in an opulent, isolated home die mysteriously. A baby girl is missing. These 2 stories intertwine - family secrets and dynamics, mother/daughter relationships, small town life, grief and loss. The book is well written, highly emotive of rural Australia and whilst slow at the beginning, as the characters flesh out and links are made the plot is increasingly intriguing.
In January we have Santa Sack. We choose book we have read over the festive season.
No comments:
Post a Comment