At our December Book Club get together our group enjoyed
listening to an eclectic mix of books we have read over the year. The range of genres, themes and styles made
for, another, very enjoyable meeting.
VAL - THE SALT PATH - Raynor
Winn. 2018. A married couple invested in a friends business. The business went
broke and the couple lost their investment, plus the family farm. Homeless,
they decide to live rough, buy a tent and walk 630 miles along the South West
Coast Path. Adding to their difficulties, the husband has found he has a
neurodegenerative disease. Extraordinary
the lives of many others.
KRIS - THE SALT PATH - Raynor Winn. 2018. Kris added
that the book is also about endurance, the power of nature and the deep love of
the couple. Gruelling.
JO - A COTSWOLD MYSTERY - Rebecca Tope. A body is found,
a murder mystery unfolds, a beautiful setting and ..... a very good read.
JOAN - JAMES - Percival Everett. 2024. Shortlisted for the
2024 Booker Prize. Set in 1861 on the Mississippi River, this is a reimagining
of Mark Twain's novel. The writing is from the perspective of Jim, an enslaved
black who journeys with the young Huck Finn.
A good read despite some brutal scenes.
ROSEMARY - THE LITTLE CLOTHES - Deborah Callaghan.
Contemporary novel set around Balmain with the lead character a female lawyer
who feels unnoticed. Interesting.
HELEN - A BIT ON THE SIDE - Virginia Trioli. Often in life
it's the small things that bring joy. The 'main course' can be heavy and
unappetising whereas the bits on the side can be more memorable and special.
Filled with wisdom, stories, memories and recipes. Humorous.
JUDY J - BURNING BRIGHT - Nick Petrie. A murder mystery,
a fast pace and a clever plot.
JUDY A - THE GOD OF THE WOODS - Liz Moore. 1975 a 13yo
girl goes missing from a campsite in the Airondacks. 14 years earlier the girls
then 8 yo brother also went missing. He was never found. Were these cases
linked? Well drawn characters and multi threads. Judy never lost interest.
TAM - A WEEK IN TIME - Maeve Binchey. A guest house
in a small village in Ireland, detailed characters, full of everyday, human
foibles. Thoroughly enjoyed.
BEV - SLEEPING BEAUTY - Raymond Chandler. A detectives
story with a good plot. Bev could read and watch the cricket at the same time.
PRU - ROUND HOUSE - Louise Erlich. 1980 on an
Indian reservation. Tribal rules. There's an attack at the round house. Full of
mystery, with insights into 1st Nations culture.
ROSEMARY S. - A CLASS - Suzie Murphy. A family saga.
Very enjoyable.
LYN - THE HAZELBOURNE LADIES MOTORCYCLE AND FLYING CLUB - Helen
Simonson. After WW2 many women were forced to leave their paid jobs and return
to domesticity. A group of well to do women decided to ride motorcycles to
deliver goods and services. During the war they had been mechanics, drivers
etc. Full of humour, mocking social order, historical fiction. So enjoyable.
JUDY J - THE BEE KEEPER OF ALEPPO - Christy Lefteri. 2019.
A family, Nuri a bee keepers and wife Afra an artist, live in a workers camp in
Syria and face increasing danger and adversity. Their son is shot, Afra is
blinded by fear after bomb blast and they need to escape. A cousin in London
offers hope, the family struggle to get Turkey, Athens then escape to London. Nuri
holds out great hope that in England his cousin will support him in keeping
bees.
PAMELA - SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT. Norman
Davis. Set in Arthurian times, Sir Gawain upholds the virtues of courage and
honour by accepting a challenge with the Green Knight. Sir Gawain beheads the
Knight, who promptly picks up his head and says he will return in a year for a
rematch. The poem is written in alliterative verse and the author is unknown.
One of the better known Arthurian legends.
SHEILA - CODE NAME BUTTERFLY. Embassie Susberry. Paris 1941,
the country is about to be occupied by the Nazi's. Based on facts, the story
deals with spies who chose to stay in Paris and fight against the Nazi's. The
book was thoroughly enjoyed.
MARGARET - THE THINGS THAT MATTER MOST. 2023. Gabbie
Stroud. A school community is in a very difficult position - there are
administrative problems, ill health within the staff, a few very vocal,
interfering parents, registration is approaching, stress all around. Thank
goodness for some of the students! Australian school life shown.
PAT - THE GRAPES OF WRATH. John Steinbeck. Audio version
with a great narrator. The Joad family are forced to travel through Oklahoma
and California to a new life. Set during the Great Depression, the dust bowl
migration of the family show the inequalities between the 'have' and the 'have
nots', the inner strength of the main characters, the hardships so many faced
and life in America during this period. A classic Pat really enjoyed.
LESLEY - MRS WINTERBOTTOM TAKES A GAP YEAR. Joanna
Bell. 2023. Modern day fiction, humour with reflections on life. Heather, a
recently retired Doctor want to travel, enjoy many widely different experiences
and have all the repairs done on her home (that have been waiting for years to
be fixed) soon. Husband Alan, also recently retired, wants to stay at home,
wear old clothes and build a vegetable garden. They have vastly mismatched
expectations of retirement. Heather travels to Greece, on an odyssey just like
Homer. Humour, wit, poignant reflections, likeable characters, a very easy
read.
Apologies for the lateness this Blog. The Elves were keeping
me so busy with pre Christmas preparations that I forgot to send the finished
Blog!
Wishing everyone a
happy, healthy 2025. Our book club members look forward to more exciting
reading adventures.
Lesley
