Our happy group of readers welcomed two new people who obviously share the love of books with us. We welcomed Jen and Sharon.
We always start off by chit-chatting about life with all its shapes of mishaps and incidents; those family happenings that keep us on our toes whilst having some cake and coffee or whatever we fancy at 12 noon.
Our chosen books to read over the month and discuss today were ‘There are Rivers in the Sky‘ by Elif Shafak and ‘Guilty by Definition‘ by Susie Dent.
‘There are Rivers in the Sky’ by Elif Shafak
Sandra really enjoyed this book. She would have preferred the chapters to be consecutive, but the content was so interesting.
Ruth read it twice. The second reading felt even better for all sorts of reasons. The different strands of history encouraged her to research Ashurbanipal’s library, also the persecution of the Yazidis. Elif described the river Thames so well before sewers and clean water. Ruth described how all the links get closer until they merge at the end. Old stories added to this fine book. 10/10.
Alan loved the characters and all the fascinating times described.
Mark really loved it. The ending brought it together after all the history explored. It was real as it all did happen. Arthur had an excellent memory and the horror was part of the story.
One drop of water linking the rivers Thames and Tigris. Liz loved it. Following the character Arthur from birth to his death, taking us on such interesting stages was very satisfying. Elif’s research and telling made this a story that could be read again and again.
Carol is meaning to read this one now. After our comments our new readers Jen and Sharon said that they will look into reading this book. We explained that our book choices were there to read as being part of a reading group stretched our reading horizons. Other genres are also enjoyed.
‘Guilty by Definition’ by Susie Dent
Liz enjoyed this book as she missed the talk when Susie Dent came to the Yeovil Literary Festival. Challenging words at the beginning but the twists and turns of the plot kept her going until the unexpected – or was it? – conclusion.
Bob thought it dreadful, boring and contrived.
Ruth read about ten pages, but it was not for her.
Alan asked the question of should celebrities write books? He thought they should keep to their own jobs. That started a discussion on celebrities and books. Always exhilarating. Very interesting!
Faye loved it. She read it twice on audible. Although Susie didn’t narrate it, she gave a talk at the end. Faye said it was worth persevering as it was very enjoyable.
Sandra liked it. It went off track with ‘big words’ which she felt were not part of the story. There were lots of twists and turns.
What have we read this month?
Jen read ‘Conclave‘ by Robert Harris with the Waterstones group. Also ‘Drive your Plough over the Bones of the Dead’, which was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize, and the paperback of ‘The List of Suspicious Things‘ by Jenny Godfrey.
Sharon likes family sagas and crime with forensic findings to solve.
Alan is reading the short list of the International Booker Prize. ‘Perfection‘ by Vincenzo Latronico. A couple move into an apartment in Berlin after the fall of the wall. As their lives progress it became duller. He is also reading ‘Heart Lamp‘ by Banu Mushtaq translated by Deepa Bhasthi. Short stories and the first collection to have won the Prize. He also read ‘The Algebraist‘ by Iain M. Banks, and ‘Babel‘ by R.F. Kwang.
Carol read ‘Dead in Devon‘ by Stephanie Austin. This is a whodunnit that she really recommends. Also, she read ‘The West in Her Eyes‘ by Janet Hancock and really liked it.
Carol also enjoyed ‘Go Set a Watchman‘ by Harper Lee. This was discussed as well as everyone’s favourite, ‘To Kill a Mocking Bird’. Jen read it when young and still loves it. She added that she thought Thomas Hardy was a miserable person but has a rose cutting from Max Gate which is lovely. She also likes ‘Cider with Rosie‘ by Laurie Lee. We had a really good conversation following Carol’s choice of book.
Mark had been on holiday in Cyprus so read Elif Shafak’s ‘The Island of Missing Trees‘. Another favourite of his is ‘Songbirds‘ by Cristi Lefteri, also set in Cyprus. He mentioned Nadia Mark’s ‘Between the Orange Groves‘.
Sandra read ‘Redemption‘ by Jack Jordan. A mother follows the person convicted of killing her son, looking for redemption. An edge of your seat novel and a rewarding read.
Bob read ‘The Salt Path‘ again after having seen the film. He concluded that he felt the book was better. Another conversation on this subject. Raynor Winn is publishing a third book on Scotland and we will see Raynor at the Yeovil Literary Festival this year with this book. Something to look forward to.
Bob also read another Anthony Horowitz book, ‘A Twist of the Knife‘, which was very enjoyable.
Ruth read ‘Pachinko‘ by Lin Jin Lee and really loved it. Also, she has just started Andrew O’Hagan’s ‘Caledonian Road‘. It’s a huge book so we will here of this next time.
Liz enjoys listening to the comedy half hour at 6.30pm on Radio 4 and sometimes listens to humourist David Sedaris. She spotted one of his books on the bookshelves in Waterstones and its full of his ‘incidents’ of life. His voice sells his writing to Liz, so it has to be read with his voice in her head. Enjoyable.
What are we reading for next month?
For next month’s meeting on Tuesday 8th July, we’re reading:
- ‘Redemption‘ by Jack Jordan.
- ‘North Woods‘ by Daniel Mason.
We will meet again in the Lounge of Westlands Entertainment Venue at 12 noon. A warm welcome awaits, and we look forward to seeing everyone then. Enjoy your reading!