Shelves of books

Our September meet up was full of chat about such a variety of books all having been read by us during July and August. It’s usually a quiet time of year but this year it was so hot that the only sensible thing to do was sit outside in some shade and open a new book. So, we did!

The books suggested were ‘The Book of Doors‘ by Gareth Brown, ‘Midnight and Blue‘ by Sir Ian Rankin and ‘The Hiking Trip‘ by Jenny Blackhurst. Also, it was our chance to read all we could from our own TBR piles of books.

‘Midnight and Blue’ by Ian Rankin

Sandra thought this book was Rebus at his best.

Bob read it and found it slightly implausible.

Mark read it but found it very difficult as the Police names kept changing so was confused.

Liz thought it a good read but wondered why Rebus was in prison awaiting an appeal? A previous book will give the answer.

Other Reads this Month

Now to share what we all read. Maybe you will be tempted to try some of the novels yourself!

  • Bob read the ‘Book of Doors’ by Gareth Brown. He enjoyed it but thought it was utter fantasy.
  • ‘The Names‘ by Florence Knapp which was complex but highly readable. Excellent book and recommended.
  • ‘The Honeymoon‘ by Jane E. James. Five out of six die. An excellent read full of intrigue.
  • ‘The Patient‘ by Tim Sullivan. DS George Cross solves the mystery – a lot of humour and he really enjoyed it. 5 stars!
  • ‘The List of Suspicious Things‘ by Jenny Godfrey. Very convincing, explores racism of the times and the voice of a 12 year old dealing with a series of murders by excellent.
  • ‘Past Lying‘ by Val McDermid – written in lockdown.
  • ‘Friends of Dorothy‘ by Sandi Toksvig. A gay couple get married and move into a house but the person who lived there, Dorothy, will not move out. Very witty and an excellent read.
  • Mark read ‘The Hiking Trip’ by Jenny Blackhurst. He enjoyed it but only rated it 3 stars.
  • ‘The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers‘ by Samuel Burr was his next read and he thoroughly enjoyed it.
  • ‘Gentlemen and Players‘ by Joanne Harris followed and he really enjoyed this one.
  • Mark also read ‘The Lyme Regis Women’s Swimming Club‘ and thought it a fun holiday read.
  • He really enjoyed David Nicholls’ ‘You Are Here‘ featuring characters walking coast to coast.

Sandra read five books:

Theresa visited a bookshop in Topsham and found some gems.

  • ‘A Short History of Australia’ by Manning Clarke – a big book.
  • ‘King Edward and his Times’ by Andre Mauroir, published in 1933 and reprinted in 1949. Still reading this one.
  • She also read ‘The Botanist’s Daughter‘ by Kayte Nunn. This is a highly recommended read after a diary of 1880 is found hidden in Sydney. Liz has read this and agrees that it’s a wonderful read.

Ruth read some interesting books. She sent an email with her thoughts…

  • ‘The Good Soldier‘ by Ford Madox Ford – I wasn’t so keen and could have done without it. Interesting though and of its time.
  • ‘Super-Infinite – The Transformations of John Donne‘ by Katherine Rundell – This is a biography of the poet who was also ‘a celebrity preacher, a scholar of law, a sea adventurer and the Dean of St Paul’s cathedral’. I really enjoyed this and learned so much about the man I only knew as a poet. It’s well written and interesting. However, we know so little of Donne’s life that much of this is surmise, from what we know of the times (Elizabethan).
  • ‘Where the Wild Flowers Grow‘ by Leif Bersweden – I loved it. One man cycling round the British Isles in search of wild flowers.
  • ‘A Gathering Light‘ by Jennifer Donnelly – Donnelly is actually a children’s and young adults’ writer and I suppose this is a young adult novel but very readable by adults. I enjoyed it.
  • ‘The Unconsoled‘ by Kazuo Ishiguro – This was a re-read. I’m a great Ishiguro fan and I was reading an article about him. About ‘The Unconsoled’, it said that apparently, when it first came out it had terrible reviews but after a few years it was considered by some to be a great novel and Ishiguro’s masterpiece. I realised I had read it years ago. It is the weirdest novel I’ve ever read, surrealistic and like being in a dream. He breaks all the rules of time and place but once you have accepted this, it is fascinating, and I found it compelling reading.
  • ‘The Forty Rules of Love‘ by Elif Shafak – Another very enjoyable novel by her. Two parallel stories across two different cultures and centuries apart, a thirteenth century poet and a modern American housewife.
  • ‘The Slaves of Solitude‘ by Patrick Hamilton – I didn’t know this writer who lived in the first half of the twentieth century but read that he has been grossly neglected and was well regarded by contemporary writers. I read about him and thought I’d give him a try. I’m glad I did. Although of its time, it has a distinctive style and humour. The novel is set during the second world war and portrays a set of lonely people who live in a guest house. Black humour, I guess.

Liz read quite a few as she had to stay put and read as Covid visited.

  • ‘Midnight and Blue’ by Ian Rankin. This was a ‘locked room’ story with a difference because the room was a cell in HMP Edinburgh on the same floor as Rebus. A good sub-plot and an unusual denouement.
  • ‘Death at the Sign of the Rook‘ by Kate Atkinson. A Jackson Brodie murder mystery featuring stolen art by whom? Intriguing read.
  • ‘Lydia Cassatt – Reading the Morning Paper’ by Harriet Scott Chessman. This is an excellent book, especially if you enjoy art as there are four paintings of Lydia Cassatt by her artist sister Mary. Her short life is explored, and Liz loved this short novel.
  • ‘Long Island‘ by Colm Toibin. This was a second book with these characters following on from Brooklyn. Set in Ireland and very enjoyable.
  • ‘The Lyme Regis Women’s Swimming Club’ by Rachel McLean, Millie and Ravensworth. Intrigued, after meeting these three authors in Yeovil Waterstones as they met each other in a writing group, and now write novels together. Liz felt too many characters that always needed to appear. A holiday read.
  • ‘The Suspect‘ by Rob Rinder. This is his second book featuring Adam, a young barrister. A really good read and let’s wait for the next one.
  • ‘At the Edge of the Orchard‘ by Tracy Chevalier. An excellent book. I won’t spoil the plot as you may wish to read it, but Liz loved it.

From her TBR pile, ‘While Paris Slept‘ by Ruth Druart. A WWII story of a mother handing her baby to a train worker in the worst of circumstances. An excellent book full of love.

Liz had started two other books but having reached the stage of not really engaging with the plot, has donated them to a charity shop!

She is currently reading ‘Falling Angels‘ by Tracy Chevalier, another good read!

Alan was on holiday so sent an email. What a selection!

I have been busy reading since we last met and have completed:

  • ‘Death and the Penguin‘ by Andrew Kurkov, a very interesting, if bizarre tale of a writer preparing obituaries for people who are not dead, but soon become dead. The penguin was an important character in the end, but there was no mention in the book of the mess and smell that a penguin would make in a small flat.
  • ‘The Safekeep‘ by Yael Van Der Wouden, a tale set after WWII of how a young woman overcomes becoming just like her mother and eventually finds the love that she deserves. A very good book.
  • ‘Mrs Dalloway‘ by Virginia Woolf. A struggle for me to read this one, but bizarrely I guessed the ending before it was revealed.
  • ‘Matter‘ by Iain M Banks. Another science fiction book which has a rather tortuous route to the finale. I am not sure I liked the outcome, but I do rather like the concept of the Culture and its use of AI. We should learn from it.
  • ‘Demon Copperhead‘ by Barbara Kingsolver. Pulitzer Prize Winner that describes the tough life of a young, orphaned, hillbilly in a backwards county in a southern state of the USA. (I think they are all going backwards!) A very sad story, but the ending was … Read it and find out.
  • ‘Heart Lamp‘ by Banu Mushtaq, set of short stories and International Booker Prize winner 2025. I could see why it was chosen – to highlight the injustices for women living under a certain religion. The last story asked – Be a Woman Once Oh Lord! Things would be different if He was a She! It was a difficult read for me as I do not understand the religion in question. I am hoping to finish
  • ‘A Spot of Bother‘ by Mark Haddon before I fly on holiday and then I might pick a book in the airport book shop.

A fine selection for you look up and find to read yourself.

Next Month

Next month we will read:

We meet in the Lounge of Westlands Entertainment Venue from 12noon until 2pm on every second Tuesday of the month. So, our next meeting is on Tuesday 14th October. You will always find a welcome and some interesting readers.