Stoke Book Chat May
We meet on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 5:30pm at Stoke library. All welcome.
The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
This work of historical fiction follows the fortunes of the Whittaker family. Alma Whitakker is born in 1800 to the by-then-wealthy Henry Whittaker, and with both the blessings of wealth and a sharp mind she becomes a botanist. As Alma seeks to uncover the mysteries of evolution, she falls in love with a man whose life work is completely opposite to her own, artist, Ambrose Pike, who is intrigued with the spiritual and divine. Alma’s life spans a period of great social change – when understandings of science, religion and class were exploding with new ideas.
The Registrar by Neela Janakiramanan
Set in Melbourne, Australia, protagonist Emma Swann has landed a medical registrar position at ‘The Mount’. This work of fiction has the pace of a psychological thriller and reveals the human experience of being a doctor and a patient in a medical system at breaking point. The author, Neela Janakiramanan is a reconstructive plastic surgeon with expertise in complex hand and wrist surgery, and the novel reflects her extensive knowledge of the medical system.
This is like hearing about someone’s life through the eyes of someone else. Frankie’s 18-year-old carer manages to get Frankie to start talking about her life, which involved growing up in Ireland, and the art scene in 1960s New York. From the eyes of her carer 84-year-old Frankie’s situation seems sad – more of her life involves looking back, whereas he has more life ahead of him. It’s a poignant read, and at the end, the importance of lifelong friend Nora is revealed.
The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell
This book is based on Tom’s true story about rescuing a penguin caught in an oil slick, while on holiday in Uruguay. Tom takes the penguin back to his room, from there he tries to look after the penguin – cleaning it, feeding it etc. When his time in Uruguay comes to an end Tom doesn’t really know what to do with the penguin, so he takes it with him to Argentina and his new school teaching job. The penguin quickly becomes a favourite at the school in Buenos Aires. Engrossing & worthwhile, this is a lovely read. The book has been made into a movie, which is playing at cinemas at present.
Our Chemical Hearts Krystal Sutherland
Henry has never had any interest in girls (or boys), until new-girl Grace moves into the neighbourhood. They both end up on the school newspaper together and end up dating. But Grace is complicated, having recently lost her previous boyfriend. This quirky teen romance, written by Australian Krystal Sutherland, was named by The American Bookseller Association as one of the best debuts of 2016. A 2020 film adaptation starring Lili Reinhart and Austin Abrams was produced by Amazon Studios.
Our reader thought it was very good.
The Shadow Sister (Seven Sisters series) Lucinda Riley
The Shadow Sister is the third in the Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley, and follows Star DApliese’s story, as she tries to uncover the clues to her parentage.
Star travels to England and finds a job in an antiquarian bookshop, thus starts her incredible journey. Our reader enjoyed the descriptions of the English countryside, and this is her favourite book of the Seven Sisters series so far.
A Round-healed Woman: My Late-Life Adventures in Sex and Romance by Jane Juska
Jane places an ad., in the newspaper ‘'Before I turn 67 - next March - I would like to have a lot of sex with a man I like. If you want to talk first, Trollope works for me.' So begin Jane’s romantic adventures in this laugh-out-loud funny autobiographical book. A great little read.
A visit from the Goon Squad Jennifer Eagan
A Visit from the Goon Squad is a 2010 novel by American author Jennifer Egan; it won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2011. The book is a set of thirteen interrelated stories with a large set of characters all connected to Bennie Salazar, a record company executive, and his assistant, Sasha. It reminded our reader of the movie ‘Pulp Fiction’, and he really enjoyed the language.
Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs
Bare Bones stars forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan. Temperance is hoping to enjoy a few days away, when bones of baby are discovered in a wood stove, then a small plane flies into a rock face. Our reader enjoyed the pace of this book and found it very interesting; all the parts are resolved at the end and it’s not too grisly, despite the topic.
Our reader found this story, by the author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, had little resemblance to the description on the cover. It is almost two discreet stories. In the present-day Jim lives in a wagon, and has a cafe job, which he finds provides a respite from the OCD compulsions that govern the rest of his life.
Back in time in the early 1970s, Jim (James) is friends with Byron, and they embark on ‘Operation Perfect’ in an attempt to save Jim’s Mum from impending crisis. Little would seem to connect these characters, except that two seconds in time can change everything.
Time After Time: Repeat Offenders, the Inside Stories by Chris Atkins
In 2016 Chris Atkins was charged with tax fraud and committed to a term in Wadsworth prison, which afforded him unique access to the underworld. Chris spent six years following the fortunes of a dozen repeat offenders, and his book offers unique insight into why people re-offend.
When Laura drops in on her ex’s parents while passing the small town they live in, little does she know that she’ll end up drawn into the day-to-day crises of a rural household and a few other dramas too, plus meet the man of her dreams (not her ex). This book is set in small-town New Zealand and our reader enjoyed the references to New Zealand places and the general ‘kiwi’ flavour of it. A fun, quick, read. Danielle Hawkins has written several novels, plus the autobiographical book Two Shakes of a Lamb’s Tail: the Diary of a Country Vet.
