Stoke Library book chat - September
We meet on the 3rd Wednesday of each month from 5:30pm at Stoke library. All welcome.
Next Meeting: Wednesday 15th October 5.30pm.
A beautiful Family by Jennifer Trevelyan
This is a thriller/mystery set in a fictional version of what’s probably the Kāpiti Coast in 1985. It’s summer holidays and 10-year-old Alex’s family go on holiday to a small beach town. At the beach Alex meets Kāhu, a boy who tells her the tragic story of a young girl Charlotte, who disappeared from the beach area a couple of years ago. Alex and Kāhu decide to ‘find’ missing/drowned Charlotte. Our reader enjoyed the very-Kiwi flavour of the story, and the way it’s told from 10-year-old’s point of view.
Let Me go Mad in my Own Way by Elaine Feeney
Set in the rugged west of Ireland, Feeney’s book is a love story about second chances. After breaking up with her boyfriend, Clare O’Conner moves back to Ireland to look after her sick father in Galway. Despite leaving her old life behind, aspects of her past pop up – like Tom unexpectedly turning up to rent a cottage nearby. As well as exploring themes of love and resilience, parts of Irish history are touched upon. Author Elaine Feeney was longlisted for the Booker for a previous book ‘How to Build a Boat’.
The Little French Village of Book Lovers by Nina George
As a foster child in a small town in Provence, Marie-Jeanne realizes that she can see ‘love’ grow in other people and she can see the marks it leaves on people. She helps her foster father start a mobile library, offering books for comfort, healing, and guidance. Later she starts a book club, and eventually she becomes a sort of match maker – as she can ‘see’ love. Despite her extraordinary power Marie-Jeanne has trouble finding love for herself. In the book Love talks as a person, as does Fate, and Logic.
The Daughter of Time by Josepine Tey
Josephine Tey’s work dates from the ‘golden age’ of crime writing and was published in the 1950s. Inspector Grant is laid up for weeks with a broken leg. Tired of looking at the ceiling, a friend brings in portraits for him to look at, including a portrait of King Richard III. In the portrait Grant, doesn’t see the face of a killer, and with the help of an American student who is doing research at British museum, Inspector Grant researches the allegation that Richard III killed the two princes. He comes to doubt that the King did in fact kill the princes, and thus ensues a ‘Who-done-it’, from hundreds of years ago. The title comes from the saying “Truth is the daughter of time, not of authority" from Francis Bacon’s Novum Organum.
The Cinderella Service: a New Zealand Land Girl’s Wartime Journey by Lynda Taylor
In the midst of WW2, New Zealand faces labour shortages and young women are called on to work on the land as land girls. Emma leaves her home in Hawkes Bay to work on a farm, where she faces isolation and the challenges of physical labour. Through this experience she learns resilience and develops strength. Our reader found the details and style of writing interesting and enjoyable.
In this non-fiction work John Grisham presents 10 cases of people imprisoned in the USA for crimes they didn’t commit. In one case it took 47 years for the person to clear their name.
A Street Cat Named Bob by James Bowen
Bob is so cute and has so much character! In this true story Bob the cat helps his owner get off drugs and out of poverty. An amazing story about the bond between cat and human, and the way they care for each other.
Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener by M.C. Beaton
Amateur sleuth Agatha is taken aback when she finds a new woman ensconced in the affections of her attractive bachelor neighbour, James Lacey. The beautiful Mary Fortune is superior in every way, especially when it comes to gardening - and with Carsely Garden Open Day looming, Agatha feels this deficiency acutely. But when Mary is found dead with her head buried in a flowerpot, Agatha starts doing a different type of digging as she attempts to find out who killed Mary. A lovely cozy mystery.
Our reader thought this book about a boy and a horse would be a light read, but it was actually very sad.
15-year-old Charley is new in town and is not yet enrolled in school. When his father goes away Charley is forced to steal money to feed himself. While out walking he comes across a stable, which he subsequently visits regularly – enjoying seeing the horses. Eventually he gets a job at the stable, where he is treated a little like a slave. One day a large Samoan Man visits Charley’s house and beats his dad up so badly that he subsequently dies in hospital. Charley continues working (and sleeping) at the stables, and one day while driving the horse float, something within him cracks and Charley decides to just keep driving. Told from Charley’s point of view, this is an interesting but sad book.
It was made into a movie of the same name, released in 2017, and currently on TVNZ+
A Seekers’ Storybook by Michelle Tocher, published by The Canadian Career Development Foundation.
Made up of a series of stories presented by a fictional (but very ‘real’) character. It’s about how the main character rediscovers what he wants to do in life. Little stories – about discovering yourself – but not a self-help book at all.
Absolutely enjoyed it!
Karen Kirsten’s autobiographical account tells the story of how she unraveled her family’s secrets and about the dreadful desperate times her grandmother and mother experienced at the hands of the Nazi regime. It’s a fascinating, highly educational and somewhat horrifying read, about resilience and imperfection and the compromises and lies we tell to survive.
