Stoke book chat January
There is no set book or need to register, just come along to Stoke Library on the 3rd Wednesday of every month from 5:30pm and chat to others about what you've been reading lately!
"One family. Forty years. The Waters kids, practical, athletic Mark; the physically beautiful dreamer Davey; and the baby of the family, Samantha, have had to face more than their fair share of challenges. 1979 was the year their father sold up the farm and invested all the family's money in a doomed property development next to the ocean in Christchurch. Is that when 'everything started going wrong', as Mark believes? Will their bond survive the passage of time or will the three siblings succumb to their parents' legacy of failure? Can the past be overcome-- and forgiven?"--Publisher.
The Piano Player of Budapest by Roxanne De Bastion
When Roxanne discovers a cassette recording of her grandfather, Stephen playing one of his compositions, she starts to unravel the incredible story of her grandfather and his piano – a piano that she has inherited. Prior to WWII Stephen enjoyed great fame as a pianist, and then the holocaust happened. By uncovering recordings, memoirs, and letters Roxanne pieces together the story of his life and an extraordinary escape. Our reader found it a story of hope.
This is How Your Marriage Ends : a hopeful approach to saving relationships by Matthew Fray
The author started his writing as a drunken blog in which he attempted to piece together the story of his own marriage decline and eventual break up. While many self-help books have a largely female audience, men may find this book more relatable.
Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Our reader found this book by well-known author Haruki Murakami either lacking substance, or too deep to comprehend! There are several time plots and some magic – including talking cats.
It has been favourably reviewed and described by others, and our catalogue entry describes it as ambitious and expansive.
After moving to Russia in 1998 to help build the British Embassy in Moscow, Nick and his wife and two children end up on the run after leaking secrets from Vladimir Putin’s one-time deputy. Nick flees to remote rural Australia, where he and his family face bush fires, crocodiles, sharks and the devastating Cyclone Yvette.
David Drehle meets centenarian Charlie White when he moves to mid-west USA and discovers Charlie is his new neighbour. David is impressed with Charlie’s ability to survive and thrive through tough times, including losing his father as a child, and sets out to record the secrets to Charlie’s success.
All the Words We Know by Bruce Nash
A beautifully moving story about a woman who has dementia. Rose is alternately sharp and insightful and very forgetful. When she discovers her friend has died from an apparent fall from a window in the care facility where they both live, Rose is determined to investigate the truth. It’s a story about life and words. Our reader loved it and read it within 48 hours!
Unruly : The Number One Bestseller 'Horrible Histories for grownups' by David Mitchell
In Unruly we discover the real story behind the lives of England’s Kings and Queens – with all their antics and bad behaviour . .'Clever, amusing, gloriously bizarre and razor sharp. Mitchell – a funny man and skilled historian – tells stories that are interesting and fun. Here is Horrible Histories for grownups' GERARD DEGROOT, THE TIMES'. Our reader thoroughly enjoyed it.
Adventures of a Country Vet by Rory Dean
New Zealand Veterinarian Rory Dean shares his work with us, including the time he spent at The Levels, in Somerset, England, and more recently during his practice in Northland, New Zealand. This is not at all like James’ Heriot’s work, which focussed on the community and their interactions with their animals, instead Deans shares his medical cases with us. Our reader was fascinated by the cases Rory shared, but those less interested in medicine may not find it as engaging.
Fritz and Kurt by Jeremy Dronfield [Children’s Senior Fiction)
This is the children’s version of The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz
Fritz and Kurt’s family is Jewish and they are in terrible danger from the Nazis. Fritz and his father are taken to a Nazi prison camp. When his father is sent to another camp, and certain death, Fritz cannot face losing his beloved papa and chooses to go too. Meanwhile Kurt must go on a terrifying journey all alone to the other side of the world.
17 Years Later : Who Really Killed the Primrose Family? By J. P. Pomare
The Primrose Family is murdered in their large home, and the family chef is convicted and sent to jail. Seventeen years later, true-crime podcaster Sloane Abbott tracks down prison psychologist TK Phillips. As Sloane lures a reluctant TK back into the fight, evidence emerges that casts new light on the Primroses - and who might have wanted them dead. Our reader thought the mystery was quite good, but the changes in narrator were a little frustrating/ irritating.
Agony Hill : a mystery by Sarah Stewart Taylor
In the hot summer of 1965, Bostonian Franklin Warren arrives in Bethany, Vermont, to take a position as a detective with the state police. Warren has barely unpacked when he's called up to a remote farm on Agony Hill. Former New Yorker and Back-to-the-Lander Hugh Weber seems to have set fire to his barn and himself, with the door barred from the inside.
Our reader liked it – enjoying the description of the town in Vermont, and found Warren a likeable character.
Meet me when My Heart Stops by Becky Hunter
Emery is born with a heart condition that means her heart could literally stop at any moment. The first time this happens Emery is five years old, and she meets Nick, who lives in the afterlife and helps people adapt to being dead. As her life goes on Emery finds she is looking forward to meeting Nick, who she has fallen in love with. Although this is a fascinating concept our reader found the ending a bit ‘ho-hum’ and was frustrated with Emery’s attitude to life.
The Making of Us by Debbie Howells
Strangers Stevie and Ned end up sitting next to each other on a flight to France. Stevie clutches Ned’s hand in terror on take-off, which leads to conversation. Although a flame is ignited, both Stevie and Ned have their own problems to deal with, and neither has romance on their mind. Despite this, they keep running into each other at the same beautiful community garden in a small French village.
The House Across the Street by Lesley Pearse
It’s 1965 and 23-year old Katie Speed lives at home with her parents. She is fascinated with glamorous Gloria who lives across the street and runs a dress shop. But who is the woman who arrives most Saturdays and who are the women and children she sometimes has with her? When Gloria’s house burns down killing her and her daughter, Katie’s father is accused of their murders. Can Katie find out what happened, and save her father from prison?
Crazy by Amy Read
An exploration of a romance marred by mental illness. After meeting at Summer Camp Connor becomes Izzy’s closed confidante. But as they get closer, Connor realizes that Izzy’s hights are too high and her lows too low. Can Connor help Izzy get the help she needs? This book is written in the form of emails between Izzy and Connor.
A very emotional read – you can really feel the emotions of the characters. A very good book.
Snowy Serendipity : Two Heart-warming Christmas Stories by Melissa Fergusson (E-audio book)
This volume comprises two feel-good Christmas novellas. In Dashing Through the Snow, heart-broken Willow embarks solo on The Christmas Express – a two week train trip that her ex-fiance had booked for them as a couple. Although the gorgeous train journey emphasises her newly single status, perhaps the trip will also enable Willow’s heart to heal. In Pining for You, Theo Watkins III drops everything and returns to his hometown for a weekend where he meets his childhood best-friend Skye Fuller. Life has sent Theo and Willow in different directions - will they overcome these differences and recapture the magic of their childhood friendship? A fun read especially fitting for the Christmas season.
Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin (E-audio book)
Violette Toussaint is the caretaker at a cemetery in a small town in Bourgogne. Casual mourners, regular visitors, and sundry colleagues—gravediggers, groundskeepers, and a priest—visit her to warm themselves in her lodge, where laughter, companionship, and occasional tears mix with the coffee she offers them. Her life is lived to the rhythms of their funny, moving confidences. But her routine is disrupted by the arrival of the local police chief, who insists on scattering the ashes of his recently deceased mother on the gravesite of a complete stranger. Soon it becomes clear that his inexplicable gesture is intertwined with Violette's own difficult past. With Fresh Water for Flowers, Valérie Perrin has given listeners an intimately told story that tugs on the heartstrings about a woman who believes obstinately in happiness, despite it all. A number one bestseller in France, it is a heartwarming and tender story that will stay with listeners long after they finish it. (From the publisher.) Our reader loved this book and is still missing it now she’s finished it - as one would miss a friend after they’ve visited.
New words:
We discussed the idea of sharing a new word with the group – one that we discovered during our reading over the month.
Otalgia – Ear Pain.
