Stoke Book Chat April
For more information on our book groups,see our website.
Eight of us met for a lovely lively discussion – on books and life.
‘I liked it, but it was a book I had to persevere with.’
Noelle McCarthy, radio journalist, shares her story – involving intergenerational battles with alcoholism. Noelle runs away to New Zealand to escape her family’s trauma, but she later returns to Ireland when her mother falls ill. It’s a story of life and love with all its imperfections.
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
‘One of the most beautiful books I’ve read’.
Two teenagers from opposite sides of a divided land (Cyprus) meet in a Taverna. Kostas is a Christian Greek and Defne is a Turkish Muslim. The Taverna has a fig tree growing through the middle of it, and this tree witnesses the life of those who visit the Taverna. Unlike many other trees on Cyprus, this tree survives – the passage of time - the war, the parting of the teenagers.
Elif Shafak is an award-winning British-Turkish novelist whose work has been translated into fifty-five languages.
Troubled Blood by Robert Galbraith (Cormoran Strike series, 5)
Our reader thoroughly enjoyed this, the fifth book in the Cormoran Strike series. Each book has several stories running through it – that of Strike and his business partner, plus the story of the job they are on –(the mystery they’re trying to solve) and usually, the story of another couple of characters too.
Operation Hurricane : the story of Britain’s first atomic test in Australia and the legacy that remains by Paul Grace [Non-fiction] (Unavailable in the Library Collection)
An account of the first atomic test conducted by Britain off the North-West Coast of Western Australia in October 1952. Despite the serious nature of this book, the writing was humorous.
University Tales by Jack Sheffield.
This work of fiction draws on Jack Sheffield’s experience as a teacher. It’s 1988 and Dr Tom Frith is beginning his first term as a tutor at the University of Eboracum, after working for some years as a primary school teacher. Although the university appears to offer a respite from teaching children, Tom may have underestimated the extra-curricular pressures. A really good read!
The Woman who Walked into the Sea by Mark Douglas-Home. (Sea Detective Series; 2)
Sea detective Cal McGill helps a woman unravel the events of twenty-six years ago when another woman walked into the waves, apparently drowning herself and her unborn child.
Our reader found it easy to lose the thread of this story.
Further Chronicles of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery. Talking book – ready by Kate Handford.
This volume features wonderful descriptions of the characters who populate Anne Shirley’s beloved Avonlea. ‘Cracking good stories.’
Never Split the Difference : Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on it by Chris Voss. (Unavailable in the Library Collection)
Written by a former international hostage negotiator for the FBI, this book offers strategies for negotiating in any situation, including finding out what the other person wants.
Excommunicated : A Multigenerational Story of Leaving the Exclusive Brethren by Craig Hoyle.
After coming out as gay, Craig Hoyle was excommunicated from the New Zealand Exclusive Brethren and forced to say goodbye to his family forever. After leaving Hoyle embarks on a journey of discovery that uncovers generations of his family’s complex and often cruel relationship with the Sect.
A Wedding in Provence by Katie Fforde.
A light, enjoyable, romantic read. Set in late summer 1963, Alexandra finds herself looking after three children who live in an imposing chateau in Provence.
