Monthly Book Club

The Monthly Book Club choice for November is:

 The Night Watch by Sarah Waters.

Having read 'The Paying Guests' by the same author at the beginning of this year,(which I adored and I think was my favourite book of 2015 ) I have been wanting to read another of her books.   I asked my book group which one they would recommend, and they said this one.

Set during World War II, it is about four Londoners and how their lives and secrets connect.   Described as: "Tender, tragic and beautifully poignant, set against the backdrop of feats of heroism both epic and ordinary, here is a novel of relationships that offers up subtle surprises and twists. The Night Watch is thrilling. A towering achievement."

"This outstandingly gifted novelist releases her imagination into her most compelling depiction yet." (Peter Kemp Sunday Times)

If it's even half as good as 'The Paying Guests,' I know I am in for a real treat.

Now, with having read 'a LOT' of books this year, I am taking a little break to ease up on the reading over Christmas.  So there will be no book club choice for December or January.   The Monthly Book Club choice will reconvene in February 2016.   Thank you so much to those who have supported and commented on the blog since its inception.   I wish you Happy Reading!  Please do feel free to comment anytime about anything that takes your fancy!



The Monthly Book club choice for October is Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

 

Colm Toibin is considered a master of his craft and this book is a must read.
The film version staring Saoirse Ronan comes out on November 6th, but I highly recommend you read the book first.  

The story centres around Eilis Lacey, who moves to Brooklyn from Ireland to find work.  Desperately  homesick and miserable, she struggles to fit in.  Then one night at a dance, she meets someone and everything changes.  But when tragic news calls her back to Ireland, she finds herself facing a terrible choice: between love and happiness in the land where she belongs and the promises she must keep on the far side of the ocean.

Enjoy and please feel free to share your thoughts as ever! 


The Monthly Book Club Choice for September is

 The Good Girl by Fiona Neill

 

This was recommended by our regular contributor Corinne.  It looks like a great read and is described as follows:

Scratch the surface of any family hard enough and you’ll draw blood . No one can believe it when straight A student Romy Field finds herself at the centre of a scandal, least of all her mother Ailsa – who is also the head of her new school.  Ailsa is quick to hold Romy’s new boyfriend and his parents responsible for what has happened. But as mother and daughter reveal their very different version of events, a much darker truth emerges. It soon becomes apparent that Romy isn’t the only member of her family harbouring secrets and her disgrace becomes the catalyst for the unravelling of all those around her.
It takes a split second to make a decision that can alter the course of your life.
And a lifetime to undo the consequences.
‘ Two families become embroiled in each other’s lives and long buried secrets are unravelled. Contemporary issues are tackled here with both humour and realism, making for an engrossing read’ My Weekly

 The Monthly Book Club choice for August is

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

 
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Paula Hawkins was born and brought up in Zimbabwe.  She moved to London in 1989.  She worked as a journalist for 15 years before writing this, her first book.  A psychological thriller, it has become a bestseller and has been described in the following way: "Really great suspense novel. Kept me up most of the night. The alcoholic narrator is dead perfect." (STEPHEN KING)
"A complex and increasingly chilling tale courtesy of a number of first-person narratives that will wrong-foot even the most experienced of crime fiction readers" (Irish Times).
Enjoy, and see my home page for additional information regarding August's book club (more book choices, as it is holiday month!).


 The Monthly Book Club Choice for July (by popular vote) is 'The Storied Life of A.J.Fikry. 

 “A.J. Fikry, the grumpy owner of Island Books, is going through a hard time: his bookshop is failing, he has lost his beloved wife, and a prized rare first edition has been stolen.  But one day A.J. finds two-year-old Maya sitting on the bookshop floor, with a note attached to her asking the owner to look after her. His life – and Maya’s – is changed forever.”

“I read this book in one big greedy gulp. A charming and funny love letter to the written word – it will leave you smiling and with a large lump in your throat.” Natasha Solomons, bestselling author of Mr Rosenblum’s List and The Novel in the Viola.

“Reminds us what saves us all from a life of loneliness and isolation: our sense of empathy; our ability to love and be loved; our willingness to care and be cared for. Gabrielle Zevin has written a wonderful, moving, endearing story of redemption and transformation that will sing in your heart for a very, very long time.” Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rai.


 The Monthly Book Club Choice for June is 'H is for Hawk' by Helen Macdonald. 


 

 This is a personal choice for me, as it deals with grief.   From the summary on the back it says: “As a child, Helen Macdonald was determined to become a falconer, learning the arcane terminology and reading all the classic books.  Years later, when her father died and she was struck deeply by grief, she became obsessed with the idea of training her own goshawk.”
“H is for Hawk is the unflinchingly  honest account of Macdonald’s struggle with grief during the difficult process of the hawk’s taming and her own untaming. This is a book about memory, nature and nation, and how it might be possible to reconcile death with life and love.”
Described as ” A talon-sharp memoir that will thrill and chill you to the bone..Fascinating.’
It also won the Costa Book of the Year 2014.

The Book Club Choice for May is 'I am Pilgrim' by Terry Hayes.

 


 “The narrative is thrilling: the tension tightens with action…It’s a murder mystery, an illuminating account of contemporary international politics and a study of an unusual man……An excellent thriller which as a first novel is really remarkable” (Literary Review)
I look forward to reviewing the book on the last Friday of May.