December meeting - The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

The December group meeting took place in the ‘back room’ of The Victoria Public House, Low Fell and was beautifully hosted by Joan A.

I suspect at 14 members present this was the largest attendance of any group so far, and I’ve done my best to capture the essence of the discussion on ‘The Rosie Project’. Apologies to anything that has slipped through the net. A warm welcome was extended to our new attendees. What a pleasure to see the group expanding!

Personally speaking I gave up after chapter 9 of ‘The Rosie Project’ so can’t really speak with any authority, so the intent here is to reflect on contributions of others. 

The over-riding theme of the discussion was this was a ‘romp’ of a book, something akin to watching a ‘chick flick’. Not something anyone particularly raved about, but were mildly amused by (in the main). A number of the group did admit to having some ‘laugh out loud’ moments, but many felt that the praises of the plaudits on the cover of the book were somewhat over-enthusiastic. The book was advised to be taken ‘on face value’, and to ‘suspend reality’ whilst reading it. It was described as ‘silly’ and ‘light-hearted’.

Katie felt that the author had come up with a good idea (having a check-list to find a partner) and then woven quite a weak story around this. It was commented that a number of ‘twists and turns’ in the plot line were set up at the beginning of the book, which either were resolved very quickly at the end, or simply disappeared. A brief discussion took place around ‘who is Rosie’s father then?’, but this seemed to be in a mood of mild curiosity rather than heartfelt interest.

A number of the group expressed the opinion that perhaps following the success of ‘The Dog in the Night Time’ the author had decided that having a lead character with Asperger’s Syndrome would be an interesting plot device. The difference with this lead character, however, was that readers felt no sympathy for him. For the members of the group with significant experience of meeting people on the autistic spectrum, in work or family life, the portrayal of the lead character was described as ‘representative’ rather than ‘realistic’. Personally, I found the book quite offensive and disrespectful (hence giving up on it so quickly).

Sue noted that Rosie’s comment at the ending of the book that she would like to marry the lead character as long as ‘things are still crazy’ was inappropriate. We are living in a culture where many organisations are addressing the detrimental use of derogatory language historically linked to mental health presentations. We are all well advised to consider our personal vocabulary.

The group felt that the characters were not well written, and little empathy or sympathy was felt for either of the couple. “I didn’t like him, I didn’t like her!” It was noted “I like the premise of the book, but not the execution”. Responses were on a spectrum from ‘iconic and funny’ to ‘disappointing’.

New member of the group Debb noted how much she had enjoyed the process of taking the time to curl up and read a book written for adults. This was ‘a treat’. For many years her reading has been dominated by the demands of reading to children both at home and work.

Score out of 5 for the book, 3. (But I am directed to note that some felt it deserved a 4).

Following the feedback on the book, the group very much enjoyed a ‘pass the parcel’ game, although having not played it for a long time there was some confusion at times. At one point there was a break in the flow of proceedings with three or four women shouting “take something off, take something off”.

How this all was being perceived by the clientele of the pub beyond the curtains shielding us from public view was open to question. The Book Club Christmas meeting entertainment was a stripper? The Book Club were having a strip poker game? The Book Club were experimenting with a naturist theme? Some ideas for next Christmas perhaps? Winner of the scented candle was Pauline W. (Thanks to Joan for the game.)

The buffet was a great success. As a group we’re not precious about ‘homemade’ and anything goes. Katie’s homemade salted caramel shortcakes do deserve a special mention, however.
Following the success of last year’s book exchange we all contributed to this once again, bringing a wrapped book each to pass on to someone else, ‘bran tub’ style.

The Christmas Book Exchange results: for December reading:

Jeanette, The Red House by Mark Haddon

Lynda, The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

Joanne, The Underground Railway by Colson Whitehead

Joan H, The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Alborn

Sheila, And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

Debb, The Killer on the Wall by Emma Kavanagh

Joan A, When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Katie, After You’d Gone, Maggie O’Farrell

Sue C, Bittersweet, Colleen McCullough

Pauline W, A Year of Marvellous Ways, Sarah Winman

Viki, The Paying Guests, Sarah Waters

Pauline S, Precious Bane, Mary Webb

Anne-Marie, A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick (which caused much amusement on the evening as A-
M wasn’t feeling in a particularly reliable mood at home!)

After the opening of our wrapped book gift we each shared with the group which book we had brought along, and why we had chosen it.

The evening ended with a couple of rounds of ‘The World Cup of Everything’, a game from the Richard Osman book of the same name. (Again, the book and the score sheets were provided by the hostess with the mostess, the lovely Joan A)

The group debated the best Christmas film with the final being between ‘White Christmas’ and ‘Love Actually’. The winner: Love Actually.

The decision on the best Disney Film ended with a final between ‘Lady and the Tramp’ and ‘The Jungle Book’. The Winner: The Jungle Book.

Joanne amused the group by voting against the trend on pretty much every round.  But we didn’t come to blows!

Thanks to everyone for a lovely evening. I stayed out well beyond what is sensible for a ‘school night’ and for someone as socially anxious as me this is very unusual.  What a great group!

Much love to Emma who sadly missed out on the evening as she was poorly.

The book for January reading 2018 is ‘A Dangerous Crossing’ by Rachel Rhys (for discussion in February 2018). At our next group we’ll be sharing our thoughts on our individual book exchange Christmas book. Following the success of last year’s decision to do this in the form of a self-penned poem this time we’ll be presenting in the form of interpretive contemporary dance (not!). Further instructions to follow!

Season’s Greetings to all and see everyone again in 2018.

November Meeting - Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee

We met in Rosa 12 for our November book club meeting. It was lovely to see Joan back from her adventures in China and hearing all about her amazing experience and achievements.

We welcomed new members Deb and Katie. We started to discuss our book Cider with Rosie. It seemed we had a variety of different copies of the book! Joan had not read the book this time but had read it many years ago and loved it. Having lived in Gloucester she knows the area well. Emma loved the descriptions in the book. Katie had listened to it being read on Radio 4 and said it was a good book to listen to. We talked about there being a TV series which aired a few years ago and some of us had watched it.

The general view was that it was a story but with no plot. It was a book of extracts from Lee's childhood growing up in rural Gloucestershire. Jeanette liked the chapter about his mum. Emma said the ending was poignant.

We decided to give the book a score of 4/5.

We discussed the next meeting being a Christmas gathering and Joan kindly offered to host an evening at hers. This will now be held in The Victoria as numbers were growing! As last year's book swap was a success we decided to carry on this tradition this year. Each member will give a gift of a book which they recommend and these will be swapped at our December gathering.

October meeting - Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

In October we decided to have a special meeting to send our very brave member Joan off to China with all of our best wishes. She completed a trek of the Great Wall of China for the Alzheimer's Society and did incredibly well, raising £5,250.32 (and counting) for this brilliant cause.

A few members met Joan at the Bank and the rest of us convened at The Imperial. There were a few small gifts, a good luck balloon and a bottle of fizz, complete with a sparkler, to help send her on her way.

The book to be discussed was Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons, which only a select few of the group had finished. Others had managed to get part of the way through, while a couple had given up entirely.

It was generally agreed that it was a book very much of its time and very different to the children's literature of today. Jeanette pointed out that her daughter would have asked for a return to Harry Potter should she have tried to read it to her when she was growing up.

While the language was quite outdated, there were some nice descriptions and it seemed like a very pleasant way to spend a summer. Some of the younger members of the group (ahem, Emma) had to have the term 'duffer' explained to them.

The parents seemed quite lax in letting the children go off and have such adventures, but then finding a way to take adults out of the equation is always a challenge for children's authors. It was agreed that it was really nice to see the character of Captain Flint aka Uncle Jim getting involved and playing along with the kids' hijinx.

Overall, it was decided that the book should be awarded three stars out of five.

Member Joanne with the real-life Amazon in The Lakes

On November 2nd, the group will be discussing Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee at Rosa 12.

"Defending Jacob" by William Landay

7th September 2017

Members met in the snug at “The Aletaster” in Low Fell. 

“Defending Jacob” by William Landay 

As discussion got under way, we soon realised how difficult it would be to write a blog without mentioning, or even hinting “what happens at the end” (one of our group hadn’t completed the novel). But be assured dear reader it is hoped that there will be no spoiler alert here. 

So here goes…

Andy is an Assistant District Attorney (so was the author it appears!) who finds his professional position challenged because his son is being tried for the murder of a school peer, Ben Rifkin. Andy’s protégé, Neil Logiudice, is prosecuting his son, Jacob, for the rather nasty murder of Ben.

Andy’s suspension from the case prevents him from further investigation of a probable suspect, a known paedophile.

Andy is our narrator throughout and he takes us on a rollercoaster journey through courtroom intrigue and machinations, interwoven with scenes from his home life where fear and doubt devastates their unity; where  bitterly cruel social ostracisation cuts down their defences. Meanwhile, Jacob, accused of being an evil and pathological murderer, remains removed and opaque throughout.

Throughout the developing court case we learn of Andy’s historic secret which impacts on the case and offers the reader another chance to debate the theory of “nature versus nurture” 

As a result, we watch his wife Laurie’s gradual but inevitable decline, which Andy feels powerless to prevent. Enormous sympathy was felt for this character and, indeed, for others drawn into the case like Jacob’s friend, Derek, a sympathetic and well-intentioned young informant. And there’s Ben Rifkin, the victim of a hateful and callous murder…..

Andy’s character grows as his pain increases and his torment drives him to protect his family. Landay’s well-observed depiction of modern-day adolescence takes us through the daily angst of peer pressure and bullying in the school yard and on social media with absolute understanding. However, he excels at convincing the reader of what it’s like to be a parent, struggling to believe in a child whose introvert behaviour excludes them. How much of their child’s life goes unnoticed… until there is a reason to investigate it…

But, has Andy violated professional ethics? Probably, for the sake of his son. We participate in this legal thriller but we are also drawn into the resulting family implosion.

Everyone enjoyed the book without exception. It was suggested that the novel might not compare to the literary genius of Scott Turow (“Presumed Innocent”) but we all agreed it was an exceptionally clever, tense and engrossing story which doesn’t abate, but ony heightens the adrenalin level at every turn of the page.

We awarded the book 4/5

*NB  Please vote for our October read from our Modern Classics list: “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” by Muriel Spark , “Cider with Rosie” by Laurie Lee or ”Painted Veil” by Somerset Maugham. Put it out on FB!!

August meeting - I Found You by Lisa Jewell

Our August meeting was kindly hosted by Sue (and husband Neil) at their home. 11 people attended; 10 having read the book. Sue served excellent food and Emma provided a delicious dessert. We reviewed the book I Found You by Lisa Jewell.

We found this book easy to read. Jeanette gave a detailed review as she wasn't sure she would make the meeting. Some of her views are as follows: "I quite enjoyed the book, and did find it the 'page turner' it promised to be on the cover of my copy. I don't think I would say it was a 'must read' which was also stated. 

"I felt a bit sad that the character of Derry Dynes didn't play a bigger role in the story. I was also a bit disappointed that the seaside village of Ridinghouse Bay didn't play a bigger role. I quite liked the local references to Robin Hood's Bay. I bounced between being intrigued by (and a little envious of) Alice and her bohemian lifestyle and really very annoyed by her.

"I wasn't so keen on the fact that the children had been involved with social services more than once - and that seemed OK - and when 'Frank' said 'I think I've killed someone' she didn't change her view of him."

Jeanette goes on to comment about the female characters in the book and comes to the conclusion that they all need a good shake! "I did enjoy reading it. I like that it drew me in and I wanted to know what happened - but the number of rather silly women wafting through life really annoyed me"

Many agreed with these views and thought that Alice was a good character but seemed to take too many risks with social services and then allowed a strange man into her home. Gray's mum also took risks allowing her children to go off with a stranger. The book got sillier and a bit far fetched. People were desperate for love.

Sue said she felt no character had depth and thought the author couldn't follow through. We all thought it was a book you can read quickly; a good holiday read. Near the end of the book it was a bit boring. We thought the map would reveal more. Jeanette was pleased it turned out not to be about a mental health issue.

Overall we rated it 3/5 although Sue hated it and gave it a 1!

A thoroughly enjoyable evening with fantastic hosting and yummy food! Sue put together a list of classics for us to choose and we found that many of us had read quite a few from the list. Emma suggested Swallows and Amazons as it is her dad's favourite book. This will be our September read. 

Our next book is Defending Jacob by William Landay. Happy reading!

July meeting - This Book Will Save Your Life by AM Homes

We met at The Victoria in Low Fell in the library room. At the beginning of the meeting there were 8 of us and this number rose to 10. Only Anne Marie and Joan had read the book. Joan had read the book on audio. Anne Marie said she would not recommend it to anyone!!

Joan said it was OK but she certainly didn't love it. Anne Marie said it got better as it went on. Set in LA with wacky characters and one or two funny one-liners. Pauline could not attend the meeting so she emailed her comments to Joan - "I've read the book and enjoyed it: a daft bit and unrealistic fantasy, but fun! I found the characters mostly quite appealing (though not particularly memorable!) and I looked forward to reading it each evening. Altogether I think probably a 4/5!"

Anne Marie and Joan gave the book a score of 3.

We talked about the Essex Serpent, which was last month's book and Joan said she had read a podcast about the author. Joan said that This Book Will Save Your Life went on about donuts too much but there were some nice bits about his son.

Some other books were recommended - Island of Secrets and The Japanese Lover.

Viki chose 5 books for us to choose from and we decided to give it a week before making our choice. 

We also talked about a cinema visit to see A Man Called Ove, which we arranged for the following Wednesday. Six of us, along with Emma's friend went to see it at The Tyneside Cinema and loved it. Emotional but true to the book. 

Our August meeting has been arranged for Thursday 3rd August. Sue has kindly offered to have the meeting at her home. Looking forward to meeting up and discussing our July book, I Found You by Lisa Jewell.

Written by Joanne Crilly 

June meeting - The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

A small and elite(!) group gathered for our Book Club meeting at Joan’s house, to review The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry, to choose the next two months' books and enjoy a Mediterranean-style meal together. It was a great evening and we couldn’t believe how the time flew, it was 11pm before we said our goodbyes.

Not everyone had finished The Essex Serpent, but interesting discussion took place on it, and although Jeanette thought she may not bother to read it she had changed her mind by the end of the review. All agreed the Victorian writing style took a while to get used to, but once they did the readers enjoyed well-developed memorable characters, and excellent descriptive writing, conjuring up the smell and mud of the Essex marshes.

The story revolved around a mythical beast The Essex Serpent, and the rumours and superstition of the parishioners of Aldwinter; rather than an actual beast, it was felt this could have been a metaphor for the characters' own demons and that they were looking for answers to their own particular problems. The book is described as a romance, and there is a love interest, but we felt it was more a book about friendship. Those who actually finished the book were very happy with the conclusion and gave it a score of 4.

As a number of our group are finding it difficult some months to get a hard copy of the chosen book, it has been decided to choose the books for reading a month in advance. This month we made two choices. Jeanette brought a selection of books for us to select the June book and Joanne did a list online for the July choice.

This Book Will Save Your Life by AM Homes - June

I Found You by Lisa Jewell - July

The next meeting will be on Thursday 6th July 2017, venue TBC

May meeting - Undercurrent by JA Baker

May's meeting of the Low Fell Book Group was held in the cosy little room we like at The Aletaster. Undercurrent by JA Baker had been put forward as one of the suggestions by Joan and was chosen in part due to its local setting in County Durham. It was a departure from our usual genres and was generally well-received by most of the group.

Some members were somewhat perturbed by the number of mistakes that had managed to get through the editing process, but this only really put Emma off. Anne Marie thought the author was in need of a thesaurus due to the number of times she used the word detritus, but despite this, it was an easy read and one most people enjoyed.

Having not read many thrillers before, I was keen to know if it was fairly typical of the genre and was informed that it was pretty representative. Phoebe's first person narrative really drew many people in. Despite not being able to make the meeting, Jeanette provided us with her opinions via Facebook. She spent her holiday in the Yorkshire Dales looking for bodies in rivers, which means it was certainly on her mind!

Jeanette and others found some issues with aspects of the plot, but a little bit of artistic license was granted, as these elements were required to allow events to move on. Not having too many characters made it easy enough for us all to follow and Joan particularly enjoyed how pacy it was.

Undercurrent was given a total of four stars.

Next month's meeting will discuss The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry and will be held at Joan's house.

April meeting - The Versions of Us

For the April meeting, we met in the book-lined surroundings of the library at The Vic for a chat about The Versions of Us by Laura Barnett. Described as a combination of One Day and Sliding Doors, the novel centres around the relationship between Eva and Jim and the possible different ways their lives could have taken shape depending on their actions.

Opinions were mixed, with Anne Marie stating that she wouldn't recommend it to anyone and Pauline and Linda saying they enjoyed it. Joan went so far to say that the author had a fairly boring story and it was only the structure of splitting it into three alternative tales that gave it interest.

One of the key areas of debate for our group was whether or not more should have been the same in each version of the tale. Joanne C suggested that it might have been better if Eva had done wildly different things, such as travelling the world. As it stood, the type of life Eva had was fairly similar in each incarnation. Specific characters and events were also consistent throughout, providing markers in the text to tie scenarios to.

Another topic of discussion was how confusing it was to follow. Several of us had intended to make notes of the defining features of each story to help us through, but nobody actually got round to it. This meant a few paragraphs of readjustment at the beginning of each chapter, which was not too much of a problem in the end. Joanne B read seven pages and was so confused she decided to give it a miss for this month!

As a group, we awarded The Versions of Us three stars.

The next meeting will take place at The Aletaster on May 4th to discuss Undercurrent by J A Baker.

Sweet Caress by William Boyd - March meeting book review

The March meeting was held at Fell's Kitchen, where 9 members met over an enjoyable meal and gave their views on Sweet Caress by WilliamBoyd.

Some of the assembled were still reading it ( Pauline, Sue and Linda ) but commented that they were enjoying it so far. Those who had completed it (Anne Marie, Joan, Joanne C, Jeanette, Emma and Sheila) were also complimentary, with the exception of Jeanette, who really did not like it at all.

The story describes the memorable life of a well-to-do woman from 1908 to 1977. Amory Clay’s racy and well travelled life is shown to the reader through beautiful story telling and the inclusion of photographs. She finds herself caught up in many of the twentieth century’s most dramatic and defining events. Joanne particularly enjoyed the historical aspects and they were woven well into the overall story of a life well lived.

Most of us agreed that the book was well written drawing you in easily and sustaining your interest. However some found the jumping backward and forwards in time rather frustrating. An unusual feature of this novel was the inclusion of old photographs littered throughout the story. Most of the group felt that the photographs did not add to the narrative. Given that Amory Clay was an award winning photographer Jeanette commented that most were badly executed other than the one with the woman in stockings. Emma agreed adding that the two photographs supposedly of Queenie were clearly two different women. The photographs were actually taken from the author’s private collection.

The plot was sweeping and panoramic and tells the whole life story of one woman’s search for success and love and conveyed this very well. There were some issues with the plot. Amory always seemed to be present in the places where the action was happening; in jazz-age Berlin, fighting Fascists in 1930s London, wartime France and Vietnam. Perhaps it could be argued that her presence in these places did stretch your believability, however the author depicted these historical events well and reminded us of the destructive and damaging impact of war on the lives of individuals.

Amory Clay, the novel’s heroine, is not always the most likeable of women, but most of the group felt that she was interesting, Sue felt that Boyd had got into a woman’s mind very well. To steal Amory’s inventive game of describing people in four adjectives, she is irritating, boastful, imperfect and spirited. We also felt that most of the other main characters were well rounded too, even though many had quite absurd names, but at least they were memorable. Several members of our group commented that initially they thought the story was autobiographical, which I feel shows the skill in Boyd’s writing conveying her as a real person, flaws and all.

I feel it is pertinent to include here the main criticism of the story as far as Jeanette was concerned, as it generated a lot of discussion on the night. This was the attempted suicide of Amory’s father, which really does not sit easy with Jeanette. I tend to agree in part with this observation as suicide as a theme in novels does seem to crop up quite a lot. Is it simply a lazy means of portraying drama in literature? Perhaps this is a good dissertation subject for a student of literature or psychology to research more fully?

Overall the group gave Sweet Caress the score of 4. Personally I rated it a 5, as I really loved it from the beginning and would sum it up as accomplished, brilliant, captivating and dazzling.

The book selected for March is The Versions Of Us By LauraBarnett.

The next meeting is Thursday 5^th April - venue to be confirmed. 

February Meeting: "Ostrich" by Matt Greene

This month’s meeting was held in Emma’s fab flat with an accompanying bagel feast and cocktails!! What more could we ask for? Great company, good food and a good read to chew over.

And “Ostrich” by Matt Greene did get our digestive juices going, although some did find the book difficult to  swallow. 

I loved it, as did Jeanette, Joanne, Anne Marie, Pauline and Emma. Sheila and Joan thought Alex precocious and unlikeable. All agreed he was a clever fellow for 12 yrs old, as he portrayed his view of his world and the people in it, but we didn’t all feel dedicated to following his immature ramblings. 

Emma, Jeanette and Joanne felt that Alex’s understanding, (blurred and disjointed at times due to his convulsions,) his age and his fixation with the idiosyncrasies of English usage (chances of passing a scholastic entrance exam  … like he’s got nothing else to be bothered about!!))) is remarkably sensitive and philosophical. He also uses plenty of words he can’t understand or can’t spell, and this lends very much to the chuckle element in the book.

We are led like detectives, clue by clue until we uncover the truth of Alex’s world. In particular, his obsession with tautology, which is often hilarious and heart wrenching. We agreed you can miss gems on first reading, and I for one felt the need to read it again at a later date.The book is about brain surgery (sort of) and about a hamster named Jaws 2 (but not really!!) It’s about parenting, courage, love, friendship and growing up... and quantum mechanics!

Pauline was touched by his inability to spot how others are intent on belittling him as, for example, his English teacher's patronising and obtuse conversation with him after class. His precocious conversation with his French oral examiner, on the other hand, is extremely funny and makes up for it somewhat.

Like most teenagers Alex feels “ostrichized”, outside the place he finds himself in, and typically, he is influenced by his peers, like girlfriend Chloe (she being a product of a broken family). She is instrumental in fuelling his belief that his Dad’s having an affair and his Mum is going through a nervous breakdown of some sort. He makes no link with their behaviour and their worries and concerns about his wellbeing .

His Dad's bad jokes have the "tumbleweed effect", for example, when discussing the currency whilst on holiday in France, Dad is asked by him:

ed:

“Are they francs?”

and he answers

“No they’re mine”

Some of us laughed at this, but Alex did not.

But, if you don’t get anything else from this book , you will get that his parents are the best parents a boy could have. They are heroic and magnificent in their treatment of him. He just doesn’t get them or where they’re at. But then, his mind is often otherwise occupied with his brain malfunction!! And that’s a lot for a young 12 year old boy to deal with….

Writing about people suffering from serious illnesses is difficult to tackle, but we felt that Matt Greene does a brilliant job. It is a well written and well paced book and possibly comparable to “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” by Marc Haddon, although we weren’t all agreed on that one.

Matt Greene does a brilliant job in getting into Alex’s head and many of us loved being in his mind with him. The book is loaded with wit and wisdom and it can make you laugh and cry. 

Awarded 4.5 stars 

Thank you Emma for your 5 star hospitality

The next meeting will be on March 2nd although the venue is yet to be decided.

The chosen read for next month's meeting is “Sweet Caress” by William Boyd.

January meeting - Reviewing our Christmas reads

The January edition of the Low Fell Book Group was slightly different on two fronts. The first was that instead of meeting at one of the fine eating or drinking establishments on the Fell, we all trooped along to a member's house. Jeanette was kind enough to host us all and the table was laden with dishes for a pot luck supper. She also provided a selection of activities, including questionnaires about our love of books and crackers complete with whistles, to keep us all entertained.

Secondly, we weren't all reading the same book. In fact, each one of us read something different, as we'd all thrown a wrapped novel into the centre of the table at the last meeting and taken our pick. Most people seemed to enjoy the books supplied by other members of the group. Reviews were submitted in various forms, including limericks and haikus. Read on to see our creative efforts:

A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale

There once was a young man named Harry
Who followed tradition to marry
On a venture quite scary
He moved to the prairie
And found there it's with boys he should tarry

By Jeanette











Dissolution by CJ Sansom

Hmm, 'Disolution'
Sadly it was not for me
Better luck next time

By Joanne B













The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

In olde Amsterdam it wasn't fashionable to go Dutch
And the main male character, just wasn't that butch.
The female voices all shouted louder
Above the ever present smell of gouda.
But don't be put off from this wonderful story
Even though at times it does get gory.
In this instance small isn't always what it seems,
Perfect in every detail, but not the essence of dreams.
A wonderful read, a five star rating,
So read it now; no sense in waiting.

By Annemarie



The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Disturbing echoes
Red leaves falling, tears within
Fertilisation

By Joan













Fool Me Once by Harlan Coben

Haiku:
acdc..o
ptsd...omg
dbeyr

Poem:
She's a super woman
Highly trained to kill
Suffering the terrors
Making her ill
Not easily fooled
The guilty she finds
Only by her rules
All mercy declined
Does she succeed?
This I can't say
Just read the book
So get on your way...

                                                        By Sue

December meeting - Christmas book swap

Our December book club meeting was held at Primavera Italian restaurant and was also our Christmas get together. We all ordered food and drinks and then found out that only five out of ten of us had read this month's book - The Stranger in my Home by Adele Parks. There had been some difficulties in buying the paperback copy, as it doesn't come out until February. After eating a delicious meal we decided to split the group and those of us who had read the book began to discuss it.

We talked about the characters in the book. The main character Alison is faced with the trauma of finding out that her 15 year old daughter was switched at birth and she has been raising someone else's child. Pauline felt that Alison was very overprotective of her daughter because of her own unhappy upbringing. We talked about Alison's feelings of guilt due to her having to give up a child when she was 16.

We all agreed that we had suspicions of Tom. Some of us guessed that he had taken Katherine. However we were not convinced that Olivia's 'pregnancy' was a necessary part of the story. Joan felt that the ending was too much of a happy ending and we agreed that it was too perfect.

The book was easy to read and we could picture the characters easily. The baby swap storyline was a bit far fetched, but it was a good story with a twist. We all agreed that we enjoyed the book. Joanne B said that she was not sure if she would read any other books by the same author. Pauline had read Spare Brides by Adele Parks and said it was OK.

We rated this book 3 1/2 stars.

We had decided at our last meeting that we would give a secret Santa gift of a favourite book. We exchanged these gifts and are all looking forward to reading these in preparation for our January meeting. The books we received are as follows:

Lynda - The Hypnotist's Daughter by Liane Moriaty
Joan - The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Susan - Fool Me Once by Harlon Coben
Sharon - The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom
Jeanette - A Place Called Winter by Patrick Gale
Emma - Random Acts of Heroic Love by Danny Scheinmann
Anne Marie - The Minaturist by Jessie Burton
Joanne - Dissolution by CJ Sansom
Pauline - The White Princess by Philippa Gregory
Joanne - The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I had previously read the book I had received and so I chose to read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce.

Our next meeting will be at Jeanette's home where we will choose our next book.

The Christmas tree at Barter Books, Alnwick