Book Choices for the New Year

Happy 2023 everyone. We will meet at mine on Thursday 18th January at 8pm. Here are our choices to kick off the new year.

Islands of Mercy by Rose Tremaine

She was ‘The Angel of the Baths’, the one woman whose touch everybody yearned for. Yet she would do more. She was certain of that.

In the city of Bath, in the year 1865, an extraordinary young woman renowned for her nursing skills is convinced that some other destiny will one day show itself to her. But when she finds herself torn between a dangerous affair with a female lover and the promise of a conventional marriage to an apparently respectable doctor, her desires begin to lead her toward a future she had never imagined.

Meanwhile, on the wild island of Borneo, an eccentric British ‘rajah’, Sir Ralph Savage, overflowing with philanthropy but compromised by his passions, sees his schemes relentlessly undermined by his own fragility, by man’s innate greed and by the invasive power of the forest itself.

Jane’s quest for an altered life and Sir Ralph’s endeavours become locked together as the story journeys across the globe – from the confines of an English tearoom to the rainforests of a tropical island via the slums of Dublin and the transgressive fancy-dress boutiques of Paris.

Islands of Mercy is a novel that ignites the senses and is a bold exploration of the human urge to seek places of sanctuary in a pitiless world.

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles

The bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility and master of absorbing, sophisticated fiction returns with a stylish and propulsive novel set in 1950s America

In June 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the work farm where he has just served a year for involuntary manslaughter. His mother is long gone, his father recently deceased, and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank, Emmett’s intention is to pick up his eight-year-old brother and head west where they can start their lives anew. But when the warden drives away, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm have hidden in the trunk of the warden’s car. Together, they have hatched an altogether different plan for Emmett’s future.

Spanning just ten days and told from multiple points of view, Towles’s third novel will satisfy fans of his multi-layered literary styling while providing them an array of new and richly imagined settings, characters, and themes.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality. Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel Prize-nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind. True chemistry results.

But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth’s unusual approach to cooking (“combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride”) proves revolutionary. But as her following grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo.

Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist. 

Book Choices for Autumn

We will meet at 8pm, at The Hundred, on Thursday 27th October to discuss our current read: The Hound in the Left-Hand Corner by Giles Waterfield. The choices for our next read are below: 

Thunder God by Paul Watkins

In this time of violent change a young man, struck by lightning, is believed to be marked by the gods as a keeper of the Norse religion's greatest secret. 

To save the Norse faith and himself, he embarks upon a journey, where he must confront not only his own gods but the gods of a people yet more savage.

Every Day Is Mother’s Day by Hilary Mantel

A story of suburban mayhem and merciless, hilarious revenge.

Barricaded inside their house filled with festering rubbish, unhealthy smells and secrets, the Axon family baffle Isabel Field - the latest in a long line of social workers.

Isabel has other problems too: a randy, untrustworthy father and a slackly romantic lover, Colin Sidney, a history teacher to unresponsive yobs and father of a parcel of horrible children. With all this to worry about, how can Isabel begin to understand what is happening in the Axon household?

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Drawing on her life as an indigenous scientist, a mother, and a woman, Kimmerer shows how other living beings - asters and goldenrod, strawberries and squash, salamanders, algae, and sweetgrass - offer us gifts and lessons, even if we’ve forgotten how to hear their voices. 

In a rich braid of reflections ranging from Turtle Island's creation to the forces that threaten its flourishing today, she circles toward a central argument: that the awakening of a wider ecological consciousness requires the acknowledgement and celebration of our reciprocal relationship with the rest of the living world. 

Only when we can hear the languages of other beings will we be capable of understanding the earth's generosity, and learning to give our own gifts in return.

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox - Maggie O'Farrell

8 of us met to discuss our feelings about this book.

Surprisingly most of us had read this book before, and not one of us had remembered much of the story told. Perhaps it is a subject that brains choose not to retain. it is, after all, heart-rending.

The mystery of how so many of us had read the book before was cleared when Hilary showed us her book -10 years ago, I shared this book when I was given World Book Day copies to distribute.: 

We really enjoyed reading this book and those who had read it before felt it was a different reading experience the second time read. Why? We couldn’t put into words. Are we more aware of mental health issues? did we focus on different aspects of the situation? does the second read come with more understanding? Whatever it was we felt it was not wasted time (even for those of us who rarely re-read books). 

We spent time discussing whether the action taken at the very end of the book was justified. Given the circumstances with which it came about, we mostly felt it probably was. 

Of the characters: 

Esme was quirky, spirited, traumatised, misunderstood (in a terrible way) and absolutely didn’t deserve what happened to her and how she was subsequently treated. We were left angry and horrified by her story. 

Iris was a wonderful woman put into a very difficult situation and we felt sorry for her for that, but we also felt ‘proud’ of her for the decision she made when faced with a very human dilemma. 

We loved the construct of the story – how it developed the characters, how it went back and forth to the past and how dementia was portrayed. There were surprises at every turn. 

The story showcases the cruelty of the past. We did question whether it really is in the past, or whether what happens today can be equally as cruel to people like Esme. One of our members recalled a Woman’s Hour guest telling the story of her son who, through no fault of hers, was in a similar (more modern) predicament to Esme and, she said, there is seemingly nothing she can do to get him out of the situation.

This led us on to the subject of the closure of institutions and how people have been treated in the past vs. today and the language and the attitudes toward people who just don’t fit with the social norm. Certainly, what happened in the past was often very wrong but, we wondered, is what happens now much better? 

Would we recommend this book? Most definitely we would, and suggest you read it twice!

Our next book was selected from three recommended by a friend. All three are books written by her author friends. It was a difficult choice so we decided to go for what we hope will be a ‘light-hearted’ good read: The Hound in the Left-Hand Corner by Giles Waterfield which we will discuss at 8pm at The Hundred on Thursday 27th October. 

Book Choices to Leave Summer Behind

We will meet on Thursday 18th August 2022 at 8pm in The Hundred of Ashendon to discuss The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell. Then choose our next read from the following choices:

Thunderstone by Nancy Campbell

In the wake of a traumatic lockdown, Nancy Campbell buys an old caravan and drives it into a strip of neglected woodland between a canal and railway. It is the first home she has ever owned.

As summer begins, Nancy embraces the challenge of how to live well in a space in which possessions and emotions often threaten to tumble – clearing industrial junk from the soil to help wild beauty flourish. But when illness and uncertainty loom once more, it is this van anchored in the woods, and the unconventional friendships forged off-grid, that will bring her solace and hope.

An intimate journal across the space of a defining summer, Thunderstone is a celebration of the people and places that hold us when the storms gather; an invitation to approach life with imagination and to embrace change bravely.

The Hound in the Left-Hand Corner by Giles Waterfield

In this brilliantly witty satire a prestigious British museum launches an ambitious new exhibit...which quickly becomes a seasonal nightmare. Think that a day in the life of a London museum director is cold, quiet, and austere? Think again. Giles Waterfield brings a combination of intellectual comedy and knockabout farce to the subject in this story of one long day in a museum full of scandals, screw-ups, and more than a few scalawags. At the beginning of The Hound in the Left-hand Corner, Auberon, the brilliant but troubled director of the Museum of British History, is preparing one midsummer's day for the opening of the most spectacular exhibition his museum has ever staged. The centrepiece is a painting of the intriguing Lady St. John strikingly attired as Puck, which hasn't been shown in London in a hundred years. As the day passes, the portrait arouses disquieting questions, jealousies, rivalries -- and more than a few strange affections -- in the minds of the museum staff. As guests and employees pour in, the tension rises -- and Auberon himself has the hilariously ridiculous task of keeping the peace, without losing his own sense of reality as well. For everyone who loves the farce of David Lodge and Michael Frayn, or even the Antiques Roadshow, the fast-paced, hilarious satire of The Hound in the Left-hand Corner is sure to delight and entertain.

Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohamed

WINNER OF THE BETTY TRASK AWARD LONGLISTED FOR THE ORANGE PRIZE GRANTA BEST OF YOUNG BRITISH NOVELISTS 2013 

For fans of Half of a Yellow Sun, a stunning novel set in 1930s Somalia spanning a decade of war and upheaval, all seen through the eyes of a small boy alone in the world. Aden,1935; a city vibrant, alive, and full of hidden dangers. And home to Jama, a ten-year-old boy. But then his mother dies unexpectedly and he finds himself alone in the world. Jama is forced home to his native Somalia, the land of his nomadic ancestors. 

War is on the horizon and the fascist Italian forces who control parts of East Africa are preparing for battle. Yet Jama cannot rest until he discovers whether his father, who has been absent from his life since he was a baby, is alive somewhere. This story of one boy's long walk to freedom is also the story of how the Second World War affected Africa and its people; a story of displacement and family.

The Kindness of Enemies – Leila Aboulela

A select five of us discussed this book on June 9th.

To say there were mixed feelings is not putting it too strongly!

However, there was general agreement that we all enjoyed the historical part of the story, especially as it is based on factual events running parallel with the Crimean War. None of us had realised that Russia had been fighting on two fronts during this time. It was interesting to learn about the history of Dagestan and Chechnia.

Imam Shamil lived until 1871 and is still revered as a learned and spiritual leader.

The governess Anna Drancy did indeed write her memoirs after being released and her description of the kidnapping tallies with the book. Apparently, other family members and house guests were also kidnapped.

Anna Chavchavadze went on to have nine children with David, who sadly never managed to raise the funds in his lifetime to take back their estate,  having mortgaged it as part of the ransom money.

There was disagreement over the style of writing. Some of us had trouble relating to the current-day characters and found the writing very ‘flat’. There wasn’t enough background to understand what drove Natasha, Malak and Oz. Others were very much enjoying the read and had a clearer picture in their heads!

The whole identity issue reminded us of the previous book, The Vanishing Half. Many of the characters struggled to find their real ‘home’, especially  Natasha, torn between her Sudanese and Russian roots,  and Jamaledin who found he preferred the ‘civilisation’ of St Petersburg to that of his homeland in the mountains. We never really got to the bottom of Oz’s issues.

No surprise that much of our conversation revolved around the current situation in Russia/Ukraine and how history (sadly) continues to repeat itself.

Would we recommend it?

Even if only for the interesting history, yes.

The next book is The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell and we shall meet on August 18th at 20:00  hours in The Hundred.

Book Choices for Summer 2022

We will meet on Thursday 9th June 2022 at 8pm in The Hundred of Ashendon to discuss The Kindness of Enemies by Leila Aboulela. Then choose our next read from the following choices:

The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell

Maggie O’Farrell takes readers on a journey to the darker places of the human heart, where desires struggle with the imposition of social mores. This haunting story explores the seedy past of Victorian asylums, the oppression of family secrets, and the way truth can change everything.

In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend’s attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital - where she has been locked away for over sixty years. Iris’s grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But Esme’s papers prove she is Kitty’s sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father on Esme’s face. Esme has been labelled harmless - sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But Esme’s still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, and one who is sure to bring life-altering secrets with her when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit?

Maggie O’Farrell’s intricate tale of family secrets lost lives, and the freedom brought by truth will haunt readers long past its final page.

Snap by Belinda Bauer 

On a stifling summer's day, eleven-year-old Jack and his two sisters sit in their broken-down car, waiting for their mother to come back and rescue them. Jack's in charge, she said. I won't be long.

But she doesn't come back. She never comes back. And life as the children know it is changed forever.

Three years later, mum-to-be Catherine wakes to find a knife beside her bed and a note that says: I could have killed you.

Meanwhile, Jack is still in charge - of his sisters, of supporting them all, of making sure nobody knows they're alone in the house, and - quite suddenly - of finding out the truth about what happened to his mother.

But the truth can be a dangerous thing...

Germinal by Émile Zola, Roger Pearson (Translator)

This is the thirteenth novel in Émile Zola’s great Rougon-Macquart sequence, Germinal expresses outrage at the exploitation of the many by the few, but also shows humanity’s capacity for compassion and hope.

Etienne Lantier, an unemployed railway worker, is a clever but uneducated young man with a dangerous temper. Forced to take a back-breaking job at Le Voreux mine when he cannot get other work, he discovers that his fellow miners are ill, hungry, in debt, and unable to feed and clothe their families. When conditions in the mining community deteriorate even further, Lantier finds himself leading a strike that could mean starvation or salvation for all.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

We met to discuss this book, but first some exciting news. Three of our group were lucky enough to meet Anna McNuff, the author of The Pants of Perspective, a book we read exactly a year before. So let me tell you a little about that first. 

Anna was invited to visit a local school by a headteacher who was told about her by one of her teachers (who happens to be in our group!). The offer to come along to visit the school and listen to Anna talking to the children was extended to our group which was (for me) an opportunity too good to miss. Anna is a lovely, warm and very genuine person who can connect with people of all ages - her reveal of her Pants of Perspective (see them below) was particularly entertaining and the children loved it. I loved meeting her. In her books she talks about her close friends and, having met her, it's easy to see why she has so many.

"Gosh, I wish I could look as cool as Anna!"

Anyway, a year on from reading Anna McNuff, we were discussing a very different read indeed. A book about the Vignes twins - 2 sisters - who grew up in a small, black community, in the 'Deep South' habituated by fair-skinned African Americans, who neither accept their African heritage nor fit into the white American dream. Aged 16 the sisters escape their home town, determined to make it in the big wide world. From here their relationship and their lives changed beyond expectation.

Our discussion centred mainly around how this book makes the reader think, and feel, about being black or white. 

We kicked off with a big question: what is white? These girls had the choice to be themselves or to live their lives as white, or as black. The question raised many more questions: are you white because you are white or does your heritage define your colour/race? And why does it matter? When you look white but believe things happen "because you are black" how does that shape who you want to be? what do you choose to tell other people? and how does all this shape the decisions you make, that may not be possible to undo? Is white 'safer'? does white mean freedom? 

This book contains some shocking scenes that challenge the reader to consider the decisions each of the twins made.

This is not a book about race or racism, it is about attitudes and perspectives. It's a book that makes you think hard. As one of our group said: "I'm white, straight and white, I'm boring!"

There is a nice selection of supporting characters that add further food for thought. 

Would we recommend it? - yes, it's a powerful read.

Our next book is The Kindness of Enemies by Leila Aboulela and we will meet at 8pm on 9th June 2022 in The Hundred.