Book Choices - July 2015

Here are our choices for our next read.

The  Ballroom Cafe by Ann O'Loughlin

Sisters Ella and Roberta O'Callaghan haven't spoken for decades, torn apart by a dark family secret from their past. They both still live in the family's crumbling Irish mansion, communicating only through the terse and bitter notes they leave for each other in the hallway. But when their way of life is suddenly threatened by bankruptcy, Ella tries to save their home by opening a café in the ballroom – much to Roberta's disgust.

As the café begin to thrive, the sisters are drawn into a new battle when Debbie, an American woman searching for her birth mother, starts working at the Ballroom Café. Debbie has little time left but as she sets out to discover who she really is and what happened to her mother, she is met by silence and lies at the local convent. Determined to discover the truth, she begins to uncover an adoption scandal that will rock both the community and the warring sisters.
Powerful and poignant, The Ballroom Café is a moving story of love lost and found. 

In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck

A novel that fearlessly explores the line between principled defiance and blind fanaticism, John Steinbeck's In Dubious Battle contains an introduction and notes by Warren French in Penguin Modern Classics.

'This book is brutal. I wanted to be merely a recording consciousness,' Steinbeck said of In Dubious Battle, which aroused immense controversy when first published in 1936. It follows the fortunes of Jim Nolan, disenfranchised and alone, his family destroyed by the system. Desperate to find his place in the world, Jim joins the Communist Party and becomes entangled in a strike of migrant workers which spirals out of control, unflinchingly detailing the apocalyptic violence that breaks out when the masses become the mob. This fast-paced, compelling novel is at once a brilliant observation of social and political turmoil and a moving story of a young man's struggle for identity. In Dubious Battle explores and dramatises many of the ideas and themes key to Steinbeck's writing.

Rule Britannia by Daphne Du Maurier

Emma wakes up one morning to an apocalyptic world. The cozy existence she shares with her grandmother, an eccentric retired actress known to all as Madam, has been shattered: there's no post, no telephone, no radio - and an American warship sits in the harbor.

As the two women piece together clues about the 'friendly' military occupation on their doorstep, family, friends and neighbours gather round to protect their heritage. In this chilling novel of the future, Daphne du Maurier explores the implications of a political, economic and military alliance between Britain and the United States. 




Our next meeting is tomorrow: THURSDAY 2nd May 8pm at Felicity's house (because it's Summer.) We will be discussing Fried Green Tomatoes at The Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg.

The Painter of Signs by R.K Narayan

Seven members of our group sat down to review this book. The meeting started like this: "I just couldn't work up the enthusiasm to finish it." Excellent start! the debate began. At one point there were two conversations running in tandem and everyone had an opinion and a different perspective. 

• It was a refreshing read.
• I preferred the beginning to the end. 
• It was different but I found myself getting annoyed.
• It was short - if it had been longer I'm not sure I would have read it all.
• I look for characters that I can engage with. I failed to engage with anyone here. 

Then the three main characters were in the spotlight. They could be thought of as one 'weak' man and two 'strong' women:

Ramen - the painter of signboards for local businesses - was 'shallow', 'simple', 'undemanding', 'sheltered', 'undervalued', 'a bit dim', 'a pushover' - all of which were disputed and debated. He took pride in his work and stood up for what he believed to be quality - he didn't compromise. He was respected among the community. BUT he was 30 years old and the reader could be forgiven for thinking him to be 12 years old. So,jury's out on him.
Daisy - the independent woman who stood up for women's rights - was 'strong', 'focused', 'passionate in her beliefs' - NO - Daisy was running away, afraid to have feelings, putting up a facade. 
Aunty - the simple living, dedicated stand in for Ramen's mother - was  'strong', 'focused', 'passionate in her beliefs' - YES - Aunty looked after Ramen with a sense of duty and pride in her domesticity, she patiently picked stones from rice, she was passionate about her religion, she knew what her destiny was and followed it. 

The ending is inevitable. 

Would we recommend this book? Yes, as a snapshot of a slice of life. 

We finished our meeting with a brief chat about books we have been reading recently and the following are three good reads for long Summer ahead.

• The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce: Four of us have read it and we all loved it.
• Heratic: Why Islam Needs a Reformation Now by Ayaan Hirsi Ali: A compelling read. 
• Restoration by Rose Tremain: Worth reading and some of us will read this as well as our next book. 

Our next book is Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

We will meet to discuss this book on TUESDAY 2^nd July at 8pm. If the weather is kind to us we plan to meet at Felicity’s and enjoy the views from her terrace. If it’s not so nice we will meet at The Hundred. 

Book Choices - May 2015

This is a quick post to give you the book titles for our next reading choice. 

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg: 

The day Idgie Threadgoode and Ruth Jamison opened the Whistle Stop Cafe, the town took a turn for the better. It was the Depression and that cafe was a home from home for many of us. You could get eggs, grits, bacon, ham, coffee and a smile for 25 cents. Ruth was just the sweetest girl you ever met. And Idgie? She was a character, all right. You never saw anyone so headstrong. But how anybody could have thought she murdered that man is beyond me.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is a mouth-watering tale of love, laughter and mystery. It will lift your spirits and above all it'll remind you of the secret to life: friends. Best friends.

The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham

In the sleepy English village of Midwich, a mysterious silver object appears and all the inhabitants fall unconscious. A day later the object is gone and everyone awakens unharmed - except that all the women in the village are discovered to be pregnant.

The resultant children of Midwich do not belong to their parents: all are blonde, all are golden eyed. They grow up too fast and their minds exhibit frightening abilities that give them control over others and brings them into conflict with the villagers just as a chilling realisation dawns on the world outside . . . 

The Midwich Cuckoos is the classic tale of aliens in our midst, exploring how we respond when confronted by those who are innately superior to us in every conceivable way.

Restoration by Rose Tremaine

When a twist of fate delivers an ambitious young medical student to the court of King Charles II, he is suddenly thrust into a vibrant world of luxury and opulence. Blessed with a quick wit and sparkling charm, Robert Merivel rises quickly, soon finding favour with the King, and privileged with a position as 'paper groom' to the youngest of the King's mistresses. But by falling in love with her, Merivel transgresses the one rule that will cast him out from his new-found paradise. Determined to be restored to the King's grace, Merivel begins a journey of self-knowledge and soon discovers that the King's pleasure is equally matched by his wrath...

Our next meeting is tomorrow: Thursday 14th May 2015, 8.00pm at The Hundred to discuss The Painter of Signs and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Look forward to seeing you there. 

World Book Night - 23rd April 2015

Tomorrow night is World Book Night - click here for more details.

As book lovers we can all get involved by simply choosing a book from our shelves and passing it on to someone we believe would enjoy the reading experience. There is nothing to stop you doing just this and then doing nothing more BUT if you want to register your giving at the World Book Night site then please click here: Volunteer a Book.

I am lucky enough to have been given 18 copies of a special World Book Night edition of a book. Last month I ran a 'request' post on my Facebook page and the responses to that allowed me to select the lucky recipients of my chosen book: Custard Tarts and Broken Hearts by Mary Gibson. 

Sometimes it's hard to make the time to read and the people who will be receiving my book have all admitted to letting their reading slip as other things take priority. They have all said that they will make the time to read this book and then to pass it on to someone else they know would like to read more. 

It would be great to share our World Book Night experiences at our next Book Group Meeting on Thursday 14th May, 8pm.

FILM NIGHT - ASHENDON - THURSDAY APRIL 16th 2015

On Thursday April 16th 2015 the Ashendon WI are showing the film of the book: The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of a Window & Disappeared. 

            

This is for everyone - not just WI members or even just women - and will be a great opportunity to see the film of the book we so loved. 

The best bit about Ashendon film nights is that for just £5 you get to see the film and enjoy a glass of wine & nibbles provided.                 

                 

Doors Open 7.30pm for a 7.45pm Start.

Please come along for a book group outing!

                

Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan

Six of us enjoyed a somewhat eye-opening chat about our latest read: Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan.

The conversation started like this: "it's nicely written but I found myself wondering where it was going, I got bored and had to force myself to finish it."

Oh no, I thought, this is going to be a one drink meeting and early to bed. How wrong was I? well, very! 

Our resident Ian McEwan fan jumped in: "I absolutely adored it, it was extremely clever and there was a constant sense that this was going somewhere interesting, something would happen."  

Now, I should have seen this coming as every time I have seen said fan recently she has been talking about how the 'tension' was building and wondering if I had got to the bit where...? and I was a bit bemused...

...because, my take on it is: I didn't get it! I didn't experience any tension but I really enjoyed the read and the characters. I thought it was a bit Bridget Jones in places, there were loose ends all over the place and the characters weren't all that convincing (I don't feel the author knew these people very well.) I was disappointed in the ending but probably because I failed to spot the 'clues' which were (according to no.1 fan) peppered throughout.  As an Ian McEwan 'virgin' I didn't know to look for clues though!

Our education continued, we learned that this book is Ian McEwan's first happy story, and it was quirky and full of deceit. You see, I for one didn't realise it was happy and I didn't notice the deceit! We did all agree that we enjoyed the quirkiness of the novella's. Also, the writer character is, in fact, Ian himself. You do have to read the book to realise how highly he rates certain of his abilities and how funny that is. 

So it seems that with Ian McEwan, you either love him or simply enjoy him. Certainly no-one hated the book but it was fabulous to have someone who was able to see the book for what it was and allow the rest of us to understand what makes a great spy story and to gain some appreciation for the talent Ian McEwan has. That is the beauty of a book group.

Of the characters most of us felt they were not very convincing. We did like Shirley a lot and Jeremy so Sarina (boring as she was) did choose her friends well. 

Would we recommend this book? Yes, especially if you like Ian McEwan. And, if you haven't read him and don't know what to expect, give it a try and please look for the clues!

As agreed, some of our group also chose to read another of our choices: Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey. We didn't discuss this book in detail but the overriding response is it is very well written, gripping, and a great read. 

Our next book is The Painter of Signs by R.K. Narayan. We will meet to discuss our reading experience on Thursday 14th May, 8pm at The Hundred. Again we were split in our choice and we will try to also read The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce. So we have a readathon going - happy reading. 

Book Choices - March 2015

Here are our Spring choices: 

The Unlikely Pilgrimage or Harold Fry by Sue Joyce

Harold Fry is convinced that he must deliver a letter to an old friend in order to save her. He meets various characters along the way and reminisces about the events of his past and people he has known, as he tries to find peace and acceptance.

Recently retired, sweet, emotionally numb Harold Fry is jolted out of his passivity by a letter from Queenie Hennessy, an old friend, who he hasn't heard from in twenty years. She has written to say she is in hospice and wanted to say goodbye. Leaving his tense, bitter wife Maureen to her chores, Harold intends a quick walk to the corner mailbox to post his reply but instead, inspired by a chance encounter, he becomes convinced he must deliver his message in person to Queenie -- who is 600 miles away --because as long as he keeps walking, Harold believes that Queenie will not die. 

So without hiking boots, rain gear, map or cell phone, one of the most endearing characters in current fiction begins his unlikely pilgrimage across the English countryside. Along the way, strangers stir up memories -- flashbacks, often painful, from when his marriage was filled with promise and then not, of his inadequacy as a father, and of his shortcomings as a husband. 

Ironically, his wife Maureen, shocked by her husband's sudden absence, begins to long for his presence. Is it possible for Harold and Maureen to bridge the distance between them? And will Queenie be alive to see Harold arrive at her door? 

The Painter of Signs by R.K. Narayan

For Raman the sign painter, life is a familiar and satisfying routine. 

A man of simple, rational ways, he lives with his pious aunt and prides himself on his creative work. But all that changes when he meets Daisy, a thrillingly independent young woman who wishes to bring birth control to the area. Hired to create signs for her clinics, Raman finds himself smitten by a love he cannot understand, much less avoid-and soon realizes that life isn't so routine anymore. 

Set in R. K. Narayan's fictional city of Malgudi, The Painter of Signs is a wry, bittersweet treasure.

The Truth by Terry Pratchett

William de Worde is the accidental editor of the Discworld's first newspaper. New printing technology means that words just won't obediently stay nailed down like usual. There's a very real threat of news getting out there.

Now he must cope with the traditional perils of a journalist's life - people who want him dead, a recovering vampire with a suicidal fascination for flash photography, some more people who want him dead in a different way and, worst of all, the man who keeps begging him to publish pictures of his humorously shaped potatoes.

William just wants to get at THE TRUTH. Unfortunately, everyone else wants to get at William. And it's only the third edition...

We will make our book choice on Thursday 19th March, 8pm at the Ashendon Hundred when we will be discussing Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan. Please come along and join us if you would like to - whether you have read the book, or not.