Winter update:

Here is what we’ve read over the winter:

27 November: Mao´s Last Dancer by Li Cuxin – very interesting biography about one of the best ballet dancers in the world. The film based on the book is also to be recommended.

18 December Pan’s Labyrinth by Cornelia Funke – somewhat different story which takes places shortly after the Spanish civil war. It contains magical realism and is somewhat dark and violent. The film by Guillermo de Roro is a relatively faithful reproduction of the book

29 January The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams – fascinating insight into the making of the Oxford English Ditionary.

27 February The Bonesetter’s Daughter by Amy Tan – as is common with Amy Tan, the book focuses on the difficult relationship between a Chinese woman and her American born daughter.

18 March And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie – a typical Christie, with a group of people in a remote place, being killed off one by one. Suspenseful until the end.

Upcoming books:

29 April The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan – her autobiography

27 May The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

17 June The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

October 2023

I have been sorely remiss in my blog updates, so here comes a quick list of what we’ve read since my last post in April:

22 May A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier – excellent read about the Cathedral of Winchester and the women who embroidered kneelers for the Catheral

19 June Arabella by Georgette Heyer – an enjoyable read for Regency fans

25 September The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towels – another elegant read by Towels, though not as enjoyable as the out-of-this-world Gentleman in Moscow

30 October The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson – very detailed account of the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893

Upcoming books:

27 November: Mao´s Last Dancer by Li Cuxin

18 December Pan’s Labyrinth by Cornelia Funke

29 January The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams

The Ashes of London

The Ashes of London by Andrew Taylor paints a very vivid picture of the Great Fire of London in 1666. It is also a detective story, and as such quite suspenseful. The two main characters hardly interact, leaving the reader to wonder until the next 5 books of the series are advertised at the end of the e-book. They become better acqainted in the subsequent books, so we might have to read on to know more. Definitely a recommendable read.

Upcoming books:

22 May A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier (tentative meeting date)

19 June to be announced

Spinning Silver

We spoke about Spinning Silver by Naomi Novak at the end of January. It’s like a folk tale, set in Eastern Europe, reminiscent of Russian folk tales. The beginning was a bit slow, but once it picks up it is absolutely gripping, with plot turns at every corner. I highly recommend it if you enjoy Russian folk tales.

In February we were meant to speak about The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens. However, due to lack of participants, the meeting was cancelled. My personal take on the book – not worth it.

Next books coming up:

27 March The Memory Keeper of Kyiv by Erin Litteken

24 April Ashes of London by Andrew Taylor

29 May A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier

19 June to be announced

Autumn 2022

Happy New Year, everyone. It seems I have been rather remiss in my blogging, due to a heavy workload, so this will be a quick recap regarding what has been happening .

On 31 October we spoke about My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante. The book is set near Naples in the 1950s and paints a vivid picture of life in those days. The very large cliff hanger on the last page left me rather perplexed. So far I have not read the continuation to find out what happens.

Next up, Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell on 28 November. It tells the story of Shapespeare’s son Hamnet, who died at age 11. This was not an easy read, but the ending redeemed some of the more difficult parts.

For 19 December we did not read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury but rather Mr Dickens and His Christmas Carol by Samantha Silva. It was an easy read but somewhat disappointing. The incidents that ‘sparked’ different aspects of A Christmas Carol were too contrived, in my opinion, and the ghost rather too fantastic.

On 30 January our meeting will revolve around Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, a fantasy tale set in a land called Lithvas, loosely based on Lithuania, Latvia and Russia.

The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

Ten years ago we met for the first time – thank you so much to those who have been coming faithfully for such a long time. I am grateful and enjoy our monthly get-togethers immensely.

Our book for the summer, The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse, was a bit disappointing. Though some turns of phrase had me laughing, the story was too repetitive. I suggest the series with Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie, it is definitely good for a laugh.

As for books and dates for this fall:

31 October My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

28 November Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

19 December Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

30 January Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

30 January 2023

The Daughter of Time

Our last meeting of the school year we spoke about The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey – which got mixed reviews from us. It was not your usual detective story, as the detective is laid up in bed and investigates from his hospital room with the help of a young American acting as his researcher. The murder he is trying to solve is that of the princes in the tower in the 1480s.

Over the summer I suggest we read a P.G. Wodehouse. You can find the free download here and an audiobook version here, if you prefer.
Have a good summer and happy reading.
26 September The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse

Death in a Strange Country

Donna Leon lived in Venice for over 30 years, during which time she created a police detective called Brunetti. In this book, the second of a series of over 30 books – the lastest, Give Unto Others, was published on 3rd March of this year – an American is fished out of one of the canals. Brunetti has to deal with the American army base nearby and corrupt politicians, only to discover international forces at work, against which he is powerless. Entertaining.

Last meeting before the summer:

20 June The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

The Windsor Knot

At our last meeting we spoke about The Windsor Knot, by SJ Bennett. It is relatively recent, from 2020, and is described on Amazon.com as
“The bestselling first book in a highly original and delightfully clever crime series in which Queen Elizabeth II secretly solves crimes while carrying out her royal duties. It is the early spring of 2016 and Queen Elizabeth is at Windsor Castle in advance of her 90th birthday celebrations.”
It really was delightful, with the Queen referring to herself as ‘one’ in her mind all the time, falling back on her vast network of connections and pulling the strings behind the scenes.
The second book is already available. It is called A Three Dog Problem, with a wink towards Sherlock Holmes’s three pipe problems. This one takes place in Buckingham Palace, rather than Windsor Castle. Books three and four, set at Sandringham and Balmoral respectively, are already underway. Here is a link to the author’s website.

Now for upcoming books:

30 May Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon

20 June The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

A Gentleman in Moscow

A Gentleman in Moscow

This was our read for today – I cannot recommend this book enough. One of those I will want to reread in the future for sure.

After reading it, you might be interested in this interview on his blog and/or this speech he gave at the Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington, D.C.

My last blog post post was in November, so just to get up to date:

20 Dec Several Christmas Short Stories

31 Jan Island Queen by Vanesa Riley – interesting book based on a real person

28 Feb Mansfield Park by Jane Austen – not her best novel

28 Mar A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles – 5 stars

Here are our upcoming books, all crime fiction:

25 April The Windsor Knot by JS Bennett – the Queen herself acting as a private eye

30 May Death in a Strange Country by Donna Leon – 373 pages, so I’ve left it for May when we get an extra week

20 June The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey – a short one