Larbert Library Book Group’s
Comments
(group member since Nov 21, 2016)
Larbert Library Book Group’s
comments
from the Larbert Library Book Group group.
Showing 1-20 of 32
Greetings, all!!E.S. Thomson's Gothic Crime Event, Larbert Library, Thursday 22nd November, 6.30-8pm. Tickets Free!!!!
ES Thomson writes beautifully dark and atmospheric historical/crime fiction. Her new book, The Blood, published back in April, is a gothic tale of murder and ambition, set in 1840s London, aboard a decayed, floating hospital ship.
The Blood is the third adventure for unorthodox apothecary Jem Flockhart and her friend Will. Book one, Beloved Poison, was shortlisted for the Scottish Crime Book of the Year Award and for the prestigious William McIllvanney Prize. Elaine's books have been met with wide acclaim for her vivid depictions of Victorian London and for her memorable, cross-dressing hero, Jem.
Elaine has a PhD in the history of medicine and, when she’s not busy writing, works as a university lecturer in Edinburgh.
Find out more about Elaine: www.esthomson.co.uk
Find out more about Book Week Scotland at www.scottishbooktrust.com/book-week-S...
Come and join us! Tickets available in Larbert Library, and also here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/es-tho...
Happy Reading!!
Nicola wrote: "Thanks for posting your list. I’d definitely second the Madeline Miller books."They were just fabulous!
I can also now heartily recommend Zig Zag Girl. I took it home on Tuesday evening, and had finished it by Wednesday evening! Very well written in that you just get caught up in the mystery. A great diversion book, or a book for a long journey when you have time to just get lost in it :)
Greetings, all,here are a few recommendations/what else we are reading titles from last night's meeting:
First in the Elly Griffiths Series Stephens and Mephisto Mysteries
1. The Zig Zag Girl (2014)
2. Smoke and Mirrors (2015)
3. The Blood Card (2016)
4. The Vanishing Box (2017)
Picnic at Hanging Rock, by Joan Lindsay
It was a cloudless summer day in the year nineteen hundred.
Everyone at Appleyard College for Young Ladies agreed it was just right for a picnic at Hanging Rock. After lunch, a group of three of the girls climbed into the blaze of the afternoon sun, pressing on through the scrub into the shadows of Hanging Rock. Further, higher, till at last they disappeared.
They never returned.
The Lying Game, by Ruth Ware
From the instant New York Times bestselling author of blockbuster thrillers In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10 comes Ruth Ware’s chilling new novel.
Atmospheric, twisty, and with just the right amount of chill that will keep you wrong-footed—which has now become Ruth Ware’s signature style—The Lying Game is sure to be her next big bestseller. Another unputdownable thriller from the Agatha Christie of our time.
Circe, by Madeline Miller
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child—not powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother. Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft, which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
The Song of Achilles, by Madeline Miller
Profoundly moving and breathtakingly original, this rendering of the epic Trojan War is a dazzling feat of the imagination, a devastating love story, and an almighty battle between gods and kings, peace and glory, immortal fame and the human heart.
Happy reading!
Greetings, all, here is the run down of the books that we discussed at our Big Roman Reading Group:
Roman Passions: A History of Pleasure in Imperial Rome
A little too dry, and academic for the light-hearted book group. But full of information, photographs and classical sources. One for the scholar of Rome.
False God of Rome
An unfinished read - perhaps a lack of familiarity with the characters in the series informed the lack of engagement with the book, but really the writing style just didn't appeal.
The Real Lives of Roman BritainSkimmed the whole book, picked a few chapters to read. The most interesting legacy that the Romans left behind was a common language. Slaves learned how to read and right, and that served to unify the island. Free men made many inscriptions in lots of places detailing who did what where. Ordinary people were starting to make themselves into important people because they had the skills to do it.
The Rome Affair
A light hearted yet informative romance. A traditional story of boy meets girl but with a lot of historical tid bits to educate and entertain.
Imperium: A Novel of Ancient RomeStory of Cicero from his early days - the first in a series of books about Ciciero. Narrated by his scribe and assistant. Tells the story of his rise through the political ranks, up until he is elected consul.
Written in the voice of Tyro, a slave but a skilled man who invented a shorthand. Historically, Tyro did write a biography of Cicero but this has been lost to us.
One Night in Italy
A light holiday read. 3 different women who meet in an Italian class, and we go through their romances. Different chapters had different Italian headings and Italian recipes.
The Ides of April
First in a new series with Falco's daughter taking over the investigation. She takes on jobs that men do not want to take on.
She finds that her client has been murdered. A book half read but it is very enjoyable so far.
You always feel that the books are like modern times, but set in the past, so very easy to identify with the past as elements seem so familiar. As enjoyable as the Falco series, if not more.
Quo VadisMore of a long term read, rather than a one session sit down cover to cover sort of read. As a reader who prefers thrillers, this is one to enjoy over a longer spell rather than binge read.
Daughters of Fire
Happy Reading!!
The Road to Little Dribbling A good light read, particularly if you are in the location that he is writing about.
Cartes Postales from GreeceA good book to take on holiday - best read with your feet on the beach, and the waves licking your toes.
50 People Who Screwed Up Scotland Rarely a good word was said about anyone. Least of all the Scots. Wouldn't advise reading it. There are better sources of information elsewhere.
Cruel Crossing: Escaping Hitler Across the PyreneesThe author was very interesting in person, and the human interest aspects of the story are really interesting and engaging. France doesn't come out too well in this, highlighting the self-serving nature of a lot of the people involved.
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk Fictionalised account of Lilian's life. Fluffy and superficial in parts, but some folk have loved it. 
Not Quite NiceRomance, family relations, Nice - an easy read, and enjoyable.
The Lost Continent: Travels in Small-Town AmericaHarrowing and worthy read. An epic book.
Round Ireland with a FridgeFunny, not too serious, and quite enjoyable.
Travels With Tinkerbelle - 6000 Miles Around France In A Mechanical WreckAn excellent book to sit and read in conjunction with Google maps to see exactly where everything is. Not a spur of the moment trip - seems like it has been planned in order to have a good book at the end. Lolts of vignettes and historical connections. Definitely makes you want to go to France.
The Elephant's Tale: London to Vladivostok on Two WheelsA bit smug about being voyagers rather than tourists. But a very enjoyable read, full of stories of border hiccoughs and technical details of keeping the motor running.
Long Way Round: Chasing Shadows Across the World
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness
What do we think?~Laura
Two Brothers, Ben Elton
"Two Brothers is a heartrending story of two boys growing up under the darkening shadow of the Nazis. Born in Berlin in 1920 and raised by the same parents, one boy is Jewish, his adopted brother is Aryan. At first, their origins are irrelevant. But as the political landscape changes they are forced to make decisions with horrifying consequences."
This is a fantastic book, and even if you haven't enjoyed Ben Elton's more comedic approach in the past, please don't be put off by the turn that he has taken into more serious storytelling.
---
The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
It begins with a boy. Theo Decker, a thirteen-year-old New Yorker, miraculously survives an accident that kills his mother. Abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. Bewildered by his strange new home on Park Avenue, disturbed by schoolmates who don't know how to talk to him, and tormented above all by his unbearable longing for his mother, he clings to one thing that reminds him of her: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the underworld of art.
As an adult, Theo moves silkily between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty labyrinth of an antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love-and at the centre of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle."
A thrilling and intriguing book, particularly if you enjoyed her other works.
The Heart Goes Last, Margaret Atwood
"Living in their car, surviving on tips, Charmaine and Stan are in a desperate state. So, when they see an advertisement for Consilience, a ‘social experiment’ offering stable jobs and a home of their own, they sign up immediately. All they have to do in return for suburban paradise is give up their freedom every second month – swapping their home for a prison cell. At first, all is well. But then, unknown to each other, Stan and Charmaine develop passionate obsessions with their ‘Alternates,’ the couple that occupy their house when they are in prison. Soon the pressures of conformity, mistrust, guilt and sexual desire begin to take over."
Following on from conversations about Canadian authors and The Handmaid's Tale, which has recently been televised, this dystopian novel is everything fans of Margaret Atwood would wish for.
The Distant Echo, Val McDermid
#1 in the Inspector Karen Pirie series. This arose from a discussion of author's adopting a formula, and how the 30th novel written has lost something that the first encapsulated. How do other Val McDermid fans feel?
A Country Road, A Tree, Jo Baker
Combining art and war-era, this would appeal to fans of the Ben Elton and Donna Tartt titles.
Eileen, Ottessa Moshfegh
"A lonely young woman working in a boys’ prison outside Boston in the early 60s is pulled into a very strange crime, in a mordant, harrowing story of obsession and suspense, by one of the brightest new voices in fiction."
Not an author that many of us had heard of, but we are definitely intrigued to find out more!
Flâneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice and London, Lauren Elkin
Another book that would work wonderfully for our Travel theme next month, full of fascinating stories.
"In this gloriously provocative and celebratory book, Lauren Elkin defines her as ‘a determined resourceful woman keenly attuned to the creative potential of the city, and the liberating possibilities of a good walk’. Part cultural meander, part memoir, Flâneuse traces the relationship between the city and creativity through a journey that begins in New York and moves us to Paris, via Venice, Tokyo and London, exploring along the way the paths taken by the flâneuses who have lived and walked in those cities."
The Meh
The Geneva Trap Liz Carlyle #7
"At a tracking station in Virginia, U.S. Navy officers watch in horror as one of their communications satellites plummets into the Indian Ocean and panic spreads through the British and American intelligence services.When a Russian intelligence officer approaches MI5 with vital information about the cyber sabotage, he refuses to talk to anyone but Liz Carlyle. But who is he, and how is he connected to Liz?Is this a Russian plot to disable the West’s defenses? Or is the threat coming from elsewhere? As Liz and her team search for a mole inside the Ministry of Defense, the trail takes them from Geneva, to Marseilles, and to Korea in a race against time to stop the Cold War from heating up. "
This was described as 'alright' and 'a decent spy story' but our reader of this title was not overly enamoured with the book.
and The Ugly
Holding, Graham Norton
"The remote Irish village of Duneen has known little drama; and yet its inhabitants are troubled. Sergeant PJ Collins hasn't always been this overweight; mother of two Brid Riordan hasn't always been an alcoholic; and elegant Evelyn Ross hasn't always felt that her life was a total waste.
So when human remains are discovered on an old farm, suspected to be that of Tommy Burke - a former love of both Brid and Evelyn - the village's dark past begins to unravel. As the frustrated PJ struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community's worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret.
Darkly comic, touching and at times profoundly sad. Graham Norton employs his acerbic wit to breathe life into a host of loveable characters, and explore - with searing honesty - the complexities and contradictions that make us human."
Whilst many of us had seen this book and thought that it sounded intriguing and worth a try, the initial review has been that it is extremely simplistic and not really what we might have hoped for - sorry Graham! though, it has also been described thus: "Graham Norton's masterful debut is an intelligently crafted story of love, secrets and loss." So, give it a try and see how you feel about it yourself :)
If I have missed any of the books that we talked about, please forgive me, and feel free to add any further comments in the discussions below :)
Happy reading!
Laura
Greetings, all!Here is the breakdown of the books discussed at our last meeting :)
The Good:
Yrsa Sigurðardóttir Anything by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir.
There are 6 books in the Þóra Guðmundsdóttir (Thóra Guðmundsdóttir) series of crime novels, set in Iceland:
1. Last Rituals
2. My Soul to Take
3. Ashes to Dust
4. The Day is Dark
5. Someone to Watch Over Me
6. The Silence of the Sea
But she also writes supernatural thrillers, the two that were noted at our discussion were:
I Remember You
"In an isolated village in the Icelandic Westfjords, three friends set to work renovating a derelict house. But soon they realise they are not alone there - something wants them to leave, and it's making its presence felt.
Meanwhile, in a town across the fjord, a young doctor investigating the suicide of an elderly woman discovers that she was obsessed with his vanished son.
When the two stories collide the terrifying truth is uncovered . . . "
The Undesired
"Aldis is working in a juvenile detention centre in rural Iceland. She witnesses something deeply disturbing in the middle of the night; soon afterwards, two of the boys at the centre are dead.
Decades later, single father Odinn is looking into alleged abuse at the centre following the unexplained death of the colleague who was previously running the investigation. The more he finds out, though, the more it seems the odd events of the 1970s are linked to the accident that killed his ex-wife. Was her death something more sinister?"
These books were described as being really scary, with all the dots being joined by the end, and the stories depicted as remarkably plausible. The crime novels were describes as fantastic, but with no gratuitous violence, which is something that can really ruin a novel for some of us, so, for those in the mood for an Icelandic thriller, this is the author for you!
------
The Children Act
Ian McEwan
Fiona Maye is a leading High Court judge, presiding over cases in the family court. She is renowned for her fierce intelligence, exactitude and sensitivity. But her professional success belies private sorrow and domestic strife. There is the lingering regret of her childlessness, and now, her marriage of thirty years is in crisis.
At the same time, she is called on to try an urgent case: for religious reasons, a beautiful seventeen-year-old boy, Adam, is refusing the medical treatment that could save his life, and his devout parents share his wishes. Time is running out. Should the secular court overrule sincerely held faith? In the course of reaching a decision Fiona visits Adam in hospital - an encounter which stirs long-buried feelings in her and powerful new emotions in the boy. Her judgment has momentous consequences for them both.
This book was described as thought provoking , and very well written and researched. Has anyone else read any Ian McEwan?
Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Kate Atkinson:
"Ruby Lennox begins narrating her life at the moment of conception, and from there takes us on a whirlwind tour of the twentieth century as seen through the eyes of an English girl determined to learn about her family and its secrets."
We had been talking about the difficulty of getting caught up in more simplistic summer reads, either thrillers or chick-lit type books, and this is a book that was described as being a book of substance, but in a good way. For those who are looking for a book with a bit more to offer :)
---
The Lightkeeper's Daughters
"Though her mind is still sharp, Elizabeth's eyes have failed. No longer able to linger over her beloved books or gaze at the paintings that move her spirit, she fills the void with music and memories of her family—a past that suddenly becomes all too present when her late father's journals are found amid the ruins of an old shipwreck.
With the help of Morgan, a delinquent teenager performing community service, Elizabeth goes through the diaries, a journey through time that brings the two women closer together. Entry by entry, these unlikely friends are drawn deep into a world far removed from their own—to Porphyry Island on Lake Superior, where Elizabeth’s father manned the lighthouse seventy years before.
As the words on these musty pages come alive, Elizabeth and Morgan begin to realize that their fates are connected to the isolated island in ways they never dreamed. While the discovery of Morgan's connection sheds light onto her own family mysteries, the faded pages of the journals hold more questions than answers for Elizabeth, and threaten the very core of who she is."
We had been talking about Margaret Atwood and this book came up as another Canadian author to try - also fitting in with our Travel theme for next month's meeting! Reminiscent of The Light Between Oceans, or The Shipping News.
----
Craig Robertson was also discussed again, this time
Random
Again, many of us have been reading his work both before and after his visit to us, but
The Last Refuge
might also be a good one for our travel theme :) for those who haven't already read it.
A Pagan Place, Edna O'Brian
"A PAGAN PLACE is Edna O'Brien's true novel of Ireland. Here she returns to that uniquely wonderful, terrible, peculiar place she once called home and writes not only of a life there--of the child becoming a woman--but of the Irish experience out of which that life arises--perhaps more pointedly than in any of her other works. This is the Ireland of country villages and barley fields, of druids in the woods, of unknown babies in the womb, of mischievous girls and Tans with guns. Ireland has marked Edna O'Brien's life and work with unmistakable colour and depth, and here she recreates her homeland with a singular grace and intensity."
This book led on to a discussion of Irish novels including:
The Woman Who Walked Into Doors, Roddy Doyle
The Heart's Invisible Furies, John Boyne.
"Cyril Avery is not a real Avery -- or at least, that's what his adoptive parents tell him. And he never will be. But if he isn't a real Avery, then who is he?
Born out of wedlock to a teenage girl cast out from her rural Irish community and adopted by a well-to-do if eccentric Dublin couple via the intervention of a hunchbacked Redemptorist nun, Cyril is adrift in the world, anchored only tenuously by his heartfelt friendship with the infinitely more glamourous and dangerous Julian Woodbead. At the mercy of fortune and coincidence, he will spend a lifetime coming to know himself and where he came from and over his many years will struggle to discover an identity, a home, a country, and much more.
In this, Boyne's most transcendent work to date, we are shown the story of Ireland from the 1940s to today through the eyes of one ordinary man. The Heart's Invisible Furies is a novel to make you laugh and cry while reminding us all of the redemptive power of the human spirit."
This book was has a lot in it to make us think. The central character is searching for his mother, and the mother is at various important points in his life without either of them knowing, and this privileged knowledge is very engaging. Whilst the main character was not exactly likeable in many instances, the story was heartwrenching in places and it highlighted aspects of intolerance in Dublin society towards homosexuality.
This led us on to talking about Patrick Ness and
Release
"Inspired by Mrs Dalloway and Judy Blume's Forever, Release is one day in the life of Adam Thorn, 17. It's a big day. Things go wrong. It's intense, and all the while, weirdness approaches...
Adam Thorn is having what will turn out to be the most unsettling, difficult day of his life, with relationships fracturing, a harrowing incident at work, and a showdown between this gay teen and his preacher father that changes everything. It's a day of confrontation, running, sex, love, heartbreak, and maybe, just maybe, hope. He won't come out of it unchanged. And all the while, lurking at the edges of the story, something extraordinary and unsettling is on a collision course. "
---
Greetings all!Just a few wee suggestions to get us started on our discussions next month. Please add your suggestions in the comments below :)
Travelling anti-clockwise, David M. Addison seeks his kicks on Scotland's equivalent of Route 66. Otherwise known as NC500, the route takes you through five hundred miles of some of Scotland's most spectacular scenery. No wonder it has been voted as one of the world's five most scenic road journeys.
Originally published in 1983, 'The Curse of Lono' features all of the zany, hallucinogenic wordplay and feral artwork for which the Hunter S. Thompson/Ralph Steadman duo became known and loved.
Campaigner, publisher and wanderer Alastair Sawday has spent his life travelling. En route he has unearthed a multitude of stories - stories of people ploughing their own furrows, of travellers' tales, stories from the 'front line' of his publishing, ruminations and reflections about places, people and ideas. In this deeply charming, erudite and spirited book, he shares his experiences and explores the value of travel.
Robert Crisp's account of his travels, originally serialised in the Sunday Express, is an honest, funny, touching account of this charming rogue's journey through a foreign land and culture in search of inner peace and happiness.
At 26, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother's death, her family disbanded and her marriage crumbled. With nothing to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life: to walk 1,100 miles of the west coast of America - from the Mojave Desert, through California and Oregon, and into Washington State - and to do it alone. She had no experience of long-distance hiking and the journey was nothing more than a line on a map. But it held a promise - a promise of piecing together a life that lay in ruins at her feet.
Lise is driven to distraction by her office job so, leaving everything, she flies south on holiday. But what is she looking for? Infinity and eternity attend Lise's last terrible day in an unnamed southern city.
Featuring all the characters you've come to love from the Outlander series, this collection of short stories throws you into the magical world of Outlander.
'In Other Words' is at heart a love story - of a long and sometimes difficult courtship, and a passion that verges on obsession: that of a writer for another language. For Jhumpa Lahiri, that love was for Italian, which first captivated and capsized her during a trip to Florence after college. And although Lahiri studied Italian for many years afterward, true mastery had always eluded her. So in 2012, seeking full immersion, she decided to move to Rome with her family, for 'a trial by fire, a sort of baptism' into a new language and world.
Cadiz, Palermo, Copenhagen and more; Rick Stein goes in search of good food in fabulous locations, and all of them just a quick hop, skip and a jump from the UK. Rick Stein's Long Weekends wil accompany the second half of the BBC One series, airing in Autumn 2016.
The story of Hassan Haji, a boy from Mumbai who embarks, along with his boisterous family, on a picaresque journey first to London and then across Europe, before they ultimately open a restaurant opposite a famous chef, Madame Mallory, in the remote French village of Lumière. A culinary war ensues.
Lindsay introduces a range of quirky and amusing details about Scotland's past. Containing information on curious places, bizarre happenings and perplexing oddities, this book is aimed at students of Scottish culture. It also includes instructions on how to get to all the places mentioned in the book.
Lars Gustafsson and Agneta Blomqvist present a very personal guide to their Swedish homeland. Setting off from the far South, their journey takes them up to Norrland, from the farms of Scania to Laponian, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But it is the idyllic fjord in Bohulan, located in the Vastmanland region, as well as Malar Lake and Stockholm that they call home. Throughout, Gustafsson and Blomqvist are full of entertaining suggestions for excursions, including journeys through forests and moors where you can take in the odd elk or wolf along the way and visits to Strindberg's and Kurt Tucholsky's graves.
It was 1934 and a young man walked to London from the security of the Cotswolds to make his fortune. He was to live by playing the violin and by labouring on a London building site. Then, knowing one Spanish phrase, he decided to see Spain. For a year he tramped through a country in which the signs of impending civil war were clearly visible.
A new biography of the charismatic Georgian society hostess Lady Anne Barnard, who became defined by her defiance of convention. Lady Anne Barnard lived at the heart of Georgian society, yet was never fully part of it. The Prince of Wales counted among many friends and she was brilliant in company. But she was seen as an eccentric - an outsider. What defined this poet and musician, artist and hostess, was defiance of convention. High-born yet an egalitarian, she rejected numerous suitors, lived independently by buying and renting houses and travelled alone to observe the French Revolution. When she did marry it was to a junior army officer, 12 years younger than she, and together they withdrew to Africa. Her curious ways attracted gossip right to her final years.
I didn't realise my mother was a person until I was thirteen years old and she pulled me out of bed, put me in the back of her car, and we left home and my dad with no explanations. I thought that Ma was all that she was and all that she had ever wanted to be. I was wrong.As we made our way from Virginia to California, returning to the places where she'd lived as a child in foster care and as a teenager on the run, repaying debts and keeping promises, I learned who she was in her life-before-me and the secrets she had kept - even from herself. But when life on the road began to feel normal I couldn't forget the home we'd left behind, couldn't deny that, just like my mother, I too had unfinished business.
When a reckless young Scotsman wins a ship in a game of chance, he sails to Gothenburg to make his fortune. Here he meets a strong-willed merchant's daughter who has been swindled out of her inheritance. Together, they embark on a disastrous marriage of convenience and, ultimately, a daring voyage to the Far East.
There we go, just a few ideas to get the ball rolling :)
Happy reading,
Laura
Hi all, there was a really good atmosphere, wasn't there? I do love hearing everyone's opinions :) I shall compile the list of recommendations now, and then compile a few inspirations for travel reading :)
Happy reading!
Laura
Greetings!As we are going to be talking about books that we have read over the past month that we have enjoyed, I expect to come away with a notebook full of recommendations!
Anyone not able to make it to meet us on Monday, please comment here, or e-mail your book comments in and I shall read them to the group on your behalf.
Happy reading!
Laura
Greetings, all,even if you're not able to make it to the next meeting, I'd still love to hear your Summer Reading Recommendations :)
Please post below
~Laura
A few ideas to get us started:- Posted by Hayley Igarashi on May 22, 2017
Nothing can ruin a vacation like a lack of books. Wherever you'll be this summer—on the beach, on the road, or cozy at home—we've got your reading recommendations covered.
We crunched the numbers to find the new and upcoming books your fellow Goodreads members love. Paula Hawkins' Into the Water is making waves in mystery, and sequels from Sarah J. Maas and Cassandra Clare have cast their spell on YA readers, but aside from the titles you already know about, we wanted to bring you the big books that combine popularity with high marks. That's why every book on our list has a 4.0+ rating! Which ones pique your interest?
Fiction
Beartown, by Fredrik BackmanIn a small town nestled deep in the forest, a community in crisis looks to junior ice hockey for hope and redemption.
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, by Gail HoneymanMeet Eleanor, a quirky loner who slowly learns she's capable of friendship (and maybe even love) after saving an elderly man's life.
Rich People Problems, by Kevin KwanA massive fortune's up for grabs and scandal looms in this hilarious new installment in the Crazy Rich Asians series.
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness, by Arundhati RoyIn this sweeping saga from the author of The God of Small Things, broken men and women find their lives mended by love.
Always and Forever, Lara Jean, by Jenny HanGlued to her writing desk, Lara Jean wars with her head and her heart as she chooses a college and contemplates leaving the boy she loves behind.
Flame in the Mist, by Renee AhdiehThe daughter of a prominent samurai disguises herself as a peasant boy and infiltrates the ranks of a bandit gang in this thrilling series starter.
One of Us is Lying, by Karen M. McManusIn this deadly twist on The Breakfast Club, five strangers walk into detention at Bayview High…and only four walk out alive.
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, by Mackenzi LeeTwo friends embark on their Grand Tour of 18th-century Europe, stumbling upon a magical artifact and an unexpected romance along the way.
Mystery/Thriller
If We Were Villains, by M.L. RioWhen real violence invades a theater school, seven young Shakespearean actors must choose the real-life roles that will define them.
The Silent Corner, by Dean KoontzThe bestselling suspense novelist kicks off a new series centered on Jane Hawk, recent widow and the most-wanted fugitive in America.
Final Girls, by Riley SagerThe sole survivors of three separate horror movie-scale massacres keep to themselves—until Lisa, the first "Final Girl," winds up dead in her bathtub.
The Breakdown, by B.A. ParisAfter a woman she abandoned is murdered, guilt and paranoia haunt Cass in this tense page-turner from the author of Behind Closed Doors.
Historical Fiction
Beneath a Scarlet Sky, by Mark T. SullivanBased on a true story, this is the harrowing tale of Pino Lella, who spied for the Allies while serving as the personal driver of General Hans Leyers, the Third Reich's commander in Italy.
Saints for All Occasions, by J. Courtney SullivanTwo sisters leave their small village in Ireland, never expecting the ways the following decades in America will break and bind their relationship.
Romance
Come Sundown, by Nora RobertsWhen a dead body is found outside Bo's family ranch, the police suspect the one man Bo thought she could trust…and love.
Silver Silence, by Nalini SinghPassion and betrayal collide in this seductive tale of a ruthless ice queen and the changeling who vows to protect her.
Science Fiction and Fantasy
Red Sister, by Mark LawrenceBorn for killing, eight-year-old Nona Grey comes to terms with her destiny at the Convent of Sweet Mercy, a school for would-be assassins.
Borneby Jeff VanderMeer
In a city littered by discarded experiments and at the whim of a giant bear, a plant-like being named Borne discovers his complex destiny.
The Boy on the Bridge, by M.R. CareyDesperate for any sign of hope, a small expedition of scientists searches the post-apocalyptic wasteland in this prequel to The Girl with All the Gifts.
Thanks Elvine I've been meaning to read Nicci French for years now :) I can also recommend Lin Anderson None But The Dead . Again, an author I'd been meaning to read for years and was so glad when I finally did ! Now I have to read them all.....
Greetings, allDoes anyone still need a copy of Murderabilia? There are a few left on shelf in Larbert Library.
Best wishes,
Laura
Greetings, all!We have had confirmation from Craig that he is going to be with us on the evening of Monday 15th May for discussion of Murderabilia! There is a slim chance he may be out in California, and we may have to reschedule, but we are planning for the 15th anyway.
If anyone knows that they are not able to attend, please drop me a message either here or in the Library as I would love to invite members of the Bo'ness and Bonnybridge Reading Groups along as well.
Happy reading,
Laura
Greetings, all!What did we think of the book this month? And did anyone manage to see the film? After finishing the book I was desperate to see the film but it's not out on DVD yet! Really looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts.
Happy reading,
Laura
Hi June, thanks for the recommendation :)
Greetings, all,Please let me know here if you need a copy of the book for discussion in March and I will send out requests for people who have finished the book to return them :)
Many thanks,
Laura
Hi all, sorry for the delay in getting the new book title up and running, but work has been a bit hectic this week :) Please let me know who will need copies in the "I need the book" discussion thread I will start, as requests for the books won't be as easily traceable until someone returns the book early, and we won't know who'll do that until it is done :)
Happy reading,
~Laura
