Devon Book Club discussion

Over the last few days I have read a couple of books written by fellow Devon Book Club members, and just had to comment on how fantastic I thought they both were.

First up was 'Black Dog Folklore' by Mark Norman. A very immersive look at the phenomenon of Black Dog sightings/hauntings and the folklore behind them. It's not often that a non-fiction text grips me so, but I couldn't put this one down. Left me wanting to find out even more about a couple of particular accounts that Mark discusses, whilst also making me feel like I already understand so much more about the subject.

Secondly, 'The Solstice Fairy' by Loreley Amiti. I was very lucky to have won a copy of this gorgeous children's book during a recent Book Club giveaway, which the author even included a personal dedication to my twin children in the cover. This is such a heart-warming story and beautifully illustrated. It went straight into my kids' bedtime story pile and has been an instant hit.

I would highly recommend both of these books to anyone and everyone

Anya wrote: "Hi Ian

Stand outs from those would probably be Yaa Gyasi's "Homegoing" and Simon Van Booy's "Tales of Accidental Genius". "The Possessions" would also be up there somewhere.

I also finished Jason..."

Thanks Anya - shall investigate

Chris wrote: "Over the last few days I have read a couple of books written by fellow Devon Book Club members, and just had to comment on how fantastic I thought they both were.

First up was 'Black Dog Folklore'..."

That's great Chris - how about joining in with our A-Z of Devon writers challenge? - I can add these two for you. I'll also post on Facebook

I'm nearly at the end of Hilary Mantel's 'A Place of Greater Safety'.
I've been dipping into it for a few weeks and reading it slowly. It is set before and during the French Revolution and features Camille Desmoulins, Danton and Robespierre, none of whom I feel I like. Mantel vividly imagines the era and writes with wit and skill.

I have now finished A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel. I enjoyed it more and more as I read it. It is very cleverly crafted. The characters were more witty than I imagine they really were, but it is a work of fiction, so imagination can take over from fact.

Just finished The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker. It's an international best seller and my book club and I all agreed it was the best book we've ever read. For more detail, see the discussion summary on my website: http://www.melmenzies.co.uk/blog/mels...

Carol wrote: "I have now finished A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel. I enjoyed it more and more as I read it. It is very cleverly crafted. The characters were..."

Thanks Carol - interesting when real characters (and such colourful ones) are subject of fiction. Sounds like the author carried that off well

Mel wrote: "Just finished The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker. It's an international best seller and my book club and I all agreed it was the best book we've ever read. For more detail, see th..."

Wow! That's a big accolade - and worth checking out

Ian wrote: "Carol wrote: "I have now finished A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel. I enjoyed it more and more as I read it. It is very cleverly crafted. The c..."

Lovely book - and there's a sequel!

Currently reading Mantissa by John Fowles. Intense first chapter. No idea where it's heading which is an exciting place to start.

Sue wrote: "Ian wrote: "Carol wrote: "I have now finished A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel. I enjoyed it more and more as I read it. It is very cleverly cr..."

She has written quite a range of books. Is this a historical novel?

L K wrote: "Currently reading Mantissa by John Fowles. Intense first chapter. No idea where it's heading which is an exciting place to start."

Not read much by him but his books are usually gripping - I enjoyed The Magus

Just finished Memoirs of Madame de la Tour du Pin.
An aristocrat who survived the French Revolution and who wrote this memoir for her son.

Have also just finished Jefferson a Paris by Claude Fohlen. Written in French it is an interesting account of the American's years in Paris. It spends several pages summarising the relationship of Jefferson with Sally Hemings but does not come to a conclusion about whether she was his mistress.

Have also just finished Revolution Francaise, 1. Le Peuple et le Roi by Max Gallo, of the Academie Francaise.
Written in French it often describes what is happening in the present tense, so making the book seem like a novel. Very interesting and factual.

Carol wrote: "Have also just finished Revolution Francaise, 1. Le Peuple et le Roi by Max Gallo, of the Academie Francaise.
Written in French it often describes what is happening in the present tense, so making ..."

Three very interesting books Carol - for research, pleasure or both?

Ian wrote: "Carol wrote: "Have also just finished Revolution Francaise, 1. Le Peuple et le Roi by Max Gallo, of the Academie Francaise.
Written in French it often describes what is happening in the present ten..."

Yes, both. Have now written 178,000 words on a subject not unrelated to both Revolutions, (and have not yet finished!) but have become really 'hooked' on the people and the events.

Carol wrote: "Ian wrote: "Carol wrote: "Have also just finished Revolution Francaise, 1. Le Peuple et le Roi by Max Gallo, of the Academie Francaise.
Written in French it often describes what is happening in the..."

Wow - that's like 3 novels!

Been a hectic week at work - sorry not to have been posting.

Next up in the A-Z of Devon writers challenge - this time a tale of property development - Rural Cut by Lyn Ferrand. This is her second book. Lyn is a founder member of Devon Book Club and is a great supporter of our network. You can find our more about Lyn here https://lynferrand.com/rural-cut/

" Filmmaker Steve Firenze responds to a plea for help from Harry, his daughter's godfather, who has relocated from London to a small town in the West Country. Caught up in Harry's desperate claim that an unscrupulous property developer is financially exploiting him, Steve inadvertently exposes the dark side of the rural idyll and comes face to face with corruption and murder. While attempting to solve Harry's issues, Steve befriends Eloise and becomes involved in a series of malevolent events that threaten her sanity. They are forced to reassess their values, the way they perceive the changing countryside and the people who live there. Black humour is ever present in this tale of unfulfilled expectations surrounding the myth of rural life. With a tongue-in-cheek look at the criminal activities of a local politician, his associates and a quartet of elderly incomers who have purchased houses on a gated community for the retired, Rural Cut explores how financial greed and the repercussions of indiscriminate development can ruin lives and change rural places for ever".

I bought a book for £5 from a local charity shop last week. It was Liberty. The American revolution by Thomas Fleming. It is the companion volume to the PBS series of the same name. It has the most beautiful pictures in it- large and in color, some of which I had seen before and some I hadn't.Liberty! The American Revolution

Carol wrote: "I bought a book for £5 from a local charity shop last week. It was Liberty. The American revolution by Thomas Fleming. It is the companion volume to the PBS series of the same name. It has the most..."

you must be getting to be quite an authority on the American Revolution Carol

Ian wrote: "Carol wrote: "I bought a book for £5 from a local charity shop last week. It was Liberty. The American revolution by Thomas Fleming. It is the companion volume to the PBS series of the same name. I..."
Yes. I found a surprising error on the book. It said thatWashington freed his slaves in his lifetime. He did not. In his will he stipulated that one third of the slaves on his estate should be freed on the death of his wife (which caused quite a few problems for her as the slaves obviously wanted her dead). The other two thirds belonged to Martha's family, and therefore he could not free them.

I've been away for a week, and decided to download an audio book to enjoy on the journey. Using Libraries Unlimited free on-line service, Overdrive, I chose Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope. This is his first in the Palliser series of novels. Written in 1864, this wonderful book captures the politics and society of the day. Acutely observed, Trollope is often witty and satirical, creating memorable characters who we come to know well.




I read this series first over 30 years ago but whenever I return to them I am always engrossed.




Any other Trollope fans out there?

Who else loves listening to audio books?

What books do you return to and why?

I really struggle to concentrate with audiobooks as I am a very strongly visual learner/ reader. I have decided to give it another go with Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey on CD to listen to in the car!

Trollope makes good radio drama, too. I've been listening to the Pallisers, and to the programme about the author himself on Radio 4. This is a perfect example of where audio books/radio have their advantage; Trollope makes heavy going nowadays. However, I tried an audio book of a novel I had read years ago and it was a disaster: names pronounced differently, and the reading was soooo slow I gave up and went back to wearing out my poor old eyes. Pity, after a day at the keyboard listening to a story can be relaxing.

J.G. wrote: "Trollope makes good radio drama, too. I've been listening to the Pallisers, and to the programme about the author himself on Radio 4. This is a perfect example of where audio books/radio have their..."

I too listened to 'The Pallisers' on Radio 4 via iplayer and thoroughly enjoyed it. Until now I haven't managed to read any of Trollope's books, so I was pleasantly surprised.

I'm currently reading Archbishop by Michele Guinness. Absolutely brilliant. Futuristic and slightly dystopian dealing with gender equality, homophobia etc. Well worth a read.

I'm currently reading Persuasion by Jane Austen for Kingsbridge Library Reading Group ... as well as Compass by Mathias Enard. This latter is a wonderful, dense reverie/journey of a novel, but I'm struggling to find time to devote, as it needs sustained concentration. I think it may have won the Goncourt??
'Persuasion is my favourite JA, and as it is so long since I revisited Austen, I've gone slightly mad ... I'm part way through Claire Tomalin's divine biography of Jane; as well as skimming through various lit. crit. book on Jane's work - tho' I am leaving the 'Persuasion' chapters until I've reformed my own thoughts. I always find that my views on old favourites and classics vary slightly each time I revisit them; I always find so, so much more to see, understand and learn ... even when they are not favourites. Otherwise, I've been dipping into Simon Armitage's new poetry collection The Unaccompanied. He read from it at 'Ways With Words' and it is both indescribably painful - as a comment on the way the world turns right now - as well as being sublime ... and so, so funny. Buy it!!

DrMama wrote: "I'm currently reading Persuasion by Jane Austen for Kingsbridge Library Reading Group ... as well as Compass by Mathias Enard. This latter is a wonderful, dense reverie/..."

I struggle to pick a favourite Jane Austen but always have a soft spot for Emma. I also own a copy of Claire Tomalin's biography but it's so long since I read it now that you're prompting me to reread it!

Kathy wrote: "DrMama wrote: "I'm currently reading Persuasion by Jane Austen for Kingsbridge Library Reading Group ... as well as Compass by Mathias Enard. This latter is a wonderful,..."
Hi Kathy,
I'm ashamed to think how long it is since I read 'Emma', so I may find myself on an 'Austen-Fest' once the Rdg Grp discussion is over. I love all the Tomalin biogs that I've read in the past, but this one was new to me and I'm finding it almost as gripping as the novel.
Claire Tomalin also published her autobiography recently: I rushed to reserve it at the Library only to find there were 26 in front of me ... 'though the Librarian tells me that's nothing, compared to when (eg) a new Philippa Gregory appears. I saw Tomalin talk at 'Ways With Words' a few years ago, and she was sublime. Go on, Kathy, give the biog a reread!!

Jo wrote: "I really struggle to concentrate with audiobooks as I am a very strongly visual learner/ reader. I have decided to give it another go with Rupi Kaur’s Milk and Honey on CD to listen to in the car!"

I know what you mean - have to be in the mood
. Not heard of Rupi Kaur - is it good?

J.G. wrote: "Trollope makes good radio drama, too. I've been listening to the Pallisers, and to the programme about the author himself on Radio 4. This is a perfect example of where audio books/radio have their..."

Didn't know Palliser novels was serialised on Radio 4. I don't find him heavy going - I love his use of language - so evocative

P.R. wrote: "J.G. wrote: "Trollope makes good radio drama, too. I've been listening to the Pallisers, and to the programme about the author himself on Radio 4. This is a perfect example of where audio books/rad..."

I'll have to check that out. Such a wonderful series

Mel wrote: "I'm currently reading Archbishop by Michele Guinness. Absolutely brilliant. Futuristic and slightly dystopian dealing with gender equality, homophobia etc. Well worth a read."

HI Mel - not heard of that one - sounds intriguing. Have you read other books by him too?

DrMama wrote: "I'm currently reading Persuasion by Jane Austen for Kingsbridge Library Reading Group ... as well as Compass by Mathias Enard. This latter is a wonderful, dense reverie/..."

There's a mixture of reading there, Carol. I'm not a lover of JA - but understand why many so admire her. Not read Enard but not in the mood for a challenging read - need something a bit lighter at present.

DrMama wrote: "Kathy wrote: "DrMama wrote: "I'm currently reading Persuasion by Jane Austen for Kingsbridge Library Reading Group ... as well as Compass by Mathias Enard. This latter i..."

An Austen fest - not my idea of fun but each to their own.

I may have a Trollope Fest instead - reading Can You Forgive Her rekindled my love of his work, which I last read probably 20 years ago now. Not often I re-read books - too many new ones to get to - but sometimes revisiting an old favourite is like meeting up with a treasured friend.

Reading old favourites after a long gap for me is rather like visiting old friends after 20 or so years: we've both changed. An old book can seem very different , perhaps because the way I see characters has changed, or my views are wider without the strong convictions of youth. Whatever, sometimes I re-read an old favourite and find an entirely new story. That certainly happened with Austen - but those novels speak to different ages in different ways. I had no idea what Mrs Bennett was all about until I had grown up children of my own, for example.

I have just come back from the US and read I, Eliza Hamilton, by Susan Hamilton Scott on the plane. If I hadn't been so constrained by place and time I don't think I would have made it to the end as I did not find it particularly gripping. All the background history seemed to be correct but I always have a problem with reading about real people in a fictional account. It often seems to be taking rather a liberty with their thoughts and emotions however well written as this book undoubtedly was. I had been at the commemoration of the Battle of Yorktown in Virginia when the Americans and French defeated the British and I clambered over the redoubt which had been stormed by Hamilton and his soldiers, so I was pleased to some extent to read a bit more about him, even although fictional.

Hi Carol,
Thank you so much for sharing this. It is very interesting to hear this opinion coming from someone else, as I have a similar problem. It began with a massive shock - a long time ago - when a 'friend' tried to write about my husband's (then) recent death in her novel. I think I'm easier with such writing, now, in some cases, such as works where the figures are from distant periods and we know so little about them, eg Thomas Cromwell in Hilary Mantel's works. Sometimes I'm torn, as with Colm Toibin's The Master about Henry James, which is just so well written ... yet I am alarmed by the recent meteoric rise in such 'biofiction'. So much of it seems to be from lazy imaginations. Do you have other instances that come to mind? I'd be interested to hear.
Carole

It's good to hear this about real people in historical fiction because it was my biggest obstacle when I started writing fiction about the past. I got round it by creating fictional characters interacting in real situations/events. I still have to involve real people as secondary or minor characters, but you are right about 'taking liberties' - who am I to say what they were actually thinking and feeling? And as for watching tv & movies with actors playing people who are still alive - agh, don't get me started.

Murder in Absentia. A murder mystery set in ancient Roman times. Highly recommended

J.G. wrote: "Reading old favourites after a long gap for me is rather like visiting old friends after 20 or so years: we've both changed. An old book can seem very different , perhaps because the way I see char..."

That's very true.

Interestingly, there was a book I read many times as a child aged around 10 - loved the adventure but the ending always used to move me. My daughter found me a copy for a birthday present a couple of years ago and I read it one afternoon. Main difference - I had a glass of whisky this time. But, the ending got to me again - even after all these years. I was transported back to being 10 again in that moment

J.G. wrote: "It's good to hear this about real people in historical fiction because it was my biggest obstacle when I started writing fiction about the past. I got round it by creating fictional characters inte..."

Interesting trail of messages - it is tricky isn't it - but, when I am reading, I am happy to go where the author takes me usually (whilst maintaining critical awareness). I am not so worried about complete historical accuracy - after all, most history is opinion isn't it?

Jane wrote: "

Murder in Absentia. A murder mystery set in ancient Roman times. Highly recommended"

What did you enjoy about it, Jane?

I've just enjoyed listening to the beginning of "The Big Sleep" as an audiobook - I'd forgotten how good Raymond Chandler is (or was). So since they were on offer it was the ideal time to snap up "The Lady in the Lake," "Farewell My Lovely" and "The Long Goodbye". Now looking forward to a Chandler-fest!
Raymond Chandler

Ruth wrote: "I've just enjoyed listening to the beginning of "The Big Sleep" as an audiobook - I'd forgotten how good Raymond Chandler is (or was). So since they were on offer it was the ideal time to snap up "..."

Not someone I've read but sounds good. I'm in an audio Trollope fest at present

And I in turn have never read Trollope, but am told he's very good and intend to get to him one day. (I'm assuming you mean Anthony and not Joanna?) Which one would you start with?

Ian wrote: "J.G. wrote: "Reading old favourites after a long gap for me is rather like visiting old friends after 20 or so years: we've both changed. An old book can seem very different , perhaps because the w..."
A brilliant book then!

Have just read The Whistler by John Grisham and the Broker by the same author. Exciting suspenseful reads which rattled along at a good pace.

Ian wrote: "Jane wrote: "

Murder in Absentia. A murder mystery set in ancient Roman times. Highly recommended"

What did you enjoy about it, Jane?"

Murder in Absentia, is a very clever murder mystery / fantasy mashup. The setting is a fictionalised Ancient Rome called Egretia, and it has an engagingly unheroic hero. I enjoyed it a lot and will be posting a review later