Our December and January meet ups are combined in this latest update, united by our opening of our Secret Santa books on Christmas morning. We all opened our anonymously wrapped books and came together to swap, review and discuss in January.

Our December Reads: ‘Geneva’ and ‘James’

Our December books were ‘Geneva‘ by Richard Armitage and ‘James‘ by Percival Everett.

‘Geneva’ was proposed by Theresa. It received missed reviews. Generally, we thought the plot was ingenious, but the characters were not likeable.

‘James’ by Percival Everett was loved by Faye, who listened on Audible. Fascinated by James using two voices; each depended on whose company he was keeping. He was educated but still a slave.

Sandra would have liked an explanation at the ending of a brilliant book. It prompted Ruth to consider re-reading ‘Hucklebury Finn’. It spurred Bob into reading ‘The Civil War on Abolition of Slavery’ by Abraham Lincoln.

Theresa now looks forward to reading it and Chip will finish it now he has heard our comments. Liz absolutely loved it and hopes, as it deserves, that it will become a classic for future readers.

Recommendations

Ruth had read several books, enjoying all of them and recommending them to others. They included:

Sandra read and recommends the Seven Sisters books by Lucinda Riley. Read them in sequence for the best enjoyment.

Chip read ‘A House Unlocked‘ by Penelope Lively. He regularly reads her books.

Bob read Anthony Horowitz’s ‘The Word is Murder‘. He enjoyed how the author was part of the detection of this plot.

We decided, after choosing a festively wrapped book from the table that we would read our Secret Santas and many other books over the Christmas time.

Happy New Year!

We had all received a Secret Santa on Christmas morning so we revealed our books at our January catch up.

Liz received a Mark Billingham book, ‘Buried‘. She will now bury herself away and enjoy this winter read. It was revealed over our coffee and cake that it had been donated by Bob.

Eddie read Faye’s book – ‘Geneva’ by Richard Armitage – and found it unputdownable! Five main characters and it really kept him on his toes. Faye also recommends this novel.

Chip received the last book on the table, and it was the fattest with over 1,000 pages. He is yet to embark on the Paul Auster book. Ruth has read it and says it’s really good.

Sandra’s Secret Santa was brilliant and that word ‘unputdownable’ was used again. ‘The Pull of the Stars‘ by Emma Donoghue is set in Dublin in 1918 and about the plight of mothers-to-be during the flu epidemic. Sandra really enjoyed it. Sandra also read ‘To the Bright Edge of the World’ by Eowyn Ivey. Set in 1885, the Army investigates Alaska’s Wolverine River. Written in diary form, the reader learns of indigenous superstitions and pioneers in the Alaskan landscape.

Ruth received a Jilly Cooper novel – ‘Tackle‘ – but it was not her usual read. It will be passed on.

Theresa opened her parcel to find Anne Cleeve’s ‘The Heron’s Call‘ and found it a really good read.

Carol tore away the wrapping paper to discover Tom Hindle’s ‘Murder on Lake Garda’. She is only half way through but says it’s really good so far. Her hubby is reading ‘Ring of Spies‘ by Alex Gerlis, a thriller that he recommends.

Other Reads and Recommendations

Other books read over the holidays and into the New Year included:

Siobhan read ‘The Wrong Sister‘ by Claire Douglas; a murder thriller peppered with red herrings. Described as a fascinating story of a rich and a poorer sister who swap lives. Who is killed?

Sandra also read it and really recommends it. This sounds like a good novel the rest of us can enjoy too.

Siobhan is currently reading ‘The Kellerby Code‘ by Jonny Sweet and is really enjoying it.

Theresa read ‘The Instrumentalist‘ by Harriet Constable. Set in Venice, a girl’s orchestra is formed in a convent. A brilliant, young violinist composes music by candlelight, but the Maestra takes credit for her outstanding music. This has been passed to Carol now. Liz read it and found it fascinating with reminiscences of Vivaldi’s music and the beautiful setting of Venice. A brilliant book that Liz and Theresa both highly recommend.

Theresa also enjoyed ‘The Silence Factory‘ by Bridget Collins. She told us that whilst waiting for a bus, she joined in a conversation about the Egyptian Society in Taunton and thought she will investigate. It’s always good to share conversations!

Bob read ‘Bonehead‘ by Mo Hayder and he thought it a good book. He also read ‘Unruly‘ by David Mitchell, who is a brilliant historian as well as a funny man. This book is full of humorous anecdotes. Read to find out how Bury St Edmunds was named! We think Jane would enjoy this one.

Sandra, being Scottish, enjoyed ‘The Bookseller of Inverness‘. Set in 1752 and full of historical intrigue. This book was passed on to Chip as Sandra recommended it as being very believable.

Ruth has enjoyed Pat Barker’s Greek trilogy. The third one, ‘The Voyage Home’, is about women of the day and she really enjoyed it.

Avid reader, Ruth read ‘Chesil Beach: A Peopled Solitude‘ by Judith Stinton and found it to be a fascinating history of a well-loved place. Her next book was ‘Long Island‘ by Colm Toibin. After enjoying his earlier book ‘Brooklyn’ she found this one to be a little tedious. Siobhan had reviewed ‘Long Island’ at our Waterstones’ Bestsellers event. The characters and circumstances were analysed, and a good review was given by both readers. Ruth decided he was a good writer, but this book was not a favourite for her.

Chip read ‘James’ by Percival Everett and liked it very much. He found it interesting and learned a lot about those times. Chip also read an anecdote on Facebook about a black enslaved person / maid who (being considered invisible and of no significance during conversations) listened. She made shrewd investments and ended up in 1870 the richest woman at the time. This prompted a discussion on slavery in the past and in the present day.

Because of it’s Exmoor setting, Chip also often re-reads ‘Consequences‘ by Penelope Lively. He considers her an excellent writer and will read her books many times. Chip also read ‘The Rosie Project‘ by Graeme Simsion. Set in Australia, but he will not read the subsequent books.

Carol read ‘Hotel Portofino‘ by J. P. O’Connell. Set in Italy during WW1, various characters and events occur set in the hotel. She really enjoyed this book and we thought it may have been on our screens as well. We will all read this one next.

Faye read ‘Bonehead’ by Mo Hayder – in fact, she read it twice! Not a great story but she liked some of the characters. She also enjoyed reading ‘A House Unlocked’ which did not appeal as she wanted a story and not a report.

Liz read a wonderful book – peaceful and full of nature – written by James Rebanks, ‘A Place of Tides‘. This was written to show the nesting of the Eider Duck in Norway and the endeavours of women who have built nests for the ducks to come ashore to hatch their brood, and then collecting and cleaning he eiderdown for duvets. A fabulous book. Bob recommended listening to a Podcast ‘Rosebud’ with Gyles Brandeth with James Rebanks.

Liz felt privileged to have been sent a proof of a book that she first read as an entry in the Yeovil Literary Prize. ‘Grapevine‘ by Kate Kemp will be published on 13th March, and we are inviting Kate to come to Yeovil to launch her book in Waterstones. This entry was remembered because of the memorable setting, of the heat, suspicion of neighbours and a murder, all happening in a cul-de-sac in Canberra, Australia. This is a fantastic read so we look forward to March and meeting Kate.

Not one but two come along at the same time! Jason Mann came to the Yeovil Prize Past Winners’ event in 2023 and read the opening of his winning novel. Liz has just read the published novel ‘The Echoing Shore‘ by J. H. Mann and, yes, that word ‘unputdownable’ is being used again. Set on the northern coastline of Cornwall, a newspaper journalist uncovers a tragic event that happened ten years prior, but the consequences are still rumbling under the surface. A brilliant read that keeps the reader on the edge of her seat! This is a really well written novel and it shows that entering a writing competition can lead to bigger things.

She has also received the second novel by Janet Handcock, a previous winner with ‘Beyond the Samovar’, and this one is ‘The West in Her Eyes’. It’s on that TBR pile but not for long as Liz enjoyed the first novel and is looking forward to reading this one.

Our Next Reads

Our January books will be:

Our next meeting will be at 12 noon on Tuesday 11th February 2025 in the Lounge at the Westlands Entertainment Venue.

We look forward to welcoming you!