All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

February's book was by Anthony Doerr:

We unanimously loved All the Light We Cannot See and it provoked much discussion about the compelling narrative structure.  Definitely one we’ll all be recommending. 

Thanks to Rosanna for hosting.

Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd

An intriguing start to our reading year with William Boyd's difficult to genre-alise WW1 novel set in Vienna, England and Switzerland.  It deals with relationships, sexuality, psychology and espionage.  (And one or two other things as well.)

Thank you to Dawn for hosting and for providing this month's questions:

1.        The opening of the book has similarities with Atonement.  In your opinion should more of this thread of the story be developed?

2.       Parts of the story are built on espionage and intrigue; how well are those developed?

3.       Lysander struggles with the guilt of killing the men as he tried to get to the French lines of battle; he also uses Psycho-analysis how did you respond to the ways this part of the text is presented.

4.       How do you respond to the presentation of Lysander’s relationships in the text, particularly with Hettie?

5.       How did you find the presentation of the story as a whole?

6.       What is the significance of the title?

7.       Was Lysander’s mother presented as a sympathetic character?  Why or why not?

2015's Year of Books

Another eclectic mix for this year's eleven books. Some old, some new, some good, some bad, some ugly.

December - Remember Me by Melvyn Bragg

November - The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

October -  Mrs Hemmingway by Naomi Wood

September - The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes by Anna McPartlin

July - The Book of You by Claire Kendall

June - Twelve Years A Slave by Solomon Northup

May - Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

April -  Miss Carter's War by Sheila Hancock

March - The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

February - Perfect by Rachel Joyce

January - Skios by Michael Frayn

Thank you to everyone for another year of lively discussions, and apologies for a small blogging gap in the middle of the year. I know what my New Year's resolution will be! 

Happy reading over the Christmas holidays. January begins with Waiting for Sunrise by William Boyd. Meeting date: January 18th 2016 7.30pm

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins: November 2015

A last-minute curriculum related choice after the library let us down again!

Remember Me by Melvyn Bragg: December 2015

Unusually, not a single person had finished this book!

All agreed it was raw and compelling and an emotional read, and there was lots of discussion about the authenticity and accuracy of Bragg's 'autobiographical' story in the form of a novel.

Mrs Hemmingway by Naomi Wood: October 2015

We had a lovely evening at Jane’s on Monday 12th October – there was unanimous praise for Mrs Hemingway. Most liked Hadley the best but thought Fife the most interesting wife. Ernest got a big thumbs down! 

Some of us feeling quite inspired to read more about the Lost Generation and Hemingway.  The opening section in Paris/Antibes was particularly praised.

The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes by Anna McPartlin: September 2015

Thanks to Gill for a lovely evening of talking about death! 

Sounds awful, but many found it quite therapeutic -and Rabbit was mentioned occasionally...