Books Worth Thinking About from Wine, Books & More

Wine, Books & More discovered some five-star reads as well as books they couldn’t quite decide about as they turned the last page. A grade above books that were forgotten all about within a day, often these were books with the potential to be thought about for weeks and even months, to be remembered fondly afterwards.

Among the books in the "still thinking about" category was The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey, which is set in an alternative 1970s England. Told from the point of view of Vincent, one of triplets living at a kind of boys’ home, and Nancy, who lives in seclusion with her parents, as well as a politician who is The Minister of Loneliness. One reader found the book quite disturbing but good while another reader awarded it 5 stars. It kept opening and opening, like chrysanthemum tea, was the verdict.

Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith is a murder mystery set during the Soviet era life with all the politics before the fall of Soviet rule. It was a good reminder of what life was like back then. Originally published in 1981 and later made into a film, our reader never forgot the story – rereading it was a bit of a nostalgia trip.

Andy Weir can make a sci-fi novel packed with science still a lively read. Project Hail Mary is set not far into the future. Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate last chance mission to save humanity. But he’s been asleep for a very long time and awakens to find two corpses for company. Brilliant at the high-stakes set up, Weir is also surprisingly good at writing relationships.

Where the Forest Meets the Stars by Glendy Vanderah is a beautiful story about relationships. Two neighbours living in rural Illinois collaborate to uncover the mystery of a strange child who says she was sent from the stars. The pace changes ¾ of the way through as the past catches up to the present and painful secrets revealed. A unique story, quite wonderful. 5 stars.

Reading The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett really got one reader thinking. Written in an English regional dialect, the style takes bit of getting used to. There’s a bit of an Enid Blyton vibe with a mystery revolving around a famous author, a class of kids on a field trip and an annotated children’s book. Clues lead onto more clues until there’s a really big twist at the end. Our reader had to reread different parts of the book and then it made a lot more sense. The verdict: a very cleverly written but a “thinky” book and requiring a bit of patience.

The City in Glass by Nghi Vo was one member’s top read. Vo imagines a wonderful fantasy city where the demon Vitrine has lived for generations, but with the arrival of angels, the city is destroyed. Described by our reader as “Opaque, where things happen with no explanation and yet they fit the story.” A very cool book that they’re still thinking about.

Other books were great reads, but they carried some heavy themes.

John Boyne’s novel, Fire, is the third in his Elements quartet of novellas. This book dwells on the issue of sexual abuse with the element of fire woven throughout the book. This was a tough read, somewhat grim, but the writing is excellent. This reader was still thinking about it a month after finishing the book.

God’s Politics by Jim Wallis might also have made it into the books that leave you thinking list, with its delving into American politics. This non-fiction title discusses the separation of religion and state and the increasing polarisation of society. A good read was the verdict.

The Heartbreaker by Susan Howatch is the third book in a trilogy. It explores the themes of male prostitution and the dark realities behind it. It also explains the psychology of self-harming really well. It was beautifully written and the author has done her research really well but, at times, it felt a bit like being lectured. A fascinating read, nevertheless and well recommended.

One reader revisited a book they’d read as a 16-year-old. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is the classic story about Scout Finch, her brother and her father Atticus and the injustices and prejudices that rock their world in 1930s Alabama. Reading it as an adult, our reader had a very different perspective this time around but still enjoyed it.

Keep It in the Family by John Marrs follows a couple as they renovate a derelict house into their dream home, only to discover it was once a house of horrors. This was a very dark book about a serial killer, laced with twists, shifts in time zones and perspectives. A clever, dark but very satisfying read. 5 stars.

Dark Eden is a science fiction novel by Chris Beckett which follows the descendants of two marooned explorers surviving in the one habitable valley of Eden. Our reader expected a simple space opera, but it got quite dark and began delving into heavy themes such as incest very quickly. 

Other books that got a big thumbs up at Wine, Books and More included A History of New Zealand in 100 Objects. Jock Phillips writes our story around some extraordinary artefacts, among them William Wakefield’s epaulets; a Parihaka plough and Jimmy Hunter’s All Black jersey. Some wonderful stories and their meanings indicates considerable research. 5 stars.

The new Cormac Reilly mystery by Dervla McTiernan was another 5-star read. The Unquiet Grave begins with the discovery of remains in an Irish bog, but also involves lottery fraud and a missing IT expert. An involving story that kept you reading with some surprises along the way.

Ariel Lawhon’s historical mystery, The Frozen River is set in Maine 1789, where Martha Ballard is a midwife, summoned to examine a body found in the ice. As a healer she'd months before had documented cases of rape alleged against two of the town’s respected gentlemen. Martha suspects murder but her conclusion is overridden and so she investigates the case herself. This was a lovely story, beautifully written and unsurprisingly another 5-star read.

In Troy: our greatest story retold Stephen Fry gives us a stunning retelling of Homer’s epic about the battle for Troy, laced with humour and rich in detail. Our reader found it a beautiful rendering which allows you to really hear Fry’s voice as you read.

Our final recommendation was The Seven Moons of Maali Almeida by Shehan Karunatilaka takes you to Sri Lanka, a country broken apart by war. We’re with a war photographer who finds himself dead and in a kind of celestial after life that looks like a tax office. He has seven moons until his soul will leave the earth forever. In the meantime, he can travel anywhere he hears his name spoken. A crafted, witty satire that also won the Booker Prize, 2022, and not surprisingly a five-star read.

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