Hastings Library Book Chat Enjoys a Terrific Month of Reading

A good mixture of mysteries, thrillers and literary fiction inspired some lively discussion at our September Book Chat session.

My Friends by Fredrick Backman was an absolute favourite for one reader – a wonderful book that takes place over one summer. Louisa is an aspiring artist who notices three tiny figures in the corner of one of the world’s most famous paintings. She determines to find out their story. A five star read.

The Whitest Flower by Brendan Graham is a historical novel set against the backdrop of the Great Famine of Ireland. Ellen O’Malley loses her husband and is persuaded to travel to Australia, arriving emaciated and ill, but determined to rise above her circumstances and planning revenge. An interesting historical read and first of a series.

Invisible Girl is a psychological thriller by Lisa Jewell. It’s a complex story about introvert Owen, suspended from his teaching job following accusations of sexual misconduct; there’s also the Fours family over the road who have a bad feeling about their neighbour; and then there’s young Saffyre Moddox, who disappears on Valentine’s night. Well put together and insightful about teenagers, says our reader.

Shadows of Winter Robins is the story of twins Winter and her brother, when they lose their mother and are sent from England to live in Western Australia with a family they’d never heard of before. Things go well to start with, but a news story prompts Winter to look back at her past and secrets begin to emerge. An original story, beautifully written.

June in the Garden by Eleanor Wilde is a delightful story about an autistic woman who knows more about flowers than how to understand people. When her mother dies, June has to leave her home and sets out to find her father. Turning up on his doorstep, her father panics and turns her away. But June has other ideas, secretly moving into his garden shed, again surrounded by flowers – until she’s found out by the family dog and her young half-brother.

The Letter Carrier by Francesca Giannone takes us to Salento, Italy in the summer of 1934. When Carlo and his beautiful wife Anna arrive at a small tight-knit village, there's speculation and gossip. She’s not like other women, taking on the role of letter carrier and becoming that invisible thread between the townsfolk. Our reader found the story interesting, but the writing was a bit clunky.

Melaleuca by Angie Fay Martin is excellent Aussie noir following Aboriginal police officer Renee who is investigating a murder in the small outback town where she grew up. She uncovers the mysterious disappearance of two young women thirty years ago. Secrets, racism and corruption emerge. Such a good read, and a debut novel - our reviewer will look out for more by Martin.

Val McDermid on the other hand is an old hand at murder mysteries. One reader enjoyed her novel Still Life, a Karen Pirie cold case. Karen is investigating the discovery of a skeleton in an abandoned campervan when she is called to pick up a sensitive investigation. The discovery of a body found in the sea has links to the disappearance of a senior Scottish civil servant ten years ago. A brilliant twisty mystery.

We continue with our enjoyment of Tim Sullivan’s police procedurals featuring autistic D S Cross, who is brilliant at connecting the dots even if he lacks people skills. In The Cyclist, a dead body found at a demolition site turns out to be an amateur cyclist but there’s not much to go on. Jealousy, ambition, a family dispute plus performance enhancing drugs add to the story.

The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller takes place in southern England during the harsh winter of 1962-3. It follows two couples each dealing with problems – the town doctor has secrets and the worry of a case at the asylum he attends; a young man from a wealthy background trying his hand at farming; and both have wives who are pregnant with their first child. The winter will bring their problems out into the open. A beautifully written, atmospheric novel.

A new book by Tina Makareti is always worth looking out for. The Mires tells the story of three women from different backgrounds who become neighbours in the near future. It deals with extremism and how we deal with it as well as colonialism and climate change. A brilliant read, recommended.

Palace of the Drowned by Christine Mangan is an unusual read following a writer who escapes poor reviews of her last book to exile herself in Venice. A young woman arrives claiming connection who both amuses and irritates but can she be trusted? A very believable story about manipulation, says our reviewer.

Letters from the Ginza Shihodo Stationery Shop by Kenji Ueda is a collection of stories following the people that come to the shop and the sympathetic shop-owner who helps each of them with more than just their stationery needs. A charming feel-good read.

The Fear Index by Robert Harris is an earlier book from this master of intelligent thrillers. This story follows a scientist developing an AI tool that can predict the financial markets with unerring accuracy. But when an intruder breaches the security of his lake house, events turn into a waking nightmare.

Mother May I by Joshilyn Jackson is a thriller that follows Bree, who has married into wealth. But her world implodes when her baby is kidnapped, and Bree is asked to perform one seemingly harmless task to get back her baby. This was quite a disturbing book about revenge and blackmail.

The Twyford Code by Janice Hallet follows Steven, newly released from prison, and determined to discover what happened to a teacher who disappeared on a school trip. At the heart of it all is a copy of a famous children’s book full of strange markings and annotations. But Steven’s memory is patchy, so he has to rely on the recollections of others who were there. This is such a complex mystery, quite fascinating, and worth persevering with.

A novel by Ann Cleeves often turns up at Book Chat, and this month we heard about Thin Air, number 6 in the Jimmy Perez Shetland series. A woman disappears on Shetland when she is part of a group of university friends who are there to celebrate a marriage. Eleanor was obsessed with the story of a child who drowned in the 1920s. When Eleanor is found dead, Jimmy must investigate her murder as well as the death from almost a century before. A good read, says our reviewer.

Patrick Ryan’s novel, Buckeye, takes us to a small town in Ohio in 1945 as news of the Allied victory in Europe is broadcast. Margaret asks Cal at the hardware store for a radio, an ordinary scene, but one that will have far-reaching consequences enveloping two families and the generation that follows. Our reader suggested taking time with this one as it is beautifully written and spans several decades of family life.

When Sleeping Women Wake by Emma Pei Yin is another story from the 1940s, this one set  in Hong Kong, 1941. The wealthy Tang family have fled from Shanghai, but when the Japanese invade Hong Kong, the women in this household face life under a hostile army. We follow the lives of these women: Mingzhu, the First Wife of the family; Qiang, her daughter and Biyu, her husband’s concubine. A brilliant war story, with probably the most stunning cover of the day.

Much recommended was the Southern Highlands series by Joan Sauers, although we’re not in Scotland but New South Wales. At Echo Lake, where Rose is starting a new life, she finds a roll of film buried in back garden. Photos of a woman who went missing years ago send Rose on a mission to find out what happened to her. With the second book, Whisky Valley, there’s a missing violinist while flood waters are rising, so plenty to keep the tension going.

And to finish on a high, one reader declared The Names by Florence Knapp to be their book of the year. It’s about Cora who is registering the name of her baby son. We’re in 1987 and the aftermath of a storm. Will the boy be named in the tradition of his father’s family – a long line of domineering men? Or Bear, the name his sister chooses, or Julian, the name his mother has set her heart on? Three names and three versions of a life. A brilliant story, beautifully told.

Hastings Library Book Chat meets on the third Wednesday of the month at 10.30 – all welcome.

Posted by JAM

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