A Wrap-Up for September from Wine, Books & More

We had some stonking good reads at Wine, Books and More, some with five-star ratings. Among these was A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseni, a story of heroism in the face of brutality. The main character is Mariam, sent to Kabul at the age of fifteen to an arranged marriage. When the Taliban take over, daily life becomes a struggle to survive. This is a moving story which our reader highly recommended.

Another novel awarded the full five stars was Nesting by Roisin O’Donnell. The story follows Ciara, a Dublin mother of two who makes the split-second decision to leave an abusing husband. Grabbing clothes from the line and her two young girls, she drives off not knowing where they will sleep that night. Not a happy story but still an amazing read, said our reviewer.

One reader is a big fan of Liane Moriarty and picked up Here One Moment, a novel that takes place on a flight from Hobart to Sydney. When one passenger predicts how many of the passengers are going to die, their lives will never be the same. Moriarty’s best book yet was the verdict.

One of the non-fiction books at the session was Dominion by Tom Holland. The popular historian examines the impact of Christianity on the western world, its effect on today’s morals and ethics, in particular its impact in the USA and UK. Holland really understands Western society and while this was quite a meaty read it was well worth the effort.

Another book deemed “excellent” was When Sleeping Women Wake by Emma Pei Yin. In this wartime story, we follow three women trying to survive the Japanese invasion of Hong Kong in 1941. Matriarch Mingzhu avoids physical labour because of her language skills, but has to serve an enemy captain. Her daughter and husband’s concubine struggle with poor rations and hard factory labour until the two are separated by an encounter with a resistance organization. A gripping read.

We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida is a Japanese novel in which a mental health clinic really does prescribe cats as medication. Several characters with different problems take home a cat and discover healing, self-discovery and new hope. A fun and enjoyable book with a serious undertone, said our reader.

We heard about several dark and mysterious reads, among them Deborah Harkness’s fantasy novel, The Book of Life. Number three in the All Souls series, the book follows historian witch Diana and vampire scientist Matthew who must deal with new threats which will eventually reveal what witches discovered many centuries before.

Eco-thriller She’s a Killer by Kirsten McDougall follows Alice with a near genius IQ who lives at home with her mother. Her life changes when she meets Erika, an actual genius with terrifying ambition. There’s a dark back story, chaos and imaginary companions in a twisty read with an ending you don’t see coming.

Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton is about a girl and her mother who have been on the run from family violence for sixteen years. Living in a van on the outskirts of Brisbane, the girl dreams of one day being an artist, and only Lola can help her. Our reader thought this book had to be written by a woman as the voices of the female characters sounded so believable and real. A really enjoyable read.

Among the spec-fic novels, Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman has been popular at the library. It’s a weird sci-fin novel that starts with a televised gameshow apocalypse, the world reduced to a labyrinth filled with traps, monsters and loot. And then there’s Carl, trying to survive alongside his ex-girlfriend’s cat. A fast paced book and a bit silly, but the audiobook version was amazing.

The Pigeon by Patrick Suskind is a novella that tells the story of a day in the life of a reclusive bank security guard who struggles to deal with a pigeon roosting in front his apartment’s door. Our reader thought the book very well written and liked the happy ending.

One very good novel was Safe Haven by Shankari Chandran, which is about Fina, who helps refugees held in Port Camden, a remote Australian island outpost. When she speaks out for the detainees, she faces a media storm. A novel about displacement, finding refuge and somewhere to call home.

Always good says one reader of Stuart MacBride’s Logan McRae series about a detective in Aberdeen. This House of Burning Bones has McRae investigating a sinister case during a sweltering summer with only a skeleton staff of odd-balls to help him.

We also really enjoyed hearing a recommendation for Girl in the Midnight Maze by Cathy Hayward, a historical mystery that centres around a painting of a little girl lost in a maze. When Emma’s mother dies, and she has to clear out her parent's flat, she uncovers a secret that might be better left unsolved. A novel about family secrets, loss and grief.

Wine, Books & More is Hastings Libraries' evening book group, taking place at 5:30pm on the third Tuesday of the month and Hastings War Memorial Library. All welcome.

Posted by Mya

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