May Reading from Tea With Tales

27 May 2026

We started with a short reading from Olivia Spooner’s The Songbirds of Florence. Set during the Second World War the story follows the lives of several young New Zealand women who enlisted as Tuis, the welfare arm of the New Zealand Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps.

Continuing with war fiction The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin is inspired by the true history of America’s library spies during World War 2. An enjoyable read.

Travelling further back in time to the 1860s is Anna Jacobs The Trader's Wife. This is the first in a five book series set in Singapore and Western Australia. Our reader enjoyed the good characterisation. 

Staying in Australia, Karly Lane’s Second Chance Town was another good read from this this rural romance author.

Several thrillers were enjoyed by our members including Nita Prose’s The Maid, the first in her Molly the Maid mystery series. This page-turner had a lot of intrigue to keep the reader guessing to the end.

The third novel in the series written by former president Bill Clinton and best-selling author James Patterson, The First Gentleman, was a good story. Although our reader felt it didn’t enhance his opinion of American politics.

Reading biographies was a popul ar choice for our readers this month. Kids, Wait Till You Hear This: my memoir by Liza

 

 

 

Minelli was an excellent read and inspired our reader to listen to the many songs referenced throughout the book.

Harry Cole, who has been referred to as the police’s James Herriott, wrote a series of humorous biographies based on his life as a London bobby. The first in the series, Policeman’s Prelude, was enjoyed by our reader.

Richard Hough has written an informative biography of the three Pacific voyages undertaken by Captain James Cook. Well written was our reader’s verdict.

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller tells the story of the daughter of white settlers in war-torn 1970s Rhodesia. Hard to put down, it made our reader’s hair stand on end.

Betty Mahoody’s Not Without My Daughter details the escape of Betty and her daughter, Mahtob, from Betty's ex-husband in Iran. A controversial story with Betty’s ex-husband countering the claims made in the book.

Former BBC journalist Tom Bower’s Fayed: the unauthorised biography covers the life of the Egyptian businessman Mohamed Al-Fayed. This fascinating biography reveals how obsessed Fayed was with royalty.

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