Recent Reads at Wine, Books & More

Here's another crop of terrific books that got the conversation going at the Wine, Books & More book club at Hastings Library. This is the group that gets together on the third Tuesday of the month at 5:30pm. The group always read a wide variety of genres, as you can probably tell.

Starting off with some humour, we’ve Queen Bee by Ciara Geraghty – a humorous contemporary novel about fifty-year-old Agatha Doyle who loves her empty nest, until hot flushes, a pair of killer heels and an overbearing man who won't stop talking conspire to change her life. ‘Funniest thing I’ve read in years,’ says our reader.

Rachel Joyce became well-known with her Arthur Fry series of novels. The Music Shop is a stand-alone novel set in London, 1988 and you guessed it, the main character owns a music shop. A warm-hearted, feel-good novel with a nice, gentle style of writing.

From music to another sector of the entertainment industry. Gabrielle Zevin’s novel Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a story about friendship, relationships and video games. This novel has been a hugely popular read by library staff and customers alike.

Taking a little longer to get into is Darke Matter by Mike Gekoski, a novel about one man’s grief over the loss of his wife as Christmas draws near. This novel is a tender, hard-hitting and at times bleakly funny examination of grief. An impressive debut.  

This book group has a few fantasy fans and the first fantasy read this time around is Fifteen Postcards by Kiwi writer Kirsten McKenzie. It’s part thriller and part romance, with time travel and a mystery at its heart. And it all begins when Sarah inherits an antique shop.

A more gritty fantasy read is Widowland by C J Carey. The setting is London in 1953, Germany has won WWII, and a different king is on the throne. Women are sorted into castes according to various types of usefulness, and at the bottom of the hierarchy are childless women over 50. High-ranking Rose is tasked with investigating a potential insurrection. Unputdownable, says our reader.

Balancing out the list is some non-fiction, starting off with the hugely popular biography, Straight Up by Ruby Tui. A survivor of childhood neglect, drugs, abuse and tragedy, Ruby turned her life around to become one of the most successful women’s rugby players in the world. An inspirational story every young person in New Zealand should read.

Stolen Focus: why you can’t pay attention by Johann Hari looks at the way distraction interrupts our everyday lives, revealing that the average office worker now focuses on a task for just three minutes. Johann Hari describes twelve factors that are the culprits and gives tips for how to recover your attention. Our reader happily recommends this self-help book.

Jews Don’t Count by David Baddiel is a short book about racism and social justice. Baddiel describes how in the battle against homophobia, transphobia, racism and disablism, one group seems to have been left out. Very well put and makes you think.

Talking fiction again, here's another book that makes you think. Girl One by Sara Flannery Murphy is a psychological thriller with a sci-fi element. The Girl One of the title is the first of nine babies conceived without male DNA, raised at a ranch called the Homestead. We’ve got a suspicious fire, and years later Josie sets out to find her missing mother. A really interesting read.

Another thriller, Black Sun by Owen Matthews is the first book of a trilogy set in 1960s Soviet Union. A KGB officer is tasked with investigating the murder of one of the scientists responsible for creating the Tsar Bomba – the largest nuclear device in history. There’s a conspiracy that could have global impact, so he’s got his work cut out for him. And it’s based on a true story.

We delve back further into the past in Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life which starts out on a snowy night in 1910, and the birth, and death, of Ursula Todd. Rewind the story and Ursula gets another chance at life. She grows, lives and repeatedly dies in different ways, but gets to live again, with a particular opportunity to change the course of history. An absorbing, evocative and quirky novel that recently made it to the small screen.

We love historical fiction, so here’s another one: The Forgotten Bookshop in Paris by Daisy Wood. Juliette is visiting Paris with her husband when she comes across a tiny bookshop for sale. The story dips back to 1940 as the German forces close in on Paris. Jacques is desperate to hang onto his beloved bookshop as his wife is forced into hiding. A novel about love, loss and betrayal across the generations.

If you love stories set in the world of books, the cosy mystery, The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk could be for you. It’s about Liesl Weiss, a librarian in the rare books collection of a university, when she discovers the library’s most prized manuscript is missing. A really enjoyable read.

Continuing with crime fiction, Don Winslow’s novel, City on Fire is the first of a trilogy set in 1980s America. It’s about two crime families, one Irish, one Italian, who are at war with each other in their bid to dominate New England. Danny Ryan wants a more lawful way of life, but fate has other plans for him.

Last but not least, Better the Blood by accomplished screenwriter Michael Bennett is on the Ockham Awards shortlist. Set in Auckland it follows Hana Westerman, a Maori detective juggling sole parenthood and the demands of her career. A series of murders that seem apparently unrelated lead Hana to believe she is on the tail of a serial killer. A good story that sets the scene nicely for a sequel.

21 April 2023

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