Catching Up with Tea with Tales

On a crisp clear morning with snow on the ranges we enjoyed hot drinks and cheese scones while we shared what music we listened to in our youth.

Before we discussed the books we had read in the last month, one of the book group members described the recent author talk at Hastings War Memorial Library. Meet Your Local Romance Writers was enjoyed by our male attendee so much we all wished we had attended.

Our book recommendations started with The Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer which our reader found easy to read with no hard thinking required. Tom Scott’s Life and Times was worth a read if you are interested in New Zealand’s political history. A new mystery writer for this group was Pauline Rowson. Well written and in the style of Agatha Christie, The Langstone Harbour Murders was definitely a fun read.

One of our male readers billed Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove as compulsory reading for all women. After we had all calmed down, he said the main character was a grumpy old man and the book made him rock with laughter.

The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary has an intriguing premise where one of the protagonists sleeps in the flat during the day and the other sleeps there during the night. Our reader could not put this book down. The Art of Belonging by Eleanor Ray tells the story of a middle-aged daughter returning to her mother’s house after her divorce. Bringing her eight-year-old daughter she deals with lots of messy complicated feelings in this family oriented feel-good read.

More James Patterson and Janet Evanovich was enjoyed by one reader with Stuart McBride and Patricia Cornwell added to his list of good reads for the month.

Edward Paice’s Tip and Run: The Untold Tragedy of the First World War in Africa delves into a side of the war not well known: the Germans and the British battle for East Africa. With both sides using local African men as soldiers the battles were fought across the African savannah, deep in the jungle and along the foothills of the mountains. A very good read.

New Zealand author and poet, Shonagh Koea, has written a very readable albeit sad memoir in The Kindness of Strangers: kitchen memoirs.

New Zealand history books Max Lambert’s The Wahine Disaster and Paul Holmes’s book Daughters of Erebus were recommended reads. Our last book recommendation, Nora Roberts’ Identity was described as good for the soul and a fantastic read.

15 August 2024

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