New Reading from Book Chat

Flaxmere Library Book Chat meets every second Tuesday and boy do we get through a lot of books. There’s always just so much to talk about. Here are some of the books that made a hit at our last meeting. Click on the titles for catalogue information.

Elizabeth of York: last white rose by Alison Weir
Remember the Princes in the Tower? These were the brothers of Elizabeth of York, who might have ruled England if she had been a man. Instead Elizabeth married Henry VII, an alliance which united the red and white roses of Lancaster and York. This is her story. There are many authors out there writing about royal courts from centuries past. But none of them seem to make history come alive like Alison Weir. We enjoyed her Tudor Queens series which dealt with the wives of Henry VIII, and here we have a novel about Elizabeth who was that Henry’s mother.

The Wife’s Tale by Christine Wells
This is a novel across two time frames, dealing with the secrets surrounding Seagrove, a stately home on the Isle of Wight. Brisbane lawyer Liz Jones is hired to delve into the provenance of Seagrove and uncovers a scandal from the late 1700s involving heartbreak, passion and betrayal. The more Liz finds out the more she puts the future of Seagrove and those who live there at risk. A gripping read.

The Wrong Woman by J P Pomare
Melbourne-based Kiwi, J P Pomare writes twisty, suspenseful stories and his new book didn’t disappoint. Reid, a private eye and former cop, returns to the small town he left a decade ago to investigate a car crash for an insurance firm. Rumours emerge about the driver and the accident which left her husband dead but Reid finds himself caught up in another crime, the disappearance of two girls, one recently and one from years before. Are they connected? This one will keep you turning the pages into the night.

The Winter Guest by W C Ryan
This is the second novel by W C Ryan and like the first (A House of Ghosts), we have an old house, echoes of World War I and ghostly imaginings. Here the war is over, but the struggle in Ireland continues. Former officer Tom Harkin arrives at Kilcolgan House to work as a tutor. The house is half derelict and filled with ghosts, living alongside the noble family and connected to them by secrets. Amid all this, Tom must investigate a murder. An enthralling country house mystery that’s just a little bit different.

The Harem Midwife by Roberta Rich
In 1579 Constantinople, Hannah Levi is midwife to Sultan's harem. Newly sold into the harem is Leah, who just wants to go home. She’s just a poor Jewish peasant girl, but the Sultan wants her to give him a male heir. How can Hannah protect her? A fascinating novel full of adventure amid the opulence of the court – the second in the series that begins with The Midwife of Venice.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Every so often the classics seem like a good idea and here’s one that you may not have read before. It is set in 17^th century Boston, during the time the Puritans held sway. Hester Prynne has conceived a child out of wedlock and following a stint in prison, must wear a scarlet letter A when she won’t reveal who the father is. This is a story about a strong woman at a time when women were supposed to be meek and obedient. The novel was hugely popular at the time when it was published in 1850 and is well worth a read today.

The Reindeer Hunters by Lars Mytting
This historical novel is the second in the Sister Bells trilogy. The story is set mostly in a remote Norwegian village beginning in 1903, when two young men meet in the wilderness, both laying claim to having shot the same reindeer. One of the men, Jehans, a local lad who works for a landowner, but dreams of electricity. Meanwhile the pastor is intent on making up for his betrayal to Jehans’s mother which happened in the first book. And what of the church bells, the one in the lake and the other far away in Dresden? A brilliantly gripping read that takes you into the early 20th century, a time of new technology and also war. Make sure you read the first book, The Bell in the Lake before this one though.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
Siblings Danny and Maeve are shocked to find themselves evicted from their family home by their step-mother when their father dies suddenly. This is the Dutch House, a lavish property bought with the profits of their father’s success in real estate. A home their mother could never settle in. When she disappears everyone assumes she has died, or has she? Told from Danny’s point of view over several decades, the story is about family secrets and how it is never too late to come to terms with the past. It’s a brilliant read from an award-winning author.

6 October 2022

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