Wine, Books & More Reading Update

From the classics to mystery; fantasy to biography, a wide selection of titles excited the readers at Wine, Books & More at their last get-together. The group meet on the third Tuesday evening at Hastings Library at 5:30pm. 

Sometimes you just can’t go past the classics. One reader discovered heaps to enjoy in Emily Brontë’s only novel, Wuthering Heights. They really enjoyed the dark romance, the evocative imagining of the surroundings and the rich and compelling language. (Incidentally, the library has a DVD based on the life of Emily Brontë, with some poetic licence, called simply, Emily, which anyone who enjoys British period drama would love.)

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith takes a bit of getting into but was an enjoyable read overall. A few things were annoying, particularly the at times excessive descriptiveness, but it’s an interesting story, the second in the Cormoran Strike series. The plot centres around a novelist who goes missing and all those who wished him harm. A twisty story with two likeable sleuths in Cormoran and his assistant Robin Ellacott.

Secrets to the Grave by Tami Hoag is a psychological thriller and the second in the Oak Knoll series set in an idyllic Californian town. Sheriff’s detective, Tony Mendez has to solve the case of the gruesome murder of a young mother. The series explores the early days of forensic technology as well as ‘the characteristics of innocence and the nature of evil’. Not for the faint-hearted.

Kiwi author Nikki Pellegrino’s novel Tiny Pieces of Us follows Vivi, a recipient of a heart transplant. When she is contacted by the donor’s mother, Vivi, a journalist, reluctantly agrees to help her find other recipients of ‘tiny pieces’ of her young son. It was an emotional and sad story but also really enjoyable.

The Silmarillion by J R R Tolkien is a series of separate but interconnected myths covering events before of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. You might need to be a Tolkien fan as it is really convoluted and hard to read and but at the same time it’s well worth the effort. Our reader gave it 5 stars purely from the scope and breadth of it. It was the hardest book they’d ever read but still enjoyable nonetheless.

By contrast, Upgrade was quite easy to read and typical of its author Blake Crouch. The story follows Logan Ramsay, whose genes have been hacked so that he can do everything better – multi-tasking, memorising, concentrating, even sleeping. So begins a mind-bending thriller, a really enjoyable light read with a deeper message about the dangers of interfering with the biology of the human species.

Time’s Convert by Deborah Harkness is a follow-up book in the All Souls series that began with the hugely enjoyable A Discovery of Witches – a novel about a bewitched alchemical manuscript and the reluctant witch who must deal with the mayhem the manuscript provokes. You’ve got a centuries old vampire and the mysteries of Oxford’s Bodleian Library. Vampire and witch make a terrific team in the two books that followed with Times Convert a reading guide to the trilogy. Our reader found it added little to the series and wasn’t really worth bothering with.

An Evil Heart by Linda Castillo is book number 15 in the Kate Burkholder series featuring a small town Chief of Police in Amish country. The story opens with the killing of a young Amish man with a crossbow. Aden was a deeply loved and hardworking man about to marry. Who could want to kill him? Kate follows a trail of rumours to find a motive for the death while Kate’s own wedding draws near. Another really good read in a compelling mystery series.



The story of It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover follows Lily who has had a difficult life and her attraction to handsome neurosurgeon Ryle, who has problems with relationships. The book brings in a theme of domestic violence and how you think it will never happen to you. Our reader found this a really enjoyable book that starts out all sweetness and light then boom, around the middle, it knocks you sideways and you can’t put it down. Recommended.

Richard Osman’s The Last Devil to Die is the fourth book in the Thursday Murder Club series of mysteries featuring a group of elderly sleuths at a retirement village. The death of a friend and a missing package plummet the gang into a new mystery that brings them into the world of antiques, drug dealers and art forgers. A light, cosy mystery but with a rising body count and plenty of thrills. Really enjoyable.

Private Lessons by Bernard O’Keeffe is the 2^nd in book in the Inspector Garibaldi series featuring the Met’s only non-driving, country music loving detective. In this case, a body is found in an old abandoned cemetery. The victim had been tutoring for a wealthy family in Italy. Did the family have something to hide, and is the the tutoring agency who engaged the victim escape all it seems? The book had interesting characters and plenty to keep you reading.

All The Pretty Girls Fly by Cassandra Noir is a thriller that might remind you of the Bourne series or the tv show Black Mirror. It features Riley, a sleuth investigating the deaths of three top influencers in New York. A passable read that could have been better written.

Another reader gave Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr five stars in spite of the complex story structure which meant plenty of concentration was required. There are multiple storylines that take you from the 1453 siege of Constantinople to an attack at a library in present day Idaho to an interstellar ship heading for an exoplanet in the future. One story thread connects them all. Dedicated to “the librarians then, now, and in the years to come.”

Fern Michaels has written thirty five novels in The Sisterhood series which features of a group of women from various walks of life who band together to dish out their own brand of vigilante justice and generally right wrongs. These books are good fun, says our reader. The latest in the series is Rock Bottom and has the group involved with problems in the corporate construction industry.

Captain Phil Harris was an American captain and star of the documentary reality series Deadliest Catch. His sons Josh and Jake Harris have penned his biography. Captain Phil Harris: The Legendary Crab Fisherman, Our Hero Our Dad is a look at the man before his sudden death in 2010. It’s a brilliant book and paints a picture of a fascinating man with a heart of gold.

Sticking with biographies we have Behind the Scenes by Judi Dench. Although she hates being considered a national treasure, the famous, Academy award winning actress, has had an illustrious career. This book takes the reader back to her first role on stage as a teenager, through her scene-stealing role as M in the Bond movies and her numerous period roles on stage, in TV and more movies. She’s an actress who just loves acting and never wants to stop. An interesting read with terrific photos.

16 October 2023

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