A hefty tome for Christmas reading

Our keen readers wanted something to keep them busy over the Christmas break. Joshua Cohen's The Book of Numbers: a novel appears to fit the bill.

It certainly has an intriguing cover.  Steven Poole reviewing for The Guardian does not appear to be a great fan. Mark Sarvas from The New York Times wrote this lengthy review.

It appears this novel will give many of us an opportunity to read outside of our comfort zone and that's one of the reasons book clubs exist. If one reads in bed this novel will certainly help build the biceps and maybe even assist counteract Christmas calories.

We'll meet to recount our experience of this novel on the last Thursday in January, 2016.

End of year Book Club Chatathon goes well

Fourteen people from the three Mackay Regional Council Libraries Book Clubs met to share delicious food and delightful conversation on all things books. It was a wonderful way to round off another successful year of book clubbing. Closing time came long before topics had been spent so it was a bit of a rush to wash up, tidy and pack up.

Both BTLBC and CBC have opted to have a book selected for the Christmas break so we'll be able to hit the ground running in 2016.

Wishing all book clubbers a wonderful Christmas and looking forward to much animated discussion about books in 2016!

Buzzing about Jimmy Flick

Chat about Sophie Laguna's The Eye of the Sheep ebbed and flowed. There was discussion about the way the author used pace to accentuate Jimmy Flick's thought processes. Most of our readers really enjoyed the way she told the story from Jimmy's perspective. Some thought the younger Jimmy was more authentic than the older Jimmy though. Some of our readers commented on the way the reader was left guessing as to defining what Jimmy's difficulties actually were. He just summed it up himself when he talks about sometimes being too fast and other times being too slow. The author really let the reader into Jimmy's head though which most of our readers found really intriguing.

Most of our readers enjoyed the descriptions of Jimmy's relationship with his big cuddly mother and the way the relationship between his father and the Cutty Sark bottle was portrayed. The way Jimmy's perception of his father's relationship with alcohol was written was also appreciated by our readers.

There was much discussion about the plight of  children who lose their single parent. The pressures on foster carers was spoken about and some of our readers had had personal experience of the system and how because of under-resourcing there was a lot of duress exerted on active foster carers to continue beyond their ability to perform effectively. Jimmy Flick's foster carers were so exhausted by their long term custody of difficult children that they were unable to effectively cope with the plight of Jimmy Flick. There were comparisons drawn between Liam in The Eye of the Sheep and Garrick in Golden Boys and how they were the victims of unsupportive family lives and the way this anger was transferred from generation to generation.

Our readers were divided as to whether there were grounds for an optimistic outlook for Jimmy's future. Some thought that Jimmy's dad's addiction to alcohol and his reliance on it when times became tough did not bode well for Jimmy's future. Others were more confident that Jimmy's own resilience would win through despite adversity. There was general agreement that despite its greyness, this novel had a more positive essence than our last novel, Sonya Hartnett's Golden Boys.

Between the Lines Book Club will now take a break over the Christmas holiday period. We meet next year on Thursday 28 January. Some folks were happy to take a break from selected reading and enjoy their own choices over the holidays while others were enthusiastic about sampling Josh Cohen's tome, Book of Numbers. We agreed that it would probably take the two months to get through. It certainly gives us an experience of a genre that we have not dipped into previously.

Summer is shaping up to be a hot one so hopefully you'll be able to find a cool spot to enjoy reading whatever you fancy.

Wishing all BTLBCers and their families a safe happy Christmas and an exciting 2016 crammed chock-a-block with fulfilling reads!

'The Eye of the Sheep' will be under discussion this Thursday!

We'll be meeting this Thursday at Gordon White Library at 6.00 pm in the Community Meeting Room. It'll be interesting to  hear of everyone's experience of Sophie Laguna's 2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award winning novel.

See you on Thursday!

Next on the menu: 'The Eye of the Sheep'

Most of our readers felt a bit depressed after being assaulted by Golden Boys. There were pleas for a more uplifting book. Sophie Laguna's 2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award winning book The Eye of the Sheep deals with more difficult domestic issues but somehow I feel there is a faint hint of hope there which was not an element of Sonya Hartnett's novel.

 

 

Louise Swinn from The Australian penned this review of Sophie Laguna's debut novel.

 

 

I'm sure we'll have another interesting discussion when we meet on Thursday 26 November at 6.00pm at the Gordon White Library Community Meeting Room!



"Golden Boys" provokes much discussion

Sonya Hartnett's novel Golden Boys, short-listed for the 2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award, fuelled some very polarised discussion at out Between the Lines Book Club.

One of our regulars really loved the book and was so fired up about discussing it, she couldn't wait for book club. She so convinced a family member of its readability that they obtained it and read it so that their discussion could begin. She loved the language and the whole subtle suggestive way the story was told.

On the other end of the spectrum, another reader was quite confused with the intent of the book. She willing admitted that such difficult social issues need to be in the open but she felt that in the current climate, issues of domestic violence and paedophilia were very much to the forefront of the public consciousness. From this perspective she felt the book was redundant and rather a waste of time as, though it highlighted both issues and their detrimental effects, it did not offer any solutions.

Other members suggested that the book was really saying that such social problems are not confined to one particular socio-economic group but in reality found across the whole social spectrum. The superficially 'golden' life of the Jenson family hides the suggestion of the dark secretive paedophile. The author only ever suggests the crime and while there is the evidence of 'grooming', only Garrick Greene's crude exclaimations approach naming the sin. The alcohol-fuelled domestic violence in the Kiley household is far more openly described but as Freya points out in society it has been historically ignored.

There was much discussion on how family violence impacts the whole family. There was discussion how this 'invisible' crime is becoming more openly discussed today but how historically the court system really supported the perpetrator rather than the victims. Stories surfaced about both the victim and the perpetrator having to wait simultaneously outside of the Family Court  and the way the perpetrator could utilise this opportunity to further intimidate the victim who then presented in court as an incompetent and thus losing the custody of children. There was much talk about why victims of  domestic violence 'choose' to stay and that inside the situation the choice to leave is not practically a real option, especially when custody of children is a concern.

One of our readers is always keen to know why a novel has its particular title. There was a variety of ideas as to who the 'Golden Boys' were. Some thought it was Colt and Bastian as on the surface it appeared they had everything. Some thought it was all the boys as they were all potential 'gold' for the kingly paedophile Rex. Some thought it was Declan, the gallant and Colt the athlete who were the 'Golden Boys' as they were so gifted. There was that flood of ambiguity again!

Several readers raced through the book while others were unable to face its confronting content or had to make several efforts to get through it. Some readers commented on how clever the names of the characters were as their names amplified their roles in the story. Some of our readers found the subject matter just too confronting to read. Other readers found the story, while confronting, so engrossing they could not put it down.

Our readers were divided as the ending; some firmly believed Colt survived while others were convinced he died as a result of the beating. Sonya Hartnett is obviously at her ambiguous best.

Generally our readers thought the novel was well written but many found  the subject too confronting for their taste. Sonya Hartnett's foray into adult literature has not strayed too far from her Young Adult speciality as it is the young adults in the story who bear the brunt of the sins of the adults and who reveal the truth. The adults generally are seen to be lacking in their ability to make positive adult decisions and appear completely incapable of keeping their children safe, a worrying judgement of our society.

Our book clubbers were looking to having a more uplifting read for our next book club, but unfortunately it is Sophie Laguna's The Eye of the Sheep, winner of the 2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award which is our next selection. I do think The Eye of the Sheep leaves one slightly more optimistic than Golden Boys.

Looking forward to hearing about your experience of this prize-winning Australian novel.

"Tis the last Thursday of the month this Week! Already!

Just a reminder that this Thursday is the last one for 2015's October so that means book club at the Community Meeting Room at Gordon White Library at 6.00pm!

We'll be discussing Sonya Hartnett's Golden Boys!

Looking forward to hearing your views!

We'll chat about our end of year Celebration of all things Book Club too!

See you there!

From 'The Golden Age' to 'Golden Boys'

This month we will be reading Sonya Hartnett's Miles Franklin Short-listed Golden Boys.

Victoria Flanagan in her review considers this novel is Not for children? as well as exploring the concept of young adult novels.

This novel is certainly a different shade of golden to the one discussed in The Golden Age. It should certainly make for interesting discussion.

Looking forward to sharing your views on Thursday 29 October at Gordon White Library's Community Meeting Room at 6.00pm.





'The Golden Age' a little tarnished

I had enjoyed the light deft writing of Joan London's Miles Franklin Short-listed novel The Golden Age and was looking forward to hearing some positive reports at our get-together. Silly me! Never try to predict how other readers are going to experience a book!

Our first reader found the story too slow and was not at all impressed with it. She found it very difficult to become involved in the story. Another of our readers had not finished the book but had enjoyed it sufficiently to want to continue with it, so that was more promising. One of our regulars thought it was a light enjoyable story but considered it lacked depth.

One of our readers strongly believes a novel is character driven and was disappointed with the two dimensionality of all of the characters other than Frank. They considered that the array of characters were too lightly sketched. Comments included not really getting to know the characters in depth and therefore not being able to interact meaningfully with them. Some of our readers find they can only really experience satisfaction with a book when they care about the characters and in this novel they felt they could not interact with the characters closely enough to be genuinely concerned about them.

There was discussion about how authentic some of the characters were in the context of the historical setting of the novel. Some of our readers who experienced the 1950s at first hand strongly believed that the sexual freedom enjoyed and practised by Sister Olive Penny was not credible and certainly would not have been tolerated within the social mores of the time. Some found Ida's sudden change of heart regards her piano playing difficult to accept while others conceded it was feasible to reach a tipping point when one realised that the only way forward was to change one's position on such a deeply personal decision.

Some of our book clubbers thought that the emotional and mental maturity displayed by the main protagonists did not align with their ages and certainly not young teens in the 1950s no matter what their life experience had been. Most of our book clubbers thought they were more believable as 17 to 18 year olds.

One of our readers finds it very difficult to read accounts of World War Two in the fiction genre. When she encountered this section of the book the first time she was unable to read through it but on a later attempt she was able to push through this barrier and found the author's succinct style very enjoyable despite her aversion to some of the content.

Some of our readers recall having classmates wearing callipers or having other evidence of surviving polio. Some of our readers knew Perth quite well and were able to identify with place names mentioned in the novel even though the rural setting of Leederville where the Golden Age was located has now been integrated into urban Perth.

One of our book clubbers commented that they liked the way the Gold family's Jewishness was treated as a background rather than in centre stage. They were not depicted as stereotypical traditional Jews but were rather non-committal as regards their heritage. Despite this they had still suffered persecution in Hungary.

The Golden Age was really enjoyed by another book clubber. She found the book uplifting considering the context of the polio convalescent home and really appreciated the author's precise, concise writing style.

Overall our book club enjoyed Joan London's The Golden Age as a light read but felt it lacked depth. Most of our readers really enjoyed the author's neat crisp style but were disappointed with its characterisation.

We stay with the term 'golden' and with Australian authors for our next month's read: Sonya Hartnett's Golden Boys, another novel short-listed for 2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award.

See you at 6.00 pm at the Community Meeting Room at Gordon White Library on Thursday 29 October!

'Tis time to discuss 'The Golden Age'

It's the last Thursday in September so we'll be meeting at the Community Meeting Room at Gordon White Library at 6.00pm this evening to discuss Joan London's The Golden Age.

See you there at 6.00pm!

This month we visit Joan London's 'The Golden Age'

This novel was shortlisted for the 2015 Miles Franklin Literary Award. It tells of a time when polio was every parent's worst nightmare.

 

 

Geordie Williamson, The Australian's chief literary critic had this to say about Joan London's third novel.

 

 

Hopefully discussion will be more upbeat this month when we meet on Thursday 24 September at 6.00pm at Gordon White Library's Community Meeting Room.

'Go Set A Watchman" disappoints

Our avid readers had approached reading Harper Lee's long anticipated 'second' novel with some intrepidation. A couple of our readers had read and studied Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird in great detail and it had been an important part of their life journey. They had a great fondness and respect for this classic novel. It had helped mould their values and like Scout (Jean Louise) they had perceived Atticus' concept of justice as a worthy benchmark.The original movie starring the 'perfect Atticus' Gregory Peck also resurrected fond memories for many. Go Set A Watchman had a legendary child with a passionate loyal following to compete with.

A couple of our readers had heard of but not read To Kill A Mockingbird so they were in some ways better equipped to read Go Set A Watchman more objectively.They did not have to cope with the same level of expectation.

Most of our readers admitted to enjoying passages of exceptional writing but on the whole felt the book needed far more editing. There was much discussion of how a book left in draft form for 55 years could be effectively edited. The author would have changed so much style-wise and the audience and context would also have changed so dramatically that modern editing would have been glaringly obvious and continuity would have been difficult to maintain. The downside of this of course, was that our readers generally thought that  Go Set A Watchman felt like a draft. Moments of magic were separated by large gaps in the narrative.

There was also discussion about whether racism was still as widespread  in the US and depressingly it seemed from our discussion which considered recent events in the United States, that really not that much appeared to have changed on the North American societal landscape.

They spoke of To Kill A Mockingbird being peopled with a vast array of well drawn characters, many of whom were quite idiosyncratic, and a great deal of coming and going whereas the fewer folk in Go Set A Watchman were less clearly delineated and our readers had trouble connecting with them. Many of our readers found the grown Jean Louise quite irritating and did not consider her character as believable in light of her upbringing and background. Our readers spoke of the story line being very slow to start and then everything at the end happening at breakneck speed. One of our readers was very cross with the ending and just could not consider it as plausible.

Overall there was an atmosphere of palpable disappointment hovering over our meeting this week. Discussion seemed more muted than usual. When our readers were asked to rate our read out of ten, most suggested 5 or 6 and felt they were being generous at that. The isolated passages of beauty made reading it worthwhile but some commented that they would be reluctant to recommend this novel to anyone.

There was discussion about whether Harper Lee was wise to publish Go Set A Watchman and some were curious as to her motivation for publishing. There was a general consensus that the person who had recommended not publishing Watchman was probably wiser than the person who went ahead with its publication.

Some readers commented that they liked the book title and were more satisfied when they uncovered the origins of the title. They also liked the cover design that reflected the connection to To Kill A Mockingbird.

Apparently Harper Lee considers Go Set A Watchman as the parent novel of To Kill A Mockingbird. Life could prove a difficult journey for the parent of such a famous, well-loved child who has had fifty years to dwell in people's hearts.

Tonight's the night to 'Go Set a Watchman'

Harper Lee's second book is up for discussion this evening at the Gordon White Library Community Meeting Room at 6.00pm!

Looking forward to hearing how you experienced this long anticipated novel!

See you there!

'Go Set a Watchman' is next on our list!

The release of Harper Lee's landmark new novel set two decades after 'To Kill a Mockingbird' has created a great buzz in the reading universe. On Sunday 2  August,  at 6.00pm (all good book clubs begin at this auspicious time) ABC's Sunday Book Club will be discussing Go Set a Watchman.

Here is what Jennifer Byrne had to say about the new novel  in The Sydney Morning Herald.

 

 

I hope to remember to watch the Book Club on ABC on Sunday to see what other folk are saying about this much anticipated novel.

Reporters from the British newpaper The Telegraph made these comments on Go Set a Watchman.

 

Looking forward to hearing about everyone's experience of Harper Lee's novel at our next book club!

Books written by Herb Hamlet

For those folks interested in reading more from Herb Hamlet here is the list of his books. We don't appear to have any other books by Herb Hamlet in the library so one would probably need to request an inter-library loan. Some of his books seem to be ebooks and he seems to write either thrillers or stories similar to Bluey's War.

Hope this assists those eager to pursue this author's works.

"Bluey's War" nearly causes a blue!

Herb Hamlet's Bluey's War certainly stirred up a hornet's nest! I'm quite cross that I forgot to do the usual round up of scores out of ten as I think they would have ranged between minus five and eleven!
It was fantastic to get such a range of experiences of the book. In many cases, the book evoked a positive response because it connected the reader to experiences in their own lives. However for others the plot line and the language used was enough to get their hackles up despite any connection to their life experiences!

One reader has present family members overseas on deployment so the experience of husbands returning to families and the effect that has on family dynamics was a topic very close to home. She thought the way war experiences were told in very broad terms was the way she had experienced post-deployment discussion. She felt there was no need for detailed description of the horrors of war in this style of  book. Because of the family's close association with today's war this reader found she had a close affinity with this book.Other readers spoke of grandfathers, uncles and fathers coming back from the war and that on the whole, the war was a 'no-go' topic of conversation. Some of these relatives took pride in attending Anzac Day Parades while others found the memories were too raw for this reminder and therefore refused to attend.

Another of our readers knows the country around Goondiwindi quite well  and while identifying with the landscape, felt that the description was a bit on the bland side. There was a search for adjectives but these were found to be a little thin on the ground and those that were used were somewhat mundane in character. Another knew the Gold Coast really well and was delighted to be transported to childhood haunts by the accuracy of Hamlet's description.

There was a lot of discussion about how this pared back style of writing was appropriate to the time and setting of the book. There was discussion about the book being written by a male and that he had captured the laconic style of the 1940s and 1945s really well.Others thought it might do very well to use this style when relating a neighbourhood yarn but it was not good enough to be published as a book! Some thought that while this direct style was appropriate to this story it could only be considered as a lightweight read and certainly could not be deemed 'literature'. Some admitted to normally disliking this style of writing but were very taken with it in the context of this story.

Our next reader has read a lot of factual books on the Second World War and therefore found this part of the book  rather underwhelming in its depiction of prisoner of war camps in South East Asia. Other readers argued that this book was fiction and within the romance genre and therefore not the place for the sort of detail that one would find in memoirs and factual accounts of the war.

One of our book clubbers was quite cross with the 'happy' ending. She could not understand how Ellen could forgive Bluey and that this ending was too romantic and too unrealisitic. Other readers argued that it took incredible strength of character on Ellen's behalf to forgive and possibly empathise with Bluey's behaviour. Others maintained that Ellen's behaviour was quite in keeping with the mores of the time and that one just copes with the situation at hand and that strength of character and bravery have nothing to do with it. Readers who had grown up in small country towns spoke of erratic behaviour by returned soldiers being tolerated and accepted by townsfolk uncluding the local constabulary.

One of our readers enjoyed how Ellen and Bluey's children were depicted. They particularly enjoyed David's protectiveness of his mother when it came to thwarting Humphries' designs on Ellen and how he enlisted his sister's assistance to ensure that his mother and Humphries were never alone together.

One reader noticed that Bluey's speech patterns changed intermittently thoughout the book and they found this changing style frustrating: at times he spoke with a strong country Australian accent and at other times there was no Australian slang in his speech. Others argued that the vocabulary and idiom used was appropriate to that time and place and that his language varied according to the context.

Some of our readers really enjoyed the down-to-earth feel of the book and believed this gave the story credibility and authenticity. Others considered the no-frills style as being unworthy of publishing while others really prefer a book of much more substance and therefore found the lighter touch difficult to cope with.

It was wonderful to hear such a contrast in readers' experiences of Bluey's War. Some readers were keen to experience other books by this author to see whether the story dictated the style or whether  his style was consistent while others indicated an almost allergic reaction to the idea of reading another book by this author. Whether the book was loved or loathed, I'm sure everyone's experience of this novel was enhanced by the passionate, animated discussion at book club.

Looking forward to more lively conversation at our next book club at Gordon White Library on Thursday 27 August, 2015.

We'll be talking about Herb Hamlet's "Bluey's War" this Thursday!

Just a reminder to everyone that this Thursday is the last Thursday in yet another month which means we will be meeting at the Community Meeting Room at the Gordon White Library at 6.00pm to discuss the Australian novel Bluey's War.

Looking forward to hearing about your experience of this book!

Our July read is Bluey's War

This month's book selection is written by a Queensland author and set in the border town of Goondiwindi. While tracing the relationship of two childhood sweethearts, the book is largely about the impact of the Second World War on our returned soldiers and how, for many of them and their families, their war lasted long after Victory Day.

 

 

Here are the reactions from a couple of readers.  It is a while since we have read an Australian book, let alone a Queensland based book, so from that perspective it's nice to come home for a bit.

 

Looking forward to hearing about your experience of this thought-provoking book.

 

Reading, reading, reading.............

 

 





Discussing 'The Denniston Rose'

We had a great turn up to discuss Jenny Pattrick's novel set on the cold wet coalfields of Denniston in its formative days. Some readers spoke of how effectively Jenny Pattrick described the conditions of the time - our readers felt the cold and the squelch of the mud, the pervading damp and discomfort of the persistent rain and the general inhospitality of the whole environment while others found it difficult to picture the setting, feeling quite removed from it.

We did look at the two different book covers and discuss how one really gave a much clearer picture of the Denniston environment than the other.

Our readers spoke of the capacity of some of the characters such as the Scobies, the Hanrattys and the Rasmussens to create a home in such harsh conditions while people like Eva Storm had not the foggiest notion of home-building and maybe represented the bulk of the population who were more concerned with wealth creation. Readers spoke of how the young Rose was drawn to the homier environments despite, or maybe because she had never had that experience from her mother.

One of our readers spoke of the telling contrast between the plump, generous Bella and the lean mean Eva. Others spoke of Eva's actions being influenced by her deep-seated desperation and how this intense desperation over-rode everything including the safety of her daughter. There was discussion about Eva's perception that she had to have a male to provide for her no matter what the cost. This led to discussion about the vital yet rarely recognised role of women in pioneering times.

Folk spoke of how characters like Bella, Totty and Mary Scobie overcame their difficulties and battled through their despair, becoming stronger and more able and willing to contribute to the greater good while characters like Eva, Jimmie Cork and Billy Genesis are caught in the down-spiralling eddy of their circumstances perceived as being caused by something or someone other than themselves and therefore are never able to move forward.

One of our readers was disappointed with the character development in the novel and spoke of the flatness of the characters. She gave examples of when the author had absolutely nailed a character and they bounced off the page in full 3D but she felt this happened too infrequently which detracted from the novel. Other book clubbers suggested that this was because the author was leaving space for the readers  to draw the characters for themselves and that the characters were but one part of an integrated whole and if there was too much concentration on their exact delineation this would reduce the impact of the whole.

It was interesting that the character Rose generated only minimal discussion. Clubbers spoke about how they enjoyed the unlikely relationship between the three children from the three different groups and how this friendship represented a harbinger of the community to come. People spoke of the unifying effect of the miners' strike and referenced the recent film Pride which depicted this same need for unity in the strikes of the 1970s in England under the Thatcher administration.

Most of our readers rated the book around a seven out of ten. One of our readers felt it was one of the best book club selections we had read, rating it a nine while at the other end of the spectrum another reader rated it a five due to the lack of satisfaction with the character development. Readers were keen to see that Jenny Pattrick had written both a sequel, Heart of Coal and a spin-off Catching the Current. (Both are in the library collection for those wanting to read more of Jenny Pattrick.)

Our next read is Bluey's War written by Herb Hamlet, a Queensland writer.

We have a bit longer to read this one!

Happy reading!

'The Denniston Rose' under discussion this evening

Just a reminder everyone that we meet a week early this month!

See you all this evening to discuss Jenny Pattrick's The Denniston Rose.

We can meet in the small meeting room or if the YA area is free, we will meet there, so just keep your eye options open when you come in this evening!

The sun is out at the minute but who knows what the weather will be doing when we meet this evening!

See you at 6.00pm!

Off to the cold coalfields of 'The Denniston Rose'

In this month's selection we move from the sinister dark halls of the asylum to the miserably cold squelching mud of the coal mines of the bleak West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand during the 1880s. Life above the Denniston Incline is tough on the adults but for the young Rose it is challenging in the extreme.

 

 









 

 

For some background on the author Jenny Pattrick we went to "The New Zealand Book Council". The dreary weather we are experiencing at present provides an ideal backdrop for reading this novel.

 

Don't forget we are meeting earlier this month because of the Annual Mackay Show Holiday.

 

Looking forward to discussing this novel with you all at the Gordon White Library Small Group Meeting Room at 6.00pm on Thursday 18 June.





Catching up on books

As one of our readers had not quite finished reading John Hardy's The Girl Who Couldn't Read (the joys of stretching six books between ten plus readers), and as the ending was such a delightful twist, much of our discussion was conducted in code it seemed, as no one wanted to ruin the final pages for our reader. Everyone just kept encouraging her to finish it and when I ran into her a couple of days later, she was delighted that she had finished it and enjoyed the twist.

There was discussion about the darkness of the novel and how asylums had been used as places to hide people and women in particular who were not conforming to society's norms of the day. Though published in 2014, this novel had the feel of a much earlier time. John Harding certainly suggested an authentic gothic atmosphere. Our readers enjoyed the novelty and logic of Jane Dove's idiosyncratic language as well as the way John Harding's language persuasively evoked an earlier time. There was some discussion about words in other languages requiring a phrase in English and the way Jane Dove's language certainly communicated meaning effectively and often more efficiently.

Our readers appreciated the gothic feel to the book jacket and this provoked talk about the difference between rooks and ravens as explained by Jane Dove.

There was much discussion as to Dr Shepherd's real occupation and the general consensus was that he was an actor who had murdered previously and appeared to have a predilection for girls with long white necks. Some of our readers found it difficult to enjoy this novel as they did not connect with any of the characters. Most of our readers found it difficult to believe that Dr Shepherd did not realise that Jane Dove could read, thus diminishing the denouement. Many of our readers thought that reading John Harding's prequel Florence & Giles would have provided a background to Jane Dove's character which would have enriched The Girl Who Couldn't Read while others thought it may have spoiled the final twist. There was a distinct lack of sympathy for the Dr Shepherd character and most of our readers felt he deserved his fate. However there was further debate as to Jane Dove's past and whether she was developing a habit and whether there would be books to follow her 'progress' in the world.

Generally our readers enjoyed this gothic thriller and for many of them it was certainly a diversion from their preferred fare. As a novel it certainly provoked discussion and there was a desire expressed by many of our readers to read Florence & Giles just in case it offered more clues.

We'll try another location in time and space for our selection for next month.

Meanwhile, keep those pages turning.

Discussing John Harding's 'The Girl Who Couldn't Read'

Hello everyone,

I'll be just us this Thursday, I'm afraid - no author popping in to say 'Hello!'

Looking forward to hearing about your experience of this Gothic flavoured novel.

See you at the Gordon White Library Community Meeting Room at 6.00pm tomorrow Thursday 27 May 2015.

We're reading 'The Girl Who Couldn't Read'

Despite all my research to select books that are stand alone reads, it appears I have chosen a book that is a sequel. Apparently it follows John Harding's Florence and Giles. I do think it works as a stand alone though. I've just checked and found the library does not have Florence and Giles and after looking into it online, I think I might find it a bit scary! The Gothic environment does lend itself to eerie possibilities.

 

 

The book cover has a fantastic Gothic feel to it doesn't it?

 

 

Morag Adlington posted this review to the We Love this Book website. Goodreads also has a collection of reviews if you want to see what other readers thought of it.

 

Looking forward to hearing what you thought of it at our next meeting on Thursday 28 May at 6.00pm at Gordon White Library Community Meeting Room!



Do you believe in ghosts?

Rebecca Mascull's debut novel The Visitors introduces the reader to a variety of new experiences.

 

 

Deborah Crabtree, a bookseller for Readings Carlton, wrote this review while Ani Johnson from The Bookbag had this to say. As this is a debut novel, there seemed to be very few reviews available and reading between the lines on one site it was hinted that book reviewers usually don't pay a lot of attention to this particular genre which was an interesting comment.

 

 

I hope you enjoy your foray into the hopfields of Victorian England and relish the luxury of some un-interrupted reading time over Easter!

 

 

Happy Easter and happy reading!

Air conditioning reminds us of the atmosphere of 'A Colder War'

Several of our spy thriller aficionados were disappointed with this offering from Charles Cumming. Some were still keen enough to try other books written by him though so they certainly have not written him off as an author. There was much chat about the language being appropriate to the genre and for some who were not accustomed to this genre, it was an opportunity for them to extend their vocabulary. Unfortunately this novel was not sufficiently addictive to persuade them to read more of this genre. One reader new to this genre found the novel quite slow and difficult to get into and this is not a criticism usually associated with this style of novel.

The main disappointment, seemed to be the early disclosure of the 'mole' which rudely halted the gradual build-up of the frisson of tension, usually associated with this genre. There was much discussion about the fact that usually an early disclosure usually meant a huge red herring but this did not eventuate in this case which was bit of a let-down.There were many comments about the uneffective pinkish herrings tossed in to supposedly muddy the waters. Some readers spoke of easily being able to ignore the side stories and thus making the main plot just too obvious for sustaining enjoyment.

Other readers had experience of living in overseas embassies and were quite accepting of the concept of spies being within the embassy staff. On the other hand they found it very doubtful that a 'non-spy-trained' person would have been brought in on such an important operation, so this destroyed to a degree the authenticity of the book for them. One reader is planning to visit Turkey soon and as a result of the events within this book was a little less enthusiastic about the upcoming trip. Another of our readers utilises Google a lot to extend her understanding of places and events mentioned in the novel she is reading and is thus far better informed about Turkey now. In a quirky coincidence a member of her family is now travelling to Turkey so she already has the background to better visualise the places they might visit.

On average our readers rated this read between a five and a six and a half out of ten. All but one of our group had finished it so overall people though not wildly excited about the read were quite happy with the experience.

Our next read is Rebecca Mascull's debut novel The Visitors which certainly looks like an excursion into different territory. It has the potential for yet another interesting discussion.

Keep those pages turning.......

Oops! Forgot to Send you Some Reviews of 'A Colder War'!

Time flies whether you're having fun or not it seems and in next to no time, well this Thursday actually, we'll be meeting at Gordon White Library Meeting Room to discuss Charles Cumming's A Colder War.

 

 





Patrick Anderson, a regular reviewer of mysteries and thrillers for The Washington Post wrote this review of Cumming's novel while across the ocean Andrew Taylor had this to say about it in The Spectator.

 

This novel is quite a change from our usual bill of fare, so it will be interesting to hear how folk reacted to the change in genre.

 

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it, this Thursday at 6.00pm in the Gordon White Library Community Meeting Room.

 

Reading, reading, reading............

A step into the smoke and mirrors world of espionage

We move between Turkey, the UK and many places Middle Eastern in our next novel, Charles Cumming's A Colder War. We try to visit a variety of genres at book club and the spy, espionage genre rarely gets a guernsey, so for this month we'll take a walk on the wild side!

I'm sorry I have been having issues uploading photos of our book titles so am still not able to show the front cover.

Will find what some experts have to say about this novel in the next blog but can't wait to hear what the real experts think at our next book club!



Happy reading!



"A History of Loneliness" provokes much discussion

Most of our readers found  John Boyne's gift with the language to be extremely pleasurable even though the content was at times confronting. Our readers spoke of how Boyne's style was easy to read and of the book having an authenticity throughout. Readers spoke of returning to the cover blurb several times during reading, just to check that it was not a biograpy or a non-fiction as it had such a feel of reality and truth.

Many of our readers found Odran's naivete and innocence difficult to believe and comprehend. Some readers were quite frustrated with his interpretation of events. This provoked discussion how much public knowledge regarding child abuse has changed. There was much talk about having to consciously try to position ourselves in Ireland in the 1970's through to the present and how much attitudes to the Catholic Church and treatment of children have changed in that time. Children of the 1960s were not considered to be reliable witnesses and their complaints of abuse in any form were rarely given much credence. Children of that time were not taught to speak out either as adults and revered institutions were considered more infallible than today. So though there were observable behavioural changes in children, there was not the public knowledge or awareness of child sexual abuse to raise the alarm bells that would ring today. The Catholic Church in Ireland in particular was held in high esteem by the majority of the population. There was much discussion about the reader having to transport themselves into a different place and a different time when much information was considered very private and not for public consumption.

There was much discussion about Tom's character and the way his childhood experience of sexual and physical abuse at the hands of his father, followed by the repression of healthy sexual activity during his adolescent years at the seminary really set him up for dysfunctional behaviour as an adult. To add to this, he had no interest whatsoever in the priesthoood which was forced upon him by his father, thus creating a lifestyle for which he was unsuited in every way. Our readers sympathised with Tom's story but still found his behaviour unforgiveable. One reader had tried to find whether there were any statistics regarding the childhood experiences of Irish priests who had been accused of paedophilia, to see whether Tom's story was indicative, but had been unable to source relevant information. There was much discussion of the hidden, secretive nature of abuse and of its effect on future generations.

The novel's title evoked much talk about its aptness. Several readers spoke of their expectation that the origin of the novel's title be revealed in the book. Tom challenged Odran to see that he too had experienced 'A History of Loneliness' and there was much discussion as to how many priests experienced  'A History of Loneliness'.

Overall our readers rated John Boyne's novel between seven and nine out of ten, indicating how much they had appreciated his sensitive approach to a very difficult, emotive topic. He enabled readers to have a greater understanding of the causes of child abuse within the church and the extent of damage caused by both the deliberate and innocent ignorance of the issue. There are so many more victims than just those directly involved.

Overall our readers enjoyed and contributed to a very thought provoking discussion.

We will have a complete change of pace and genre for our next book club selection. More details on that to be found in the next post.

Keep on reading and keep those cogs moving!

Book club to discuss "A History of Loneliness"

Hello folks,

Thank you all again for being so considerate in sharing the book club set copies around so generously and promptly.

Hopefully this title will generate a lot of discussion especially in light of the enquiry here in Australia.

Looking forward to hearing about your experience of this novel,

Life continues, page after page....

Our next read is from John Boyne

We are going to Ireland for our next novel. John Boyne's A History of Loneliness explores the experiences of the people and the priesthood in Ireland during a time of turbulent change for the Roman Catholic Church.

JP O'Malley from The Observer had this to say about it while Helen Dunmore from The Guardian wrote this review.

No doubt this novel will ensure lively discussion at our next meeting.

Keep those pages turning!


Readers find Anthony Doerr's 'All The Light We Cannot See' enlightening

Ten avid readers attended our first Between The Line Book Club for 2015. Under discussion was Anthony Doerr's novel All The Light We Cannot See. This novel set in Europe has as it focal point the year 1944. It traces events both prior and post this point in time but as several of our readers commented it always returns to this pivotal point.

The novel tracks the lives of Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French girl who lives with her father, the Master of Locks at the Museum of Natural History in Paris, and Werner Pfennig a German orphan whose aptitude for all things mechanical earns him a place at a brutal German military academy where his talents further radio technology. Their jouneys eventually intersect in a quietly satisfying manner although radio waves had already intertwined their lives for years.

Though a war-time novel, Anthony Doerr concentrates on the conflict's devastating impact on people no matter which side they are on.

One of our readers commented on the balance and parallels provided by the stories of the other characters. As the title suggests, light in a multitude of forms infuses the novel. Many readers commented on the precision and freshness of Anthony Doerr's language. While reading this novel many of our group found themselves stopping and re-reading a phrase or sentence just for the sheer pleasure of doing so.

One of our readers was reading the novel for the second time and the beauty of its structure really impressed her. She commented that the threads of the novel balanced and counter-balanced each other producing a graceful symmetry. Another of our readers thought it was slow in places and therefore jumped a few chapters sparking a spirited reaction from other readers.

Overall our group enjoyed this novel and generally rated the novel between 8 and 9 out of 10 which reflected  the genuine quality of this read. Some of our readers felt that they could happily read All The Light We Cannot See again as it was beautifully written, cleverly constructed and multi-layered thus offering new facets on further reading.

Overall it was a stimulating lively discussion which got our 2015 Between the Lines Book Club off to  an enjoyable enlightening start.

BTL BC kicks off this Thursday at GWL!

Happy New Year Everybody!

All those routine events are starting to kick back in and Christmas is relegated to the deep past!

Hope everyone is enjoying "All the Light We Cannot See"  - I'm still trying to dissect the title.

Looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday. We might be a bit nomadic this year so if we're not in our usual spot, just go for a bit of a wander.

Looking forward to catching up! If you have any suggestions for further Book Club Set purchases bring those along too please!

Happy reading!