Fishing for a bread winner

Afternoon All,

Let me just say a warm welcome to you all, I'm the new Community Outreach Librarian and I look forward to getting to meet you all in the coming months.

Last Thursday we put Salmon Fishing in the Yemen by Paul Torday to bed. After much discussion the Between the Lines Book Club have decided to give the book a 4 Star rating. Some of the feedback about the book included:

 

"Hilarious"

"Nicely written, believable characters"

"Well-constructed and lovely"

And so we bid farewell to Salmon Fishing in the Yemen and say hello to Rosewater and Sodabread by Marsha Mehran.

Rosewater and Sodabread is about:

More than a year has passed since Marjan, Bahar, and Layla, the beautiful Iranian Aminpour sisters, sought refuge in the quaint Irish town of Ballinacroagh. Opening the beguiling Babylon Café, they charmed the locals with their warm hearts and delectable Persian cuisine, bringing a saffron-scented spice to the once-sleepy village.

But when a young woman with a dark secret literally washes up on Clew Bay Beach, the sisters’ world is once again turned upside down. With pale skin and webbed hands, the girl is otherworldly, but her wounds tell a more earthly (and graver) story–one that sends the strict Catholic town into an uproar. The Aminpours rally around the newcomer, but each sister must also contend with her own transformation–Marjan tests her feelings for love with a dashing writer, Bahar takes on a new spiritual commitment with the help of Father Mahoney, and Layla matures into a young woman when she and her boyfriend, Malachy, step up their hot and heavy relationship.

Filled with mouthwatering recipes and enchanting details of life in Ireland, Rosewater and Soda Bread is infused with a lyrical warmth that radiates from the Aminpour family and their big-hearted Italian landlady, Estelle, to the whole of Ballinacroagh–and the world beyond. - Good Reads

That's all for this week see you agin next time.

Jamie

Fishing for Salmon in the Yemen

Paul Torday is the author of this month's novel, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. This light and easy read can be best described as quirky and amusing, with a satirical twist on government and their politics. 

John Walsh wrote this review for Independent, in short summarising the novel as "A moral tale about the importance of believing in something, and the comparative unimportance of everything else." Other readers who had their say on Goodreads, weren't as inspired as Walsh was. There was some criticism surrounding the 'overly satirical' characters, who in some ways didn't seem real enough to believe. 

What did you think? Our meeting for Salmon Fishing in the Yemen will be held on the 19th of January 2017 at the Gordon White library from 6pm-8pm. Come along and discuss your thoughts and opinions with your fellow bookclubbers, did you see eye-to-eye? We'll find out!

Hope to see you there.

My introduction to my first ever book club last night was very pleasant.  I was made to feel very welcome and it was nice to meet all you enthusiastic book lovers.

As for the book, there were some divided opinions and I was quite glad to realise I was not the only one who hadn't finished reading the book prior to the meeting.  Judging from the comments being passed around, many of the group found the book a little confusing, in the respect that it appeared to jump from the present to the past within a couple of sentences or paragraphs, without the reader realising this at first.  It was a book I wasn't personally keen to keep reading after the first few chapters, but having said that, I continued on and did become more engrossed and will now try to find the time to finish it.

In relation to the tile of the book, the question "what actually is a harrow" was raised and this brought upon some varying responses.  Due to the nature of the storyline I believe it projects the meaning of something painful and distressing, as in a "harrowing experience".

Overall, the get together with the members of the Between The Lines Bookclub was enjoyable and I hope to catch up with you all again in the New Year.

A thriller you should read.

This month's read Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry will be gripping our readers in a psychological thriller.

Berry has been described as an exciting new original voice in thrillers, giving us hints of Girl on a train, Gone Girl and calls to mind Hitchcock's cinematic scope.

Those wanting to get a feel for this literary thriller, New York Times gives us a review which will wet your appetite and create an interest that is I believe is well deserved.

Look forward to your thoughts, disturbing as they may be.

Until then tense reading.

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn

Gillian Flynn is the author of the runaway hit GONE GIRL, this short story The Grownup pays homage to the classic ghost story. Lets see if the story can get you, the reader all twisty (twisted) as Gillian's other novels.

Mechanical is what Natasha Triply had to say about the Grownup, read that review.

What will you have to say on Thursday 27th October at Gordon White library community meeting room 6pm.

The Millennium continues....

The Girl in the Spider's Web continues the Millennium Trilogy started by Steig Larsson, bringing back the characters Salander &Blomkvist. Opening up our readers to questions and comparisons between Stieg Larsson and David Lagercrantz.

Mark Lawson from The Guardian has written a thought provoking article. This could provide you ideas to agree with or disagree with, or just inflame your own thoughts into a different tangent.

Until then happy reading!

Was there enough spirit in the Ghan?

Spirit of the Ghan by Judy Nunn spans over 100 years and contact the present with the past, a melding of historical fiction and contemporary fiction. While at most enjoyed the book, it sparked a varied conversation about some of the hot topics touched upon with the book.

There were many different points of view spoken about Spirit of the Ghan by Judy Nunn. The most consistent view was that the book seem to be disjointed in it's storytelling, having too many jump points along the many varied timelines. Also that the Judy Nunn told a story of soft political correctness and not of the harsh realities that effected many indigenous people of Australia, readers felt that some of the story was irrelevant while others did not delve deeper.

But all in all the Spirit of the Ghan was a light enjoyable read. As to whether this novel would encourage members to read more or reread some of Judy Nunn's book it would remain to be seen.