Book Club: June 2025
As usual, Readers’ Choices presented an eclectic mix of books for the group to share:
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
A very enjoyable read. Interesting relationship is developed between the characters, including the Octopus. Contained facts relating to the life of an octopus which were cleverly incorporated into the story. I would recommend this book.
Listen to the Moon by Michael Morpurgo
Tells the story of Alfie and his father who find a girl known only as Lucy, washed ashore on a remote island in the Scilly Isles during WW1. A fascinating read.
All the Broken Places by John Boyne
Is a sequel to "The boy in the striped pyjamas". Strongly recommended.
The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith
7th in the Strike series. Private Detective Cormoran Strike is employed by a worried father to rescue his son from a religious cult in the depths of rural Norfolk. Strike’s female partner infiltrates the cult, placing herself in extreme danger to work with Strike to expose the serious wrongdoings of the cult. Clever plotting and well drawn characters. Very long but the story maintains your interest.
Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns
Is a poignant, multi-generational novel that explores the lives of two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila, whose paths converge amid decades of political upheaval in Afghanistan. Spanning from the 1960s to the early 2000s, the novel provides a deeply human perspective on the country's shifting sociopolitical landscape—including the Soviet occupation, civil war, and the rise of the Taliban. Against this backdrop of violence and repression, particularly under Taliban rule, Hosseini crafts a powerful narrative of endurance, sacrifice, and the unbreakable bond between women facing systemic oppression. Rather than focusing solely on political atrocities, the novel illuminates the resilience of the human spirit in the face of injustice.
The World That We Knew by Alice Hoffman
In Berlin a Jewish mother and a rabbi’s daughter use magic to help daughters escape the Nazis. They journey through France as the Germans approach, find comrades’ bravery and love. A glorious read.
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
This is by the prolific Canadian author and poet, writer of The Handmaid’s Tale. Based on two naive sisters from a privileged background in small town Canada. The father’s business is failing so the father plans to offload his elder daughter to a wealthy man who might invest in his business. The novel is like 4 books in one, brilliantly woven together with compelling plots and twists, incorporating Atwood’s signature science fiction/faction approach. It has epic scope, travelling from the early to the late twentieth century. There is a strong theme of getting old and losing power over our lives.
1066 And All That by Stuart Yeatman
Published before the Second World War, this can now be called a classic.What is it: fact/history? fiction/ humour? Rereading this 50 years later, after an initial reading as a teenager, it seems slightly dated and perhaps a little less humorous, but it remains a light hearted, amusing read.
The writer, a very intelligent, bright working class chap from Ilford ,Essex achieves a job on the trading floor of Citibank. The book demystifies the basics of trading. It is a funny, riveting, entertaining read, but also very troubling in its exposure of the true cost of working with and earning huge amounts of money. Gary became a millionaire.
Other books read were The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell and Daughters of the Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson.