Tag: Books

Sophie’s Choice – William Styron

READ FOR BOOKCLUBChosen by Rachel An aspiring novelist is captivated by a Holocaust survivor and her unpredictable boyfriend Stingo is a Southern young man aspiring to be a novelist and living off the income from his grandmother’s controversial sale of slaves many years prior.… Continue Reading “Sophie’s Choice – William Styron”

The Mirror Book – Charlotte Grimshaw

READ FOR BOOKCLUB & NZ BOOK AWARDSChosen by Suzy The memoirs of Charlotte Grimshaw, author and daughter of C K Stead ❝ I can’t lie – I initially wanted to read The Mirror Book for the goss factor, but this memoir is so much more. It’s… Continue Reading “The Mirror Book – Charlotte Grimshaw”

2022 – Reading Culture

As an environment where reading is championed and valued, bookclubs provide an encouraging culture of shared learning; of the ability to understand a reality other than our own. Establishing culture is not only an important basis of book clubs but books too, for stories… Continue Reading “2022 – Reading Culture”

Sisters – Daisy Johnson

READ FOR BOOKCLUBChosen by Rachel Born ten months apart, July and September are almost like twins. They do not look the same, they do not have the same personalties, but they are becoming inseparable and September increasingly exhibits dark influences over July. Their closeness… Continue Reading “Sisters – Daisy Johnson”

2021 Booker

⫸ There are many safety nets which we turn to in a time of ongoing global uncertainty, and one of them is the search for the truth. Opinions of experts and everyday people, the reliability of data and keeping up to date with what… Continue Reading “2021 Booker”

Great Circle – Maggie Shipstead

READ FOR BOOKERTHON The story of daredevil female aviator Marian Graves and her plans to circumnavigate the globe. Marian and Jamie Graves are rescued as infants from a sinking ocean liner in 1914, then raised by their uncle in Montana. After encountering a pair… Continue Reading “Great Circle – Maggie Shipstead”

Bewilderment – Richard Powers

READ FOR BOOKERTHON An astrobiologist helps his neuro-divergent son understand our beautiful, imperilled planet Theo Byrne is an astrobiologist looking for life in space while also caring for his behaviourally challenged son, Robin. Theo’s wife, an environmental activist, has died in a car crash… Continue Reading “Bewilderment – Richard Powers”

The Promise – Damon Galgut

READ FOR BOOKERTHON The lives and deaths of a white South African family, and a promise made to their black housekeeper When Rachel, a 40-year-old white South African dies in 1986, her country is transitioning out of apartheid. The subsequent decline of the family… Continue Reading “The Promise – Damon Galgut”

The Fortune Men – Nadifa Mohamed

READ FOR BOOKERTHON Set in 1952 in Cardiff, The Fortune Men details the real events surrounding the wrongful imprisonment of Mahmood Mattan, a Somali seaman. False witness accounts and racist policing led to him being found guilty of the murder of a local shopkeeper. In prison… Continue Reading “The Fortune Men – Nadifa Mohamed”

A Passage North – Anuk Arudpragasam

READ FOR BOOKERTHON Sri Lankan man Krishnan receives two messages, the first informing him his grandmother’s caretaker Rani has died, found in the bottom of a well with her neck broken. The second is from Anjum an activist Krishnan loved years ago, which stirs… Continue Reading “A Passage North – Anuk Arudpragasam”