Tag: Book Club

The Two Loves of Sophie Strom by Sam Taylor

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Isn’t it funny how sometimes you read two books with similar themes in quick succession, without even planning to? This has happened to me this month, as I have read ‘The Names’ and ‘The Two Loves of Sophie Strom’, both of which have a little of a ‘sliding doors’ theme to them – the whole idea of ‘what if?’

‘The Two Loves of Sophie Strom’ is a book I have absolutely loved. I appreciate that some readers may find the start of the book a little confusing, but it is a slow burn that is absolutely worth sticking with as it is a great story. We meet Max, a Jew living in Austria, at the start of the build-up of nationalism and the success of Hitler’s Nazi Party; one night, his life is changed for ever as his family’s business is attacked.

However, this attack creates a sliding-door moment, as we also meet Hans, who leads the life that Max could have lived if the outcome of the attack on his family’s music shop was different. Both of these boys, and later men, appear to be leading parallel lives, with very different experiences through the war years. But they are both in love with Sophie Strom, and will do all they can to protect her.

This is a fantastic piece of historical fiction, which investigates human nature in the time of war-torn Europe (specifically, occupied Paris). It really makes you think about the decisions that people have to make to survive – you really consider the light and dark of human nature in difficult times. Is Hans someone who really exists within Max, or is Max someone who really exists within Hans?

I thought this book was very skilfully written, with the dual narrative; it really takes some skill to write this story and keep it entwined. The novel also tells a beautiful story about love, survival, human nature and what it means to exist in even the darkest times. The characters are beautifully created, and they become very vivid for the reader (Karl is one of the most hateful characters I have ever read about, everything wrong with humans, especially in difficult times).

I am already ready to pass this book onto another reader, because I am pretty sure they will enjoy it. I think it is a book that will be with me for quite some time, and it has really made me think about the human experience, not only in World War Two, but in all situations of war. It is a unique idea for a book, and I hope that it finds many readers who will enjoy it as much as I did.

Moon Road by Sarah Leipciger

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

This month’s pick for ‘The Book Taster’ was ‘Moon Road’ by Sarah Leipciger. This is a book which I would not have picked up without book club, I suspect, simply because there are so many books and yet so little time. However, this is a book that deserves to be on more tbr piles and wishlists, because it really is a good read.

This is a slow burn of a road trip novel, and yet it is also a mystery and a very compelling story. We journey ‘Moon Road’, which has multiple meanings as you read this book, with Yannick and Kathleen as they are on a journey to find their daughter, Una. As they take this journey together, after nineteen years since their relationship ended, their past is slowly revealed to us, one memory and conversation at a time.

We are let into their relationship, in a way they have not even been let in for quite some time. They are complex characters and, maybe, not always likeable characters, but you feel you are on the journey with them and you are really drawn into their story and build a bond with them as they follow Moon Road. I think you take on all their emotions and find yourself needing to pick up the book to find out what is going to happen next, and make sure they are okay on their adventure or journey (depending on how you look at it).

I can’t say much more about the story other than that, as it may lead to spoilers, but I can say it is a beautifully constructed story, which has one of the most haunting endings I have ever read in a novel. In fact, that ending is with me still now as I write this post, and I think it will be with me for a long time to come. And you are just going to have to read it to understand why that is.

What also made this book beautiful for me, is that it is set in Canada. I have been lucky enough to be to some of the places mentioned in the book, and this allowed me to visualise, maybe not perfectly, the surroundings they may have been travelling through, and how, with all that time isolated together, the level of reflection, and sharing of thoughts and experiences between Yannick and Kathleen would come about.

Probably Nothing by Lauren Bravo

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

For May’s The Book Taster Book Club pick we read ‘Probably Nothing’ by Lauren Bravo. I have seen Lauren Bravo’s books around but I had not picked one up, until now.

I am not sure what I expected, as we all know I do not read blurbs, so I always go blind into books and start a journey of discovery. (It will be no surprise that I loved the cover, however.) And this book was a joy to read. Although it covers some difficult issues, it does it with wit and charm, that creates a great story with some wonderful characters that you can imagine sitting down with and having a chat.

Bryony does not mind being single; she is fairly satisfied with how she is living her life. Until, one day, she gets a call telling her that her boyfriend has died and his family wanted her to know – the thing is, Bryony does not have a steady boyfriend, just a man she has been having fun with: Ed. From that moment, her life follows a bizarre path as she becomes swept up into Ed’s family, and she does not quite know how to break it to them that she is not quite who they think she is. Alongside this, Ed’s sister-in-law turns out to be her doctor’s receptionist, who probably knows more about Bryony that she would care to admit. And, as they are thrown together, they realise that they may be the support that each other needs against Ed’s slightly ethusiastic and intense family.

As the story unfolds, Lauren touches on issues such as grief, mental health issues, family relationships (some healthy and some not-so-healthy) and friendship, but this is also done with such wit and sensitivity that its adds to the depth of the story and creates quite a thought-provoking read. In fact, it will be a fantastic read for book club, and I can not wait to hear what other readers think, because I think this book could also mean different things to different readers.

This novel does another of my favourite things: it has the sort of title that can have so many different meanings depending on where you are in the story – now, I obviously can not share too much about them, because that could lead to potential spoilers. But, as you read it – because I would really suggest that you do – keep that title in mind, and see what it means to you.

Hold Back the Night by Jessica Moor

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Wow, this book could be my book of the year. ‘Hold Back the Night’ by Jessica Moor was picked as the March read for The Book Taster Book Club and I was really intrigued by the premise of the book, but I was not expecting how blown away I was by the absolutely stunning story.

‘Hold Back the Night’ is about Annie, a nurse in a psychiatric hospital in the late fifties and sixties, a landlady to those who nobody else wants to help during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s, and an elderly woman during the Covid epidemic, who is forced to reflect on her life and her actions. Particularly those actions of her time in the psychiatric hospital, especially when a ghost of her past reappears in her life in the 1980s. I do not think I can do this story justice, but what I can say is that this book and the characters that you meet will stay with you for a long time after you have finished the final page.

There is a study of isolation, loneliness and freedom throughout the book. The male patients in the psychiatric hospital have been isolated from society for a number of reasons, but one reason is their sexuality and the fear they experience as they are treated for this. The men who come to stay with Annie are all HIV-positive and have been isolated by the rest of the world because of this, and they live in fear of death. And, finally, Covid isolates Annie, and she experiences the isolation and fear that the men she met in the past must have faced every day – this, as well as the loss of her friend Rita, forces Annie into this reflective mood and brings us the story of her past.

But, it also lets us think about love and what that really means. And why have people not been allowed to love in the way that they want to? Who has the right to have an opinion on love in any form? I think Annie was really rather liberal for the times that she lived in, but, at the start, she has a fear hovering over her that prevents her from making as much of a difference as she could, unlike her friend Rita. She takes the 1980s as her chance to seek redemption for her past, but also, we see that she accepts people for who they really are. And, at the end, we see her celebrate love.

‘To all the ghosts we failed to see’ is the dedication at the start of the book and I hope that this book does remind people of those ghosts, brings them back to our living memory and never lets us forget them. I would encourage everybody to read this book, because it is both a wonderful story and an education – and you will finish the book angry with the past and hopeful for the future. Thank you, Jessica Moor, for bringing this book to us all.

The Hike by Lucy Clarke

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

I am ahead of the game, already having finished the January pick for the Book and Pudding Club I attend. I guess that is the joy of only having your Kindle with you when you need to pick a new book, and ‘The Hike’ is sitting there ready for you to read. This was also the perfect book for the ‘Twixmas Days’ as it is a page-turning thriller, that has you just wanting to know what will happen next.

Four female friends set of on a hike, their annual trip to spend time together, although this year it is different as they do not usually go for something so adventurous, usually opting for some time on the beach. However, each of these women is carrying more baggage than their backpacks and as they spend more time on this hike, secrets are revealed and friendships are tested. All alongside them encountering the trip of their nightmares, rather than a lifetime. And, why do they feel haunted by Karin, a woman who went missing on the same hike a year before?

What I liked about this book is the way that the chapters were constructed. Each chapter is a different perspective, which is not unusual, but there are chapters from a character who works as a mountain rescue volunteer and these are cleverly placed throughout the book. These chapters are a clever way to feed information to the reader that may impact their reading experience. I found these chapters fascinating the more the story went on – and as I finished the book I did reflect on how these chapters had impacted my understanding or perspective of the story.

I have to be honest, I am not sure I was a complete fan of all of the friends. I am not sure I believed in them all as real people but I did understand their situations and some of their experiences which maybe explained some of their behaviour. Although, by the end there was a change in each of the characters.

This was a fast-paced read and a clear page-turner. You just had to know what was going to happen next – this was my second book by this author and I much preferred it to the first one I read on audiobook. I think I would have found this hard as an audiobook as you need to keep the thread and different perspectives need to be clear. So, I would read more of Lucy Clarke’s books but I think I would stick to physical copies rather than audiobooks.

Frank and Red by Matt Coyne

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

For my IRL book club, ‘Frank and Red’ by Matt Coyne had been picked for September. And I was over the moon, as ‘Frank and Red’ had been on my shelf since ‘The Book Taster Live’ earlier this year (when I was also lucky enough to meet Matt Coyne).

This is a book that is a rather rare thing, this is a book that made me laugh out loud (and repeat the funny lines to Mr Bookwormandtheatremouse) and cry (and when I say cry, I mean ugly cry). This is a book that is full of two wonderful characters in Frank and Red who I will carry around in my heart forever.

Frank is a rather grumpy old man who is stuck in his ways, his wife Marcie has died, he has lost contact with his son and he never leaves the safety of his house and garden. Red is a rather chatty six year old, who likes to make friends and who has had to move to new area after his parents separated, and his new home with his mum is next door to Frank. And, as you may not be surprised to learn, much to Frank’s despair, as he rather likes (or so he thinks) the quiet life.

However, over time, these two very different characters become the friends that maybe neither of them realised that they needed. There are quite some adventures and misadventures along the way, but together they help each other learn a little more about themselves and the people that both of them can become.

Matt Coyne writes in such a humourous way but with real moments of tenderness – and has obviously written from the heart. This book is truly a page-turner, I was reading past my bedtime because I just kept wanting to stay in the company of this wonderful story. I hope that we will be treated to more books from Matt Coyne because this one is has definitely cemented itself as one of my favourite reads of the year. So, if you have not picked it up yet, do yourself a favour and make sure you do.

Weirdo by Sara Pascoe

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

The July choice for ‘The Book Taster Book Club’ was ‘Weirdo’ by Sara Pascoe. This was a book that I had my eye on for some time, so it was a perfect excuse to pick it up and read it.

I can see why this book may be a Marmite book – and I definitely do not think that it is a book that will be for everyone, but I rather enjoyed it.

This story is told as a stream of consciousness, like we are living in the head of our main character, Sophie. And, for some, this may be a little jarring, but I rather enjoyed this as a reader. We all live in our heads sometimes, like Sophie, and we often have thoughts that may trigger other thoughts and cause us to jump around in our own heads. For me, this was really interesting, as little moments can often cause another memory or idea to be sparked – and this is what happens throughout the story. Sophie unpacks her past as she lives in her present, which takes her on a journey of self-discovery, as she realises that maybe there is not such a thing as perfection. But she also begins to understand why her present may have been impacted by her past…

Sophie also has a whole host of difficult and dysfunctional relationships to address in her life. These have certainly impacted the Sophie that she has become and need a bit of shaking off if she is going to move forward with her life.

So, as much as I appreciate that this book will not be everyone’s cup of tea, I think that there were a number of features that are probably quite relatable to many young women. The overthinking is definitely something that I could relate to, as was the way we jump around with our thoughts. This is especially true if we are feeling isolated or alone, which is how Sophie is feeling in this stage of her life. And I think there is an important lesson to us all that we should never let anyone dull our shine, or tell us that we are not worth being exactly what we want to be.

You Are Here by David Nicholls

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

Like so much of the book world, I was over the moon when I knew we were getting a new book from the pen of David Nicholls. I am an original fan of ‘One Day’, ‘Starter for Ten’ and ‘Us’ (‘Sweet Sorrow’ is on my shelf waiting to be read, and ‘The Understudy’ is on the wishlist) and, like so many, had my heart broken all over again by the recent Netflix adaptation of ‘One Day’. I was confident that ‘You Are Here’ would not disappoint, especially after hearing David Nicholls speak at the recent Stratford Literary Festival.

So, I was even more over the moon when ‘The Book Taster’ announced that this would be our June book pick, because that meant I had a whole host of lovely book buddies to read this book with and the chance to meet, discuss it and hear David Nicholls speak again.

‘You Are Here’ is just brilliant. I could end my review there, as this book is going to be up there as one of my top reads of the year (I never manage to have just one). This is a story that contains everything that you expect from the books of David Nicholls. Marnie and Michael are two beautiful characters who are incredibly easy to relate to (as my day job is a leading a humanities department, I can confirm that Michael is very much a geography teacher, with a geography teacher’s sense of humour). I would love to bump into these two and have a drink and a catch-up with them, especially as Marnie is a fan of ‘Wuthering Heights’. The plot is delightful, with humour and romance to satisfy us all; it is definitely a cosy read – none of that is a spoiler because, if you are a fan of David Nicholls, these things will not be a surprise.

But the thing I loved the most about this book was the beautiful, descriptive writing. I shared a wonderful paragraph about Euston Station with other readers because it was just so brilliantly written, and I think may well be one of my favourite pieces of writing in a book (and I never thought anything involving Euston Station would be my favourite…).

You feel you are there with Michael and Marnie at every moment throughout this book. There is a humour in the writing that is a joy to read; you smile as you read this book, and you feel like you are an old friend – and I may even have shed a little tear at one moment, too, which is also probably no surprise.

In a world that is far from ideal at the moment, where we all need a little escapism, this is a book that can give you exactly what you need – a hug in book form, and a pure moment of joy.

How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

The May Book Club from ‘The Book Taster’ was ‘How to Build a Boat’ by Elaine Feeney. This is a book that I had half an eye on, so it being the monthly pick for book club meant that I would definitely have to read it. I also love the paperback cover, as it is very similar to a watercolour painting and, as my Grandad was a watercolour artist, it added an extra appeal.

‘How to Build a Boat’ is a slow burn of a book, but it is certainly worth it, and that adds to the beauty of the story. (Warning: there is a lack of speech marks, but this does not bother me as it does some other readers). Jamie’s mother died when he was born and he has been brought up by his father and his grandmother. As he has got older, he is becoming worried that maybe he is forgetting her and he wants a connection to her that will stop that from happening at the same time that he is dealing with starting a new school.

This leads him to forming a connection to his teachers, Tess and Tadhg, both of whom are also feeling a little lost, for different reasons. Together, with some help from others, they build a boat – and this project and the new friendships and relationships formed along the way take them all on some journeys of self-discovery. In fact, they may end up on their greatest adventure.

This book reminded me of ‘The Colony‘, which we read at book club last year. A beautifully constructed story, very well written, that touches on so many important topics and stays with you a long time after you have finished reading the book. I am still thinking about Jamie O’Neill and his friends, and hoping that they are still forging their paths to happiness, after some struggles along the way.

I am not always interested in books which make longlists or shortlists, but this is deserving of its place on ‘The Booker Longlist 2023’, as it is a special book. It was also one that was chosen by ‘Between the Covers’ on BBC Two, and I hope that also brought it to a wider audience, because it is a book that deserves to be read by everyone.

No One Saw a Thing by Andrea Mara

by Bookworm&TheatreMouse

As I am a real fan of thrillers I had to pick the April book club pick from ‘The Book Taster’ a little early. I was just too excited not to read it.

This is a fantastic thriller, especially as it is something that does not read as complete fiction but has an element of possibility to it that it makes it all the more brilliant to read. As someone who used to travel a lot on the underground as a child with my mum, and always used to worry about boarding that train without her, I could feel all the emotions in this book.

This book is a fast-paced read, as you live through the moments and hours that follow Sive’s daughter not getting off the underground train, but you also find out about the past of the group of friends that led up to the moment in London. There are so many secrets and lies that have taken place between these friends, nobody is quite sure who is telling the truth and, as the story progresses, it appears that nobody is above suspicion.

I could not put this book down because it appeared that every chapter revealed something else about one of the friends and nobody seemed to be quite who they had been saying they were. Even Sive, who is a bit of an outsider amongst the group, has a secret that you would not quite expect. The twists in the tale are excellent.

My only slight niggle as I read this book was that some of the ‘clues’ were really pointed out to the reader. Although this did not happen all the way through the book, so it did not take away from the enjoyment of reading it – it is still a well-constructed thriller which will satisfy fans of the genre.