Johnson, Stephanie (2013) The Writing Class. Vintage. Merle is an author who also teachers a Creative Writing class. Merle mentors the aspirations of her students in their final semester, as they prepare to submit their manuscripts. Amidst this tension and drama Merle observes the romantic entanglement of her colleague, worries about her husband's downward spiral, and is drawn to… Continue reading November Picks
October Picks
Gregory, Philippa (2014) The King's Curse. Simon & Schuster. This final instalment in the Cousins' War is the story of Margaret Pole, a Plantagenet heir and a rival to the English throne. Margaret's destiny is to live much of her life in fear of the Tutor monarchs, firstly of Henry VII and latterly her nemesis Henry VIII. Much… Continue reading October Picks
September Picks
Wizenberg, Molly (2014) Delancey: A Man, a Woman, a Restaurant, a Marriage. Simon & Schuster. In this new memoir food writer Molly shares her experiences of setting up a pizza restaurant in Seattle. When she married Brandon he had a number of eclectic offbeat interests, from violin-building to ice-cream making, so when he decided to open… Continue reading September Picks
August Picks
Clinton, Hillary Rodham (2014) Hard Choices. Simon & Schuster. In the aftermath of her presidential run Hillary Clinton was appointed Secretary of State. As Secretary she had to make many hard choices. This memoir is an inside account of the choices, challenges and crises she faced during her four years in the role as the world's most… Continue reading August Picks
July Picks
Levin, Gabrielle (2014) The Collected Works of A.J. Fikry. Little Brown. A.J.'s life is a train-wreck; his wife has died tragically, his quirky bookshop is failing and his rare first edition has been stolen. Into his life comes unexpected love - baby Maya, left at A.J.'s bookshop, and eclectic book rep Amelia. This delightful story of… Continue reading July Picks
June Picks
Macdonald, Finlay (2013) The art and life of Lynley Dodd. Penguin. Storyteller Dame Lynley Dodd has found remarkable success with her Hairy Maclary and friends books. We follow her life from small country school to Elam Art School and a teaching career before she finds her stride as author and illustrator of one of the world's… Continue reading June Picks
April – May Picks
Flagg, Fannie (2013) The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion. Random House. Mrs Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama has just married off the last of her daughters, and is looking forward to a relaxing future. The only fly in the ointment is her formidable mother Mrs Leonore Simmons Krackenberry. Sookie's new found peace is shattered when… Continue reading April – May Picks
March Picks
Hoffman, Alice (2014) The Museum of Extraordinary Things. Scribner. Coralie Sardie is the daughter of a sinister and self-proclaimed "professor", owner of a Coney Island freak show. An exceptional swimmer Coralie is a mermaid in her father's museum, one of his menagerie of living wonders, and he is now casting her as a waterlogged and… Continue reading March Picks
February Picks
Weir, Alison (2013) Elizabeth of York; A Tudor Queen and her World. Ballantine Books. Elizabeth of York united the houses of York and Lancaster thus ending the War of the Roses. Beloved consort of Henry VII and precious mother of Henry VIII her life spanned a dramatic and dangerous time in England's history. Weir's meticulous… Continue reading February Picks
Jan’s Holiday Reads – January 2014
Forster, Margaret (2013) The Unknown Bridesmaid. Chatto & Windus. When Julia was eight she was a bridesmaid for her cousin Iris. Julia was delighted but after this things started to go wrong. A lifetime later Julia is a child psychologist dealing with troubled girls where she is constantly confronted by her own past. Margaret Forster… Continue reading Jan’s Holiday Reads – January 2014
7:30 Bookclub 