More Book Chat Winter Reading

The Russian Tapestry by Banafsheh Serov
A sweeping story of love against the setting of WWI and the Russian Revolution, this novel has been one of the most popular books discovered at Book Chat recently. The novel follows two characters caught up in huge political events: Alexei, a colonel in the Russian army, and Maria, a wealthy merchant's daughter, and is based on the lives of the author's husband's grandparents, making it all the more poignant.


The Road to Grantchester
by James Runcie
We've read the six books in the Grantchester Chronicles series about Sidney Chambers, the priest who solves crimes with policeman and backgammon pal, Geordie. But what set Sidney on the path to the church? This novel looks at Sidney's service in WW2 and events in the Cassino campaign which deeply affected him. Sydney before the war is not the same as Sydney after the war, and this book helps explain his problematic relationship with Amanda and his understanding for people caught up in all kinds of moral dilemmas.

My Mother's Secret by Sanjida Kay
A woman with a dangerous secret trying to keep her family safe. A disaffected teenager who is desperate to discover the truth her mother is hiding. These two story threads build into an page-turning narrative with an ending that will make you gasp.

The Jane Austen Project
by Kathleen A Flynn
What happens when two researchers from the future have the ability to travel back in time to the era of Jane Austen? Eager to solve questions around the famous author's death and uncover an unpublished manuscript, actor-turned-scholar Liam and disaster-relief scientist Rachel embark on a difficult quest. Austen fans will relish this as well as anyone who likes a good story.

Heart of the Grass Tree by Molly Murn
Pearl and her mother and sister return to Kangaroo Island, off Australia's south coast, to mourn the death of her grandma, Nell. This is a wonderful story about each woman's recollections of Nell, her secrets revealed in stories, art and poems, as well as evoking terrible events of the island's history. The stunning setting adds atmosphere to this multi-layered debut novel.

The Book of Dreams by Nina George
The author of The Little Paris Bookshop is back with another novel of warmth, compassion and whimsy. In The Book of Dreams, four characters connect in a hospital, including two that are coma patients. George brings together their stories - a boy who is meeting his father for the first time and the woman who still has feelings for the man; a young girl who is the only survivor of a crash that killed her family. A moving and thoughtful novel that contemplates the meaning of life.

Posted by Flaxmere Library Book Chat