Thursday 22 October 2020

Top Picks from Book Chat

Here's a selection of the books we've particularly enjoyed recently at Flaxmere Book Chat:

Under the Covers: secrets of a magazine editor
by Jenny Lynch 
In her new memoir, Lynch describes her 30 years among the editorial offices and newsrooms in the world of New Zealand’s print media. What went on behind the scenes of apparently conservative titles like The NZ Woman’s Weekly might surprise you. This was a trip down memory lane for this reader, who also went to school with the author.

The Lantern Men by Elly Griffiths 
We’ve all been following this best-selling series featuring forensic archaeologist, Ruth Galloway and no-nonsense detective DCI Harry Nelson. The latest book is another fabulous mystery with a thrilling ending. Bodies found in the fens, apparently buried by a convicted serial murderer drag Ruth back to Norfolk and away from her new life in Cambridge. Ticks all the boxes. 


Sometimes there can be just too much happening at Christmas and this is certainly the case for Melanie. She and husband Jack have two-year-old twins, they’re in the middle of renovations and Melanie’s dealing with a secret, a mystery as well as sibling rivalry. A treasure trove of colonial artefacts supposedly buried on her property throws up yet another mystery and an unexpected ending. This is number six in the series, and leaves the reader desperate for more.

Here Come the Girls by Milly Johnson 
Four friends who met at school have discovered that their lives have not lived up to the dreams they had when young. Twenty-five years later, a sea cruise might just be the answer to at least some of their problems. A light, bright and entertaining read in the chick lit genre. 

The Colours of Love by Rita Bradshaw 
Wartime mum, Esther Wynford’s world is shattered when her mother confesses to a secret. Esther feels propelled to her take her young daughter away from the security of her family and forge her own destiny. A story about racial prejudice and the power of a mother’s love. 


A charming romance about two people each harbouring a secret sadness and who meet at the wedding of mutual friends. Set in Amish country, Pennsylvania, this is a warm-hearted and relaxing read. 

Billabong Bend by Jennifer Scoular  
A marshland in Northern Queensland is the setting for this rural romance. Nina is a grazier keen to buy the marshland known as Billabong Bend to help protect its delicate ecology. Throw in the return of her childhood sweetheart, a tragic death and some divided loyalties and you have the makings for a page-turning and emotional read. 




The Fire Baby by Jim Kelly  
This is the second instalment in a new mystery series featuring Cambridgeshire journalist, Philip Dryden. A complex story begins with deathbed secrets revealed to Dryden’s wife who is slowly recovering from a coma. If she can communicate what she learns, this will blow open the murder story Dryden is investigating. Great characters and a brilliant setting make this a series worth getting your hands on. 

The Pursuit of William Abbey by Claire North  
When a young boy is lynched in colonial South Africa, bystander William Abbey is cursed by the boy’s mother. In the decades that follow, William will come to discover what this curse will mean. This is a haunting story, originally told, as well as beautifully written, which is a mystery, a war story, a spy story and an indictment of capitalism told over a few nights during WWI.

Posted by Flaxmere Book Chat

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