Book Chat Reading for January

 Suddenly One Summer by Fleur McDonald

Set against a backdrop of bush fires in Western Australia, McDonald’s new novel concerns Brianna, whose mother disappeared when she was three. Now working her dad’s farm and caring for her children, Brianna's marriage is under pressure as hubby flies in and out from his job in Perth. Meanwhile in South Australia, Detective Dave Burrows has an odd case involving an old man with dementia. The connection between the two stories drives a heart-warming and suspenseful plot.

Wild Wood by Posie Graeme-Evans

It is 1981 and Jessie Marley makes a strange discovery while in hospital recovering from a road accident. She finds herself drawing with her left hand (she is normally right-handed) pictures of a place she’s never been to. Jessie decides to visit Hundredfield, on the Scottish borderlands, the house revealed in her pictures. The story takes you back to the 1300s and the brutal time of the Normans and an old family secret. A very enjoyable read a little in the style of Diana Gabaldon.

Istanbul – a tale of three cities by Bettany Hughes

You might have seen Bettany Hughes on TV – she has presented several series on the ancient world and is a highly regarded historian. Her new book about Istanbul describes the importance of this city from the Roman Empire through to the Ottomans and its role as a gateway between East and West. What looks like a weighty tome is in fact very readable and a wonderful historical story.

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

This is one of those novels that probably everyone in Book Chat will want to read with its quiet humour, honesty and true-to-life characters. Arthur is an elderly man visiting his wife's grave and here he comes across teenage Maddy who doesn’t want to go to school. To stop her living on the streets, Arthur offers her his home and along with nosy neighbour Lucille, the three become an odd kind of family. A warm, engaging relationships tale from a top writer in this genre.

The Countess of Prague by Steven Weeks

Beatrice (Trixie) von Falklenburg is the amateur sleuth in this mystery novel, the first in a series of ten, set in early 20th century Prague. A body is fished out of the Vltava River wearing clothes belonging to a former batman of Trixie’s Uncle Bertie. Only it can’t be him because the batman is still alive. Trixie has a knack for solving little problems, and so Bertie asks her for help. A charming new series full of period atmosphere - not a rip-roaring read, but definitely intriguing.

Posted by Flaxmere Library Book Chat