The books we read in 2024 were

Jan 2024. This month we discussed Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov. Set in Kyiv in 1996 just after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Organised crime gangs are running the newly independent Ukraine. Viktor is a writer who lives with a penguin which he has rescued from the zoo when the animals were all sold off because they couldn’t afford to feed them. Viktor takes a job writing obituaries and is unwittingly dragged into the mess of organised crime. The novel is easy to read, it has very short chapters, it is slightly surreal, funny and intriguing. All of our readers enjoyed it.

Feb. The Dictator’s Wife by Freya Berry. We were expecting a book about the trial of a dictators wife. What did she know? When did she know it? Was she involved in the crimes of her husband’s regime? Was she guilty or was it guilt by association?A brilliant courtroom drama about the trial of a First Lady for a country looking to rebuild and move on from its past. Unfortunately this was not that book. The book tried too hard to be too many things (such as a psychological thriller, a gothic novel, a political thriller) and in the end was not good as any.Two of our members enjoyed the book, the majority of us were unimpressed.

March. For this month’s book group we read Small things like these by Claire Keegan. It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces into his busiest season. Early one morning, while delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church. This is a very short book that packs a lot into a few pages and although it doesn’t take long to read it provides a lot of food for thought. Even the members who don’t usually like short stories enjoyed it.

April.  
This month we read “I May Be Wrong “ by Bjorn Natthiko Lindebald. It is the story of a Swedish student who went off to become a forest monk for 17 years. A memoir rather than an autobiography, several of our members were inspired by the incredible wisdom throughout the book. One member even described it as life changing.

May. This month we discussed The Dictionary of lost words by Pip Williams.  
Do words mean different things to men and women? And if they do, is it possible that we have lost something in the process of defining them? This book mixes fact with fiction set around the compilation of the first Oxford English Dictionary. I thought it was a good read but it got mixed reviews from the groups.

June. Our book for June was Isaac and the Egg by Bobby Palmer. A book that explores the effect of grief on one man and how he copes with his changed circumstance after the death of his wife. Although not liked by many of our members I found that it gave me an intense sense of loneliness and the frustrations of coping with grief wrapped up in a story. I found it sad, funny and easy to read. Even though it was a bit odd I was impressed as it is the first novel by a young writer and a little different.

July. This month we read A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. It’s a beautiful book. It has everything that you want from a novel: interesting characters, romance, art, philosophy, tragedies and hope. The Count says you have to master your circumstances and he does that, even when incarcerated for life in a hotel. He makes friends, he gives optimistic speech and he confounds you with his ability to master anything. He’s inside, looking outside at the changing world, and he’s not bitter about what has happened. Instead he realises that he’s the luckiest man in Russia. This was the most popular book we have read.

August Age of vice by Deepti Kapoor. This was a long book and the first of a trilogy. It was one of those books that draws you in. A car crash initiates a series of shocking events affecting numerous individuals. Based in Delhi, India, a story of the disparity between the lives of those from a privileged background and the majority surviving in poverty. Numerous characters and a lengthy book involving every facet of human nature in their drive for survival.  
Commencing with a tragic car crash that results in the blame placed on an innocent servant. Events and individuals actions and motivations form a complex trajectory moving towards unseen consequences for everyone involved. The worst excesses of a society operated by corruption and violence is exposed in thrilling and dangerous detail.  
A high octane ending produces a worthy conclusion to an epic novel. Many of our group enjoyed this book. It was too long and had too many characters was the conclusion of a few. I look forward to reading the next book when it is released.

September
This month we read Demon Copperfield by Barbara Kingsolver.
A reimagining of Dickens' David Copperfield, this is the story of Damon Fields, aka, Demon Copperhead, a young boy growing up in the mountains of Southern Appalachia, and charting his journey into adulthood. Born to a teen-aged single mother battling a drug habit, Demon is orphaned at a young age, forced to face the hardships of a broken foster care system. Later, he finally finds a home with Coach Winfield and his daughter Angus, briefly enjoying stardom on the football pitch, only to suffer a devastating injury. From there, Demon finds himself on a downward spiral, battling addiction issues himself, however, through all the adversities, Demon never loses the fighting spirit and resilience he was born with.
Although long and quite a difficult read at times, the majority of our readers enjoyed this book.

October This month we discussed Lily by Rose Tremain
Subtitled ‘A Tale of Revenge’, the narrative moves back and forth in time between Lily’s early years spent with a foster family, her time at the London Foundling Hospital and her subsequent employment at Belle Prettywood’s Wig Emporium. Throughout the book Lily is convinced that the crime she has committed will one day be discovered and that she will be condemned to death as a result. The circumstances of the crime are only revealed towards the end of the book, posing the question whether a crime of this nature can ever be justified even if its motivation is to save others.
Enjoyed by most of our group with a few exceptions, members felt that it was not her best book although an enjoyable and worthwhile read.

November This month we read The Book of Beginnings by Sally Page. Jo Sorsby is hiding from her past when she agrees to run her uncle’s beloved stationery shop. Glimpsing the lives of her customers between the warm wooden shelves, as they scribble little notes and browse colourful notebooks, distracts her from her bruised heart.
When she meets Ruth, a vicar running from a secret, and Malcolm, a septuagenarian still finding himself, she suddenly realizes she isn’t alone.
They each have a story that can transform Jo’s life… if only she can let them in…….
A jolly good holiday read and although some of the group liked it the majority didn’t rate it very highly.

December. This month we read Rush of Blood by Mark Billingham.
Perfect strangers.
A perfect holiday.
The perfect murder... Three couples meet around the pool on their Florida holiday and become fast friends. But on their last night, their perfect holiday takes a tragic turn when the teenage daughter of another holidaymaker goes missing, and her body is later found floating in the mangroves.
When the shocked couples return home, they remain in contact, and over the course of three increasingly fraught dinner parties they come to know one another better. But they don't always like what they buried beneath these apparently normal exteriors are some dark secrets, hidden kinks, ugly vices... Then, a second girl goes missing. Could it be that one of these six has a secret far darker than anybody can imagine?
 This was something different for our book group, and got mixed reviews but most felt that it didn’t have much literary merit.