War Brides

I very much enjoyed War Brides by Helen Bryan which is set in a village in England during World War II.  Five women from diverse backgrounds become friends as they do their best to cope with and survive the War.  One, from America, tricks a British naval officer in to marrying her; another in the village is bereft, being the fiancee of said naval officer; another from a wealthy family who stubbornly refuses to conform; another a Jewish newlywed who escaped Austria just before the War broke out; another from a poor area in London is sent in to the country to escape the bombing.  We get to know these characters well due to the research by the author.  At the time this story was set there were known to be Nazi collaborators in England, particularly on the south coast where they would tell the Luftwaffe if it was a good night for a bombing raid.  There were a couple of times when I found the story a bit incredible, but overall I did enjoy it. 4/5

Precious Things

I very much enjoyed Precious Things by Kelly Doust which  is set in London.  The main part of the story is about Maggie, an auctioneer who specialises in antique pieces.  Maggie and her family - husband, teenage stepdaughter and toddler daughter, go through normal family issues.  In a job lot at work Maggie finds a beautiful hand-crafted piece of embroidery which can be used as a collar or coronet.  The reader learns about the origin of the piece in the late 19th century France and in subsequent chapters we learn more of the piece's journey.  Meanwhile, Maggie risks a fracture in her family with an infatuation.  This is a lovely story. 4/5

Coffin Road

I enjoyed Coffin Road by Peter May which is mainly set in Scotland.  A man has washed up on a beach on a small island and he has completely lost his memory.  He tries to find out who he is as people show him his home and he stumbles through not letting on that he doesn't know who he is.  A short time later a body is discovered on an island and the "no memory man" fears he may be a murderer.  It was a bit slow going with this main character narrating in first person.  Also a bit too incredible.  The next thread is the story of a 16-year-old girl whose father committed suicide two years earlier.  She has "gone off the rails" after this tragedy then she begins asking questions about her father.  The story is about bees and their vital importance to feeding of the human race.  This aspect was very interesting. 31/2/5

The Happiest Refugee

I enjoyed The Happiest Refugee by Anh Do, his memoir about his very interesting life.  He and his family braved leaving Vietnam by sea, encountering pirates along the way, almost dying at sea.  He and his family worked hard to have a good life in Australia.  Anh and his siblings excelled at school while his parents did sewing jobs in their own home.  Anh was encouraged to be a stand-up  comedian.  He was very successful and his career took off.  An interesting story, told well.  I can hear his voice as I read the page. 4/5

February Book Club

We had our first meeting for the year.  Everyone was there except one lady who is being a "grey nomad" down south.  Thank you to our host for providing a nice cool place to talk about all we've been doing since before Christmas.  We had a delicious supper, great company and good conversation.  We even talked about the books we've read.  Our host had a number of new books which we'll look forward to reading.  Stay cool!!

The Crossing

I enjoyed The Crossing by Michael Connelly which features a favourite character, Harry Bosch.  In this book Bosch has been kicked out of the LAPD pending court action.  In the mean time, he is asked by half-brother Mickey Haller to work for him.  So Bosch "crosses" to the dark side - working for the defence.  Haller wants to prove that his client did not commit the murder for which he is accused.  Bosch is sceptical as they "all say they're innocent" so he has to be convinced he is not guilty before he could take it further.  So the reader is taken along with Bosch as he investigates. 4/5

Gut

I found Gut by Giulia Enders a very interesting book.  The author tells "the inside story of our body's most under-rated organ".  She tells about the importance of gut health and how we can achieve that, in a way that is instructive and entertaining.  It is not a dry nor difficult to follow book.  The information is easy to read and the illustrations help our understanding.  She includes chapters on allergies and intolerances, reflux, constipation, salmonellae, antibiotics and how our gut influences other organs in our body.  This is a book which should interest all of us. 4/1/2/5