The Book That Matters Most

I enjoyed The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood which is set in USA and Paris. The main characters are Ava whose husband runs off with another woman.  Ava joins a book club to meet people.  The story is told over 12 months, each month introduced and then what happens to the characters during that month, as well as, which book is featured at the book club.  For this year's book club, participants have been asked to select the book that matters most to them.  When it's their turn, they talk about the book and the reason it was selected.  We follow what happens to Ava each month and to her daughter, Maggie, who is "living" in Paris, unbeknownst to her family.  She is going through a traumatic time.  The other characters have smaller chapters.  Ava had a sad childhood when her sister, Lily, died after which her mother committed suicide.  Eventually the past catches up with the present.  4/5

The Life We Bury

I very much enjoyed The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens which is set in USA.  College student, Joe Talbert, has to write an assignment about an older person.  He visits a nursing home and he's told about a resident, Carl Iverson, who is dying from cancer.  Carl was convicted of the rape and murder of a teenage girl 30 years before.  He has been released from prison to die.  Joe has a lot going on in his life with an autistic younger brother, Jeremy, who lives with their mother, an alcoholic.  Joe meets a young woman in his apartment block who becomes interested in Joe's project.  Quite suspenseful. 41/2/5

Unusual Uses for Olive Oil

I've read Unusual Uses for Olive Oil by Alexander McCall Smith.  I'm a great fan of his and usually enjoy his books.  This is a story set in Germany where Professor Dr von Igelfeld is a pompous professor whose only "claim to fame" is writing a 1200 page book entitled Portuguese Irregular Verbs.  It is a satire where each chapter is like a short story about the hapless von Igelfeld, who seems to have no common sense whatsoever and incapable of empathy.  He is a very comic character who has the most absurd "adventures".  All rather silly. 3/5

The Fifth Letter

I enjoyed The Fifth Letter by Nicola Moriarty, which is set in Sydney, Australia.  Four women, now in their 30s, meet for a holiday in a house near the beach.  They have been "besties" since they started high school.  One of them suggests they anonymously share a deep secret and they do so by using an old working computer and printer in the house.  They resolve to open one letter each night.  However, a fifth letter is discovered which will have a powerful impact.  I disliked the characters but there was enough mystery towards the end as we finally learn who wrote the fifth letter and the reason for writing it. 4/5

August Book Club

Had our monthly Book Club meeting last Monday, which is always very enjoyable.  A few missing with travel and illness.  Our host provided a delicious supper, my favourite was the shortbread creams - sooo good. We talked about what's happening in our lives, our grandchildren growing so quickly, the challenges of ageing.  We have some great new books which our host bought this month.  I'm looking forward to reading all that I chose.  One of our ladies is having a fantastic long holiday in West Australia where she's seen and done exciting things.  It's a delight to see her photos on Facebook.  

The Muse

I very much enjoyed The Muse by Jessie Burton (author of The Miniaturist) which is set in London 1967 and Spain 1936.  The story is told alternately in these two time periods.  Odelle has come to London five years earlier from Trinidad.  She is beginning a new job at the office of an art dealer.  An older woman there, Quick, becomes a mentor for Odelle.  Odelle meets a young man who brings a mysterious painting in to the gallery which had belonged to his recently deceased mother.  When the time moves to 1936 Spain, the reader learns about the origin of the painting.  We enjoy both the stories and eventually they come together and the mystery is solved.  Great writing and storytelling. 5/5