2025- February - Red Bones by Ann Cleeves

 Book 3 in the Shetland series.

We liked learning about Shetland Life and some of the history. From one of us who had visited, it was thought to be true to life, very family oriented, and somewhat narrow minded. 

It was easy to read and not a literary book.

A nice enough story with a mildly disappointing end. 

Marks in the 6's and 7's, about 6 1/2

A bit of a discussion about how we read books, T read hers immediately she got it and had forgotten a lot after a month, I read in short bursts and it takes me a month to get through it, Others are reading it in the last few days to find out how it ends before the meeting. 

2025 -January - Night Watch by Sarah Waters & Violetta by Isabel Allende

 No meeting in December so two books to discuss in January. 

Night Watch

Some of us tried it, two of us read it. three of us got to about 100 pages and couldn't see where it was going. It was in three parts going backwards in time and it was thought it would have been better being done in chronological order. Pointed out that as the publisher was Virago it was a feminist book. Lesbianism and Heterosexual relationships in it. No one could make out the young lad who was the centre of the book. Relationships weren't developed satisfactorily.  Marks of 4,3,1.5

Violetta

Again, some people thought that the relationships weren't developed enough. Plenty of excitement in the life of Violetta from 1920 to 2020 - Time of the Flu epidemic to Covid. I wish that I had looked at the Wikipedia page for  Salvador Allende  while reading the book, I would have had a much better idea of the story. 

Marks 4,5,6,7,8,8,8,8 =avg 7