2026 October - The hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer

 Weird book, every chapter told by one of about 5 people, but somehow it does hold together. A lot of the story builds on the previous book I think. I wouldn't read another of his. You do have to keep going to find out how it comes out. And some people are one person in multiple guises. 4-5?

two people said that they loved Battenberg Cake. 

It was an easy read, with a good plot, though quirky in places. 

The pigeon voice was overdone.

Two people gave up, one was too busy and did not read it. 

mark 3-5.

2026-September Long Island by Colm Toibin

 This is a sequel to Brooklyn, but stands alone. 

It's a story of two women and one man, and Love. You don't know which way he is going to jump, and neither does he. The book is almost that everybody overthinks the situation.  I was going to say 'right up until the last page' but the indecision doesn't stop there. 

How would I mark it - 6 or 7. It was slow at first,but as Eilish starts to think about returning to the US of A, the tension builds up. 

2026-August Hardy Women by Paula Byrne

 General consensus is that no one enjoyed it. More like endured it. It came across as an Academic Analysis.  

There were interesting factual bits about Victorian Times, how hard it was for women teachers,  and also about the comments from the publishers to Hardy.

Other comments were stop/start and repetitive. 

I found it pleasant enough to read in short sessions, but to try and remember all of his women was not easy. 

The general mark of those that read it was 2,2,2, and 4. 

2026-July - The Pavilion in the Clouds - Alexander McCall Smith

 Anybody who has read previous books by McCall Smith wouldn't think this book would get much discussion at the book group.

I found it slow to get started because it was about a young girl talking to her dolls, then there was some intrigue to liven it up, and the last section 11 years later did a nice roundup of the story and everything ended happily ever after. Some of the thoughts  expressed by the adult women were far ahead of their time, little anticipating that the war would bring women into the workforce and able to express themselves more. Was it convenient that Bella's parents died in an air raid? 

Here are one set of comments from a reader who left the group some time ago but is now reading them alongside us:

DW: I was surprised when I read this book , I was expecting 'froth'  but it was an in-depth and thought provoking book. I liked the character of Virginia as she had original idea's,not only about her situation but about education, her thoughts on the empire and people her husband employed on the tea plantion. If the other wives on the same situation thought about these things we don't know as they never discussed them, only frivolous gossip. Once when Virginia raised a controversial thought she was accused of having suffragette thoughts. Henry her husband was having an affair, not with miss white as she and her young daughter Bella thought, but with her best friend heather . Heather councelled Virginia on her marriage this led to heather manipulation the situation for her own benefit . The relationship with miss white the governess was a game of one up manship, perhaps she did it to make herself important as it appeared she had little future being plain, clever and older. The situation was that to be a governess, not a servant but not accepted in upper society. She felt superior because of Virginia's lack of formal education. As for Bella , Virginia's young daughter, a lonely little girl of 8 far wiser than her years , clever but susceptible to fanciful ideas. Her only friends were 'Li Po and Po-Chai dolls, who were essential to her and she used them for council. She kept them while at university and beyond. Hope this is ok, left out the broken barrier and snake episode red herring's,not really what the book was about.  

Mark 6

There was a discussion about who Henry was having an affair with. Miss White said it had been Heather, but two of us thought that was a ruse of Miss White's in talking to the young ones to deflect from the fact that it was her. 

Marks from us all:  8/8/7/7/7 =   7

2026- June- Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton

I found this book a bit slow to get into, and then got to the part where it is almost like an american novel with an American Super-rich superhero and his eccentric way of doing things. 

I moved on and now am at the part where Tony is lecturing and it comes across like a story by Ayn Rand.  

I am glad I kept on. It's a real conspiracy story with a powerful ending. 

A good discussion on the book and it's people and their reasons. 

it was commented that it was patchy, which considering the way it was written with the thoughts of the people and the action sort of works. 

Marks varied from 4 to 10 average 6. 

Would I read another of hers? response a bit iffy. Wait and see what it is like. 

2026-May The Three Graces

 H:  i enjoyed the writing style, nice development of characters but by page 100 the story line didn't seem to be going anywhere and I lost interest so didn't finish it.

Interesting. For me just after page 100 things started to happen.  I liked some of the philosophical arguments and also some of the discussions about current affairs.  There are some great sentences that embody the state of something that I wish I had recorded. She gets in most of the things that are in current (2026) news. And it all ties together at the end for a sort of happily ever after ending. I enjoyed it. 

MArks 7,7,7,7,7,5, so average about 7. 

2026-April Old God's Time - Sebastian Barry

 This is a book about a retired Detective called back to review a cold case that he was involved in, but I found the book very slow, as he kept on thinking about his family and his life without getting anywhere, or described in too great detail small trips.

At the end I don't think that he got into the cold case. There were episodes where you thought he was doing something, but it was all a dream. I couldn't recommend this book for somebody who wants something to happen. It takes place in Ireland in the middle of the 20th Century and involves boys and girls in convent accommodation, which can mean that nasty things happen.  

My mark- Perhaps 2.  

Quite Mixed thoughts.

Would we recommend it?  Don't know. 

It was described as a beautifully written load of tosh. 

It was well written with a good literary style, but too graphic in places, and the stream of consciousness writing meant that some of our better readers skipped the middle of the SoC parts. 

MArks: 5,8,8,6, and my 2:  = 6. 

It lead to a discussion of what was a good book: 

It has to have an excellent story and be well written, and you have to feel glad that you have read it when you have finished it. 

2026 March - Shakespeare, the Man who pays the Rent by Judi Dench

A most enjoyable read, with Judi discussing her experiences  in a number of plays, prompted by Brendan O'Hea.  It was created over a period of four years. 

I enjoyed learning about how things came together in the plays, and getting a better feeling for the plots in the plays. 

The question and answer format worked well, as did the short chapters for each play or other effect.  It made the plays accessible to we readers. Also the different styles in the responses a la Shakespeare.

We all opened the book with pleasure and will think differently about Shakespeare productions in the future. 

F Lived near Stratford and knew the town, but had never been to the theatre there.

Marks  9,9,8,8,8,8, == Average 8 - Pretty good. 

2026 February - Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad

 I find the writing a bit schoolboyish, and even some of his mindset. And he seems to have undertaken this without much preparation. 

2026 - January Just got Real by Jane Fallon

After the previous book this one just doesn't do anything for me. I have read the first chapter and I'm bored with it. 

I'll have to try and will write more later. Read about 3 more pages and going to go back to a good book. 

I read a bit more, and then jumped the middle third of the book, and the last bit was quite good and fun to read. It ended  on a feel good  for the people the book was about, but the bad guy ended up still scheming. 

PR:I haven't finished Just Got Real yet, but I will.  I would describe it as a reluctant page-turner.  It's a bit like cheap chocolate, I don't really enjoy it very much but I keep on eating it.  Characters are a bit weak, story line is OK but predictable.  I'd say 6.5, entertaining but not very good !

FW: I managed 65 pages of it, Peter, then returned it...

Sorry  I couldn't face any more and didn't get to one hundred...

---

There were comments about it being a bit over elaborate in order to create the story, and questioning whether you can do facial recognition on a phone if the owner is asleep. 

Marks 8 8 7 7 4 5 = 6 1/2

2025 December - In Ascension - Martin MacInnes

 Published 2023. Supposed to be about 30 years in the future. It starts with Underwater exploration and moves on to the need to travel in space using a propulsion technology given by unknowns to earth. 

It's good, the space travel is reminiscent of Foundation by Asimov(1951).

Some anomalies to me are on page 209 there is a 19 digit number repeated, but what number base is this number? And why 3042 repeats? 

Page 309, at the start of chapter 11 "The Power does no Exist". But neither does Electricity or Magnetism. You can't hold them in your hand or see them.   And a joke about a cat refers to Schrodingers Cat, unknown to many.

Page 323 The dimensions are in Imperial feet and inches, but on page 340 the distances are metric. 

2031 was the last of Proscenium 1. Ci had come on the scene with ICORS in 2026 - This current year! It is the 2040s when she travels to Ascension.

The part where Helena is looking for answers and travels to Ascension Island had me wondering if Leigh and co. would still return.  The ending and the 'if you like' use of Leigh's body as the start of a new creation of mankind was quite an ending to the book. 

I have to mark it as 8.

People said it was well written. 

2025-November - Ann Tyler - Noah's Compass

Liam Pennywell, forced into retirement from teaching at 61, Is robbed and loses his memory of the incident. He spends the rest of the book trying to find his way around his three daughters, ex-wife, and possibly new love interest, without finding a way into happy retirement.  Not inclined to read another like this. Mark 4

General comments - it got boring in the middle.

It was a typical ending for Ann Tyler. Nothing conclusive, not tidy

Like a A Man called Ove but not as good.

Noah's Compass  - A book that went nowhere. 

Liam was frustrated, he let life carry him, but he did have principles. 

H didn't like a single person in the book, T though it was a great read. She liked the characters, and the interaction with the grandson.

Marks  5.5, 3, 4.5, 6, 4, 8   Average 5

And then you read about this fellow, and how people have lost their view of risk:  https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/12/britain-needs-more-lunatics-like-my-father/

from that article above: 

“: exuberant, determined, amazingly capable, and very far from risk-averse.

But that never deterred him. He saw risk as an entrepreneur sees it. Not as something objective and imposed from outside, but as something he could always shape himself through energy, charm, persistence… to make good things happen.

That view of risk shaped everything he did,”

And I feel that I have never taken the risky path, but have always taken the secure path of having an employer, when so many of my fellows set up their own companies.  [ It was pointed out that I did have a young family that I was responsible for.]  My father jumped at the opportunity to join the RAF in 1943 and then emigrate to Canada in 1952, and I did take the big step of  returning to England from Canada,  but I have never been adventurous enough to strike out on my own. 

2025- October - Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris

Declared the best book of the year (so far)  The marks averaged at 9. 

Very well written, and good signposts throughout.

We had discussions about the takeover of New Amsterdam to be New York, and how the cities mentioned look now. 

For me, it was a good read. The second half was slow  and drawn out with all the writing  and reminiscing that Ned was doing, but wow, what an ending.  Very well researched, though I suppose he put words in peoples mouths, as  he would have to do.  I would love to go to New Haven and see if the structure is still the same. The Highlight of the book was the ending. 

From FW: I, too, really enjoyed the book. 

I do wonder if other episodes in English history had been written in this form whether I'd be a history (ish ) whizz by now, as I found it absolutely fascinating. The characters were real, if more than zealous, and so well painted. I haven't read any other books by Robert Harris and now feel they need to be on my Christmas list 😁

I'm going to give it an 8 as I don't think I'll have time to read it again with the pile I have waiting for me. If I were thirty years younger it would have been a 9 ( but I wouldn't have had the time to read it!!)

From TC: I really enjoyed Act of Oblivion and rate it 10/10.  I thought it might be a bit boring and heavy but found it well written, good pace and I could engage with the characters. 14/10/2025

It wouldn't suit being made for television. I suppose it is hard to get actors to be hung, drawn, and quartered.

2025-September - Elephanta Suite, by Paul Theroux

 

FW

I should have read a little about it before diving in—I expected more overt linking between the three sections. Only afterwards did I realise they were indeed connected through different experiences of Americans in India. Duh!

I found it quite thought-provoking, especially the last story, which had an unexpected ending. I’d heard of the author but never read him before. I liked his style, even though I might have avoided the book if the blurb had revealed more about the content.

Rating: 6/10

SC

Started off okay and was well written, but I lost interest due to all the sordid affairs and exploitation of young indigenous girls. I read about 150 pages and scanned the rest—didn’t think it was worth my time.

Rating: Barely 5/10

Agreed with Dwight when he asks on p.167:

“How had he been corrupted so quickly... prey?”

And on p.244:

“Most things that people... with it.”

Did the three main characters link up? Must have missed that bit!

HB

I read the book while traveling to Amsterdam and Bruges. Got strangely hooked on it during the Eurostar journey two weeks ago. It was well-crafted, and I looked forward to reading it. I even paused occasionally to stare out the window and ponder how I’d react if something in the plot happened to me.

However... writing this two weeks later, I can’t remember anything about what I read. It was totally forgettable. I didn’t “get inside” any of the characters’ heads. The book didn’t linger in my brain afterwards. I read it, then moved on with my life.

Rating: 5/10

PM (Review from 2013)

Not finished. It was a depressing book made up of three stories about different Elephanta Suites. In all stories, Americans come to India.

• In the first, Mr. & Mrs. each have a brief affair with an Indian. They are effectively thrown out and possibly killed.

• In the second, a businessman becomes enthralled with a young girl. His partner leads him into eastern mysticism. Dwight gives up everything to pursue it, handing over the American business to Shah, who eagerly grabs it.

• The third is about a young girl in an Ashram who tries to leave.

Rating: 1/10

2025-August Days from a Different World - John Simpson

 His 4th Autobiography. His earliest years remembered. What he remembers himself from those times, with the turbulent state of his mothers household, and also added in things about British and world history that make it more interesting, as well as what other people were doing at that time - 1944-1952.

 It was difficult to get started because it was not exactly linear, but more interesting finding out about what was happening in the world later in the book, because this was my time. 

It seems that quite a few people skimmed through the middle of the book and just read the beginning and end.  It was the kind of book that you could pick up and put down, and just read bits. 

There was lots of discussion about his early life, and the things that he thought he saw. His life was reflecting the decline of England?  

The book was well written. The overriding comment was that people  were glad to have read it, but didn't enjoy it.

MArks - 4-6-6-7-6-6-8-5-5 = 53/9 - about 6. 

2025- July - We Solve Murders by Richard Osman

 We had a blank month on our library reading list, so we chose this book.  It's different, it's suspend belief funny, and enjoyable. 

Retired detective Steve Father in law of Amy, a close protection officer, whose blood has been found at three murders of customers of her company, Lots of possible villains who all have a finger in it somewhere, and people who are nefarious behind their innocuous cover stories.   Amy is protecting a very rich female author, who when asked if she has something says 'yes, I think I've got one somewhere', or 'Doesn't everyone have a private jet?'  And she is horny as hell. 

My Mark 8 - I would read another of his stories along this line. 

9,9,8,8,7,5,4,2.5  Avg: 6.5

2025- June- A pocketful of Happiness - Richard E Grant

 This is the story of his wife Joan's death from cancer, interspersed with reminiscences. It is hard to give any feelings about it. You can't believe that it was written as a money making thing. It is very personal, so why publish it aside from a few copies for the family. 

Nobody thought very much of it, too many references to celebs that he knew and we had never heard of. 

Agreed mark of 3. 

2025- May - A Man Called Ove by F. Backman

 I have enjoyed this book. It is very emotional at the end when a new family of the same sort of mindset is looking at his house. I loved his hate of the white shirts bureaucrats and the way that he treated them and the way that he looked after his neighbours, if somewhat unwillingly.   Mark - 9 from me. 

PH: A man called Ove is one of my favourite books.  A gentle, easy read, original story line and well written, with great bits of humour too.  As a cat lover, I loved the cameo roles played by the cat.   Not exactly a literary classic, but a very nice book – hence a 9 out of 10 from me.

Books for 25-26

 

SIMPSON                  DAYS FROM A DIFFERENT WORLD                 29/07/2025 THEROUX                 ELEPHANTA SUITE                                            26/08/2025 HARRIS                     ACT OF OBLIVION                                             23/09/2025 TYLER                       NOAHS COMPASS                                            28/10/2025 MACINNES               IN ASCENSION                                                   15/11/2025 FALLON                    JUST GOT REAL                                                 16/12/2025 BROAD                     ABROAD IN JAPAN                                             27/01/2026 DENCH                     SHAKESPEARE: THE MAN WHO PAYS THE RENT  24/02/2026 BARRY                     OLD GOD'S TIME                                                24/03/2026 CRAIG                      THREE GRACES                                                 28/04/2026 CATTON                   BIRNAM WOOD                                                   26/05/2026 MCCALL SMITH       PAVILION IN THE CLOUDS                                 23/06/2026

2025- April The year of the Flood by MArgaret Atwood

From Google Gemini:   A precis of Margaret Atwood's The Year of the Flood:

Set in a near-future world ravaged by a man-made plague, the Waterless Flood, the novel follows two women who survive in different ways. Ren, a trapeze artist, is locked down in a luxurious health club called Scales, while Toby takes refuge in the MaddAddamites, a garden-based, religiously inclined group who foresaw the coming disaster.

Through flashbacks, the novel reveals how their lives intersected before the plague, primarily through their connection to the enigmatic and morally ambiguous scientist, Crake, and his genetically engineered "Crakers." As the world collapses, Ren and Toby navigate the chaos and loss, eventually finding each other and grappling with the aftermath of the pandemic and the emergence of the Crakers as the new inheritors of the Earth. The story explores themes of environmental destruction, genetic engineering, religious fanaticism, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of catastrophic change. It acts as both a chilling cautionary tale and a testament to the power of connection and adaptation.

PR:  My feedback on the book, didn’t enjoy it at all.  Got to 50% on kindle and still have little idea who the characters are or what’s going on. I don’t find it particularly well written either.  Perhaps being the middle of a trilogy doesn’t help !  My score would be 3.  

SC: I'm afraid 'the Flood' didn't grab my attention sufficiently to read it when I was away and I couldn't relate to the characters - the language was too raw at times. As P mentioned, it may have been easier to start with the first book. I'd struggle to rate it!

PM: A dystopian fiction about the world after a couple of apocalypses, probably man-made, and a couple of women from a peaceable sect called the gardeners. Sort of easy to read, except  jumping around in time periods  from the beginning to the current time, which made it difficult. Gave up about page 130 as I couldn't see where it was going. A poor 4 from me. I wouldn't read another of hers. 

TC loved it, gave it an 8.

HB didn't get on with it and gave up.

So there were a variety of responses to the book.