A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

This has become my favourite all time read, given the space of time it covers from 1922 up to the 1950's. It’s so well written.

The Count (who just wraps you round his finger) is just the supreme gentleman, and the picture in the back of the book just puts me in the mind of how he should be.

He was a thoughtful, caring person who was denied his freedom and kept under house arrest in a hotel for over 30 years. Even under these circumstances, he stretched his thoughts to do what he could to help others.

The final chapters left me reeling - it was so practical that he and Sophia came to the happy conclusion they deserved.

Reviewed by Elizabeth

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner

The book group recently read a classic children's book of their own choice ...

The title draws you in. This takes you to places not dreamed of, with Elves,Tree Creatures who only appear at night, and Svarts with eyes that cannot bear light. 

The adventures that engulf Colin and Susan take them beyond mortal earth into the dark underworld, not knowing which path to take and how to escape the pitfalls around each corner.

Cadollin, the wizard they met up with, warned them of the dangers ahead, but can his help bring them safely back to their Aunt and Uncle's home?

                                               Reviewed by Elizabeth

Raven Black by Ann Cleeves

This is the first in a quartet featuring D I Jimmy Perez. He's rather a reluctant investigator, unearthing information that locals would prefer to remain hidden.

It's set in the Shetlands and gives some familiar glimpses of life in a small Island community. There's a kind of hierarchy depending on how long you've lived there, and open secrets that are never discussed. 

There's an interesting insight into life in a bird observatory on the Island, and Ann Cleeves captures the sometimes claustrophobic and isolating nature of an enclosed community. 

The icy cold of New Year's Eve adds to the atmosphere when a young girl is found strangled. The reclusive Magnus Tait is the local scapegoat, but D I Perez is not so sure... 

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Harper Collins

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is a debut novel by Gail Honeyman that went on to win a Costa award and has just been crowned Book of the Year at the British Book Awards.

Eleanor is an outsider who relies upon ritual to get her through. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meals... and buys two bottles of vodka to stave off the loneliness of the weekends. 

One small act of kindness shatters her routines, and gives her the courage to face the darkness of her past. But this is far from being a dark read. It's laugh out loud funny in places, touching and has a real feel good factor. Highly recommended!

The Dry by Jane Harper

We were going to have a seasonal read this month, but couldn't resist 'The Dry' by Jane Harper instead. It's  been described as a 'breathless page turner' by The New York Times and been featured as Thriller of the Month by Waterstones and the Sunday Times.  

The small country town of Kiewarra has been dry for two years following the worst drought to hit Australia in a century. Tensions mount, culmunating in the murder of three members of the Hadler family. The guilt falls on Luke Hadler, with the local community deciding that he committed suicide after killing his wife and six year old son.

Policeman Aaron Falk returns to the town he grew up in for the funeral of his childhood best friend. Aaron Falk and Luke Hadler had shared a secret, which is disturbed by Luke's death. Aaron is reluctantly drawn into the investigation, confronting secrets from the past as he questions the truth of the crime. 

We'll be talking about 'The Dry' at our next meeting at the library on Thursday 4th January 2018

Banned Books

We were all surprised how many banned books we'd already read! It was also a revelation to discover why some books were banned.

Jack London's 'Call of the Wild' was banned in Italy and Yugoslavia, before being burned by Nazis in 1933. It's a book about being individual and fighting back, but it's more likely to have been banned for the author's socialist views than for the text.

Book Group members chose to read:

Call of the Wild by Jack London

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

The Colour Purple by Alice Walker

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger

Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor

The Perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Here's Edith's comments on 'Forever Amber':

'Forever Amber' was banned in Boston, and regarded as being obscene in 1944. I read this book as a teenager or early twenties when I also read anything that was based on history. Now I think I am more discerning in book choice.

The novel is based on The Restoration of Charles II, and the research is impeccable. Every detail of life in that period - food, fashions, architecture, interior design and politics - is covered by the fictional tale of Amber St Clare.

Amber, beautiful and sexy, may well have been immoral but the court of Charles II is worse: bawdy, brutal, cruel, licentious and wicked. When it comes to intimate sex scenes between Amber and her many varied lovers, a great deal is left to the imagination of the reader. 

'Those critics of long ago were really reviewing the Restoration Period itself, not the story' Kathleen Winsor wrote.

Linda Darnell as Amber in the film adaptation

The book is 972 pages long, and sometimes I lost the will to live! The story of Amber kept me interested but I wasn't so keen on reading about the politics of Court life, and speed read a lot of the pages dealing with that.

Amber has no redeeming features - she is extremely selfish, greedy and grasping. She doesn't think things out before she acts and doesn't care if she hurts someone else in the process. She has two children by her first lover and, although he marries someone else, she can't let go - to the extent she follows him and his wife to America, and there the story ends.


I don't know if  a teenager or early twenties reader would enjoy this book today and I have certainly outgrown it. I would give it 4 marks out of 5 (mainly because of the excellent research of the period).

This book is quite tame compared to 'Game of Thrones' or 'Outlander'!

Holding by Graham Norton

Graham Norton's debut novel is an intelligently crafted story of love, secrets and loss...

Set in the remote Irish village of Duneen, where nothing much usually happens, human remains are discovered on an old farm and overweight village bobby, Sergeant P J Collins, is tasked with unravelling the mystery. As he struggles to solve a genuine case for the first time in his life, he unearths a community's worth of anger and resentments, secrets and regret.


With well written, believable characters and an authentic feel for life in a small Irish village, this is an assured first novel, which was greatly enjoyed by all members of Onchan Book Group.

Rating: 4 out 5 stars
Reviewed by: Cath

The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry

Our book of the month is the award winning Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry. It's 1893, and Cora Seabourne is a young widow whose husband's death has freed her from a secretly sinister marriage. 

Now free to follow her interest in science and natural history, Cora heads to Essex. She hopes that recent reports of a mysterious and ancient serpent may turn out to be proof of a 'living fossil'. 

Cora meets Will the local vicar while out on the Essex marshes, and neither are what the other expects. Will is a man of faith, skeptical about science, but reads Darwin. Cora is a wealthy woman who does not conform to the Victorian model of a society lady. Despite their differences, and family attachments, Cora and Will form a bond. 

This is an atmospheric read, full of mystery, twists and turns and issues to discuss at our next meeting on Thursday 7th September at 6 p.m.

TT Race Period

We've decided not to meet during the IOM TT Race period this year, so our next meeting will be on Thurs 4th July. 

We look forward to seeing you then!

Alexander McCall Smith

With the exciting news that Alexander McCall Smith is to be one of the guest speakers at this year’s Manx Litfest, Onchan Book Group decided to choose a book of your own choice by this popular author for this month’s read.

Alexander McCall Smith is one of the world’s most prolific and best-loved authors. His various series of books have been translated into forty-six languages and become bestsellers throughout the world. These include the popular 44 Scotland Street novels, first published as a serial novel in the Scotsman newspaper and now the longest-running serial novel in the world; the Isabel Dalhousie novels, and the Corduroy Mansions  series.

He became a household name with The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, which  was a hit TV series. His stand-alone novels, include The Forever Girls, Trains & Lovers,  Fatty O’Leary’s Dinner Party and Emma—a reworking of the classic Jane Austen novel. He has also written over 30 children’s books.

McCall Smith has been described as:

 "more of a movement, a worldwide club for the dissemination of gentle wisdom and good cheer."

Cath

Wolf Road by Beth Lewis

This one  has been a real hit with our book group. It's a dystopian novel, set in a post nuclear world where Elka, a 7 year old girl, is rescued in the wilderness by a man she calls the Trapper. The Trapper teaches her survival skills, but it turns out that he doesn't just hunt deer, he kills people too. At 17, Elka discovers that the Trapper is a serial killer, and sets out to find her real parents, who had left her in the care of her grandmother. The Trapper doesn't want to let her go, and Elke has to use what he taught her to stay alive ... but maybe he taught her too well? The group thought this one was pacy, engaging and well written and gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars.

200 Years of the Brontes

This month we’re reading either a book or poem of your own choice by The Bronte Sisters in honour of the bi-centenary of Charlotte Bronte. Charlotte was born in 1816, Emily 1818, and Anne in 1820, and they also had a brother, Branwell. When their mother died in 1821, the children were brought up by their clergyman father.

Anne Bronte, painted by Charlotte

Charlotte Bronte said: 'I'm just going to write because I cannot help it' and the sisters all followed this calling. Writing was an escape from the dreary life of being a governess, illness, family problems and tragedy. Women had little independence in the patriarchal society of the time, and their first publication was under the pseudonyms of Currer (Charlotte), Ellis (Emily) and Acton (Anne) Bell. 

They all went on to publish novels, with Charlotte's 'Jane Eyre' being one of the best sellers of 1847.  Anne's second novel, 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' and Emily's 'Wuthering Heights' were both published in 1848.

To Walk Invisible BBC 1

The Brontes' remarkable life story is being screened in a drama 'To Walk Invisible' on BBC1 on Thurs 29th Dec at 9 p.m.

Book Group Reads For November

We've been reading not one, but two titles this month - both with a paranormal theme. 'Dark Matter' by Michelle Paver and 11.22.63 by Stephen King.

Michelle Paver is an award winning children's writer, perhaps best known for her series of fantasy novels - The Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. 

Dark Matter was written for an adult audience, and set in the Arctic. 28-year-old Jack Miller is leading a lonely, miserable existence in pre-war London, which leads him to jump at the chance to be a wireless operator on an Arctic expedition.

The five-man expedition crosses the Barents Sea to reach the remote, uninhabited bay which will serve as their base camp for the next year. 

One by one, his companions fall victim to illness and injury. By the darkest time of the Polar year, Jack is completely alone - or is he? Does something walk in the darkness?

Stephen King's books transfer to screen really well, and 11.22.63 was televised as a series. Although Stephen King is renowned for books and films like 'The Shining', this isn't a horror novel.

High School teacher Jake Epping becomes a time traveller when he's enlisted to go on a mission back in time to try and prevent the assassination of President Kennedy. Jake also tries to prevent other murders, but changing the past can have unexpected consequences...

Our next meeting is on Thursday 1st December at 6 p.m.

Manx Litfest 2016 - George Bellairs: Murder Most Manx

Harvey Briggs Onchan Library are looking forward to hosting an event for Manx Litfest next month - 

George Bellairs: Murder Most Manx with Andy Wint. It's going to be held on Wed 28th Sept at 7.30 pm. Although admission is free, you will need to contact the library to reserve places Tel: 621228 or email onchan.library@onchan.org.im

Onchan Book Group are getting clued up on these classic mysteries ahead of the event, and reading a George Bellairs of their own choice this month. Quite a few were set in the Isle of Man in the 50s and 60s, so they're a great nostalgia trip, with the vintage book jackets and details all adding to the charm!

British Library Crime Classics

George Bellairs is being reprinted in the hugely popular British Library Crime Classics series

Book of the Month - Wilt by Tom Sharpe

Henry Wilt has a boring job as a lecturer at a college, and he is always passed over for promotion. He has a large, overbearing wife, who from time to time develops enthusiasms for odd things like yoga and trampolining. She introduces Henry to a very strange American couple at a party where drinking too much gin results in some very embarrassing situations! Henry starts to plot ways of getting his own back..

Subsequent events lead to some hilarious situations, involving a blow up doll and a murder investigation. The book takes the mickey out of college, marriage, sex and the police. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the situations. Although there is a lot of talk about sex, it is too comical to be offensive.

Henry Wilt eventually stands up for himself, gets the promotion he deserves, and some respect from his wife. I would give this book 5 stars!! (and page 112 was fine too!)

Freda

Dip Into A Debut Library Display Winners!

The Harvey Briggs Onchan Library were thrilled to take part in The Borough Press ‘Dip Into A Debut’ promotion, made available to them through national charity The Reading Agency. They were delighted to receive promotional materials to create a library display and a reading group set of ‘The Trouble With Goats And Sheep’ by Joanna Cannon.  Onchan Book Group not only devoured the book, but thoroughly enjoyed a conversation with author Joanna Cannon when she joined their meeting via Twitter.

The library went on to be crowned winners of The Borough Press Dip Into A Debut Library Display Competition, winning a selection of books for the library. The competition was organised by The Reading Agency in partnership with The Borough Press, an imprint of Harper Collins Publishers, to celebrate a list of seven of their most-anticipated debut titles of the year.

Katie Moss, Marketing Executive at Harper Collins said: “We were overwhelmed by the number of fantastic entries we received to our Borough Press ‘Dip into a Debut’ display competition. We had a tough job choosing the winners but Onchan Library’s display was brilliant and we loved the special Goats and Sheep cakes baked for their book group meeting. A huge congratulations from all of us at The Borough Press!”

Librarian Pam Hand said: “We loved taking part in ‘Dip Into a Debut’ and I would like to thank The Reading Agency and The Borough Press. Onchan Book Group has been meeting here for almost 10 years now, and regularly post reviews on the library blog. It’s National Reading Group Day this month, and we would like local groups to know that they are welcome to borrow titles to support their readers.”  

The Reading Agency supports reading groups through ‘Reading Groups For Everyone’, the UK’s largest reading group network for anyone interested in setting up or joining a book group.

The Trouble With Goats And Sheep

'The Trouble With Goats and Sheep' by Joanna Cannon is a wonderful debut novel published by The Borough Press, who have kindly supplied these beautiful editions for Onchan Book Group to read. 

The group will be collecting their copies at our next meeting on THURS 5th MAY, and will have the opportunity to tweet questions to the author, Joanna Cannon!

The Borough Press say: 'The Trouble With Goats and Sheep' is set during the heat-wave of 1976, and is the story of ten-year-old Grace and her best friend Tilly. 

When Mrs Creasy goes missing and The Avenue fills with whispers, Grace takes Tilly by the hand and starts an investigation to help solve the mystery. as the cul-de-sac starts giving up its secrets, the amateur detectives will discover much more than they imagined. This perceptive and poignant debut novel explores what it is to belong, and how we treat those who don't.

How To Publish an ebook

If you want to find out how to reach a World Wide Audience through publishing your own ebook, pick up a ticket and find out more with Michele McGrath tonight at 7 p.m. Admission free, and refreshments served.

The Scene of The Crime Book Giveaway!

We're celebrating World Book Night by giving away thrilling reads ....

and on Wednesday 20th April there was some criminally good cake and a cuppa too!

World Book Night is all about sharing books with your local community, and opening up the works of these exciting authors to a whole new audience. 

If you love a good thriller, call in on World Book Night, Sat 23rd April. You don't have to be a library member, and the books are free!

Skeleton Road by Val McDermid

Our book of the month for March is a thriller by Scottish author Val McDermid. 

When a skeleton is discovered hidden at the top of a crumbling, gothic building in Edinburgh, Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie is faced with the unenviable task of identifying the bones. 

As Karen's investigation gathers momentum, she is drawn deeper into a dark world of intrigue and betrayal.  Meanwhile, someone is taking the law into their own hands in the name of justice and revenge -- but when present resentment collides with secrets of the past, the truth is more shocking than anyone could have imagined . . 

Val McDermid has visited The Isle of Man to speak at an Author's Breakfast organised by Manx Blind Welfare. Another local connection is her book 'The Grave Tattoo', which was based on the rumour that Fletcher Christian returned to the Lake District after leaving Pitcairn Island. He then told his story to former schoolmate, poet William Wordsworth, who based a secret poem on it.

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

 ‘’Year of Wonders’ carries absolute conviction as an evocation of place and mood. It has a vivid imaginative truth, and is beautifully written.’ Hilary Mantel

Our Book of the Month is Geraldine Brooks's Year of Wonders, which describes the 17th-century plague that is carried from London to a small Derbyshire village by an itinerant tailor. 

As villagers begin, one by one, to die, the rest face a choice. Do they flee their village in the hope of outrunning the plague or do they stay? 

The lord of the manor and his family pack and leave. The rector, Michael Mompellion, argues forcefully that the villagers should stay put, isolate themselves from neighbouring towns and villages and prevent the contagion from spreading. His oratory wins the day and the village turns in on itself. 

Cocooned from the outside world and ravaged by the disease, its inhabitants struggle to retain their humanity in the face of the disaster.

Geraldine Brooks is an Australian / American author, and this was her first novel. She was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in fiction in 2006 for her second novel, 'March'.