Over the Christmas and New Year break, SWFT’s Wellbeing Reading Group took a break from our monthly meetings and book selections to read some old favourites, catch up with our tbr (to be read) piles and get cosy with some new Christmas presents. In our January meeting we discussed what we had read and what we thought, and came up with this list of recommendations. Have you read any of them? If so, what did you think? Or have you read something amazing that you think we should read? Let us know at library@swft.nhs.uk
A Christmas Carol is well a classic – our reader read the book again this year. They also watched the film – and yes, it has to be the Muppet version. A Christmas Carol is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly man who finally sees the error of his ways when he is visited by four ghosts – Marley (his late business partner), and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come.
In case you’re interested, The Muppet Christmas Carol (starring Gonzo as Dickens, and Kermit as Bob Cratchit) is widely considered to be the most faithful version of the story,
A perfect women leading a perfect life is the premise of The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides. What causes Alicia Berenson to shoot her husband, and why has she not spoken since? A fantastic story with a surprising twist that our reader did not see coming, this book was one to be read in one sitting!
The Christmas themed Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson is a novel about three siblings going home for a Christmas reunion. So far so light-hearted, but the story does have some pretty serious themes; eating disorders, divorce, depression… It was liked by our group member – but possibly not enough to read again!
The Travelling Cat Chronicles by Hiro Arikawa was lingering on the to be read pile of one of our group. Set in Japan, it is the tale of Nana the cat who is going on a journey with his owner Satoru. Nana doesn’t know where they are going, or why, and this novel deftly explores the connections between pets and owners, as well as the inevitable sorrow of parting. As it is a translation from the original Japanese, the reader did wonder whether this had changed the style of the story. A gentle quick read especially for pet lovers.
Uproar! Satire, scandal and printmakers in Georgian London is a non-fiction book by Alice Loxton. This book follows the satirists as they undermine the British Establishment with prints and illustrations. If your view of Georgian England has been influenced by Bridgerton, then this will show you a somewhat different side of the period. Our reader described the book as laugh out loud.
The 1990s is the setting for This Could be Everything by Eva Rice. A coming of age story of sisterhood when your sister has died, and how a yellow canary can bring happiness. The multiple references to 90s culture and pop music didn’t feel at all contrived, although they did manage to make the reader feel old! Well worth a read.
In a world where internet dating is the norm, Just Got Real by Jane Fallon is a revenge comedy with a twist. When Joni and Ant agree to meet up, neither of them are quite truthful about who they are. When Joni discovers Ant is still dating other women, she turns her love rivals into friends… and collectively they plan their revenge. This book was really entertaining, and a quick read – mainly because you want to know what will happen next.
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles was a Christmas read for one of our group. Set partly in 1939 Paris, and partly in Montana in 1983, this story explores the idea of friendship and the roles we play in other people’s lives. It is based on the true story of staff at the American Library in Paris in the Second World War and is definitely worth a look.
Beyond the Wall: East Germany 1949 – 1990 by Katja Hoyer was the non fiction choice of one of our group. Each chapter of this book starts with an anecdote of life in East Germany, and then goes on to explore the political, cultural and social landscape of a place with a complex and often caricatured identity. For a state that lasted over forty years, this book shows that it deserves to be more than a footnote in German history.
The Christmas Jigsaw Murders is the story of a puzzle setter and Christmas sceptic who receives a jigsaw. Nothing too unusual so far, but the pieces combine to show a crime scene and it is down to Edie O’Sullivan to solve it before there are further deaths. Our reader thoroughly recommended this book, and said how observant the writer was, and how empathetic the characters were. A fun story, the use of protagonists in their 80s gave it a bit of a different perspective.
Described as an enthralling coming of age novel, one member had recently finished reading Go as a River by Shelley Read. With powerfully descriptive sentences it tells of a girl and boy’s meeting and the dramatic impact that this first meeting has on the girl’s life. The setting was inspired by true events, and this novel combines tragedy, prejudice, and resilience. Our member said that it shows how life can change in a second but challenges can be overcome.
The beautiful poetic prose in Held by Anne Michaels made this book a clear winner with one of our group, despite them not having finished reading it yet. The novel starts with the thoughts and memories of a man in the mud of a World War I trench, although the writing reaches to cover different people, different locations and different times.
One reader had recently finished Yellow Face by Rebecca F Kuang and wasn’t sure what to make of it. It is the story of two girls, both writers, one aspiring the other successful – and how the death of one gives the other a chance to steal her manuscript and become successful too. The novel uses cultural approbation, and looks at how social media influences people. As our reader is not a user of Twitter/X they found it hard to relate to some aspects of the novel. While they didn’t necessarily recommend it, it was an interesting book and they would like to see what others think of it.
The Hogfather by Terry Pratchett was an audiobook that one of the group recently started reading. The 20th in the Discworld series, it focuses on a mythical character that bears some resemblance to Father Christmas – the Hogfather. He grants children’s wishes on 32nd December – except he’s gone missing. Several regular Discworld characters appear in this story, including Death who pretends to be the Hogfather (with some unexpected results), the wizards of the Unseen University, and of course the Librarian.
I Haven’t been Entirely Honest with You by Miranda Hart was described as really lovely by one of our group, who is currently enjoying reading it. This autobiography talks about how the actress, comedian and author has been struggling with undiagnosed Lyme Disease since she was a teenager. This inspirational account of her illness, her ways of coping, and simultaneous learning about herself is definitely recommended.
Another non fiction choice, The Song of the Cell: the story of life by Siddhartha Muherjee is the story of the building blocks of life. It chronicles the discovery that we, whether flora or fauna, are made of cells, and these cells can work together for our health and wellbeing, but can also malfunction. The author is an oncologist, researcher and professor, and brings all these skills to his writing.
This is a new book to our reader who hasn’t yet started it, but as they love David Nicholls’s writing, and they love the Lake District where the novel is set, they hope that this will be a winning combination. It is a love story for a place, for an idea, and for two people caught together by circumstances.
Another recommendation was A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe which made one of our group cry, read by GEH’s Wellbeing Book Group – to read their review of this, click here.
February’s Book Choice is Guardian food critic and Young Adult author Grace Dent’s autobiography Hungry: a memoir of wanting more.
“From an early age, Grace Dent was hungry. [This memoir] …traces Grace’s story from growing up eating beige food to becoming one of the much-loved voices on the British food scene. It’s also everyone’s story – from treats with your nan, to cheese and pineapple hedgehogs, to the exquisite joy of cheaply-made apple crumble with custard. It’s the high-point of a chip butty covered in vinegar and too much salt in the school canteen, on an otherwise grey day of double-Maths and cross country running. It’s the real story of how we have all lived, laughed, and eaten over the past 40 years….it is also about love and loss, the central role that food plays in all our lives, and how a Cadbury’s Fruit ‘n’ Nut in a hospital vending machine can brighten the toughest situation.”
Interested? Pop along to the Education Centre Library to borrow your copy, and meet on Teams on Wednesday 19th February at 1pm to discuss it