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**** For more details contact Catherine_McCarthy@health.qld.gov.au or seqld5w@optusnet.com.au ****** 12.30 pm Saturday, 14 November 2009 at Carseldine Choose a book about, or set in, Africa, fiction or non-fiction Each attendee is invited to give a 5 minute summary of their chosen book. 12.30 pm Saturday, 09 January 2010 To Be Decided in November 2009.
Suggestions for Future Books Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
This book is written as a series of letters. World War II has just ended and Juliet Ashton, who is an author, is living in London when she receives a letter from Dawsey Adams who lives on Guernsey, one of the Channel Islands. Dawsey has an old book that had belonged to Juliet at one time. In his letter he mentions the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, a sort of book club that sprang up because of the German occupation of Guernsey during World War II. This leads to a flurry of letters between Juliet and members of the Society. Juliet decides there might be a book in the story of the lives of these people and decides to visit Guernsey. Once there, she falls in love with the island and its people. This book is charming and delightful. It will make you want to visit Guernsey and (perhaps?) miss the art of letter writing. Nancy Wake: Code Name “The White Mouse” by John Stanton is only available as a DVD. There are also available "Nancy Wake: SOE's greatest heroine" by Russell Braddon and "Nancy Wake: a biography of our greatest war heroine" by Peter Fitzsimons. This could be an opportunity for the group to read either of the books and then watch the DVD together before a discussion. Michelle McDonald After growing up in a privileged and cosmopolitan Iraq during the 1950s and 1960s, Selma Masson is plunged into a world of despair and intrigue when she discovers first-hand the brutality of her country's dictator. While Iraqi Ambassador to Spain, her husband is imprisoned and tortured by the Hussein government - for Selma, securing his freedom will mean an unforgettable encounter with Saddam Hussein. She is now an Australian citizen. The Kiss of Saddam takes you on Selma's incredible journey, drawing an evocative picture of life in Iraq. It shows just what one woman will do to save the people she loves. "A Small Island" by Andrea Levy "Gang of Four" by Liz Byrski Inspired by 5W.It's never too late to find yourself. When Isabel decides she needs a break she doesn't opt for a couple of weeks in a classy resort. No, she wants to take a year out and leave her husband, children, grandchildren and friends behind while she backpacks across Europe. Feeling incomplete, she wants to do something for herself and, at the same time, get to know her dead mother better by retracing her journey decades ago. When Isabel tells her closest friends - Sally Robin and Grace - of her plans, they initially think she's crazy. But soon enough each of the remaining members of the 'gang of four' are embarking on their own journeys. Sally heads off to San Francisco for a year's study, hoping also to lay a guilty secret to rest. Robin, sick of being 'the other woman', rents a country hideout, hoping for time to heal and to make plans for her future. Grace, the sensible one, isn't sure she needs to 'do' anything, but finds herself heading off for a short holiday in England - where she has to confront someone she hardly knows: herself. These four very different women, separated by geographical distance, but united by their decades-old friendship, each learn about themselves, their past and their future in very different ways. New friendships are formed, life-changing decisions are made, but when one of the friends needs the others, they are able to come together once more. Gang of Four is a very different coming-of-age story in that the protagonists are all in their fifties. Author Liz Byrski does a superb job of crafting four very different stories which overlap, diverge and merge again throughout the book. The reader is given the opportunity to know each of the four women intimately and to witness their friendship and their growth on a first hand basis. Click here for Discussion Points for Gang of Four Mr Pip by Lloyd Jones Story of life on island in the Solomons as seen through the eyes of an 11 year old girl as school children are introduced to Dickens’ ‘Great Expectations’. Love in a Torn Country by Jean Sasson Story of a female Kurdish freedom fighter’s life in Iraq. Protect and Defend by Richard North Patterson - Multi-layered story revolving around the abortion issue and includes court room drama. The Road Home by Rose Tremain - A gentle story of a man’s contemporary migration from Romania and England. The Blackwater Lightship by Colm Toibin - Three generations of intelligent, articulate women facing issue of the brother of one having AIDs. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - Author of “The Kite Runner” tells story of life in Afghanistan through the eyes of several women. The Great Fire by Shirley Hazzard - Story set in post-WWII Europe, Hong Kong and Japan, and includes a romance. Kennedy’s Brain by Henning Mankell - Many faceted mystery set in Greece, Stockholm, Mozambique and Australia. Awareness by Anthony de Mello - Non-fiction spiritual guide which is a good read for an individual. The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham - The return of an internationally successful fashion designer to Australian country town; story contains strong descriptive language. Between Victor and Vanquished by Arthur Page – Wartime exploits of an Australian interpreter and his life story, Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss – amusing story of the traps of punctuation Death Sentence by Don Watson – discusses the current excessive use of jargon. No Snow in December by Naria Lewitt - autobiography of young Jewish couple from Poland migrating to Australia after WWII. For Love & A Beetle by Ivan and Beth Hodge - entertaining story of a young couple driving a VW beetle from England to New Zealand and then repeating the journey 30 years later. |
Last updated 24 October, 2009 |
