MSB Book Club – November/December
The MSB Book Club gives their thoughts on the September/October reads and share their new selected books for November/December.
September/October Books
The Book Club had 4 choices for their September/October reads. All the reads were chosen by members of the book club:
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune
About the Book: A cosy, enchanting story about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place – and realizing that family could be yours. The House in the Cerulean Sea is an uplifting, heart-warming queer fantasy from TJ Klune.
Linus Baker leads a quiet life. At forty, he has a tiny house with a devious cat and his beloved records for company. And at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, he’s spent many dull years monitoring their orphanages.
Then one day, Linus is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and given a highly classified assignment. He must travel to an orphanage where six dangerous children reside – including the Antichrist.
At the orphanage, Linus must somehow determine if these children could bring about the end of days. But their guardian, the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, will do anything to protect his wards. And, as Arthur and Linus grow ever closer, Linus must choose: his duty, or his dreams . . .
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
About the Book: The true story of the world’s most prolific art thief, who accumulated a collection worth over $1.4 billion.
For centuries, works of art have been stolen in countless ways from all over the world, but no one has been quite as successful at it as the master thief Stéphane Breitwieser. Carrying out more than 200 heists over nearly ten years – in museums and cathedrals all over Europe – Breitwieser, along with his girlfriend who worked as his lookout, stole more than 300 objects, until it all fell apart in spectacular fashion.
In The Art Thief, Michael Finkel brings us into Breitwieser’s strange and fascinating world. Unlike most thieves, he never stole for money, keeping all his treasures in his home, where he could admire them to his heart’s content. Possessed of a remarkable appreciation for art and an innate ability to assess practically any security system, Breitwieser managed to pull off a breathtaking number of audacious thefts. Yet these strange talents bred a growing disregard for risk and an addict’s need to score, leading Breitwieser to ignore his girlfriend’s pleas to stop – until one final act of hubris brought everything crashing down.
Hysteria by L J Ross (Second book in the Alex Gregory series)
About the Book: For our book club members who enjoyed Impostor, Alex Gregory’s story continues.
In a beautiful world, murder is always ugly…
Recently returned from his last case in Ireland, elite forensic psychologist and criminal profiler Dr Alexander Gregory receives a call from the French police that he can’t ignore. It’s Paris Fashion Week and some of the world’s most beautiful women are turning up dead, their faces slashed in a series of frenzied attacks while the world’s press looks on.
Amidst the carnage, one victim has survived but she’s too traumatised to talk. Without her help, the police are powerless to stop the killer before he strikes again – can Gregory unlock the secrets of her mind, before it’s too late?
Murder and mystery are peppered with dark humour in this fast-paced thriller set amidst the spectacular Parisian landscape.
All the Yellow Suns by Malavika Kannan
About the Book: When a queer Indian American teenager is swept into a life of art, romance, and resistance, she must make up her own mind when it comes to identity, activism, and love.
Sixteen-year-old Maya Krishnan is fiercely protective of her friends, her immigrant community and her single mother, but she knows better than to rock the boat in her conservative Florida suburb. Her classmate Juneau Zale is the polar opposite: she’s a wealthy white heartbreaker who won’t think twice before capsizing that boat.
When Juneau invites Maya to join the Pugilists—a secret society of artists, vandals, and mischief-makers who fight for justice at their school—Maya descends into the world of change-making and resistance. Soon, she and Juneau forge a friendship that inspires Maya to confront the challenges in her own life.
But as their relationship grows romantic, painful, and twisted, Maya begins to suspect that there’s a whole different person beneath Juneau’s painted-on facade. Now Maya must learn to speak her truth in this mysterious, mixed-up world—even if it results in heartbreak. Between emotional threads of first love and identity, comes a powerful exploration of the crusade for social change within a divided community.
Staff Reviews
“I read the House in the Cerulean Sea by T J Klune. I would rate it 5 stars. This is my first time reading something by this author and I would read more. I adored the world the author created and the magical characters in it. It was both moving and funny. The sequel has been released and I look forward to reading that as soon as possible. Rachael Payne, Solicitor *****
“I read Hysteria by LJ Ross and I would give it 4 stars. This is the second in the Alexander Gregory series and it’s set in Paris. The murderous story line is mysterious and keeps you wondering who the perpetrators are. It’s another fast-paced thriller and a book I couldn’t put down”. Louise Murphy, Partner and Head of Social Housing and Regeneration ****
“I read the Art Thief by Michael Finkel and I would give it four stars. It was a fast paced non-fiction book about an individual who stole over a billion pounds worth of art and kept it in his bedroom. I was interested to learn about how such audacious thefts were left unsolved for so long, and the book left me thinking about our approaches to offending and harm. Overall, this was a quick, absorbing read which I would recommend!”Michelle Summers, Solicitor ****
Rachael Payne attended an evening with Sophie Kinsella for her novella What Does It Feel Like? at Waterstones Liverpool.
Whilst the story is fictional it is taken from Sophie’s own experience and diagnosis of brain cancer, and it was her first major event since her diagnosis.
Rachael also attended a book retreat this month, hosted by small business Novel Retreats at Rowton Hall Hotel and Spa. It was a Halloween special! The day started with those present introducing themselves and the book(s) they were reading. Everyone had afternoon tea before finding a reading spot to read uninterrupted for a few hours before returning for tea and biscuits. Each attendant got a bookish gift tailored to them including a book, tea, chocolate, bookish stickers, candles and other snacks. Rachael has kindly shared some photographs from the day.
November/December Books
Christmas is fast approaching, and the Book Club now have 4 festive themed choices for their November/December reads:
The Comfort Food Café by Debbie Johnson
About the Book: Welcome to The Comfort Food Café!
It’s been a tough year for Maxine Connolly – so tough she’s almost given up on finding her happy ending. But then she discovers The Comfort Food Café, shining like a star on top of the Christmas tree and welcoming her into its cozy, cake-filled embrace for hot chocolates dripping with whipped cream, melty grilled cheese toasties and the funniest bunch of regulars she soon calls friends.
Then there’s gorgeous local Gabriel Moran, who looks at Max like she’s a present he can’t wait to unwrap – and she can’t help but think that, maybe, he’s just what she wants for Christmas too…
The Christmas Guest by Peter Swanson
About the Book: ‘Tis the Season to be Wary….
When Ashley Smith – a bright-eyed but lonely American studying in London – is invited to spend Christmas with her classmate’s family at their Cotswolds manor house, it seems like a perfect country idyll.
And for Ashley – who records it all in her diary – there’s the added romantic potential of her friend’s twin brother, Adam, who she thinks could be her wildest dream come true.
But is there something strange about the old house, both stately and rundown? What could the motives of the mysterious Chapman family be? And what holiday horrors might be lying in wait?
The Christmas Train by David Baldacci
About the Book: In equal parts hilarious, poignant, suspenseful and thrilling, The Christmas Train by David Baldacci is a delightful journey filled with memorable characters who have packed their bags with as much wisdom as mischief . . .
Disillusioned journalist Tom Langdon must get from Washington to LA in time for Christmas. Forced to take the train across the country because of a slight ‘misunderstanding’ at airport security, he begins a journey of self-discovery and rude awakenings, mysterious goings-on and thrilling adventures, screwball escapades and holiday magic.
He has no idea that the locomotives pulling him across America will actually take him into the rugged terrain of his own heart, where he will rediscover people’s essential goodness and someone very special he believed he had lost.
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
About the Book: This is the bestselling novel behind the iconic movie Christmas with the Kranks.
Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded shops, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes and no unwanted presents.
That’s just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they’ll skip the holiday altogether.
Theirs will be the only house on the street without decorations, a Christmas Eve bash or even a tree. Because come December 25th, they’re setting sail on a Caribbean cruise.
But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences – and isn’t half as easy as they’d imagined . . .
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