Devon Book Club discussion

As the first person to complete Challenge#3, Ellen has chosen our next quarter's challenge. Her challenge is as follows:
"It is a summer holiday themed challenge: Read as many books as you can with any of the words "summer", "summertime", "holiday"/"vacation", "sun" and "beach" in the title. They don't have to be about summer but just need to have summer themed words in the title. This should give plenty of scope to suit all tastes from easy holiday trashy novels to proper literature. Some examples I recognised from a quick search: A Thousand Splendid Suns, Half of a Yellow Sun, Summertime, On Chesil Beach, The Beach, Prodigal Summer, The Vacationers, Rachel's Holiday. I'm sure others can come up with plenty of other examples too"

Challenge#5 ready to go!!

https://d.gr-assets.com/photos/143431...

Coincidentally two of the books I am reading are and . Just started the first which is absorbing and struggling with the second, which isn't!

Sue wrote: "Coincidentally two of the books I am reading are and . Just started the first which is absorbing and struggling with the s..."

Great start - shame about the second one

Summertimewas an excellent read. War veterens are sent to build a bridge on the Florida Keys. The book is really about relationships - within family, within the communities and between black and white. Based on true events of a devestating hurricane.

Wondered if a title with "blue sky" in it might qualify...? :)

Kathy wrote: "Wondered if a title with "blue sky" in it might qualify...? :)"

Oooh, creative

There's real variety there Kitty. Mine will probably be 'modern', 'crime' and, if I'm lucky 'horror'! ☺I have ordered the transit of venus one for my husband so thank you. Remember watching the transit a few years ago - amazing sight.

Sue wrote: "There's real variety there Kitty. Mine will probably be 'modern', 'crime' and, if I'm lucky 'horror'! ☺I have ordered the transit of venus one for my husband so thank you. Remember watching the tr..."

What a great list. Thank you . I tend to read mainly non ficton but the one on the transit of venus looks really interesting so have added to my (very long) " to read" list. Also, seeing you adding the book covers has made me reaise that I have not been doing that and only putting the link there. I like seeing the covers so will start doing that myself from now one. Just goes to show that we are all still learning. Looks like you are going to be an active member, which is great.

Finally finished . It did get better and there were some good bits. But, for me, it was too long and I found it really hard to relate to the characters.

Have just started (thanks to BJ's recommendation). Has already made me laugh so looking forward to reading it.

I've just finished by Kate Furnivall. I'm also adding it to my list for Challenge #2 as it's set in the Bahamas. It's an enjoyable read, set in 1940s Bahamas during the war. Kind of a murder mystery/thriller and it had me gripped especially towards the end. Would make a good holiday read!

Ellen wrote: "I've just finished by Kate Furnivall. I'm also adding it to my list for Challenge #2 as it's set in the Bahamas. It's an enjoyable read,..."

Double challenge points then - Im adding to the map as we speak

A challenge that has allowed me to read a couple of trashy holiday reads :-). I've read Summer at She'll Cottage by Lucy Diamond, a story of a family whose lives are rocked in different ways by the death of the husband/father and subsequent revelation of a long term affair he'd been having - all based in the family's holiday cottage in Devon. A light read but good character development throughout. I'm now reading Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews, set in the USA.

Have just finished Summer Lightning and thoroughly enjoyed it: wonderfully eccentric characters, wittily described. Saw the film Heavy Weather a while ago now and hadn't realised that it was based on this book. Makes me realise just how good Peter O'Toole's performance was. Thanks to BJ for the recommendation.

Kathy wrote: "Have just finished Summer Lightning and thoroughly enjoyed it: wonderfully eccentric characters, wittily described. Saw the film Heavy Weather a while ago now and hadn't realised th..."
Glad you enjoyed it, Kathy. Wodehouse is my perfect summer reading. I know I can lie back in my deckchair, wriggle my toes down into the warm sand and sit there with a smile on my face until it's time to go in search of another icecream.

B J wrote: "Kathy wrote: "Have just finished Summer Lightning and thoroughly enjoyed it: wonderfully eccentric characters, wittily described. Saw the film Heavy Weather a while ago now and hadn..."
Yes, I thought it a great summer read too. It has the exquisite froth of pink champagne (or should I say a Devon sparkling rose'...?) Ashamed to say that it's the first Wodehouse I've read, but won't be the last.

Kitty wrote: "Ellen wrote: "I've just finished by Kate Furnivall. I'm also adding it to my list for Challenge #2 as it's set in the Bahamas. It's an e..."
If you do try it, Kitty, hope you enjoy. Will be interested to hear what you think of Indian Summer.

"Summertime" by Vanessa Lafaye Story of the great hurricane of Labor Day 1935 that struck Florida Keys and the WW1 veterans on a bridge-building program who'd been abandoned by the authorities and left to fend for themselves in the storm...The story is fictional but based on true historical events. Also counting towards challenge #2 for me :-)

Kitty wrote: "I picked a further couple of books up from the charity shop the other day.


I am now on chapter 7 ..."

Thanks Kitty. Have you learned Hindi then?

I've read a Thousand Splendid Suns - a moving book, well worth the read.

Kitty wrote: "I wish I could speak Hindi, I can sing along to a few Bollywood songs and that is about it. One day I will hopefully study it. For now though I am English and German speaking with some very wobbly ..."

Now that would be something people might pay to see! What is it about Hindo that you find so fascinating? I think foreign languages are fascinating. I help out in an English for foreign students evening class and learned last night that, in Bulgarian, there are only two past tenses and in Polish only one. Think how hard it is for them to learn English when we have at least 6 past tenses

I've recently finished Summer Secrets by Jane Green. Another chick lit book, but one with more depth to it than some - it follows the main character from her twenties when she finds out her dad wasn't actually her father. It tracks her life with all its pitfalls as she is an alcoholic - I really enjoyed it. With a different book in between, I'm now started another book under this challenge - My Sunshine Away by M.O Walsh. It's about the rape of a young 15 year old girl and, thus far, is being told from the perspective of one of the suspect; a 14 year old boy. Looks interesting so far.

Alison wrote: "I've recently finished Summer Secrets by Jane Green. Another chick lit book, but one with more depth to it than some - it follows the main character from her twenties when she finds out her dad wa..."

Coo - you choose some cheerful topics. Anyway, stop reading and get packing!

Recently finished reading Ben Aaronovitch's 5th novel Foxglove Summer in his "Rivers of London"/PC Peter Grant series. I have had the first in this series (Rivers of London) in my to-read pile for a while but started with this one as it's only recently been published and it fits in with the current challenge. It was an interesting mix of police procedural/crime novel and fantasy. PC Peter Grant is a wizard-in-training who works for the Met's special branch investigating paranormal and magical crimes. I did enjoy it but I think I will have to go back and read the previous books in the series before I understand a lot of the references... I probably should have started with the first! ;-)

Found another P.G. Wodehouse book: Summer Moonshine which was quite a fun read.

They both sound fun. Will have to start thing about our quarter 4 challenge. Any ideas, anyone? Maybe we could try a shared read?

My Sunshine Away. Young teenaged boy struggles with his family problems and the rape of his best friend. Too long but thought provoking at times.

is a family story of Armenians and Turks in the early 20c. Not going to be a happy read and sadly some of the place names are already familiar.

Sue wrote: " is a family story of Armenians and Turks in the early 20c. Not going to be a happy read and sadly some of the place names are already familiar."

A lot of people in that region have had a tough life for far too long. Seems insoluble at present doesn't it?

Have finally got around to my second novel for this challenge: . Not long into it but hooked already.

Kathy wrote: "Have finally got around to my second novel for this challenge: . Not long into it but hooked already."

A great choice. This is a wonderful book