To Vote for our Purple Coo Book Club Winter Read 2015 please list your 1st and 2nd choices in the comments box below, or let me know via the Purple Coo site or via Facebook. The most popular book will be announced on Purple Coo as soon as I've had the chance to add up your votes. Only 5 books to vote for this time, and all of them very worth reading, so it's going to be a close run thing.
A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
An unsentimental family story set in Baltimore,
classic Anne Tyler country. Stolid, buttoned-up husbands and their more
interesting wives, (three generations of them this time) who never lose their sense
of belonging together right or wrong, with the customary mixture of grown up children,
grandchildren and sibling rivalries thrown in. A nice twist is that the family
home, a beautifully handcrafted house, is very much a character in its own
right.
Nelly Dean by Alison Case
Lovers of Wuthering Heights may remember Nelly
Dean to be a minor character, a loyal servant, well this book fills in the bits
that Emily Bronte forgot to put in. Described as a ‘richly imagined’ story in its
own right, it’s also a ‘gripping and heart-breaking’ homage to Emily Bronte’s
wonderful novel.
Sweet Caress by William Boyd
A classic, pacy Willaim Boyd novel that charts
the adventurous life of Amory Clay, a female photographer from her birth in
1908 until her later years, during which time she witnesses all the major
conflicts, with profound emotional consequences. If you enjoyed Any Human Heart,
and I admit I did, you’ll love this book too.
The Penguin Lessons by Tom Michell
'I was hoping against hope that the penguin would survive because
as of that instant he had a name, and with his name came the beginning of a
bond which would last a life-time'
A true story about a single, free spirited young man
who’s accepted a teaching position in a prestigious Argentine boarding school,
so the very last thing he needs is a sick penguin in his life. Juan Salvador (yes,
that’s the penguin’s name, honest!) has other ideas and refuses to leave Tom’s
side.
Turning the Tide by (our own) Christine
Stovell
A love story, between Harry
Watling, a young woman with a man’s name and a failing boatyard left to her by
her father. Oh! and there’s an ambitious young property developer as well who
wants to get hold of the boatyard and build an upmarket housing complex. Hate
at first sight … of course!
(the painting is Pink Roses by Samuel Peploe)
