Book of the month

Modern Fiction Book of the Month – January 2024

Published on Mon, 2024-01-08 14:47
in
Graham Patterson’s life has hit a dead end. His career as a comedian is failing. The love of his life recently broke up with him and he literally has no idea what to do next.  With nothing to lose, he buys a new car and hits the road, planning to drive across country and hopefully figure out his next moves before reaching California. But along the way Patterson does something his old self would never have even considered: he gets tattooed by a brilliant tattoo artist in North Carolina. The decision sets off a series of extraordinary events that changes his life forever in ways he never could have imagined. / Discuss in the reading group / 

Modern Fiction Book of the Month – December 2023

Published on Fri, 2023-12-01 15:10
in
Meet Marcellus the Octopus – he has a mystery to solve. After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night cleaner shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Ever since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat over thirty years ago keeping busy has helped her cope. One night she meets Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium who sees everything, but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors - until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova. Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. A gripping family mystery meets a story of second chances in this warm, feel-good debut.

Modern Fiction Book of the Month – November 2023

Published on Fri, 2023-11-03 16:53
in
This novel takes us back to one of the most harrowing accidents in the history of Wales, but also shows us what people can do when working together. Wales, October 1966. William Lavery is having the night of his life at his first black-tie do. But, as the evening unfolds, news hits of a landslide at a coal mine. It has buried a school: Aberfan. William decides he must act, so he stands and volunteers to attend. It will be his first job as an embalmer, and it will be one he never forgets. His work that night will force him to think about the little boy he was, and the losses he has worked so hard to forget.

Modern Fiction Book of the Month – October 2023

Published on Fri, 2023-10-06 11:45
in
Darwin is a down-on-his-luck gravedigger, newly arrived in the Trinidadian city of Port Angeles to seek his fortune, young and beautiful and lost. Estranged from his mother and the Rastafari faith she taught him, he is convinced that the father he never met may be waiting for him somewhere amid these bustling streets. Meanwhile in an old house on a hill, where the city meets the rainforest, Yejide’s mother is dying. And she is leaving behind a legacy that now passes to Yejide: the power to talk to the dead.  

Modern Fiction Book of the Month – September 2023

Published on Tue, 2023-09-26 15:39
in
The encounter between 87-year-old Kent coast resident Edie, who is in the early stages of dementia, and Jonah, a traumatised Malawian migrant hiding in her barn. An unlikely companionship that helps them make sense of their worlds even as they struggle to understand each other.

Modern Fiction Book of the Month – August 2023

Published on Thu, 2023-08-17 11:27
in
Two women. Two eggs. One switch. A dual narrative novel about a seemingly impossible situation: two women, Katherine and Tess, find out after pregnancy that their eggs were mistakenly switched during in vitro fertilization (IVF). For Katherine, the news is her worst nightmare realized. For Tess, the news is a seed of hope.

Modern Fiction Book of the Month – July 2023

Published on Mon, 2023-07-10 21:31
in
What if going back means you could begin again? Rocked by a terrible accident, homeless Kelly needs to escape the streets of Glasgow. Maybe she doesn't believe in serendipity, but a rare moment of kindness and a lost ring conspire to call her home, returning to the small town she fled so many years ago.

Modern Fiction Book of the Month – June 2023

Published on Thu, 2023-06-01 15:18
in
A sweeping, unpredictable novel about power, wealth and truth, set against the backdrop of turbulent 1920s New York. A Wall Street tycoon takes a young woman as his wife. Together they rise to the top in an age of excess and speculation. But now a novelist is threatening to reveal the secrets behind their marriage, and this wealthy man’s story – of greed, love and betrayal – is about to slip from his grasp. Composed of four competing versions of this deliciously deceptive tale, Trust brings us on a quest for truth while confronting the lies that often live buried in the human heart. // »Join the reading group //

Modern Fiction Book of the Month – May 2023

Published on Wed, 2023-05-03 09:30
in
A student and aspiring researcher on Gothic nudes rents an apartment from a painter, Agnes. When Agnes unexpectedly arrives in the city, she settles into the upstairs studio, sharing stories of her tumultuous past and scattered art. As time passes, it becomes clear that Agnes may not have a home to return to. Her stories are frenetic; her art scattered and unfinished, white paint on a white canvas. Will their unlikely friendship be enough to help Agnes find her way?

Modern Fiction Book of the Month – April 2023

Published on Wed, 2023-04-05 16:41
in
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing. A brilliant chemist in the sexist 1960s, she is forced to resign from her all-male team. Reluctantly, she becomes the host of a cooking show, but her scientific approach to cooking sparks a revolution, empowering overlooked housewives to challenge the status quo, one molecule at a time. (Join our Fiction reading groups to discuss this book)  //