Book recommendations

Writing about books and book clubs in the 10th of January post has triggered some follow up.

Cousin L (thanks L) has sent me a fantastic list from her book club and I've looked again at the most recent list drawn up by mine. We get ours chosen by our County Library book scheme, other groups make their own monthly choice.

In no particular order, and without annotation (its easy to get that off the internet) these are ones I've enjoyed. Some are book club ones, some I'd been lent during recuperation (thanks Adela and Ruth), some are personal choices.:

1. "Suite Francaise" Irene Nemirovsky
2. "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" Jean-Dominic Bauby
3. "A long long time ago and essentially true" Brigid Pasulka
4. "The Reader" Bernard Schlink
5. "Girl With a Pearl Earring" Tracey Chevalier
6. "Savage Garden" Mark Mills
7. "Northern Lights" trilogy Philip Pullman (includes "Amber Spyglass" & "SubtleKnife)

And in answer to Carole's question. Our current book is "The Book Thief" Markus Zusak. I've already read this and highly recommend it. It's on everybodys book club list!
Here's one I thought of for you Carole. I have a gut feeling you will find this beautifully written. It's called "Blue Sky July" by Nia Wyn. You will feel sad, angry, joyful and inspired in turn.
Lib if your group are all mums, they may be challenged by it too. It caught my attention because of what we had been through with J when he was little, though the author's situation was 10 times more complex. And the title caught my eye because the friend who encouraged me onwards and upwards said it was towards the blue sky.