The latest edition of The Thursday Book Club was broadcast on 20th May June 2024 at 2pm on Phonic FM. Joining host Jonathan Posner was Angela Wooldridge and Keith Rossiter. Click the names to find out more about them, and use the audio bar below to listen to the full show.
We reviewed Fifty Minutes by Carla Jenkins
NEWS
In the News section, we announced lots of books by local authors and local news:
- Summer at Sea Glass Cove is the new book from local author Jenny Kane. Marine archaeologist Lauren Sunshine is used to life on the go. Her suitcase is always packed ready to explore the country’s underwater heritage so when a Tudor shipwreck is found off the Dorset coast, she is thrilled to be leading the excavation team. Philippa Silver, ‘Phil’ to the folk of Sea Glass Cove, has devoted her life to the Museum by the Sea. But funding is tight, and despite subletting half of the museum to her best friend Jules’s sea glass shop, she fears for the museum’s future. Phil hopes the wreck discovery could bring more visitors, but there’s a problem – the museum’s too small to house its treasures. Thankfully, new friend Lauren seems as determined as she is to save the museum. But, when Phil’s brother Ollie catches Lauren’s eye, she begins to wonder if she has more than one reason to be interested in life at Sea Glass Cove….
It’s the newest heart-warming and uplifting book from Jenny Kane – a perfect read for Summer 2024!
- Di Castle has two books to tell us about. The first is Red House to Exodus, her memoir of growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, which comes out in September. The second is a novel called Sharing the Silence – about a hearing girl growing up with a deaf sister. We don’t currently have details as to when this comes out.
- The Old Tin Can by Bryan J Mason which we mentioned last month is now out. It is the first in a new black comedy crime series based in Belfast during the Troubles. The cover says, ‘Not all murders are political. Some are personal.’ Described as ‘explosively witty’ it’s launching this week in Bristol and in Belfast in July. You can order on Amazon.
- Steve Marson’s debut novel is out now on Amazon. This is The Girl On The Tram; a cosy mystery crime tale based in Exeter and inspired by a real event. It’s 1910. Carrie Grey witnesses a fatal tram crash and, with the help of Sherlock Holmes’ voice in her head, decides to investigate. Meanwhile, two police detectives are also on the case, when a second tram crashes. Coincidence? Carrie thinks not.
- The South Hams Author’s Network has an Open Mic Event on Wednesday 26th June from 7pm to 9pm. There’ll be prose and poetry readings of up to 10 minutes each. So if you’re keen to hear new writing by local authors, come along to the Imperial Inn, Ivybridge. It’s free, so get down there!
- Here’s one we mentioned in April, originally planned for a July launch. But the good news is that the launch was brought forward so it’s out now. It’s Exe on the Beach and it’s book 6 in the Lockwood and Darrow Mysteries by Suzy Bussell. When a celebrity chef from Exmouth mysteriously disappears, private investigators Lockwood and Darrow are discreetly enlisted to investigate, keeping a step ahead of the relentless press. Though the chef’s known mental health struggles hint at a possible explanation, as the duo delve deeper, they unearth a tangled web of secrets that suggest a far darker narrative. The quest for truth threatens to have wide-ranging implications, placing them in the crosshairs of the town’s most dangerous secrets. The pair must work swiftly to expose the truth before the town’s underbelly consumes them. It’s available on Amazon.
- Leslie Leggett has been in touch. Leslie owns indie bookstore First Draft Books in Bovey Tracey, and yesterday there was a local authors’ reading event called The Devon Anthology. Five local authors each read from one of their recent releases. These were Madeline Dyer, Rosemary Griggs (who Jonathan saw on Saturday at Tuckers Hall talking about Tudor costume), Alison Huntingford from the South Hams Authors Network (who we have interviewed on this programme), Abigail Yardimci, whose book Murder at the Pirate Festival we featured back in April, and E.I. Parr. If you went along to that event, I hope you had a good time. Leslie Leggett promises to keep us updated on author news from the shop going forward – visits, signings, talks, releases, etc. First Draft Books is an independent bookshop for curious readers, based in Bovey Tracey & popping up around South Devon. Through their shop & events, they support discovery, exploration & connection through the joy of reading. First Draft Books is an independent bookshop for curious readers, based in Bovey Tracey & popping up around South Devon. Through their shop & events, they support discovery, exploration & connection through the joy of reading.
- On the subject of Open Mic events, Jonathan read at one himself at the Phoenix Arts Centre in Exeter on Tuesday 11th. One of the other readers was a local author called Richard Frost. Richard has two novellas published and available on Amazon or from his website. These are Looking to Move On and Living the Difference from his Eastwood Story series. These two novellas are stories of hope over adversity. With a third book on the way, they are written partly with the reader in mind. Richard says that sometimes it’s helpful to reflect on our own lives in relation to fiction – and of course poets and novelists have done that for years. His website is at richardfrostauthor.com.
- The Dark Taal by Dean G. E. Matthews is an enthralling, engaging, adventure set in a world of magic, and bizarre magical creatures. Now with a new cover, and a new added chapter, the book will excite and intrigue all those who love fantasy/fiction, and leave the reader on the edge of their seats as they discover an ordinary family drawn into a titanic conflict not of their choosing.
- Eclipse is a new anthology of short and flash fiction stories – set mainly in the West Country, by Tony Rea, Anne Thomson and John McKenna. It’s available on Amazon and in the Ivybridge bookshop.
- The Call of the Nightingale is a historical fiction novel by Kathryn Barnett. Alice is a typist living with her dying mother in the 1950s. Her sheltered upbringing is no match when Cupid comes calling and she and her new boss, Behrooz Azadi fall in love. They throw convention to the wind and marry, just before her mother sadly passes away. Alone except for her husband, Alice must follow him when he is called to return to his native Persia, later to become Iran. By this time Alice is a mother at the tender age of nineteen, stepping into an unknown world steeped in history and where females should be subservient to their husbands. Against a backdrop of political unrest and intrigue which involves her own husband’s family, Alice must somehow fight for her own personal freedom, for the right to bring up her four daughters in a way that will enable them to move forward in a fast changing and frightening Iran. At times, this means striking out for women’s rights and later clashing with her own daughters when they embrace Islam. Will Alice be able to accept and embrace the changes her now beloved Iran is facing? Will bending be enough before something breaks? The eBook is available to buy now on Amazon, and the paperback comes out on 28th June.
- Explore the mysteries of mortality in D is for Death, as Sophie Duffy takes you on an unforgettable alphabetical journey through life’s ultimate enigma. From accidents and bodies to contagion and ghosts, each letter unveils a new facet of our shared human experience with death. Reflect on the impact of climate change, explore the significance of war and ponder the mysteries that defy explanation. Learn the secrets of the ancient yew tree and celebrate death’s place in cultures around the world. D is for Death is not just a book: it’s a captivating and thought-provoking adventure that challenges perceptions and leaves you with a profound appreciation for the one certainty that binds us all – the journey from A to Z, where death becomes a quirky guide through life’s mysteries.
- The Exeter Writers Short Story prize winning stories are up on the Exeter Writers website. Check them out (they’re very good) at https://www.exeterwriters.org.uk/ .
