Books On Beechwood

by J.K. Rowling is the second-to-last book in the seven-part series about the Boy Who Lived. Harry’s sixth year is both his darkest and funniest thus far. Characters that have been part of a brilliant background tapestry spring to life and are given incredible new dimension. Harry and his friends will try to get one step closer to defeating He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, but at what great and terrible cost?

by Joanna Goodman is the humourous story of Lilly and Milton Zarr and their three very modern daughters. The reader can easily identify with the three girls, Estelle, Erica and Jessie, as each deals with the ups and downs of life in general. The message in the end is one of hope-hope for love, future career opportunities and renewed relationships. This is a very pleasant read by a young author who is very wise in the way of the modern world.

by Andrea Levy. This novel, set in London in 1948, tells the story of Queenie Bligh, her husband, Bernard, and her Jamaican lodgers, Gilbert Joseph and his wife Hortense. The four narrators reveal their hopes and dreams for a new life. They soon find, however, that the country is changing very slowly. Prejudice, the strength of the empire, love and war are themes which Levy explores as the characters soon come to terms with post-war England.

by Colm Tobin. This novel reveals the hopes and despair of novelist, Henry James, during five significant years of his life. The loneliness of the writer, his inability to resolve his sexual identity and his search for love are identified and explored. At the conclusion of the novel, the reader has gained a deeper respect and appreciation for this writer and for the times in which he lived.

by Deborah Moggach is a funny and touching novel set partly in London and partly in Bangalore, India where British pensioners can enjoy the hot weather and fresh mango juice with their gin at bargain prices.

 

is David Layton‘s first novel. It sensitively captures the emotional roller coaster of a couple’s vain attempts to get pregnant, a very satisfying read.

 

 

by Jacqueline Winspear is a delight as a character and as a book. The story takes place during the late twenties with flashbacks to the First World War. Socially and historically interesting, it is a delightful, compassionate and satisfactory book to read.

 

by David Manicom combines the intrigue of a thriller with the sophistication of a major international literary work reminiscent of A.S. Byatt. Set partly in 1990s Montreal and partly in medieval France, The School At Chartres is a long love-letter – the final letter – from the protagonist, John Wilson, to his lost love.

As exquisitely woven as a medieval tapestry, The School At Chartres will appeal to readers of literary mysteries, such as Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code, and A.S. Byatt’s Possession.

In his fourth collection of poems, David Manicom affirms his place as one of the most compelling poets writing in Canada today. The Burning Eaves, a mixture of shorter lyrics and longer sequences, is a meditation on the nature of language and the power of love.