It's always wonderful to have a book recommendation and discuss it with friends - and if a relaxed dinner is possible too then this sounds perfect!
The Hong Kong Ladies Circle Book Club was launched in February 2018. It meets monthly - usually on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to be added to the mailing list then please register your interest below and you will be informed of the latest books to be reviewed and how to register your interest to attend.
The Hong Kong Ladies Circle Book Club was launched in February 2018. It meets monthly - usually on the first Monday of every month. If you would like to be added to the mailing list then please register your interest below and you will be informed of the latest books to be reviewed and how to register your interest to attend.
Our next two books are ....
The ladies of the HK Ladies Circle Book Circle will be meeting to discuss and review The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch on Monday 7th January 2019 and The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton on Monday 11th February 2019.
If you would like to join them, please find full details on our Event Page and follow the link to register your interest.
Their review will be posted here after they have met !
If you would like to join them, please find full details on our Event Page and follow the link to register your interest.
Their review will be posted here after they have met !
The books we have reviewed so far ....
December 2018
Synopsis:
Books by David Sedaris are famous for their dark humour and for injecting the ‘fun’ into the ‘dysfunctional’. This book is no exception. Using his own family and experiences, this book is a collection of twelve short stories relating to the spirit of Christmas.
Rating: 1.5 / 5
Review:
Not the most popular book to be reviewed. Reviewers were left feeling amused, uncomfortable, confused and annoyed in equal measure. The links to the festive season flit between the obvious and the tenuous but are cleverly crafted. Politically incorrect and unapologetic, this book is definitely not for anyone wanting a traditional warm and cuddly Christmas tale. Oh dear !
Books by David Sedaris are famous for their dark humour and for injecting the ‘fun’ into the ‘dysfunctional’. This book is no exception. Using his own family and experiences, this book is a collection of twelve short stories relating to the spirit of Christmas.
Rating: 1.5 / 5
Review:
Not the most popular book to be reviewed. Reviewers were left feeling amused, uncomfortable, confused and annoyed in equal measure. The links to the festive season flit between the obvious and the tenuous but are cleverly crafted. Politically incorrect and unapologetic, this book is definitely not for anyone wanting a traditional warm and cuddly Christmas tale. Oh dear !
November 2018
**Ladies Circle Hong Kong Book Circle Recommendation**
Synopsis:
It’s late 1960 and Jeremy Thorpe is the UK Liberal Party MP for North Devon when he meets Norman Josiffe. They embark upon an illegal homosexual relationship that the MP is desperate to keep secret. 15 years after that first meeting homosexuality is now legalised and Thorpe is the Leader of the party. Not wanting his secrets uncovered, a bizarre sequence of events results in Thorpe being sensationally tried for conspiracy and incitement to murder in a court showdown that was billed at the time as an Old Bailey ‘trial of the century’.
Rating: 4 / 5
Review:
A Very English Scandal is the hilariously witty account of lies, deceit and scandal at the heart of the British establishment. It is cleverly written and provides hilarious insight into the clandestine goings on within the corridors of power. It also provides historical facts and background into life in the U.K. during this tumultuous political era. It is a truly remarkable account of paranoia, betrayal and blind devotion. A real case of the truth being stranger than fiction!
Synopsis:
It’s late 1960 and Jeremy Thorpe is the UK Liberal Party MP for North Devon when he meets Norman Josiffe. They embark upon an illegal homosexual relationship that the MP is desperate to keep secret. 15 years after that first meeting homosexuality is now legalised and Thorpe is the Leader of the party. Not wanting his secrets uncovered, a bizarre sequence of events results in Thorpe being sensationally tried for conspiracy and incitement to murder in a court showdown that was billed at the time as an Old Bailey ‘trial of the century’.
Rating: 4 / 5
Review:
A Very English Scandal is the hilariously witty account of lies, deceit and scandal at the heart of the British establishment. It is cleverly written and provides hilarious insight into the clandestine goings on within the corridors of power. It also provides historical facts and background into life in the U.K. during this tumultuous political era. It is a truly remarkable account of paranoia, betrayal and blind devotion. A real case of the truth being stranger than fiction!
October 2018
Synopsis:
Celie is a young black girl born into the harsh, segregated world of the American Deep South. Celie endures a horrendous childhood at the hands of the man she calls ‘father’ and is trapped in an ugly marriage until she meets the glamorous Shug Avery. Shug is a singer and a woman in charge of her own destiny. Their relationship results in Celie gradually discovering her own spirit, freeing herself from her past and reuniting with the ones she loves.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Review:
This Pulitzer Prize winning novel is a classic. Written in an epistolary style it is a very emotional read. The consensus was that it was very well written and enjoyable despite the harrowing events it depicts.
Celie is a young black girl born into the harsh, segregated world of the American Deep South. Celie endures a horrendous childhood at the hands of the man she calls ‘father’ and is trapped in an ugly marriage until she meets the glamorous Shug Avery. Shug is a singer and a woman in charge of her own destiny. Their relationship results in Celie gradually discovering her own spirit, freeing herself from her past and reuniting with the ones she loves.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Review:
This Pulitzer Prize winning novel is a classic. Written in an epistolary style it is a very emotional read. The consensus was that it was very well written and enjoyable despite the harrowing events it depicts.
September 2018
**Ladies Circle Hong Kong Book Circle Recommendation**
Synopsis: Nikki is drifting. After dropping out of university she is now living and working at her local pub. A chance visit to a temple on the other side of London results in her taking on an additional job teaching English to elderly punjabi widows. The classes rapidly get out of control when the women begin to open up about womanhood, sexuality and the dark untold stories that exist within their community.
Rating: 4/5
Review: There was a unanimous appreciation for this book. Told with sympathetic insight and humour this is an intricately woven story of family, culture and suppressed female sexuality. Laden with 'vegetable' references you will never look at a cucumber the same way again!
Synopsis: Nikki is drifting. After dropping out of university she is now living and working at her local pub. A chance visit to a temple on the other side of London results in her taking on an additional job teaching English to elderly punjabi widows. The classes rapidly get out of control when the women begin to open up about womanhood, sexuality and the dark untold stories that exist within their community.
Rating: 4/5
Review: There was a unanimous appreciation for this book. Told with sympathetic insight and humour this is an intricately woven story of family, culture and suppressed female sexuality. Laden with 'vegetable' references you will never look at a cucumber the same way again!
August 2018
** Ladies Circle Hong Kong Book Circle Recommendation **
Synopsis: Eleanor Oliphant is quite a character. Eleanor Oliphant likes routine. Eleanor Oliphant likes wearing the same clothes to work everyday, eating the same meal deal for lunch and buying the same two bottles of vodka every weekend. Eleanor Oliphant's carefully timetabled existence ensures she is totally happy all of the time, or is she? A wickedly funny original tale of loneliness, courage and the power of kindness.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Review: A touching book that evoked much discussion and debate particularly surrounding the back story relating to Eleanor's mother. The highest rated book to be reviewed so far! A must read for anyone who appreciates a good 'one liner' or wants to improve their vocabulary. If you haven't done so already Read. This. Book.
Synopsis: Eleanor Oliphant is quite a character. Eleanor Oliphant likes routine. Eleanor Oliphant likes wearing the same clothes to work everyday, eating the same meal deal for lunch and buying the same two bottles of vodka every weekend. Eleanor Oliphant's carefully timetabled existence ensures she is totally happy all of the time, or is she? A wickedly funny original tale of loneliness, courage and the power of kindness.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Review: A touching book that evoked much discussion and debate particularly surrounding the back story relating to Eleanor's mother. The highest rated book to be reviewed so far! A must read for anyone who appreciates a good 'one liner' or wants to improve their vocabulary. If you haven't done so already Read. This. Book.
July 2018
Synopsis: The fictional account of the true life events surrounding The Tennessee Children's Home Society scandal. Told in story form this book is a disturbing insight into the devastating lifelong impact of these events, balanced by the resilience of the human psyche to overcome unimaginable suffering through the power of love.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Review: Overall our reviewers enjoyed this thought provoking book. Although at times it was uncomfortably descriptive the majority felt it was a well written and surprisingly enjoyable read. Guaranteed to have you 'googling' the moment you finish it!
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Review: Overall our reviewers enjoyed this thought provoking book. Although at times it was uncomfortably descriptive the majority felt it was a well written and surprisingly enjoyable read. Guaranteed to have you 'googling' the moment you finish it!
June 2018
Synopsis: England, the 1930's. Christopher Banks has become the country's most celebrated detective yet one unsolved crime has always haunted him : the mysterious disappearance of his parents in Shanghai, when he was a small boy. The book is set between London and Shanghai and is a story of memory, intrigue and the need to return.
Rating: 2.5 / 5
Review: Although this book is beautifully written all reviewers felt it lacked dynamic narrative. The plot was disorientated and meandering leaving the readers distinctly underwhelmed. Joint tied for bottom place so far!
Rating: 2.5 / 5
Review: Although this book is beautifully written all reviewers felt it lacked dynamic narrative. The plot was disorientated and meandering leaving the readers distinctly underwhelmed. Joint tied for bottom place so far!
May 2018
Synopsis: One year ago, Caroline Johnson chose to end her life brutally : a shocking suicide planned to match that of her husband's just one month before. Their daughter, Anna, has struggled to come to terms with their loss ever since. Now with a baby of her own, Anna misses her mother more than ever and starts to question her parent's deaths. But by digging up the past, she'll put her future in danger.
Rating: 2.5 / 5
Review:
This book polarised our reviewers with some loving it and others hating it. There was complete agreement however for the character of Murray who we determined deserves his own spin off novel / novels. An easy read for those who love a missing person crime drama.
Rating: 2.5 / 5
Review:
This book polarised our reviewers with some loving it and others hating it. There was complete agreement however for the character of Murray who we determined deserves his own spin off novel / novels. An easy read for those who love a missing person crime drama.
April 2018
Synopsis: Irene and Nate Stanley live on their Illinois family farm with their children Bliss and Shep until one day Nate announces he's been offered a job in Oregon. Although unhappy with the move the family pack up and move across the country. Soon after arriving the unthinkable happens and their son Shep is shot and killed. Shep's death leads Irene Stanley into an unlikely friendship with his murderer who is on death row.
Rating: 3 / 5
Review: Generated interesting debate surrounding the capacity for forgiveness and the efficacy of capital punishment. Consensus was that the plot lost it's way at times however the story is compelling and keeps you guessing until the conclusion.
Rating: 3 / 5
Review: Generated interesting debate surrounding the capacity for forgiveness and the efficacy of capital punishment. Consensus was that the plot lost it's way at times however the story is compelling and keeps you guessing until the conclusion.
March 2018
** Ladies Circle Hong Kong Book Circle Recommendation **
Synopsis: In Shaker Heights everything is planned-roads, colours of houses, even the lives the residents will lead. No one embodies this spirit more that Elena Richardson. Enter Mia Warren - artist and single Mum who rents a house from Mrs Richardson with her teenage daughter Pearl. Throw in teenage angst, a custody battle and a mysterious past and you have all the ingredients for a riveting read.
Rating: 4 / 5
Review: A riveting read from start to finish. A multi faceted story that explores motherhood, cultural identity and the weights of expectation and secrets. Unputdownable!!
Synopsis: In Shaker Heights everything is planned-roads, colours of houses, even the lives the residents will lead. No one embodies this spirit more that Elena Richardson. Enter Mia Warren - artist and single Mum who rents a house from Mrs Richardson with her teenage daughter Pearl. Throw in teenage angst, a custody battle and a mysterious past and you have all the ingredients for a riveting read.
Rating: 4 / 5
Review: A riveting read from start to finish. A multi faceted story that explores motherhood, cultural identity and the weights of expectation and secrets. Unputdownable!!
February 2018
Synopsis: Beckford is the small British town and eerie setting for the second book by award winning writer Paula Hawkins. Beckford's river has a history of drowning women-but were they suicides or murders? Fifteen year old Lena's mother Nel, who has been researching the rivers mysterious past, is found drowned a few months later. Detectives descend on Beckford and slowly the clues to solving the case are revealed.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Review: After the praise received for the author's debut 'The Girl On The Train' the expectation for this book was high. However, the overall opinion at the discussion was 'disappointing'. The multitude of characters and lack characterisation resulted in a failure to connect or care for any of the characters.
Rating: 3.5 / 5
Review: After the praise received for the author's debut 'The Girl On The Train' the expectation for this book was high. However, the overall opinion at the discussion was 'disappointing'. The multitude of characters and lack characterisation resulted in a failure to connect or care for any of the characters.