The Wives of Henry Oades

Further to the dilemma of book clubs. How exactly do you make a selection? How do you in fact agree on a suitable title? Options include - based on peer review, library staff recommendations, online advice or even choosing a title with an interesting cover. There are challenges inherent in the latter approach. Take the case of The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran The cover on the copy I have on loan from the local library is a beautifully rendered graphic of a tall ship afloat upon a wavy sea. With a story set in the 1800's, with characters travelling from the UK, to the USA via New Zealand this is in fact quite apt. Or there is the alternative. Now, I wonder which I would select if both were on offer. Would the offer of story as suggested by the second title leave me disappointed? Something to think about.

Book Club Musings

A group of us in the local area have talked about starting a book club - and talked. To date we have yet to actually meet to coordinate anything formal. In the interim, we talk about starting the book club, we decide on who should join the book club and the pros and cons of numbers. But still we wait. What for, I am not quite sure. Meanwhile we continue to talk - often about the books that we are currently reading, or those that might make good book club material....we talk and talk some more, enjoying the companionship. The main complaint I hear from other members of book clubs is that when the group gets together it is more often for food and companionship than to discuss the book of the month. Where is the problem with that? Sounds like progress to me.