Group Leader: Margo Ross Contact the office 01292 260086 Location: From the comfort of your own home via Zoom Day and Time: Once a month on Mondays at 7.00 pm
Some of the book club met for a lovely lunch after the summer break when we reviewed The Chamber by Will Dean. The Chamber is a psychological thriller. The story takes place in a hyperbaric saturation chamber deep beneath the North Sea. Six elite divers are locked in for a month long mission. When one diver is found dead and another unresponsive, paranoia sets in. Most of the group thoroughly enjoyed the book, although if you suffer from claustrophobia, it can be a little daunting! The story was cleverly put together by the author, in that you couldn’t really make up your mind as to the actual murderer. I won’t give you our final thoughts…..read it and see what you think ?
A satirical novel highlighting the publishing industry, the power of social media, fake news and the influences surrounding new authors….with an old topic of ours thrown in … plagiarism ! The group found it clever, entertaining and on the whole enjoyed it and would recommend it. We gave it 8 out of 10.
The group meets over zoom last Monday of the month. We have space for a couple of members, only obligation is to read the book.
After reading a book, which you have enjoyed (or otherwise), it’s nice to be able to discuss it with someone else.
I’m sure you have all at some time recommended a good read to a friend or neighbour, then when they have read it talked about what you liked, loved or hated about it.
A book club is just that but you get the opportunity to discuss it with a group of people.
Whether you enjoy thrillers, mystery, family sagas or biographies, a book club gives you the opportunity to read something which you may not have chosen for yourself, so it can be a challenge.
This is an INFORMAL book club, meeting in the evening when we can put our feet up and enjoy a glass of wine or just a cup of tea while chatting about the book we have all just read.
The zoom club is working out really well, however for everyone to have a chance to chat, the numbers in the club sit at 12… no reason though not to start another, if anyone would like to organise.
Contact the office 01292 260086 to join the group or for more information.
Another two good books read by our online book club. Both were on the whole thoroughly enjoyed by our group. The Power of the Dog written by Thomas Savage and now made into a movie was set on a rugged ranch in Utah and it certainly gave you a very different perspective of men and life in Western America. The book is described as a slow burn psychological western. We had conflicting views on whether the movie or the book was best, but it is certainly worth a read and we gave it 7 out of 10.
Our other book The Shipping News by Annie Proulx was reviewed over lunch in the Chestnuts, our first book of 2025 and was well accepted. A very different story, which revolves around Quoyle a newspaper reporter from upstate New York who settles with his family in Newfoundland. Gave the reader an insight into hardships faced in a fishing community and to be honest, what seemed a very bleak place to live. A ‘quirky’ book which took time to get into, but a good story the group enjoyed. Seemingly a movie has also been made of this book. We gave it 7 out of 10.
The group had mixed feelings about The Sea, the main one being the language the author used. A few of us felt it a little pompous, with the author including descriptions and dialogue that was felt unnecessary.
John Banville won The Man Booker Prize for this novel and we did all agree that he is a clever writer. It certainly covered the emotions we may experience in life through adolescence into, shall we say ‘advanced years’. We rated it 6.5 out of 10.
Our last book review was held over lunch at the Chestnuts Hotel. We had a lively conversation over the book Outback by Patricia Wolf, with some of the group finding it ‘boring’, ‘repetitive’, while others really enjoyed the descriptive text by the author of the Australian outback and the storyline of abduction, murder and drugs in rural Aussie. It was an easy read and the first of a trilogy following Detective D S Walker. The group gave it 7 out of 10….so worth a read!
June 2024 – Some recommended books:
Q by Christina Dalcher : A dystopian novel : They call your number “Q” which identifies who you are, what you are capable of, which school you may attend, where you could live, what the ideal occupation you could focus on. As a summary your Q is your path finder. The group found this book to be quite a thought provoking story, maybe a bit too close for comfort, but an interesting read.
A Keeper by Graeme Norton was an easy enjoyable read. The majority of the group enjoyed the story set in Ireland around a small community, exploring secrets and relationships. Some felt they may read other novels by Graeme Norton, others not! It was described as a ‘good holiday read’
The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne. It was a ‘big book’ but the group found it to be quite a captivating story. Again set in Ireland covering several decades in the life of Cyril, giving us a poignant exploration of love and the human spirit. We liked the way the author wrote and how he balanced humour, sadness and tragedy throughout the book. So many parts of the book touched us in different ways. We would recommend you read it!
Hi Folks,
Well that’s the end of another Book Club Year and what an array of genres we have covered. So many different authors, discovering some wonderful writers and stories which have taken us through every emotion from laughing to crying! Wonderful . Our last book of the year is below and we reviewed it end November.
Fresh Water for Flowers was first published in 2020 and was Valérie Perrin’s English Language debut. She is one of 10 best selling authors in France.
A multi layered story which drew out lots of different emotions from the reader, with a little bit of “whodunnit’ thrown into the pot. Some of us loved it, some of us liked it and some just couldn’t get in to it at all. Gave us lots to talk about. Once again, we thought a book that could easily be translated to the big or small screen.
We rated it 8 out of 10 with the majority recommending it to a friend
We covered two books for our October meet as ‘Small Things Like These’ is a Novello and could be read in a few hours. Our group loved it.
We admired the main character Bill Furlong and enjoyed how the author took you through family life at that time in Ireland and the horrendous influence and control of the church. Well worth a read. It was shortlisted for the 2022 Booker Prize and is the shortest book recognised in the history of this prize. We gave it 9/10
The group felt Paper Cup was a little too descriptive and dragged out, however others, myself included absolutely loved Paper Cup and got carried along with all the emotions, characters and the journey that Kelly took. Her life as a homeless alcoholic was harrowing, however we liked how the author took us through her youth, her education her resilience, showed her caring side and the fight she had every day with alcoholism. We rated it 8/10
The group had quite a lot to say about The Blackhouse by Peter May, we all thought he is an excellent writer, his descriptions of life as youngsters and adults in the Western Isles were vivid; the community, religion and culture were certainly one that you may need to be born into and ‘newby’s’ would always be incomers ! Just about all of us really enjoyed the book and although it was a murder mystery, the focus was on the complex lives, friendships/relationships and culture of people living in the Western Isles.
Our next two books to review are Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan and Paper Cup by Karen Campbell. Both authors are highly regarded.
Those of us new to James Patterson novels, found his style of writing a bit disappointing; the way the book didn’t really have a big finale; the huge amount of characters you had to follow, it just wandered along ! However, we felt the content regarding gun laws, Cartel, Mexican border was relevant to today, as one of our group said, ‘he takes a heavy subject and writes about it in a lighter fashion’.
We gave it 5 out of 10
Our next book in July was Exit by Belinda Bauer.
The subject matter, euthanasia was an unusual premise, however we all felt it was written with a great deal of sensitivity and warmth. The humour throughout was at times laugh out loud. We would certainly recommend it and gave it 9 out of 10
Our next book is The Blackhouse by James May, part of a trilogy which may be good to follow through.
This is our book for May, which was the story of Alan Cumming’s life in Hollywood, taking us through the highs and lows of his career, his relationships and struggle with mental health. The majority of the group were not impressed with the style or writing of this book and although admired what he had accomplished in his life so far, we felt it a memoir that was boring, smug and just a continuous name dropping session! Sorry Alan, although I love you as an actor… I’m afraid not as a writer ! We gave it 4.5 out of 10
Look out for my next review of 22 Seconds by the multi million selling author James Patterson 
Our last book to review was You Will Be Safe Here by Damien Barr. Damien Barr is a Scottish author and broadcaster. You may recognise the name as he hosts the Big Scottish Book Club on television. I was lucky enough to be at one of his shows with some friends when he was recording out of Troon Town Hall. What a great night it was listening to authors old and new discussing their books. Our group found this book to be a very interesting read, in some parts not wholly enjoyable, but a story worth reading. Well researched by Damien regarding the Boer Wars and history of South Africa. We gave it 8 out of 10 and would definitely recommend it.
April 2023
Since I last posted the Book Club reviews, we have progressed to meeting up every 3rd month to review our book over lunch at the Chestnuts Hotel. The group felt it would be nice meeting face to face now and again and I must say it has been really sociable. Our last book was Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus and previous to that was Richard Osman’s, The Man Who Died Twice. Both were rated as excellent reads by the majority of the group.
The Man Who Died Twice was a follow up, although a different story, of his first book, The Thursday Murder Club, which we also reviewed sometime last year. There is another murder of course to investigate with the same characters involved as the first book. The majority of group liked the characters, their relationships and humour throughout the book, although the storyline was perhaps a little far fetched at times. It didn’t appeal to everyone, but then again, what book does. We agreed it was an enjoyable light easy read. We did think, however, that to enjoy it, it was probably better to have read Osman’s first book. We gave it 6.5 out of 10
Our last book which we enjoyed discussing over lunch was A Lesson in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Another great book by all accounts, well the majority of the group loved it. The theme was quite relevant to today’s issues re women in the workplace even though it was based in the 60s’. It was full of humour and wit which appealed to nearly all of us, although some felt the early part of the story was a little overlong. However we agreed on the style of writing being excellent for a first novel. There were so many characters in the book with so many interesting situations we felt we could discuss the book all day.
The view by the majority of the group was a well written, very funny, thought provoking book’ and we rated it 7.5 out of 10
Our first book for 2023 was We Begin At the End by Chris Whitaker.
Chris Whitaker is an up a coming crime writer and the group enjoyed his book, although his style of writing is different, but once you get into it, it was a story that kept you reading. The story takes lots of twists and turns, with it focusing on Duchess and her young brother Robin and the tragedies that follow them. The author shows us how mistakes can have such consequences on your life and follow you throughout.
We rated it 7 out of 10 and would recommend it as a good read.
Chocolat was the last book review for 2022.
The book was written by Joanne Harris and published in 1999, so not a new book, in fact made into a movie that some of you may have seen in 2020/2021.
Almost everyone enjoyed the book and we had plenty discussion around bigotry, prejudice, the church and relationships within small village life.
Again a book with loads of messages, an easy enjoyable story, we rated it 7 out of 10. We would recommend if you want a nice light read.
That’s us nearly at the end of another year and I have just completed our new book list for 2023. There are so many recommendations for books, it’s difficult to know where to start, but if they are as good as this year’s choice, we will be fine ! Look out for our table at the Welcome Day at the end of the month. Always ready to take book suggestions and if you fancy joining us, come and meet me then.
The Appeal by Janice Hallett was a very different book indeed. It was a modern take on an epistolary novel where a series of letters make up the book and in this case it was emails and messaging ….very up to date. However, some of our group were not enamoured with it at all, too many characters, too confusing , but some of us loved it and couldn’t put it down. I certainly loved it and would recommend. We gave it 6 out of 10
We also reviewed The Diving Bell and The Butterfly. The author was Jean Dominique Bauby who after a stroke which left him with locked-in syndrome and completely paralysed, needed to share his story. Not an easy read but the group admired and respected his spirit when faced with no hope, no future . We gave it 8 out of 10.
Our next read is The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion and is described as a funny poignant novel. We’ll see
Hope I’m not tempting fate, but the weather has been wonderful and been perfect for sitting in the garden reading a book. At our last meeting we reviewed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon . Some of the group found it most enjoyable, others found it interesting ! Certainly a book we felt should be read by everyone in order to promote the acceptance of difference. Apart from that though it was a quirky, funny, entertaining book. Well worth a read and still so relevant today although written in 2003 ! The group gave it 8 out of 10.
Our next book pictured here is a murder mystery… The Appeal by Janice Hallett
in 2021. The format is again quirky, maybe not to everyone’s taste, but I’ve started it and can’t put it down ! We’ll see what the group make of it !
What a summer so far, a great time for sitting in the sunshine home or abroad reading a good book.
The book group has just read and reviewed, The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak and we loved it, with the majority of the group rating it 10 out of 10 ! We felt the Australian author was so clever in using ‘Death’ as the narrator and although we may have thought the novel would be dark, the narrator had a way of describing and highlighting some of the saddest moments with such emotion, it could lift your spirits. Although the story is set during WW2, the book contains humour and compassion. So a very successful book for our group, which we would recommend to everyone.
Our next book is the classic, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon. A Murder mystery narrated by young Christopher Boone who has Asperger’s Syndrome. It’s described as being exceptional, so looking forward to hearing what our group members think of it.
I somehow missed giving the Book Club’s review on Saturday by Ian McEwan. We all met up in May to discuss this one in the Chestnuts Hotel over a lovely lunch. As you know our club meets over Zoom, so it was nice to meet face to face and we plan to do a repeat towards the end of the year. However, although the lunch was successful, Ian McEwan let us down with his book which most of us gave a huge thumbs down. …..4 out of 10
Our latest review was on the book Apple Tree Yard by Louise Doughty which I believe was made into a BBC drama some time ago. I personally haven’t seen it but it’s on Amazon Prime to watch (for a price) and after reading the book, I think it may be well worth it. The group thoroughly enjoyed the Authors take on an unexpected illicit love affair which in the end results in a life changing event. You’ll need to watch or read this one for yourself…a love affair and a court case…we gave it 9 out of 10 !
Our next book is The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Looks good…will give you the groups thoughts next month
Our last book was The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad. The group had a good deal of discussion over this insight into daily life within an Afghani family and the very different role women had in that society. Although the book was published in 2002, the group were disappointed that 20 years later there was little or no change. It was indeed sad that books had been outlawed by the various factions that ruled the country over different times and yet Khan, the head of the family was committed to ensuring his book shops remained. It is an interesting read and recommended.
Our next book is Saturday by Ian McEwan. Henry Perowne is a neurosurgeon, a family man and the book is about all that happens to him on one Saturday. Sounds different….will let you know what the group think next month.
Our first murder/mystery book in 2022 was Silent Scream by Angela Marson. It was quite a complex case with multiple murders to be solved. If you are a whodunnit fan, then this one would be for you. The story was full of twists and turns that kept changing your mind right to the end. We liked it enough to give it 7 out of 10. Silent Scream is part of a series of books involving DI Kim Stone.
Our next book is The Bookseller of Kabul. This is a non fiction book written by Asne Seierstad, an award winning journalist. She stayed with an Afghan family for several months and this is her account of life within this family and the country. Should be an interesting read.
Our first book of the year was The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. If you enjoy walking and are passionate about our natural world, this one is for you. A very descriptive book which took us on a journey walking the Salt Path from Minehead in Somerset to Dorset. However, it is a story about courage and overcoming what life can sometimes throw at you. The group rated it 6.5 out of 10. Not to everyone’s taste, but glad to have read it.
Our next book is Silent Scream by Angela Marson. Not a new book, was first published in 2015, but still a recommended read. Murder, mystery and a serial killer on the loose. DI Kim Stone is on the case. Certainly a bit different from admiring our natural world on the Salt Path
Hi folks,
Can’t believe that the Oir Zoom Book Club is now entering its second year. On my own part I have thoroughly enjoyed the year, reading books that I probably would never have picked up and enjoying reviewing them with our group every month. We have read such a varied assortment of genres and its given us all a look at different styles of writing from various authors. If you have followed our web page, hopefully you have been able to pick up on some recommendations.
Our last book of the year was Skipping Xmas by John Grisham. It was a lighthearted look at a couple who decided to skip xmas at home and go on a cruise instead. Needless to say their friends and neighbours were a bit put out by this and the book takes us through some very amusing and maybe sometimes a bit far fetched situations. It did show a nice bit of community and xmas spirit in the end which was appealing. The movie Christmas with the Kranks is based on the book and is a good festive fun movie. We gave it 7 our of 10.
We have chosen our books for 2022 and the first one is The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. An uplifting memoir about a couple who after being made homeless embark on a coastal walk. Looking forward to our discussion on this one.
I keep the group small to allow everyone the opportunity to give their opinions, but if you are interested in joining, I do have 2 or 3 places available on a first-come, first-served basis. Just contact Margaret at office@oirayr.org.uk and she will pass your email or phone number on to me and I’ll get back to you to answer any questions you may have.
I can hardly believe the zoom book club has been running now for a year and we have reviewed our penultimate book The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. The result was that the group rated it between 1 and 9 so you can see that some loved it, some hated it ! It is a lighthearted ‘whodunnit ‘ not a nail biter, more of a farce really. We did however feel that Richard Osman included some relevant important issues regarding our elderly population. Worth a read and I believe Steven Spielberg has picked it up for a movie. We think it would make a good movie.
Our next book taking us through to January 2022 is a John Grisham novel, Skipping Xmas….I think the title speaks for itself !! We are hoping that we will be able to meet up face to face to discuss this book over lunch, fingers crossed !
Our next book is The Thursday Murder Club, which got really good reviews from various other thriller writers, National newspapers and magazines.
You may know the Author, Richard Osman from various game shows. He is quite a character and it’ll be interesting to see if he writes as well as he talks.
The plot centres round a peaceful Retirement Village who it appears meet every week to investigate unsolved murders !
Our last book was Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell.
Another interesting discussion was had by the book club. Many of us thought we were going to be reading about Shakespeare, how wrong we were ! I won’t write any spoilers for you, you need to read it for yourself folks.
Mixed views within the group, mixed feelings regarding recommending it, but we still gave it 8 out of 10 which speaks for itself.
Our book this month is Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, which you will see was a Sunday Times Bestseller and winner of the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2020. It does get great reviews….Two extraordinary people, a love that draws them together, a loss that tears them apart ! This time I am ‘listening’ to the story …just for a change. 
Our last book The Hundred Year old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared gave most of our group such a laugh. The story or stories rather, running through the book can make you laugh out loud or for others just seem too far fetched. We gave it 7 out of 10 ….I loved it and if you can get your hands on a copy you should read it. As our members said, you’ll either love it or hate it 
Our book this month is The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. It’s an international bestseller and I believe a movie has been made of it! I like to read the book first though and it sounds like it is going to be fun. A welcome change from Murder and mayhem!
Our last two books were received well by the group with a restricted recommendation on Queenie Hennessy which focused on her last days in a hospice, however they felt Our Fathers was indeed a social history well worth reading.
As it’s summer, plus we all have a bit more ‘freedom’ the book group are reading two books to discuss when we meet again at the end of August. They are The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce, a compassionate story of life, love and death. Our other book is Our Fathers by Andrew O’Hagan, a novel of 3 generations of Scottish dreamers. Our last book Where The Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens was thoroughly enjoyed by all. We could definitely recommend it as a good read.
Our book this month is Where The Crawdads Sing. It gets very good reviews and the group is looking forward to reading it. A murder mystery taking place in the swamps on the North Carolina Coast. Another suggestion from one of our members was Atomic Habits by James Clear. This is not so much a fictional story, but a book which looks at taking small steps to change habits. Food for thought !
The group gave our last book Half of a Yellow Sun really good reviews. They felt that although it was a challenge to read, it was certainly worth it and would recommend it to a friend.
Another interesting book for this months book club. From Murder, mystery and memoirs to Civil war, we are covering it all ! Last months book The Boy was on the whole well accepted. We rated it 7/10! Loving the different genres !
Our 3rd Book ….a change in direction from fiction to fact. Alan Johnson is a British politician and from the cover and description it sounds like an interesting read. Our group really enjoyed our last book, The Dry and rated it 8.5 out of 10 …a winner I would say.
Busy reading our second book …a ‘whodunit’ mystery set in the Australian outback. Can’t wait to hear the group ‘s views on this one. Our last book Thirteen got a rating of 5/10 ….so a mixed verdict !
This is our first book selection and what a thriller it is. Its keeping me on the edge of my seat !
Looking forward to hearing all the comments when we meet up to discuss it!
OiR Ayr 