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January Silent Reading Books and Recommendations

Writer's picture: Monica BugnoMonica Bugno

Updated: Jan 31


Silent Reading Bookclub Darwin The Last Supper

Wednesday, 29 January


Reader’s Name: Sam

Book Name: The Robots of Daw

Author: Isaac Asimov

Notes about the book: 

  • Author widely considered the "grandfather" of sci-fi, his writing has said to have helped inspire Dune

  • Book is a murder mystery, sci-fi read about robots

  • It's the sixth in its series

Other Recommendations: The Final Empire, Brandon Sanderson and Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell


Reader’s Name: Bec

Book Name: Intermezzo

Author: Sally Rooney

Notes about the book: 

  • First book of hers that Sally has read

  • Different writing style “stream of consciousness”

  • 2 brothers, different perspectives

Other Recommendations: Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus


Reader’s Name: Renee

Book Name: The Dementia Diary

Author: Christina and Stephanie Brown

Notes about the book: 

  • Story of sisters who choose to take their Mum, who has dementia, on a road trip around Oz rather than stick her in a Nursing home.

 

Reader’s Name: Gemma

Book Name: Demon Copperhead

Author: Barbara Kingsolver

Notes about the book: 

  • A weighty book

  • Demon – character born in to life of poverty and hardship – foster care system

  • Easy read

Other Recommendations: The Colour Purple, Alice Walker

  

Reader’s Name: Annaliese

Book Name: Book of Thorns

Author: Hester Fox

Notes about the book: 

  • 100% recommend, has read another book by this author and loved it

  • Napolenic wars

  • 2 sisters – lost twins. One in high society and one becomes a maid and make their way back to each other

  • Supernatural elements


Reader’s Name: Celia

Book Name: Sanctuary

Author: Garry Disher

Notes about the book: 

  • Aussie Author

  • Would recommend

  • 2 women’s lives and bad exs hunting them.

  • Complex read and 100% recommend

 

Reader’s Name: Zac

Book Name: There are 3 books

  1. At the Existentialist Café - Sarah Bakewell

  2. The Last of Us and Philosophy: Look for the Light - Charles Joshua Horn (Editor), William Irwin (Series Editor) 

  3. What Is Existentialism? by Simone de Beauvoir

Notes about the books: 

Soooo many!


Wednesday, 22 January

Reader’s Name: Sam

Book Name: The Robots of Dawn

Author: Isaac Asimov

Notes about the book: 

  • Author widely considered the "grandfather" of sci-fi, his writing has said to have helped inspire Dune

  • Book is a murder mystery, sci-fi read about robots

  • It's the third in its series, it's a detail-heavy difficult read, the author often refers to small details from the previous books

Other Recommendations: Bridgerton novels - fun, easy reads


Reader’s Name: Happy

Book Name: The Silk Roads - A New History of the World

Author: Peter Frankopan

Notes about the book: 

  • A history of the trade routes/roads that brought together the East and West through trade leading to the sharing of ideas, culture and religion

  • Covers the rise and fall of empires, the spread of Buddhism, advent of Chrisitanity and Islam, and the great wars


Reader’s Name: Stella

Book Name: The Gilded Cage (2nd Book in the Prison Healer Trilogy)

Author: Lynette Noni

Notes about the book: 

  • Fantasy romance

  • The protagonist, survived prison, and wants to reunite with her family vengeance on those who tried to destroy them

  • Expected less romance and more action

Other Recommendations:

  • Real Self Care - Pooja Lakshmin, which offers a look at "self-care" through a political and feminist lens, including how social systems drain our energy

  • Other Author Reco: 

  • Paullina Simons - writes romance, and historical fiction with more substance than the average romance novelist 


Reader’s Name: Annalise

Book Name: Book of ThornsAuthor: Hester Fox

Notes about the book:

  • Mystery, drama, supernatural (a heavy read)

  • Set in 1815, during the Napoleonic Wars, book follows twin sisters separated at birth

  • One of the sisters is a poor maid, and the other went to live with a wealthy family in England, their stories are told in parallel 

Other Recommendation:

  • Lord of the Ring Audiobooks - Narrated by the actor that plays Gollum

  • The Witches of Eileanan Series by Kate Forsyth, fantasy


Reader’s Name: Rachel

Book Name: My Favourite Mistake

Author: Marian Keyes

Notes about the book:

Romance, easy, fun read. A New Yorker in her mid-forties moves back to Ireland for a job to help build a luxury retreat (an idea the locals hate) and ends up working with her ex lover


Reader’s Name: Karen

Book Name: Darling Girls

Author: Sally Hepworth

Notes about the book:

  • Follows three foster sisters

  • Their past in foster care was not the idyllic farm life everyone insinuates 

  • A body is discovered under their childhood home, and now the three sisters are thrust into the investigation as witnesses, and possible suspects


Wednesday, 15 January

Reader’s Name: Briant

Book Name: Before You Knew My Name

Author: Jacqueline Bublitz

Reader’s Notes: Female protagonists in New York City. Themes include violence against women and underage sex.

Recommendation: The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fiffe


Reader’s Name: Britt

Book Name: The Marigold Mind Laundry

Author: Jungeun Yun

Reader’s Notes: Overly prescriptive in life lessons but still has moments of beauty.

Recommendation: Diary of an Uber Driver


Reader’s Name: Jenny

Book Name: The Feather Thief

Author: Kirk Wallace Johnson

Reader’s Notes: A heist story about feathers stolen from birds in a museum, interwoven with the story of fly fishing. Explores whether humans can appreciate nature without the need to possess it.

Recommendation: Detransition, Baby


Reader’s Name: Stella

Book Name: The Prison Healer (Book 1 of 3)

Author: Lynette Noni

Reader’s Notes: A mix of Game of Thrones, Alice in Wonderland, and The Hunger Games.

Recommendation: The Hobbit


Reader’s Name: ZachBook Name: Psychology of Stupid

Editor: Jean-François Marmion

Reader’s Notes: Explores why people are the way they are. Includes polarising characters and surface-level judgments, but with an undercurrent of compassion for diverse thought.


Reader’s Name: Kylah

Book Name: The Mask Falling (Book 4 of 7)

Author: Samantha Shannon

Reader’s Notes: Characters connect to the spiritual world. Lacks sufficient investment in explaining the lore of the world.


Reader’s Name: Monica

Book Name: House of Leaves

Author: Mark Z. Danielewski

Reader’s Notes: Mysteries within a mystery. Unconventionally written, with each page in a different format. A challenging read.

Recommendation: Prequel to Pillars of the Earth and Pillars of the Earth.


Reader’s Name: Sam

Book Name: The Robots of Dawn (Book 3 of 15)

Author: Isaac Asimov

Reader’s Notes: Sci-fi/murder mystery series set in a post-modern space exploration world. Requires recalling details from previous books in the series.

Recommendation: His Dark Materials (Golden Compass author).


Reader’s Name: Rachel

Book Name: Witchbotched in Westerham (Book 9 of 20)

Author: Dionne Lister

Reader’s Notes: A paranormal cozy mystery with witchy themes.

Recommendation: Anne Rice Mayfair Trilogy


Reader’s Name: Peta

Book Name: Christmas with the Queen

Authors: Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

Reader’s Notes: A BBC journalist interviews the Queen before her coronation and first Christmas speech.

Recommendation: Ronni Kahn Biography (founder of OzHarvest)

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