28 March 2015 - Odette's, Works Depot

The whole group is together for the first time since the new year.  Should have meant that there was a lot of time for reading, but this was not the cose.  It appears that no one had read the book prescribed for the last fortnight.  Not to worry - we will plough on!

The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett

Maurice, a streetwise tomcat, has the perfect money-making scam. Everyone knows the stories about rats and pipers, and Maurice has a stupid-looking kid with a pipe, and his very own plague of rats - strangely educated rats. But in Bad Blintz, the little con suddenly goes down the drain, for someone there is playing a different tune and now the rats must learn a new word. Evil. It's not a game any more. It's a rat-eat-rat world. And that might only be the start.

14 March 2014 - Ironique Mt Eden

It has been a long time since we have come together as a book group.  Everyone seems to be busy with family, and life.

Interestingly, we did not discuss the two books we were assigned to read.  Rather we shared thoughts our reading in general, and Terry Ptatchett in particular.  Just a good catch up!

Christmas meeting - 11 December 2014

For this special Christmas meeting on 11 December 2014, we meet for coffee and dessert at Circus Circus in Mt Eden.  A very special meeting - it was Kat's last meeting with us for a while as she heads overseas, Ben could join us for the evening, and everyone else was also there - Barbara, Bronwyn, Kath and Yvonne.

The evening revolved around Christmas stories, in particular Christmas picture books. It is amazing how old and precious some copies belonging to our group are.  Thanks for sharing them.

And thanks to Barbara for arranging the donation of our Christmas gifts to children whose parent is in prision.  Merry Christmas.

Meeting of 22 November 2014

This meeting was held in Kat's family's "neighbourhood" - the Little Oven Food Store in Hillsborough.  Although I wasn't able to be present, I hear it was a fruitful discussion, on

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

In an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, on the run from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the globe using mechanical machinery, forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn who, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service, is learning to fly genetically-engineered beasts.

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan

When their father invites a mail-order bride to come live with them in their prairie home, Caleb and Anna are captivated by their new mother and hope that she will stay.

Meeting of 18 October 2014

This was a chance, not so much to meet with Ben, but to see where Ben was working.  The Store in Britomart was a cosy place to catch up over coffee.  We also met John, one of Ben's regulars, who as a fellow school librarian was full of comment about reading!

We discussed a a whole combination of books selected "at random" from the Auckland Public Library.  It was a lovely morning!

Meeting of 20 September 2014

On a wet Saturday morning, we met together at the flagship library of the Auckland City Council - the Central Auckland Library.  It was a surprise to see how much had changed, and we were sure that the number of books especially in the children and teenage section had struck.  Nonetheless, we found a space to sit, and talk through the books we had read in the past 3 weeks.  They were

The wee free men by Terry Pratchett
When Tiffany Aching sets out to become a witch, she faces ominous foes and gains unexpected allies. As she confronts the Queen of Fairies and battles an ancient, bodiless evil, she is aided (and most ably abetted) by the six-inch-high, fightin', stealin', drinkin' Wee Free Men! Laugh-out-loud humour and breathtaking action combine in the books that launched the unforgettable adventures of a determined young witch and her tiny but fierce blue friends.

Not a popular choice as only 1 person had read it.

The witch in the Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
A young woman brought up in Barbados comes to live with her uncle in Connecticut, and finds their Puritan way of life difficult after her unconventional upbringing. In 1687 Kit Tyler, feeling out of place in the Puritan household of her aunt, befriends an old woman considered a witch by the community and suddenly finds herself standing trial for witchcraft.

A definite favourite, as was the other book we had read by this author (The Bronze Arrow).

Joey Pigza swallowed the key by Jack Gantos
To the constant disappointment of his mother and his teachers, Joey has trouble paying attention or controlling his mood swings when his prescription medications wear off and he starts getting worked up and acting wired.

There was a mixed reaction to this.  Some liked the funny side of it all.  It is interesting from an adult point-of-view to understand how the world may seem from the view of an ADHD boy.

Meeting of 30 August 2014

It has been 4 weeks since the last meeting, so there was a lot of catching up to do, with Kat, Kath, Bronwyn, Barbara, Ben and Yvonne.  The Roskill Coffee Project provided a great location, with good coffee to boot.  Here is what we discussed...

Fathers Arcane Daughter by E.L. Konigsburg

Winston Carmichael has it all: a big house, servants, vacations in Palm Beach, and a fancy private school. But with overprotective parents and a sense of responsibility for his younger sister, Heidi, Winston sometimes feels more as if he's living in a prison than a dream.

Then one day a woman appears at the front door claiming to be Caroline -- Winston's half sister, who was kidnapped and presumed dead long before he and Heidi were born. Is she really Caroline? Is she an imposter? Or is she something far more complicated than either? And does she hold the key that could unlock the door to Winston's prison?

Sounder by William H. Armstrong

Set in the Deep South, this Newbery Medal-winning novel tells the story of the great coon dog, Sounder, and the poor sharecroppers who own him.

During the difficult years of the nineteenth century South, an African-American boy and his poor family rarely have enough to eat. Each night, the boy's father takes their dog, Sounder, out to look for food and the man grows more desperate by the day.

When food suddenly appears on the table one morning, it seems like a blessing. But the sheriff and his deputies are not far behind. The ever-loyal Sounder remains determined to help the family he loves as hard times bear down on them.

The graveyard book by Neil Gaiman

When a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing the entire family, who would have thought it would find safety and security in the local graveyard? Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead. But for Bod there is also the danger of the murderer still looking for him - after all, he is the last remaining member of the family. A stunningly original novel deftly constructed over eight chapters, featuring every second year of Bod's life, from babyhood to adolescence. Will Bod survive to be a man.