On Wednesday 28th September at 7pm, as part of Warwick Books ‘Meet The Author’ series, Sarah Gristwood will be talking about her book ‘The Girl In The Mirror’ at Warwick Library

Writer of two best-selling Tudor biographies Sarah will be talking about her first historical novel ‘The Girl In The Mirror’ which not only is rich in the details of life and politics at Elizabeth The First’s court, but also based on research carried out at Kenilworth Castle gardens. sarah’s talk will be absolutely fascinating, but let her speak for herself…….

‘The late sixteenth century saw an extraordinary boom in the art and the science – the look and the literature – of the English garden. Elizabeth’s leading courtiers were laying out fantastical flowering wonderlands to impress her, with groves and grottos, waterways lined with semi-precious stones, and forests of topiary. New plants were flooding in from explorations both to the east, and to the New World in the west: the lilac and the late blooming rose, the crown imperial and the crocus. The herbalist John Gerard saw the first tulip blooming in a London garden at a time when he was still writing of how the barnacle geese that appeared yearly on these shores hatched from the fruit of the ‘barnacle tree’.  But a new generation of plantsmen were striving also to find new ways of understanding and classifying the plant world – I’d like to speak a little bit about that; as well as about how the Elizabethan’s sheer relish of the garden (as seen, for example in Shakespeare’s writing) still colours our love of it today.’

Tickets for this event are FREE but must be booked in advance from Warwick Books, Kenilworth Books, Warwick Library or Kenilworth Library. This talk is arranged by Warwick Books as part of their ‘Meet The Author’ series with Warwick Library. We are delighted that Sarah’s publisher Harper Collins have supported us in putting on this event.

On Monday 19th September at 7.30pm in the Guy Nelson Hall, Warwick School

Philippa Gregory  talked about her new books ‘The Lady of The Rivers’ and ‘The Women Of The Cousins’ War’

Before an audience of around 300 which packed the Guy Nelson Hall, number one best-selling author Philippa Gregory talked about her new novel in the Cousins’ War series ‘The Lady Of The Rivers’ which is the story of Jacquetta Woodville, mother of the White Queen.

She also  discussed with Michael Joneshistorian and co-author  ‘The Women Of The Cousins’ War – The Duchess, the Queen and the King’s Mother’ her first non-fiction account of the period. Between them  they looked at the history of the women in her novels….Elizabeth Woodville, Margaret Beaufort and Jacquetta Woodville.

We arranged this event for Warwick Words as an Xtra event. We are really grateful to the publisher Simon & Schuster for enabling us to put the event on.  

Book Group meeting Wednesday 17^th August 2011 

 The Warwick Books Book Group met on Wednesday 17^th August at the Old Punch Bowl in Warwick at 6.00pm.  Thanks once again to Angie and her team for making us so welcome. 

This month we hadn’t chosen a book, but each of us came prepared to talk about a book we had read recently or particularly enjoyed. 

There were seven of us at the meeting but we had managed to read rather more than seven books between us!

The first under discussion was Ken Follett’s “World Without End”.  This is a follow up to “Pillars of the Earth” – an historical novel about the building of a Cathedral in the twelfth Century.  “World Without End” is set in the same  city of Kingsbridge two centuries later.  The story starts with some children witnessing a murder and continues with more murders, family conflict, plague, famine and war.  This is an enjoyable book, but without the thread of the building of the cathedral that runs through, “World Without End”, it seems rather too long.

The next book under discussion was “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro.  This story starts off following a group of children growing up at a luxurious boarding school, Hailsham, set idyllically deep in the English countryside.  As the book progresses, the reader realises that there is a darker side to this school and in fact these “chosen” children are to have a strange and life-threatening destiny.  They are used for “spare part” surgery, donating various organs of their bodies.  As they become gradually sicker, they are nursed and cared for by other members of this strange community.  There is also a love story running through it and the book has been made into a very successful film.  This is a beautifully written and haunting story; it will stay with you for a long time. Thoroughly recommended.

Lawrence Durrrell’s “Alexandra Quartet” was next to be discussed.  This is really four separate books, but is available as a bind up of all four in one volume. Each book offers a different perspective of the same events and are set in Alexandria before and during World War 11.  Written between 1957 and 1960, these continue to be a favourite with readers half a century on.

“Aphrodite’s Hat” by Sally Vickers is her latest offering.  This little book of short stories is an easy and enjoyable read and a “must” for Sally Vickers fans.  To quote William Palmer of the Independent, “The stories are filled with women who are not sure why they married their husbands and husbands who have run out of anything to say to their wives. The women come off better under the assault of time, though their fate is to be haunted by memories of lost love and, sometimes, its actual ghosts.” Excellent for a holiday read.

“The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ” is a fairly new offering from Philip Pullman, only published in paperback in June 2011.  This is a novel retelling of the new testament stories about Jesus Christ, where Pullman has imagined Him as two people – identical twins, Jesus and Christ.  Christ is the weaker twin, the studious one, but jealous of his more attractive carpenter brother, Jesus.  This retelling of the scriptures encourages you to think about their meaning while enjoying and returning to some of the most exciting stories ever written.  Pullman is an excellent story teller, often vilified as being anti religious, but his love of the Bible stories shines through this excellent book.

“The Importance of Being Seven” by Alexander McCall Smith .  This is the latest of the 44 Scotland Street series.  Bertie McCullough is six and longs to be seven.  This precocious but amazingly loveable child is the star of these stories and we observe the goings on in Scotland Street mostly through his relatively innocent eyes. A gentle book, as all Alexander McCall Smith’s books are, we learn more about Bertie’s awful mother,Irene; and friends Domenica, Antonia and Angus Lordie take a disastrous holiday in Tuscany.

“The Gallows Curse” by  Karen Maitland is another new book, still available only as a £12.99 large paperback.  Set in 1210, this is the story of a mother accused of murdering her baby against the backdrop of  fear that typified England under King John. With an opening scene  of  a woman being hanged for witchcraft, this is an exciting story full of treachery, lies, treason and murder.

“The Violins of Saint-Jacques” by Patrick Leigh Fermor is the only novel written by this amazing man, who sadly died earlier this year. Set on an imaginary tropical island, this is the story told to a traveller by a mysterious French woman.  Centred around the festival of Mardi Gras, this is a tale of intrigue and decadence against the colourful background of the Caribbean.  Hailed  in 1953 as  an exotic sweep of colour in an otherwise drab world, it is highly recommended.

“The Cellist of Sarajevo” by Steven Galloway.  Based on two real characters, this book is about the seige of Sarajevo in the 1990s.  A cellist sits by his window playing the very demanding but beautiful Adagio by Albinoni.  People are outside in the Market Square queing for bread.  Suddenly a shell explodes in the market place and all 22 people die.  The next day, the cellist comes down from his apartment, sets up his stool and plays Albinoni’s Adagio in memory of the 22 deaths.  He does this every day for the next 21 days.  The other character based on fact is a female sniper.  Such people always used a psuedonym so that their families would not be threatened.  This character is known as Arrow.  The third character,Kenan, has to collect water from the brewery for his family.  Most of the water in Sarajevo is polluted, but the water on the other side of town, near the brewery, remains safe to drink.  Kenan risks his life, regularly crossing the city, always in fear that he will not return, leaving his family and neighbours  unsupported.

The final character is the baker, Dragan, who is totally bemused by the loss of his beloved city and dreams of it being once more a place without conflict where people treat each other with tolerance and respect.

Only the music and Dragan’s dreams bring hope to this tortured city along with Galloway’s beautiful, sparse, subtle  prose.  Another book that will stay with you.

Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber.  A rumbustuous novel. Set a little later than Dickens’ time, this is a story about prostitutes, in a London of trolleybuses, department stores and the new underground railway. The main protagonist, Sugar, is an unlikely character, both poor and forced into prostitution by her mother (the evil Madame, Mrs Castaway) , but also intelligent, well read and articulate.  By no means beautiful – she is tall and almost without bosom and suffers from some kind of psoriasis-like skin condition, but praised as unequalled in the popular men’s magazine , “More Sprees in London”, she is reputed to be prepared to do “anything” to please her gentleman clients

There are some wonderful descriptions of the life of prostitutes, their madames and the efforts made to hide the shabbiness of the brothels from their clients, but having read once about using a chamber pot, douching and manly release from frustration, it becomes rather repetitive to keep reading about it.  However, although over graphic and over long, this very rude book is great fun.

The White Queen  by Philippa Gregory.  Part of the Cousins War series, Philippa Gregory has moved away from the Tudor period back in time to Edward IV and the end of the Wars of the Roses.  Told by Edward’s commoner wife, Elizabeth Woodville, we learn about the machinations and political rumblings during this difficult time of civil war.  Philippa Gregory supports the theory that Perkin Warbeck was indeed Edward’s son Richard, smuggled out of the country while a substitute was sent to join Richard’s ill-fated older brother in the Tower of London.

Although we know the story and its outcome, Philippa Gregory manages to ratch up the tension as Elizabeth Woodville waits in Sanctuary not knowing  whether her brothers and her sons are alive or dead, who is friend and who is foe.  We are really looking forward to Philippa Gregory’s visit on 19^th September when she will be talking about her latest book in this series, “The Lady of the Rivers”

Our next meeting is scheduled of Wednesday 14^th September at 6.00pm at the Old Punchbowl Inn when we will be discussing Tea Obreht’s stunning debut novel, “The Tiger’s Wife”

Meets at the Virgin and Castle Pub, High Street, Kenilworth,

4th Tuesday of every month 7.30 p.m. till about 9.30 p.m.

Here’s our programme for the rest of the year…

25th October:  Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by Le Carré

Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin

22nd Nov:  Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

Cider House Rules by John Irving

13th Dec: (NB: date change)

The Crimson Room by Katherine McMahon

Any Human Heart by William Boyd

We are an informal and friendly group. Do come along and join us! Ring or text Victoria Lee on 0790 8899250, or Kenilworth Books on 01926 855784 for more information.

Book Group meeting Wednesday 17^th August 2011 

The Warwick Books Book Group met on Wednesday 17^th August at the Old Punch Bowl in Warwick at 6.00pm.  Thanks once again to Angie and her team for making us so welcome.

 This month we hadn’t chosen a book, but each of us came prepared to talk about a book we had read recently or particularly enjoyed.

 There were seven of us at the meeting but we had managed to read rather more than seven books between us!

 The first under discussion was Ken Follett’s “World Without End”.  This is a follow up to “Pillars of the Earth” – an historical novel about the building of a Cathedral in the twelfth Century.  “World Without End” is set in the same  city of Kingsbridge two centuries later.  The story starts with some children witnessing a murder and continues with more murders, family conflict, plague, famine and war.  This is an enjoyable book, but without the thread of the building of the cathedral that runs through, “World Without End”, it seems rather too long.

 The next book under discussion was “Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro.  This story starts off following a group of children growing up at a luxurious boarding school, Hailsham, set idyllically deep in the English countryside.  As the book progresses, the reader realises that there is a darker side to this school and in fact these “chosen” children are to have a strange and life-threatening destiny.  They are used for “spare part” surgery, donating various organs of their bodies.  As they become gradually sicker, they are nursed and cared for by other members of this strange community.  There is also a love story running through it and the book has been made into a very successful film.  This is a beautifully written and haunting story; it will stay with you for a long time. Thoroughly recommended.

 Lawrence Durrrell’s “Alexandra Quartet” was next to be discussed.  This is really four separate books, but is available as a bind up of all four in one volume. Each book offers a different perspective of the same events and are set in Alexandria before and during World War 11.  Written between 1957 and 1960, these continue to be a favourite with readers half a century on.

 “Aphrodite’s Hat” by Sally Vickers is her latest offering.  This little book of short stories is an easy and enjoyable read and a “must” for Sally Vickers fans.  To quote William Palmer of the Independent, “The stories are filled with women who are not sure why they married their husbands and husbands who have run out of anything to say to their wives. The women come off better under the assault of time, though their fate is to be haunted by memories of lost love and, sometimes, its actual ghosts.” Excellent for a holiday read.

 “The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ” is a fairly new offering from Philip Pullman, only published in paperback in June 2011.  This is a novel retelling of the new testament stories about Jesus Christ, where Pullman has imagined Him as two people – identical twins, Jesus and Christ.  Christ is the weaker twin, the studious one, but jealous of his more attractive carpenter brother, Jesus.  This retelling of the scriptures encourages you to think about their meaning while enjoying and returning to some of the most exciting stories ever written.  Pullman is an excellent story teller, often vilified as being anti religious, but his love of the Bible stories shines through this excellent book.

 “The Importance of Being Seven” by Alexander McCall Smith .  This is the latest of the 44 Scotland Street series.  Bertie McCullough is six and longs to be seven.  This precocious but amazingly loveable child is the star of these stories and we observe the goings on in Scotland Street mostly through his relatively innocent eyes. A gentle book, as all Alexander McCall Smith’s books are, we learn more about Bertie’s awful mother,Irene; and friends Domenica, Antonia and Angus Lordie take a disastrous holiday in Tuscany.

 “The Gallows Curse” by  Karen Maitland is another new book, still available only as a £12.99 large paperback.  Set in 1210, this is the story of a mother accused of murdering her baby against the backdrop of  fear that typified England under King John. With an opening scene  of  a woman being hanged for witchcraft, this is an exciting story full of treachery, lies, treason and murder.

 “The Violins of Saint-Jacques” by Patrick Leigh Fermor is the only novel written by this amazing man, who sadly died earlier this year. Set on an imaginary tropical island, this is the story told to a traveller by a mysterious French woman.  Centred around the festival of Mardi Gras, this is a tale of intrigue and decadence against the colourful background of the Caribbean.  Hailed  in 1953 as  an exotic sweep of colour in an otherwise drab world, it is highly recommended.

 “The Cellist of Sarajevo” by Steven Galloway.  Based on two real characters, this book is about the seige of Sarajevo in the 1990s.  A cellist sits by his window playing the very demanding but beautiful Adagio by Albinoni.  People are outside in the Market Square queing for bread.  Suddenly a shell explodes in the market place and all 22 people die.  The next day, the cellist comes down from his apartment, sets up his stool and plays Albinoni’s Adagio in memory of the 22 deaths.  He does this every day for the next 21 days.  The other character based on fact is a female sniper.  Such people always used a psuedonym so that their families would not be threatened.  This character is known as Arrow.  The third character,Kenan, has to collect water from the brewery for his family.  Most of the water in Sarajevo is polluted, but the water on the other side of town, near the brewery, remains safe to drink.  Kenan risks his life, regularly crossing the city, always in fear that he will not return, leaving his family and neighbours  unsupported.

The final character is the baker, Dragan, who is totally bemused by the loss of his beloved city and dreams of it being once more a place without conflict where people treat each other with tolerance and respect.

 Only the music and Dragan’s dreams bring hope to this tortured city along with Galloway’s beautiful, sparse, subtle  prose.  Another book that will stay with you.

 Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber.  A rumbustuous novel. Set a little later than Dickens’ time, this is a story about prostitutes, in a London of trolleybuses, department stores and the new underground railway. The main protagonist, Sugar, is an unlikely character, both poor and forced into prostitution by her mother (the evil Madame, Mrs Castaway) , but also intelligent, well read and articulate.  By no means beautiful – she is tall and almost without bosom and suffers from some kind of psoriasis-like skin condition, but praised as unequalled in the popular men’s magazine , “More Sprees in London”, she is reputed to be prepared to do “anything” to please her gentleman clients

 There are some wonderful descriptions of the life of prostitutes, their madames and the efforts made to hide the shabbiness of the brothels from their clients, but having read once about using a chamber pot, douching and manly release from frustration, it becomes rather repetitive to keep reading about it.  However, although over graphic and over long, this very rude book is great fun.

 The White Queen  by Philippa Gregory.  Part of the Cousins War series, Philippa Gregory has moved away from the Tudor period back in time to Edward IV and the end of the Wars of the Roses.  Told by Edward’s commoner wife, Elizabeth Woodville, we learn about the machinations and political rumblings during this difficult time of civil war.  Philippa Gregory supports the theory that Perkin Warbeck was indeed Edward’s son Richard, smuggled out of the country while a substitute was sent to join Richard’s ill-fated older brother in the Tower of London.

 Although we know the story and its outcome, Philippa Gregory manages to ratch up the tension as Elizabeth Woodville waits in Sanctuary not knowing  whether her brothers and her sons are alive or dead, who is friend and who is foe.  We are really looking forward to Philippa Gregory’s visit on 19^th September when she will be talking about her latest book in this series, “The Lady of the Rivers”

 Our next meeting is scheduled of Wednesday 14^th September at 6.00pm at the Old Punchbowl Inn when we will be discussing Tea Obreht’s stunning debut novel, “The Tiger’s Wife”