Novel Kicks Book Club: The Ballard of Songbird and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
Scholastic, 19th May 2020.
Hello June. Anyone else pleased to see the back of May?
I have been looking forward to picking The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins for our book club ever since I heard that there was going to be a new Hunger Games novel.
The fact that it was going to be told from Snow’s point of view intrigued me further. I can’t wait to start reading this one and I hope you join me.
Anyone can join the discussion below at any point in the month and, as usual, I have posted a question to get things going. See you there.
About The Ballard of Songbird and Snakes:
Ambition will fuel him. Competition will drive him. But power has its price.
It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games.
The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.
The odds are against him. He’s been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined — every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favour or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death.
Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute… and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.
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Novel Kicks Book Club: The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
Hello May. It’s nice to see you.
You know what a new month means. Yes, a new book and discussion.
This month, I have chosen The Testaments by Margaret Atwood.
It was only going to be a matter of time before I chose this book. I remember reading The Handmaids Tale when I was sixteen and being totally blown away by it. I also thought they did such a great job with the TV adaptation.
I am very interested to see where Atwood has taken the story. Needless to say, there is a lot of expectation for its sequel.
As usual, I have included a question below to start the discussion. I really look forward to reading this together. Feel free to let me know your thoughts in the comments. Have you already read it? What’s the verdict?
About The Testaments:
More than fifteen years after the events of The Handmaid’s Tale, the theocratic regime of the Republic of Gilead maintains its grip on power, but there are signs it is beginning to rot from within. At this crucial moment, the lives of three radically different women converge, with potentially explosive results.
Two have grown up as part of the first generation to come of age in the new order. The testimonies of these two young women are joined by a third voice: a woman who wields power through the ruthless accumulation and deployment of secrets.
by Novel Kicks Book Club: Longbourn by Jo Baker
Hello April.
I know we can’t be outside enjoying the longer evenings for very long, if at all but I am pleased to see the beginning of British Summer Time.
A new month also means a new book and this month, I have chosen Longbourn by Jo Baker.
If you’re a fan of Pride & Prejudice, this is told from the point of view of the servants at Longbourn; which of course is the home of the Bennetts.
It sounds so good and I can’t wait to discuss it with you in the comments below. I have included a question to kick off the chat. Remember, anyone can take part.
Here’s a link if you want to check out the book on Amazon UK.
by Novel Kicks Book Club: Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
Hello March.
A new month means a new book to feature and discuss. Anyone can join and at anytime of the month.
The book we’re discussing this month is Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano.
As usual, I have posted a question below to start the conversation. I look forward to talking about Dear Edward in the comments below.
About Dear Edward:
A luminous, life-affirming novel about a 12-year-old boy who is the sole survivor of a deadly plane crash
One summer morning, a flight takes off from New York to Los Angeles. There are 192 passengers aboard: among them a young woman taking a pregnancy test in the airplane toilet; a Wall Street millionaire flirting with the air hostess; an injured soldier returning from Afghanistan; and two beleaguered parents moving across the country with their adolescent sons, bickering over who gets the window seat. When the plane suddenly crashes in a field in Colorado, the younger of these boys, 12-year-old Edward Adler, is the sole survivor.
by Novel Kicks Book Club: The Flatshare by Beth O’ Leary
Hello February.
I am a little late with this month’s book club read. I have to admit, February crept up on me a little.
So, without further ado, here’s more details about February’s pick, The Flatshare by Beth O’ Leary.
About The Flatshare:
Tiffy and Leon share a flat
Tiffy and Leon share a bed
Tiffy and Leon have never met…
Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.
But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window…
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