Month: May 2020

#21 Book Club meeting

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Dear Book Club members,

One of us is next by Karen M. McManus
One of us is next by Karen M. McManus

One of us is next by Karen M. McManus
Thank you for attending our Zoom/Research Room Book Club meeting on Thursday, 21st May. We managed a digital and real life conversation for all present but it will be nice to have our next meeting together at school in Week 9 (provided we can appropriately spread out in the Research Room). A few members did not attend as they had not finished reading One of us is next and, understandably, wished to avoid any spoilers (Mrs Lacey and Nitika), and Erica dropped out of Zoom. I hope we did not spoil any part of the novel for Mrs Ryan who was brave enough to join us for a semi-discussion of One of us is next.  

I think this discussion is a ‘to-be-continued’ conversation. It’s one of those books with an ending that got us all thinking. After putting the book down, I found myself flipping back to the last page, re-reading it and thinking – what!? Mrs Hanratty discussed her issues with the story not being resolved in the way that a conventional crime/mystery story would normally be resolved. For Mrs Hanratty, this was perhaps a major flaw, as it made it impossible for the reader to identify the character revealed in the finale. Despite a convoluted plot and myriad connections that seem impossibly neat, this is a super-pacy story with an imaginative plot that you won’t want to put down once you reach the final chapters. I look forward to a further conversation with other book club members who finish it by our next meeting. I still want to know how Mrs Hanratty finished reading the book in one night!! (unbelievably fast speed reading).

If you would like to read One of us is next, you can reserve a print copy from the library or check Sora for an ebook version. 

If you have not read One of us is lying, it is recommended to read this first before reading One of us is next. You can reserve a print copy from the library or check Sora for an ebook copy.

Other books discussed included:

  • Ms McNamara shared a book that she is thoroughly enjoying and will donate to the library once she has finished reading it. It is the Night train to Lisbon by Pascal Mercier. It’s about a man’s journey and there is a movie version on SBS.  
  • Ana has started reading Foolish Hearts by Emma Mills (this could be a good read for our next genre > ‘Contemporary Romance’). Other books by Emma Mills include First & Then and This adventure ends. Both are available in the library’s collection.
  • Gretel is currently reading Devilish by Maureen Johnson. A Kirkus review makes this statement about Johnson’s writing and this particular book “Although the subject matter would seem to fit the trash genre, Johnson writes with flair, intelligence and humor. Her characters are well-realized as she builds suspense as deftly as Stephen King. Great entertainment and hard to put down.” Sounds like this is an unexpectedly good read. We have quite a few of Maureen Johnson’s books in the collection. You can check the list in eLibrary here.
  • Anjana has started reading The Sultan’s Eyes by Kelly Gardiner. If you like historical fiction, this novel set in 17th century Venice and the Ottoman Empire sounds like an adventurous, compelling read. This book is the sequel to Act of Faith.
  • Rachel is extending her reading beyond her preferred genres by reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (as recommended by Miss Kadry and Rachel’s sister). Eight Cousins is another novel written by Louisa May Alcott that is available in the fiction collection.
  • Bethany is reading Crooked Kingdom, the sequel to Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Bardugo’s books are very popular among fantasy readers. If you have enjoyed these books, you might also like to try:

Tips on writing and reflecting about what you have read
After reading a book, it’s good to jot down your immediate response to the story and your reading experience. By doing this, you will be more able to recall books after a period of time when you return to your own notes. Over time, you may be surprised and interested to look back to see where your reading journey has taken you over months and years. 

Recording your thoughts can take many forms including:

  • Three-word reviews
  • One-sentence reviews
  • Shelf talkers (these are short recommendations like the ones you see posted in bookstores and libraries)
  • Long-form reviews (an extended review – see the template suggestion below).

(Thank you to Book Marks: A reading tracker by Book Riot for these alternative book review  ideas).

You could also use this Book Review template to help scaffold a long-form review. You can keep your review as a record of your personal response to each book you read. If you would like to share your review with our school community, you are welcome to submit it for the student book reviews folder in the library, as well as for publication on the library’s Books & Reading website. (Details about how to submit a review are explained on the template).

Next genre: contemporary romance
The next genre to be read for book club will be contemporary romance. I will provide a list of reading suggestions. You can also select your own book for this genre study as long as it fits in the broad category of contemporary romance.

Our future discussion of contemporary romance books will include a review of tropes so keep this in mind while you are reading your selected novel. Common romance tropes include:

  • Love triangle
  • Friends to lovers
  • Enemies to lovers
  • Forbidden love

You can discover more romance tropes by reading this article.

In our next book club meeting, we will also discuss the best books to read during lockdown (i.e your COVID good book recommendation).

Book Club survey: Future genres
Please complete this form to vote for your preferred genres for Book Club for the second half of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. 

All the best for the rest of Term 2 as we return to face-to-face teaching and learning. Until our next meeting in Week 9, happy reading!

Mrs Sylaprany, Mrs Ryan & Mrs Hanratty

Catching Teller Crow by Ambelin and Ezekial Kwaymullina

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What an intriguing novel. This starts with what seems to be a nonsensical title, but as the novel develops and grows so does the reader’s understanding.

The novel operates on three levels – past, present and future. For a short novel under 200 pages the authors pack in a great deal into those pages.

In simple terms this is a detective novel, a mystery, a whodunit. The main protagonists are Michael the father (who is the detective) and his teenage daughter Beth. They are investigating an arson attack in a small country town. A little unconventional, but here comes the first twist – Beth is dead, in fact she is a ghost and her father is the only person who can see and speak to her. So we begin to fill in the backstory of Beth’s death, her father’s guilt and to some extent Beth’s and the fact she is of Aboriginal heritage.

In the course of the investigation into the fire we learn, the building was a children’s home, a body was found in the burnt out building and a key witness is missing. They also come across a teenage girl called Isobel who is somehow involved/associated with the home or the fire. Isobel is also Aboriginal and becomes the second voice in the narrative. To Beth’s amazement Isobel can see and speak to her.

So how does the novel resolve those issues of time (without a Tardis) and deal with the fire – well you will need to read the novel yourselves.

What I will say is that the ending is unexpected, upsetting and moving. This is a novel for those of you in year 9 and above as it deals with some sensitive and at times upsetting issues. 

Is it worth reading absolutely!

Mr Llewellyn-Evans