Well-Kitchen Well-Read Book Club

Our November 2025 meeting at the Wonderful Well-Kitchen Cafe

Thank you for making us so welcome, Amita; as always the food was delicious. This month the book out of the Random Selection Box was The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule; it was Lynn’s choice. She is shared her fascination with this true life story. It explores deception, lies and identity and is very frightening! 

The themes for the November meeting were Communication & Rebellion. The following books were shared:

• The Four Winds by Kristen Hannah. A devastating drought shatters Elsa’s life; her husband abandons her. She is forced to make a life-altering decision: stay and fight for her farm or take her children in search of a better future. A story of survival, hope, and the strength of a mother's love during a dark time in American history. 
• The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. Set in Nazi Germany during World War II, this is the story of a young girl, sent to live with foster parents. She develops a love for books and words, she steals books from various places, including a Nazi book burning and the mayor's wife's library. Her foster family hides a Jewish man in their basement, the two form a bond over shared stories. Read of her experiences, friendships, and the devastating air raid that destroys her home and family.  
• The Death Ray - The Secret life of Harry Grindell Matthews by Jonathan Foster. Using disclosed files marked 'secret' held at the National Archives, newly discovered documents and personal recollections from those who knew him, this is a gripping account of one of the greatest, visionary, inventors of the twentieth century. 
• Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout explores Olive’s relationships with her kind husband, Henry, their resentful son Christopher, and various community members. The stories, told over a span of 25 years, explore themes of grief, love, and the human soul.   
• The Lighthouse by Michael D O’Brien. Ethan McQuarry is a young lighthouse keeper on a tiny island, on the Atlantic Ocean. He has no family, and sees himself as a vigilant, performing his duties courageously year after year. He cherishes his solitude and is grateful that his interactions with human beings are rare. Even so, he is haunted by his aloneness in the world and by a feeling that his life is meaningless. 
• The Bigamist by Mary Turner Thompson. The true story of lies in epic proportions! Mary is happily married then one day the phone rings, and a woman introduced herself as ‘the other Mrs Jordan’… A raw account of deception on a grand scale, Turner Thomson recounts what happened after she discovered every word he’d said, from the very first moment, was a lie. 
• Please Mr Postman by Alan Johnson. The memoir covers Johnson’s journey from a struggling young father to a trade union activist, which ultimately set the stage for his political career as an MP. A feel-good read! 
• A History of the World in 21 Women by Jenni Murray. From Hatshepsut to Marie Curie; Joan of Arc to Angela Merkel, Murray explores and celebrates the lives of some amazing and courageous WOMEN!

Next Meeting: Saturday 7th February at 1.30

Randomly Generated Themes: Solitude & Surveillance

If you would like to know more talk to Amita or Sue on suzeou@gmail.com.

 “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Dr. Seuss