Shrines of Gaiety | 
pickI really loved this latest novel so much. It was a tiny bit like a racier Maisie Dobbs 😂 but of course also very different. She brings all the different threads together so well. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
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pickI really loved this latest novel so much. It was a tiny bit like a racier Maisie Dobbs 😂 but of course also very different. She brings all the different threads together so well. ⭐⭐⭐⭐
pickI took my time over this and enjoyed it hugely. A slight dip in the middle for me - maybe just a little bit bloated and drawn out - but Atkinson remains one of my favourite authors.
It is time for our #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead discussion! I have 8 questions as spoilers—you can find these either through my feed, the book‘s feed, or by searching the group‘s hashtag. Feel free to answer whenever!
Thanks for reading with me! Next month is Anne de Courcy‘s The Fishing Fleet (I‘ll post a reminder tomorrow), and don‘t forget today is the last day for 2025 group read suggestions!
LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, BookNAround, Balibee146, Deblovestoread, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, sblbooks, Karisa, Singout, KristiAhlers, Sparklemn, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym8. As you read about the characters‘ fates, how did you react to the ironies and just deserts? Whose ending surprised you the most? Which characters exemplified your definition of a life well lived? ~from Penguin Random House #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
7. As you observed the path of the bluebird brooch, from Mr. Ingram to his wife and then to a pawn shop, and finally to Lottie, what did you also observe about the way money changes hands in the novel—and the shifting value of jewelry (and beauty) depending on the circumstances? ~from Penguin Random House #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
6. At the novel‘s core is a murder mystery. What were your theories about the identity of the girls‘ killer and the motivation behind these tragedies? ~from Penguin Random House #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
5. In what way do the five nightclubs in Nellie‘s empire—the Amethyst, the Foxhole, the Pixie, the Crystal Cup, and the Sphinx—reflect varying aspects of her personality? What does her showdown with Azzopardi reveal about her strengths and weaknesses? ~from Penguin Random House #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
4. Freda and Florence come from very different backgrounds but share similar dreams. What does the novel show us about the nature of innocence, and about the nature of evil? When Freda is harassed and attacked by Owen Varley, how is her sense of self shaken? Was Freda in some ways more naïve than Florence? ~from Penguin Random House #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
3. What sustains Frobisher‘s marriage to Lottie? Does Lottie‘s addiction mean that she always receives more from Frobisher than she gives, or do they have a marriage of equals, in a way? ~from Penguin Random House #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
2. As a woman in the early twentieth century, Gwendolyn is often at a disadvantage. How does she turn the tables on those who try to undermine her? How do her vulnerabilities and secret strengths compare to Edith‘s? ~from Penguin Random House #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
1. Nellie Coker is a purveyor of gaiety, although she herself is more interested in turning a profit than in having fun. What makes her successful in business? Do those traits also make her a good mother? To what extent do her six children (Edith, Niven, Betty, Shirley, Ramsay, and Kitty) share her priorities and her approach to life? In her household, is it easier to be a son or a daughter? ~from Penguin Random House #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
Discussion tomorrow! And, tomorrow is the last day to suggest a title for 2025. Link in the comments. #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead
LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, BookNAround, Balibee146, Deblovestoread, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, Sargar114, sblbooks, Karisa, Singout, KristiAhlers, Sparklemn, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym
Next up and this has been on my shelves untouched for far too long.
This is a #buddyread and is the October choice by the #literarycrew
@Librarybelle
Lounging on the newly finished deck (well, aside from the staining and painting) and starting this one so I can hopefully play along with #literarycrew #buddyread. Plus Miss G was never out here with me so it doesn‘t make me cry to be on this couch.
#HyggeHourReadathon
Tonight it‘s me,my book,my hot tea, a slice of birthday cake,a blanket & my cat, Poe & Emmy. 🩷📕☕️🫖🍰🟥😻😻
The baseball game is on in the next room, so I can hear it quietly in the background.⚾️
We‘re a little less than 2 weeks away from our next #LiteraryCrew discussion! Anything you share so far?
Also, don‘t forget to offer book suggestions for next year! The link to submit titles will be live through October 31st: https://forms.gle/xNTBNFJb9ih2RDCF6
Discussion October 31st!
#BuddyRead
LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, BookNAround, Balibee146, Deblovestoread, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, sblbooks, Karisa, Singout, KristiAhlers, Sparklemn, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym
pickAn enjoyable historical novel set in 1920's London. It started slow but I liked how the various plotlines eventually wove together, and I also found the morally ambiguous characters (which, frankly, were almost all of them) interesting.
My first book finished for #HauntedShelf! #Flerken @PuddleJumper
#52bookclub (A revenge story)
#AfterDarkBingo #BodyCountBingo #PumpkabooHunt #GottaCatchEmAllSpooky
We‘re reading the amazing Kate Atkinson this month for #LiteraryCrew ! I‘ll post periodic checkins, with discussion on the 31st! #BuddyRead
LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, sblbooks, Karisa, Singout, KristiAhlers, Sparklemn, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym
Via @Librarybelle
October's #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead is the tagged by Kate Atkinson. I'm looking forward to it! Read at your own pace. Discussion questions will be posted October 31st.
All are welcome. Please let me know if you would like to be added or removed from the tag list.
-it's time to think 2025 titles! Comment below any title suggestions, and we'll vote later this year. We typically read historical fiction but any suggestion is fine!
October‘s #LiteraryCrew #BuddyRead is the tagged by Kate Atkinson. I‘m looking forward to it!
Read at your own pace. Discussion questions will be posted October 31st.
All are welcome. Please let me know if you would like to be added or removed from the tag list.
And, it‘s time to think of 2025 titles! Comment below any title suggestions, and we‘ll vote later this year. We typically read historical fiction, but any suggestion is fine!
LaraReads, mcctrish, mjdowens, melissajayne, Jerdencon, Crazeedi, tpixie, Cuilin, kspenmoll, PurpleyPumpkin, Deblovestoread, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks, Sace, Bluebird, CatLass007, Mollyanna, BookwormAHN, Sargar114, sblbooks, Karisa, Singout, KristiAhlers, PageShifter, julieclair, AllDebooks, BookWrym
pickOne of my #Roll100 books for this month. I really enjoyed this, at times convoluted, story. It‘s been a while since I read any Kate Atkinson and I‘d forgotten how she loves to write layered plots which elegantly resolve at the end. This novel is set in 1920s London and focuses on crime matriarch Nellie Coker and the cops AND robbers who are both trying to bring her club empire down. Very entertaining and character-rich.
pickI read this one for an IRL book club I host at a local inn and café. I'm really looking forward to this week's discussion.
I loved Atkinson's ability to immerse the reader in the chaotic world of 1920's London and its equally glittery and grimy night life. There are a lot of characters, and some of the deeper character development was sacrificed for a wider vision of a world and a time. But it engaged and entertained me from start to finish.
pickI'd saved this to read as I've read a few of hers and loved them.
This wasn't as riveting, it felt quite chatty and light in prose. The story is good, I appreciated the focus on each character, but there were so many!
The last few chapters were a sensible way to tie it all up.
Interesting author's note, her wish to avoid criticism about the truth behind it... surely fiction doesn't need that pre empt.
pickYoung girls are going missing in London after visiting clubs. One of the biggest owners is released from prison. There‘s a lot of people in this story set in the 20s. The Coker family, the police, the family friend come to the city to search for two girls, the two girls.
I really enjoyed this one.
I loved Atkinson‘s Life after Life, but some of her others I haven‘t loved like that. So this was my last try, so I‘m happy I enjoyed it
so-soI can't believe I've given an Atkinson a so-so. The writing, as always, was tremendous, but it took me a long time to get into it, and I'm not really sure I liked how it ended.
Next up . . . This one was one I needed to buy as soon as it came out only for it to sit on my shelf until now 🤣
pickIt took me awhile to get interested, but it was quite enjoyable so I‘m glad I stuck with it
pickAfter her stint as a nurse in the war, Gwendolen has returned to a quiet life working in the library in York. When a pair of local girls go missing, she agrees to go to London in search of them. Meanwhile, a police detective seeks to bring down the Coker family empire of criminally-entwined casinos and find the murderer responsible for the dead girls trawled from the river. Kate Atkinson never disappoints, and this absorbing story is no exception.
pickIn 1920s London, Nellie Coker runs a string of nightclubs and tries to keep her six children in line, even though threats come from every side to take down her empire. I enjoyed the period details and the writing, as always, but it was not my fave Kate Atkinson.
so-soIt is pretty middling. They can't all be winners. Too many characters/plotlines so it was hard to feel close to any one character
pickI really liked this story set in London in 1926, loved the characters, the humour and setting.
pickI‘d read enough mixed reviews to go into this with low expectations, but I really liked it! Lots of characters, but somehow Atkinson draws them all together. Not the tightest plot, but I felt the book had a lot of heart.
pickGood historical fiction with some intrigue and deception. Lots of different threads woven together. London, 1920s.
Starting a new book and keeping half an eye on my son and his friends on a warm February day. I‘ve loved Atkinson in the past, but I‘ve seen mixed reviews on this - curious to see what I think!
pickTaking place between the two World Wars we enter the seedy world of nightclubs, corrupt policemen, missing girls and a bracingly sensible librarian. I admit it took me an age to get into this, but once I did I met characters I‘m now bereft at leaving behind. However whilst I do love historical fiction, if I‘m honest, it‘s Kate Atkinson‘s Jackson Brodie series that truly and, somewhat surprisingly to me, has my heart (ctd…)
pickOooh, This was delightful. She is a good writer, and This was fun and pacey and everyone (except poor Frobisher) got what they deserved.
My birthday is next week so I treated myself to some new books (stack on the left) from B&N and some used books from Better World Books (stack on the right)
#12Booksof2022 #October
I was super excited for a new book by Kate Atkinson and I was not disappointed by this sprawling tale of the London underworld in the 1920s.
pickShrines of Gaiety is Kate Atkinson at her MOST Dickensian. I really enjoyed immersing myself in the glittering, mysterious world of 1920s Soho. This novel has a BIG cast of characters, and the web that connects them is intricate. A downside of this kind of storytelling is that initially it feels like the threads are taking a while to come together but Atkinson does a good job by balancing this with short chapter that create narrative pace.
This stack is 100% #blameitonlitsy 🤣🤣. I either missed or ignored the email from Barnes and Noble about their 50% off hardcovers sale, but then I saw someone post it on here. In my defense, I sold 10-12 books to Half Price yesterday, so my #unreadshelf is still lower than it was!
panI am quite surprised by how much I disliked this because Kate Atkinson is a very talented writer. But the mystery plot in particular is very poor. There are way to many characters and we seem to spend most of our time with the least interesting ones. Hope it's her pandemic book and she will return to her usual form.
Despite the cook's objections, Phyllis was determined to tell Nellie about Edith's little escapade when she returned. She liked being in Nellie Coker's good books.
'By the way,' Phyllis said by way of greeting, 'you've got rats' 'Tell me about it,' Nellie said.
'Don't they say "write what you know"?? Betty said. 'But you don't know anything, do you?'
'Thanks.'
If he wrote what he knew, it would be a sparse novel about a man in a Swiss sanatorium in the grip of hopelessness and existential dread. Who on earth would want to read that? Ramsay certainly wouldn't.
So many had been lost in the war, she wondered-attempting to put a veneer of refinement on the base vulgarity of the proceedings - if they weren't following some instinctive compulsion to restock the human race. Like frogs.
She supposed she should come to terms with the concept of 'fun'. She didn't want any for herself but she was more than happy to provide it for others, for a sum.
pickThe lovely @Jeg chose this for book club and we discussed it at our meeting tonight. I love Kate Atkinson and have committed to reading as many of her books as I can.
This was a like but not a love for me. There are others I‘d recommend over this one. Still, an interesting read about the clubs of Soho in 1929. Lots of strong female characters. ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
pickBook club tonight . It‘s my turn. I picked this book. First time I picked a book I hadn‘t read. Not a good idea . I‘m a little over the story . I think I enjoyed the book. So many characters though. Hard to keep track of at first. It was a little too long for me but it all came together in the end. Very quickly all ends tied. I was just sad for one characters ending. Discussion always interesting at book club. Just need to stay awake now. 😏.
pickKate Atkinson has become an auto-buy author for me. I love her Jackson Brody series, and I have enjoyed several of her other books. Shrines of Gaiety focuses on Nellie who owns several nightclubs in London during the 20s. Atkinson develops a fascinating cast of characters who participate in the nightlife. The chapters are short, which helps to propel the story. As always, Atkinson‘s writing is superb. Loved it.
so-soSo this is my Goldsboro edition of this new release. I have to say I wanted to like it way more. I mean 1920‘s mobsters, nightlife and a larger (probably the real issue) than life set of characters but at times it was a slog. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ read
