Roberta: Network Library Assistant. I'm a book club groupie. Right now I'm a member of two Christchurch book groups, two out-of-town groups and one on-line reading group. That about says it all really.
I like to read contemporary fiction. If it's award-winning, that is even better. Part of the joy of reading for me is getting together a group of other readers, sharing a plate of nibbles and sipping a glass of wine while we share our reading experiences.
I'm also a great believer in the serendipitous find. And I'm working in the right place to put this to the test. I like to walk into a library, firm in the belief that exactly the right book for me, at that point in time, will just leap off the shelves and into my ever loving arms. This is how I end up with a teetering tower of (usually) absolutely fascinating non-fiction books on my bedside table.
Booklists
- Roberta's Best Book Club Reads 2015
- Best Reads 2014
- My Best Ever Reads (a bit of a blast from the past)
- Lucky Dips
And, just so you know, I will never read: Graphic novels, anything with Vampires, actually any Young Adult fiction. Face facts, that boat has well and truly sailed!
Follow Roberta in our catalogue.
Recommendations
Sometimes even quite literary readers just want a bit of light entertainment. Older readers who have tired of the Kathy Lette's, Janet Evanovitch's and Adele Parks', will still be able to relax with an abundance of light reads for the more mature. I came back from Auckland Writers Festival in that exact state of mind and have enjoyed three very light, fun reads: Virginia Ironside with No Thanks! I'm Quite Happy Standing!; The Lubetkin Legacy by Merina Lewycka (she of "A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian" fame) and When the Professor Got Stuck in the Snow by Dan Rhodes - described as a zippy little farce set in the village of Upper Bottom - in England, where else!
White Sands by Geoff Dyer: In his very own way Geoff Dyer tries to work out why we travel. So much more than your bog-standard travel writer (he also wrote: "Yoga for People Who Can't Be Bothered To Do It"), the nine essays in this little book are part memory, part recent travel experiences and completely captivating. If you do nothing else at least read the back cover.
Ed Sheeran: A Visual Journey: 
Ed Sheeran is a well known British songwriter/musician who dropped out of school at 16 but became a celebrity, partly through talent, partly because of strong parental support but mainly (by his own admission) through sheer perseverance and determination. It is strange for a musician to give his bio the title Ed Sheeran: A visual journey, but that is what it is. Ed's friend, artist Phillip Butah has recorded his friends musical journey through a series of stunning portraits. Either the story or the portraits will appeal. In my case it was both.
