Books

There is something uniquely magical about books and reading. A book can comfort, challenge, inspire, and transport us all at once. Through reading, we step into different worlds, experience lives unlike our own, and discover new ideas, places, and perspectives without ever leaving our chair.

This sectiion covers my love of books and reading and also celebrates our Yorkshire bookclub (formed in 2004) and our monthly book choice.

From literary fiction, historical fiction, thrillers to autobiographical, romance and non-fiction, this will be the space to share and discuss our monthly read plus any other book related topics that come along.

'A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one'

George RR Martin

The Mercy Step by Marcia Hutchinson

📖 Read June 2026 Chosen by: Julie (suggested by Heather) Discussed: Wednesday 24th June 2026 Synopsis (by Marcia Hutchinson and Cassava Republic Press) Set in 1960s Bradford, The Mercy Step follows Mercy, a precocious young child facing a world far too big for her small body. She lives with her Windrush-generation parents in a crowded household where her mother’s attention is stretched between church and family, and her father’s temper is something to be endured or avoided

Julie James

Jun 284 min read

By Any Other Name: A Novel by Jodi Picoult

📖 Read: April 2026 Chosen by: Kath Discussed: Wednesday 29th April 2026 Synopsis (by Jodie Picoult) In 1581, Emilia Bassano—like most young women of her day—is allowed no voice of her own. But as the Lord Chamberlain’s mistress, she has access to all theater in England, and finds a way to bring her work to the stage secretly. And yet, creating some of the world’s greatest dramatic masterpieces comes at great cost: by paying a man for the use of his name, she will write her

Julie James

Jun 104 min read

To read or not to read

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.” – George R. R. Martin There is something uniquely magical about books and reading. A book can comfort, challenge, inspire, and transport us all at once. Through reading, we step into different worlds, experience lives unlike our own, and discover new ideas, places, and perspectives without ever leaving our chair. In 2024, we celebrated an incredible milestone — 20 years of our West

Julie James

Jun 72 min read