Monthly Archives: August 2019

Bird Summons

Leila Aboulela       Pages: 290       Published: 2019

The book: Three Muslim women living in Scotland decide to make a pilgrimage to the Highland grave of a female Scottish aristocrat who converted to Islam in the 1930s.  The three women share the same religion but their situations are very different. During the trip they each question the lives they live, their relationships, and their faith. Will they succeed in reaching the gravesite, and how will the journey change them? Read more

Night Boat to Tangier

Kevin Barry     Pages: 214     Published: 2019

The book: It’s evening and two middle-aged Irish gangsters sit in the terminal at the old port of Algeciras, Spain, waiting for a ferry from Tangier. They’re looking for a girl called Dilly. But why are they trying to find her?  What is her connection to them? And, does Dilly want to be found? Read more

The Red Daughter

John Burnham Schwartz      Pages: 268       Published: 2019

The book: Svetlana Alliluyeva was the only daughter of Joseph Stalin. Her high-profile defection to the USA in 1967 caused an international stir.
Schwartz has conjured up a fictional telling of Svetlana’s story that is loosely based on fact and an imagined relationship with Schwartz’s own father, who did in fact have some dealings with her in real life. Read more