Book of the Month selections for August, September and October 2022

We host JourneyWoman book club meetings on the third Wednesday of each month at 8 pm ET.  Look for book club meetings on our Eventbrite page soon. If you’d like to be a guest speaker at one of these events let us know! We look for speakers with first-hand knowledge of these areas, who can provide recent tips and advice. 

August 2022 Book of the Month

The Henna Artist, by Alka Joshi – set in India

Published in 2020

Lakshmi is 17 and fleeing an abusive husband when she arrives, alone, in Jaipur.  Through hard work, caution and talent, she becomes a highly sought-after henna artist. Her work gives her access to the secrets of the upper classes, but when her husband catches up – with her younger sister in tow – the new life she has built for herself comes under threat.

Read more here.

September 2022 Book of the Month

The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty, by Vendela Vida – set in Morocco

Published in March 2016

On the run from a traumatic past, a woman is robbed in Casablanca – losing her passport, cash, credit cards, laptop and more – setting off a chain of noir events. Written in the second person (you), this book has been described as “part glamorous travelogue, part slow-burn mystery,” “insanely funny,” and “a spellbinding literary thriller that probes the essence and malleability of identity.”

Read more here. 

October 2002 Book of the Month

Remember Me, by Charity Norman – set in New Zealand

Published in March 2022

When Emily returns to New Zealand’s North Island to take care of her father, who is struggling with Alzheimer’s disease, she finds her hometown still haunted by the mysterious disappearance of a young woman twenty-five years before. Now, shattering truths about the past threaten to rip the close-knit community apart. 

Read more here 

* Please note, this is a new release, so you may need to pre-order this or consider the kindle version. It is available on amazon.com in paperback but not yet on amazon.ca although there may be other options.  

Strong contenders 

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows – set on Guernsey

Published in July 2008

It’s 1946, and an intriguing exchange of letters draws Juliet into the world of the community living on Guernsey in the British Isles. As she “meets” the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society – a book club that was created as a spur-of-the-moment alibi – she uncovers the damage done by Nazi Germany’s military occupation of the Channel Islands, witnesses the strength that binds the clandestine band of book lovers, and turns her own life upside down. This epistolary novel was drafted by Schaffer and completed by her niece, Barrows, in Schaffer’s last months.

Read more here. 

The Whale Rider, by Witi Ihimaera – set in New Zealand

Published in May 2003

Eight-year-old Kahu is the only descendant in the line of succession for the chieftainship of the Māori village of Whangara – but she’s a girl, and the chiefs have always been men. In her struggle to fulfill her destiny, Kahu has a powerful ally: her legendary ancestor, the “whale rider.” This contemporary tale, imbued with mythology, was authored by the first Māori writer to publish both a novel and a book of short stories.

Read more here. 

The Last Watchman of Old Cairo, by Michael David Lukas – set in Egypt

Published in March 2018

When he was a child, Joseph moved with his Jewish mother to the United States. His Muslim father stayed in Cairo, where his family has worked as watchmen at the Ibn Ezra Synagogue for generations. After his father dies, Joseph receives a mysterious package and travels to Egypt seeking answers. In his search for closure of unresolved family conflicts, he finds a history that goes back centuries. The novel weaves together narratives from the 11th century, 19th century (based on historical events), and contemporary times, resulting in a rich tapestry of tradition centred on a precious archive of documents guarded through the ages.

Read more here. 

More from our Book Club