Navigation Like chatting about books? If you like chatting about books, why not join one of the reading groups in Bexley's libraries? New members are always welcome.
Please contact your local Bexley library for more details
We'd love to hear your reading group's book news and reviews. Email will.cooban@bexley.gov.uk
Recent review
1510060170 
Year 2017
Language: English
Media class: Large print
Edition: Large print edition
Publisher: Clipper Large Print Books
Resource type: Physical
Note: Standard print edition originally published: London: Century, 2016 Phil Collins gained fame as both the drummer and lead singer for Genesis and continues to enjoy worldwide success today. He's one of only three recording artists who have sold over 100 million albums both as solo artists and separately as principal members of a band - the other two being Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson. Revered as a drummer, he's the only performer of distinction to have appeared at both the UK and US original Live Aid concerts, the creator of numerous worldwide hits, and is an Oscar winner for the song 'You'll Be in My Heart', from the Disney film 'Tarzan.' In his memoir Phil talks honestly about his three failed marriages, his alcoholism and his ill health but also describes the highs and lows of his career, and what it is like to work with other rock legends from Eric Clapton to Robert Plant.
576 pages (large print), illustrations (black and white, and colour) (pbk)
1471135861 
Year 2016
Language: English
Media class: Paperback
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Resource type: Physical
Note: Kitty Deverill was born on the ninth day of the ninth month of 1900. The youngest daughter of an aristocratic Anglo-Irish dynasty living in the south-west of Ireland, her life will unfold as history plays out in her home country. Though young, her future is already determined: marriage to an English lord, quiet subservience, and a life away from ho. Originally published: 2015 Kitty Deverill was born on the ninth day of the ninth month of 1900. The youngest daughter of an aristocratic Anglo-Irish dynasty living in the south-west of Ireland, her life will unfold as history plays out in her home country. Though young, her future is already determined: marriage to an English lord, quiet subservience, and a life away from home. But Kitty has ideas of her own and chooses her friends according to their personality not their position, and when the ruggedly handsome son of the local vet catches her eye, her future starts to feel less like a privilege and more like a prison. With her red hair she is passionate and feisty, her heart pure and mind set. But as war comes and the family's position in Ireland becomes less certain, will she follow her head or her heart?
503 pages ; 20 cm (pbk)
1472101006 
Year 2013
Language: English
Media class: Hardback
Publisher: Canvas
Resource type: Physical
Note: Dotty, Lucy and Annabelle all turn up for work at Coventry's department store Owen Owen at the same time as war is declared. Dotty has never known a life outside of the orphanage where she grew up. Lucy is the sole carer of her little sister; she's head of the home now that her brother has gone to war. So she seeks out a job at Owen Owen. Annabelle has led a life of privilege but everyone's having to pinch the pennies at the moment. The well-off are no exception, much to Annabelle's annoyance. As the trials and devastating effects of war come to bear on the three women, their bond deepens.
439 pages ; 24 cm (hbk)
0349417857 
Year 2018
Language: English
Media class: Hardback
Publisher: Piatkus
Resource type: Physical
Note: In death series Originally published: New York: St. Martin's Press There's always a reason for murder. But when a young actress is killed in a swift and violent attack at a cinema screening, that reason is hard to fathom - even for Lieutenant Eve Dallas and her team. It's only when bestselling crime writer Blaine DeLano arrives at the precinct that the shocking truth is revealed. Someone is recreating the murder scenes from her latest series, book by book. With six more novels left in the series, Eve now knows how the killer will strike next. But why has DeLano been targeted? Could her abusive husband be involved? As fiction is transformed into bloody reality, Eve will need all her skill and experience to solve this unique case. Luckily for her, husband Roarke happens to be a fan of DeLano's work. And he's more than happy to work side by side with his brilliant wife - no matter how dark things become.
372 pages ; 24 cm (hbk)
140914447X 
Year 2012
Language: English
Media class: Hardback
Publisher: Orion
Resource type: Physical
Note: This volume features four extraordinary stories featuring characters from the 'Outlander' series. The titles are 'Lord John and the Plague of Zombies', 'In the Space Between', 'The Custom of the Army', and 'A Leaf on the Wind of all Hallows'. Contents: Lord John and the plague of zombies -- The space between -- The custom of the army -- A leaf on the wind of all hallows
xiv, 337 p. ; 24 cm (hbk)
178541514X 
Year 2019
Language: English
Media class: Large print
Publisher: ISIS
Resource type: Physical
Note: Standard print edition originally published: London: Picador, 2018 Adam Kay was a junior doctor from 2004 until 2010, before a devastating experience on a ward caused him to reconsider his future. He kept a diary throughout his training, and 'This Is Going to Hurt' intersperses tales from the front line of the NHS with reflections on the current crisis. The result is a first-hand account of life as a junior doctor in all its joy, pain, sacrifice and maddening bureaucracy, and a love letter to those who might at any moment be holding our lives in their hands.
276 pages (large print) ; 24 cm (pbk)
0099448920 
Year 2002
Language: English
Media class: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Resource type: Physical
Note: Translated from the German by Michael Hulse W.G. Sebald's new book is a work of imaginative literature, the fictional record of a journey on foot through coastal East Anglia, Sebald's home for the last 20 years. It is also an exploration of England's pastoral and imperial past. This translation originally published: London: Harvill, 1998 eng
296 p., ill. ; 22 cm (pbk)
1472128508 
Year 2019
Language: English
Media class: Paperback
Publisher: Constable
Resource type: Physical
Note: It's ten days before Christmas at Honeychurch Hall and Kat Stanford has persuaded the Earl of Grenville to open the Museum Room to the villagers in an effort to raise money for rooftop repairs. For the price of a ticket visitors will be able to view an unusual display of antiques - including the legendary Bleeding Hawk of Honeychurch Hall. When an obnoxious young couple drive 200 miles from London to view the treasures it's not just Kate who is suspicious of their intentions; Mr Chips, the estate's feisty Jack Russell makes his feelings plain by taking a bite out of the man's trousers. But then a suit of armour inexplicably falls on the ancient butler, killing him, and when a second body is found near a quarry nearby Kat becomes entangled in a world of feuds and jealousies, finally encountering a cold-blooded killer who will stop at nothing to keep the past at bay.
303 pages, illustrations (black and white) ; 20 cm (pbk)
0008238197 
Year 2018
Language: English
Media class: Paperback
Publisher: HQ
Resource type: Physical
Note: DI Richard Poole is hot, bothered and fed up. He's stuck on the tropical island of Saint-Marie, forced to live in a rickety old shack on a beach, and there isn't a decent cup of tea to be found anywhere. When a boat explodes in the harbour, Richard and his team soon realise there's a new murderer on the loose. But who is it? And why did the killer leave behind a ruby at the scene of the crime? As the police dig deeper, they uncover secrets that go back decades, and a crime from the past that can never be forgiven. Worse still, they soon realise this is only the beginning. They've got to catch the killer before there's another death in paradise.
326 pages ; 20 cm (pbk)
0224097008 
Year 2014
Language: English
Media class: Hardback
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Resource type: Physical
Note: 'In real life, goshawks resemble sparrowhawks the way leopards resemble housecats. Bigger, yes. But bulkier, bloodier, deadlier, scarier, and much, much harder to see. Birds of deep woodland, not gardens, they're the birdwatchers' dark grail.' As a child Helen Macdonald was determined to become a falconer. She learned the arcane terminology and rea. 'In real life, goshawks resemble sparrowhawks the way leopards resemble housecats. Bigger, yes. But bulkier, bloodier, deadlier, scarier, and much, much harder to see. Birds of deep woodland, not gardens, they're the birdwatchers' dark grail.' As a child Helen Macdonald was determined to become a falconer. She learned the arcane terminology and read all the classic books, including T.H. White's tortured masterpiece, 'The Goshawk', which describes White's struggle to train a hawk as a spiritual contest. When her father dies and she is knocked sideways by grief, she becomes obsessed with the idea of training her own goshawk. She buys Mabel on a Scottish quayside and takes her home to Cambridge. This book is a record of a spiritual journey - an unflinchingly honest account of Macdonald's struggle with grief during the difficult process of the hawk's taming and her own untaming.
300 pages ; 23 cm (hbk)
Reading Groups in Bexley Libraries
Reading groups for adults are held in all Bexley Libraries and meet monthly.
- Central Library - Thursday evenings
- Crayford Library – Wednesday mornings
- Erith Library – Wednesday mornings
- Sidcup Library – Wednesday evenings
- Thamesmead Library – Monday mornings
- Welling Library – Friday mornings
Informal, family friendly “Reader’s Choice” reading groups for parents and carers with babies and toddlers are held monthly at
- Central Library – Thursday mornings
- Sidcup Library – Monday mornings
Welling Library also host an informal reading group called “Book Marks” where members can discuss their latest reads and pass on recommendations. This group meets monthly on Wednesday mornings.
For Jane Austen lovers, there is also a “Jane Austen Reading Group” which meets at Welling Library on alternate Thursday afternoons to learn/discuss all about Jane Austen's life and her novels.
Central Library hosts a reading group for the visually impaired – the group meets on the first Wednesday of the month at 10.30am. Guide dogs welcome.
For more information about any of these groups, when the next meeting will be held or how to join, please contact the library or visit our Regular Events for Adults Page
Bexley’s Online Reading Group
Bexley Book Buzz is the new online book group from Bexley Libraries. Hosted on the Goodreads website, it’s the place to swap tips about great reads and new authors to try and to catch up on the latest book news. Why not sign up and join in?
Its quick and easy – just click on the link below to sign up and then verify your email address to get started.
Reading Groups recommend…
From classics to crime to contemporary fiction, our book groups love discovering different things to read and passing on their recommendations.
The Central Library Reading Group have just recommended “The Colour” by Rose Tremain.
Joseph and Harriet Blackstone emigrate from Norfolk to New Zealand in search of new beginnings and prosperity. But the harsh landscape threatens to destroy them almost before they begin.
“We loved this book… it was a well written & captivating novel about hardship and hope in 1860’s New Zealand. It’s reflecting Colonial settlements and the Gold rush with a presence of Maori mysticism. A brilliant read!”
Account
Help
Sign in with your library card number and PIN to renew and reserve items, or a username and password to add reviews
 | Follow Bexley Libraries on Facebook and Twitter | ||
 |
Recent rating
1847946968 
Year 2014
Language: English
Media class: Hardback
Publisher: RH Books
Resource type: Physical
Note: Honest, frank and brilliantly funny, this is the story of how a tall, shy youth from Weston-super-Mare went on to become a comedy giant.
424 pages, 24 unnumbered pages of plates, illustrations (black and white) ; 24 cm (hbk)
1787331113 
Year 2019
Language: English
Media class: Hardback
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Resource type: Physical
Note: Alexandr and Christine and Zachary and Lydia have been close friends since they first met in their twenties. Thirty years later Alex and Christine are spending a leisurely summer evening at home when they receive a call from a distraught Lydia. Zach is dead. In the wake of this profound loss, the three friends find themselves unmoored; all agree that Zach was the sanest and kindest of them all, the irreplaceable one they couldn't afford to lose. Inconsolable, Lydia moves in with Alex and Christine. But instead of loss bringing them closer, the three of them find over the following months that it warps their relationships, as old entanglements and grievances rise from the past, and love and sorrow give way to anger and bitterness.
281 pages ; 23 cm (hbk)
147220557X 
Year 2017
Language: English
Media class: Paperback
Publisher: Headline Review
Resource type: Physical
Note: Can you ever trust someone you meet online? Anna and Zoe are twins. Identical in appearance, utterly different in personality, they share a bond so close that nothing - or no one - can rip them apart. Until Anna meets charismatic Nick. Anna is trusting, romantic and hopeful; she thinks Nick is perfect. Zoe is daring, dangerous and extreme; she thinks Nick is a liar. Zoe has seen Anna betrayed by men before. She'll stop at nothing to discover if Nick is as good as he seems. The problem is, lies may hurt. But honesty can kill.
472 pages ; 20 cm (pbk)
1529359066 
Year 2019
Language: English
Media class: Hardback
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Resource type: Physical
Note: From Maid of Honour at the Queen's Coronation to Lady in Waiting to Princess Margaret, Lady Anne Glenconner is a unique witness to royal history, as well as an extraordinary survivor of a generation of aristocratic women trapped without inheritance and burdened with social expectations. She married the charismatic but highly volatile Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner, who became the owner of Mustique. But beneath the glitz and glamour there has also lurked tragedy. On Lord Glenconner's death in 2010 he left his fortune to a former employee. And of their five children, two grown-up sons died, while a third son had to be nursed back from a coma by Anne. In this book, she exposes what life was like in her gilded cage, revealing the role of her great friendship with Princess Margaret, and the freedom she can now finally enjoy in later life.
vii, 326 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates, illustrations (black and white, and colour) ; 24 cm (hbk)
075157628X 
Year 2019
Language: English
Media class: Hardback
Publisher: Sphere
Resource type: Physical
Note: When council officer Chris Buckley is approached by an odd old man demanding help in healing a decades-old family rift, he sends the stranger away. But then the old man is murdered, and the police arrive on the Chris's doorstep asking questions to which he has no answers. As Chris begins to look into the circumstances of the murder, he uncovers a deadly secret in the silt and mud of the local canals that he'll realise was better kept buried.
426 pages ; 24 cm (hbk)
0099572966 
Year 2012
Language: English
Media class: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Resource type: Physical
Note: In 1868 Louisa May Alcott began to write a novel based on her own childhood, in the hope of settling some of her father's mounting debts. 'Little Women' is a sensitive portrayal of the lives of four young sisters growing up during the American Civil War.
400 p. ; 19 cm (pbk)
0241144574 
Year 2012
Language: English
Media class: Hardback
Publisher: Hamish Hamilton
Resource type: Physical
Note: Toby and Elinor, brother and sister, friends and confidants, are sharers of a dark secret, carried from the summer of 1912 into the battlefields of France and wartime London in 1917.
263 p. ; 24 cm (hbk)
1444778145 
Year 2014
Language: English
Media class: Hardback
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
Resource type: Physical
Note: Jenna Metcalf was with her mother the night she disappeared in tragic and mysterious circumstances, but she remembers nothing. Over ten years have passed, and still Jenna reads and rereads her mother's journals, hoping to find some clue hidden there, in the meticulous recording of her scientific research with elephants. Desperate for answers, Jenna. Jenna Metcalf was with her mother the night she disappeared in tragic and mysterious circumstances, but she remembers nothing. Over ten years have passed, and still Jenna reads and rereads her mother's journals, hoping to find some clue hidden there, in the meticulous recording of her scientific research with elephants. Desperate for answers, Jenna uses all her savings to recruit the aid of a private detective - and a psychic. Jenna knows her mother loved her. She knows she would not leave her. And she will not rest until she finds out what happened that night.
405 pages ; 24 cm (hbk)