Book of the Month - The Mistletoe Bride - January 2015

The Book

A collection of short stories inspired by haunting English and French folk tales and also rooted in mythology and the landscapes of Sussex, Brittany and Languedoc. The collection is book ended by two differing versions of the myth of 'The Mistletoe Bride' - see more about the legend of the mistletoe bough.

Will this prove to a timeless treasure and a suitably spooky storybook for the winter season?

The Author 

Kate Mosse was born in Chichester and educated at Oxford University. She initially worked in publishing before becoming a full time writer in 1992 and to set up the Women's Prize for Fiction (previously the Orange Prize). She has since written a trilogy of timeslip novels set in the Languedoc region of France (inspired by a home she bought in the area in Carcassonne).

Mosse has also written non-fiction and a play, Syrinx (published in the "The Mistletoe Bride" collection) and is an executive director the Chichester Festival Theatre. She was awarded an OBE (Order of the British Empire) in 2013.

Her books have sold millions of copies in over 40 countries worldwide.

More Information

Kate Mosse's website is http://www.katemosse.co.uk and you can follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/katemosse

Book of the Month - A Cat, A Hat and a Piece of String - March 2014

The Book

"Stories are like Russian dolls; open them up and in each one you'll find another story".....These are enticing words inviting us into a collection of short stories which span locations as diverse as Africa to an old people's home and subject matter dealing with internet gaming and death.

According to the Independent on Sunday book review, "Joanne Harris creates essentially kind worlds in her fiction, where the light and the good will forever win out". What will the reaction of the discerning readers of the Ponders End Book Club be - will they find her work satisfying and kindly or will they expect something more?

The Author

Joanne Harris is an established author of over 14 novels, short story collections and a cookery book (a theme which often fills her writing). Harris was born in Barnsley to a French mother. She studied Modern and Medieval Languages at Cambridge University. Before becoming a full time author, Harris was a teacher for fifteen years.

Her most renowed book is "Chocolat" (1999) which was adapted into a film starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche.

More Information

Find out more about the author and her other books and interests at http://www.joanne-harris.co.uk/books/