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More Book Club Reads

Retirement Reflections

Do you ever spend hours searching for just the right book recommendation? Me too! Five out of the six books listed below were recent choices in my book clubs. While we haven’t discussed all of them yet, I couldn’t resist reading ahead . At first, a few of the titles didn’t seem like “my kind of book,”, but every one of them surprised and impressed me. I highly recommend them all. Here’s a brief rundown:

Take masterful writing—eloquent, precise, and carefully rendered. Combine it with an unreliable narrator and a deeply layered story that is both comical and gut-wrenchingly serious. Add timeless, provoking questions, “What is dignity?” What gives life meaning?—and you have The Remains of the Day in a nutshell.

The emotional restraint, deliberate pacing, and quiet devastation of the final pages are undeniably powerful. Be warned: certain moments—both comic and tragic—cut deep. That final blow lingers.

My local book club pick for July 2025. 4 – Stars

The promotional blurb made me think this wouldn’t be my kind of book. But as I began to read, I felt a haunting sense of familiarity with echoes of Anna Karenina, The House of Mirth, The Yellow Wallpaper, and Mrs. Dalloway.

Edna, the protagonist, rejects the roles of wife and mother in her search for personal freedom and romantic fulfillment. Her rebellion is met with punishment—both external and internal—offering a powerful commentary on the cost of defying social norms.

This novel reminded me that you can’t judge a book by its blurb. And that we don’t need to like or agree with a character’s choices to be deeply moved by their journey.


Classic Book Club pick for August 14, 2025 – Podcast available [here]. 4+ Stars


Some novels defy even the best rating systems. The Great Gatsby is one of them. No number of stars could ever capture its power. On this reread—my fourth—the prose and imagery were more piercing than ever. I literally held my breath more than once.

That green light. The aching hope. The sense that no matter how far we run or how hard we try, we’re pulled back—by memory, by history, by the weight of the past.

Gatsby believed in the dream just out of reach. And still, as Fitzgerald writes:

“we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

And we do beat on. Of course, we do. Because maybe this time….What other choice is there?

Classic Book Club pick for September – Podcast available October 16, 2025 [here]. 5+++ Stars


Fahrenheit 451 is an intense read. At times, I needed to step away. Yet beneath its unsettling imagery lies a quiet and unexpected hope. The image of returning to a city once fled becomes a powerful symbol of resilience—and the human spirit’s capacity for renewal after devastation.

I enjoyed this book far more than I expected. Bradbury’s powerful writing held me captive throughout.

Classic Book Club pick for September 2025 – Podcast available starting September 18 [here].
4.5 Stars

The Code of the Woosters is our Classic Book Club’s current pick. The podcast will be available as of today [here]. In my usual read-ahead style, I reviewed this book last month [here].

Advanced Readers Copy

This was not a book club read, but one that I recently read from NetGalley. If you (and/or your book club) enjoy accessible, evidence-based nonfiction on a timely topic, this could be a great choice. Regeher explores how smartphones and algorithms shape our habits, attention, and mental health. With its concise format and provocative discussion points, this is a very stimulating read. It is sure to prompt meaningful reflection about both our individual choices and the broader social consequences of a smartphone-driven world.
4 Stars

Summer’s One Must-Read Book

I was honoured to be invited by Carol, at Reading Ladies’ Book Club, to join her “Summer’s One Must- Read Book.” This is a collaborative post with book bloggers from around the world. I encourage you to check it out here.
What one book would you recommend as a ‘must-read’?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
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What’s been on your bookshelf lately? My cohosts (Debbie, Jo, Sue) and I would love for you to join us here: Also, if you have any suggestions for our Classics Book Club to read, we would greatly appreciate your recommendations.

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Published by Retirement Reflections

Prior to retirement, I lived and worked in Beijing China for fourteen years (Middle School Principal/Deputy Director at The Western Academy of Beijing). Leaving international life behind, my husband and I retired to Vancouver Island in June 2015. To document both this transition and our new adventures, ‘Retirement Reflections’ was born. I hope that you enjoy reading these reflections, and will be willing to share your own.

61 thoughts on “More Book Club Reads”

  4. Hi Donna – I always love how eloquently you describe the books you read. I look at the titles and think “nah…..” and then read your little write-ups and begin to think “maybe….” You sell them all so well!

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    1. Hi, Jacqui – These books were all read by me this month, except for Code of thr Woosters which I read at the end of last month, but recorded the podcast for this month. I also read ‘The Stranger in the Lifeboat’ and ‘The Wild Robot’ this month but saved them for next month’s post as this one was getting too long! ♡

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    1. Thank you for reading, commenting and giving this recommendation. I’ve heard great things about this book, but tend to avoid anything with ‘murder’ in the title unless I know the other and am confident I will sleep at night. Big baby here, I know!

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      1. The murders in this book are really just incidental to the stories about the elderly people. Age is the part that was both touching and sometimes a bit unsettling because I am well on my way to being ‘elderly’!

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  7. What a great summary of the books you’ve read lately Donna! I am pleased to see that Fahrenheit 451 wasn’t too much for you but agree I too had to step away at times, despite it not being an overly long one, it was a lot!! You’ve reviewed these so well and I really enjoy our book club discussions (now a podcast). Thanks for your positivity and not judging books by their covers or blurbs!

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  8. I haven’t read any of your books Donna other than your choice for Carol. Grapes of Wrath is a great choice for your lifetime favourite. It’s years since I read it but I remember loving it. I’ve long wanted to read Farenheit 451. It keeps going further down my list as I add more books. After reading your words I’m bumping it up the list. Thanks for another great reading update.

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  9. Hi Donna, a marvelous selection of books. I’ve read The great Gatsby and Fahrenheit 451 and both were amazing for me, especially the second. My pick of a must read book is The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. So powerful 🙏🧡 and quite relevant right now.

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    1. Hi, Robbie – Great minds think alike@Grapes of Wrath is my favourite book of all time (followed closely by To Kill A Mockingbird and then The Great Gatsby). For a lighter, humorous read, A Walk in the Woods never fails to make me laugh out loud! ♡

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  11. You’re into classics here. Good job, Donna. I’ve read some of those so long ago I barely remember them. English major here…

    As for one book you must read this summer: Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson. It’s a mystery written in an offbeat way about solving a mystery. A layered approach to story-telling that I found charming and funny.

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  12. Although I haven’t read any Ray Bradbury books, his name is familiar to me. I’m not a fan of dystopian reads but I will check out Fahrenheit 451 on your recommendation. I can’t imagine a world without books. I would recommend Grapes of Wrath for the classic read. Kristin Hannah’s book, Woman, was on my TBR list but not on the library shelf. However, Winter Garden was. Following their father’s death, sisters, Meredith & Nina learn about their distant mother through her fairy tales. A story within a story. If you’re on the beach at Tofino, you’re listening to the waves & watching the fog?

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    1. Hi, Mona – Yes, it’s all waves, fog, long beach walks, campfire meals, no computer and minimal phone time here. 🙂 A brief change can provide such a good rest. Thank you for your book recommendations. Grapes of Wrath is my favourite book of all time.

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  14. You have read some amazing books. The Awakening is a favourite of mine and at one time I owned two copies of the book. (not sure how that happened) I have read The Great Gatsby a few times and get something more out of it every time. Kazuo Ishiguro is a brilliant writer and The Remains of the Day is incredible. (The movie with Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson is very well done too) When you read good books such as these, it’s sometimes difficult to read contemporary popular books. Your reviews are perfect too.

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    1. Ah, thank you for this very generous comment, Darlene. I agree that great books, like these classics, can sometimes make it difficult to switch to other books. They always leave me wanting more of the same! I hope that all is well for you@

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  15. I was introduced to Jeeves and Wooster by the 60s TV adaptation starring Ian Carmichael and Dennis Price. I later read so much of them that I got a bit sick of them, but fell in love again with the 90s series starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. Both pairs seemed perfect in the roles at the time.

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    1. Hi, Anabel- I’m glad to read that you’re a Wodehouse fan. I agree that the Laurie/Fry TV series was brilliant. My only small criticism is that Laurie and Fry are the same age. I believe that Jeeves is meant to be bit only wiser, but also older than Bertie. Food for thought.

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      1. True – Fry and Laurie came as a package in those days before their careers diverged. Just looked up Price and Carmichael from the 60s version and Price (Jeeves) was only five years older than Carmichael. I suspect he was the right age for the part and Carmichael was playing younger.

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  16. I’ve read Gatsby and Fahrenheit 451, but so long ago I really should reread both. I recently read “Wide Sargasso Sea” which is an imaginative prequel to Jane Eyre and a classic in its own right. I would recommend it.

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  17. Hello Donna – hope all is well. Maybe it’s just me but I don’t see you on the WOMBS link up.
    Anyway thanks for mentioning these classics this month – I read The Great Gatsby many years ago…..perhaps it’s due for a reread to see if I still feel the same way.

    I’m about to begin The Awakening which having heard so many good things about I’m quite looking forward to – and now your review of Remains of the Day has just about persuaded me to stop ‘looking at and wondering about’ it and get on and look for a copy to read😊

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    1. Hi, Cathy – Thank you for noticing that I didn’t include this post in the recent WOYBS linkup. I had prescheduled it for when we were away tent camping and didnt have wifi or cellular to add the link up. I greatly appreciate you reading and commenting. I’m glad you are interested in reading The Awakening and Remains of the Day. I originally didn’t think that I would like either of them but ended up getting a great deal out of both!

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  18. The Remains of the Day sounds interesting. I think I’ll order that one. I imagine Smartphone Nation says a lot about the puppet strings that control us all. Sad state of affairs. I have a short attention span lately, so nothing to report. I have a few books on cue for next month.

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    1. Hi, Suzanne- Remains of the Day is a quiet book with a great deal to say. SmartPhone Nation gave me thr nudge I needed to look more closely at same digital habits I was sliding into and we’re definitely not serving me or bringing me joy. 🙂

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  19. I am never short of ideas for what to read as I follow along here with everyone who posts. I will be looking for that last phone book one to read for sure. I’m still waiting on the other one you suggested about FB.

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  20. You make me want to pick up The Remains of The Day immediately! It’s been a few years since I read The Great Gatsby. I didn’t much like it when I first read it, but liked it a little better the second time. Maybe a third time would be charm? ha. Thanks for hosting us, Donna!

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  24. I haven’t reread Gatsby, but I think I’d like to. The trouble with books is you get so wound up in them, and invested in the characters. That’s why we read, isn’t it? xx

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  25. What a high-level group of books! The Kate Chopin Awakening is my favorite. I read it in my 20s and then understood it even better in my 50s. I’ve read all the other books except for the Woosters and the Smart Phone one. I tried to re-read The Great Gatsby last year and found the characters SO selfish and solipsistic that I couldn’t go on.

    I just finished an amazing book that I think all book clubs would admire and love. Horrible title – The Dream Lover – by Elizabeth Berg, historical fiction about the novelist George Sand. Fascinating and a wonderful portrait of a woman waaaaaayyyyy before her time. xo

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  26. I like your succinct reviews for books, – it is a talent to be so succinct and highlight your takeaways.

    The last book has me very curious because we sure are in a smartphone-driven world –

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