I created this space for book lovers, to spark positive conversations about our shared love of reading! Here, you can discover my monthly picks of the best classic and new titles (when you’re not reading the latest DCI Ryan, of course!) and look out for monthly competitions, giveaways and live Q & A’s with guest authors. Join in the conversation online, or sign up to the newsletter to find out more. #LJBookClub
Hello and welcome to the LJ Ross Book Club!

This Month’s Picks

To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
About
First published in 1960, this Pulitzer-prizewinning novel deals with hard-hitting issues of racial inequality and rape, but it’s a novel woven with warmth and humour, told from the perspective of six-year-old Jean Louise Finch - better known as ‘Scout’. She recounts her life in the small, tired town of Maycomb, Alabama, where she and her brother Jeremy (‘Jem’) and her father, local attorney Atticus Finch, live. Through her eyes, we meet their mysterious neighbour, Boo Radley, and watch the story of small-town bigotry unfold when Atticus is appointed to defend a black man, Tom Robinson, who is accused of raping a young white woman.LJ's thoughts
Sometimes, studying a book at school can have the effect of putting you off it for the rest of your days, but that certainly hasn’t been the case for me when it comes to re-reading To Kill a Mockingbird. I tend to re-visit this book every couple of years and, although I might already know how the story ends, it’s the nuggets of wisdom and acute observations about the human condition that continue to have meaning. Now, as we continue to weather the storm of a viral pandemic in the ‘real’ world, I find myself picking this book up again to immerse myself in Lee’s fictional world to gather some perspective and, as always, it’s a revelation.Where to find it

Crossed Skis
Carol Carnac
About
In this British Crime Classic, Inspector Julian Rivers of Scotland Yard finds himself investigating a murder in Bloomsbury. All the evidence points to an expert skier, which takes Rivers to the glittering slopes of snowy Austrian Alps.LJ's thoughts
This is the perfect book to snuggle up with, because it has it all - an atmospheric setting for a chilly mystery, a group of suspicious characters and even a high-speed chase across the slopes, before the story ends. Perfect escapism!Where to find it
Previous Picks

Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens
About
In Where the Crawdads Sing, we meet Kya Clark who has grown up alone in a shack in the swamplands of North Carolina after being abandoned by her family. Two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty...LJ's thoughts
Original and moving, this is a very worthy bestseller! Fantastic for anybody who enjoys strong and unusual settings, as well as strong and unusual women!Where to find it

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