During Christmas 2025 the Roding Valley Book u3a Club read a book of their own choice.
We have provided a list of the books and their ratings out of 10.
"Stranger in Time" and "A Ladder to the Sky" were clear favourites
| TITLE | AUTHOR | SUMMARY | PUBLISHED | PAGES | RATING |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strangers in Time | David Baldacci | Set during World War II, two strangers are drawn together by chance amid danger and uncertainty. | 2025 | 49 | 9 |
| Each carries personal loss and secrets shaped by the war. | |||||
| Their connection reveals how hope and humanity persist in the darkest times. | |||||
| Wild | Kristin Hannah | A family moves to the Alaskan wilderness seeking freedom and a better life. | 2021 | 480 | 7 |
| Isolation, hardship, and violence test their survival and relationships. | |||||
| The novel explores love, resilience, and the cost of living untamed lives. | |||||
| The Life Impossible | Matt Haig | A woman inherits a house on a Mediterranean island and uncovers extraordinary truths. | 2023 | 400 | 5 |
| The story blends realism with magical elements. | |||||
| It explores regret, purpose, and the courage to begin again. | |||||
| Bleak House | Charles Dickens | A long-running legal case entangles families across Victorian society. | 1853 | 1000 | 5 |
| Lives are slowly consumed by greed, injustice, and bureaucracy. | |||||
| Dickens critiques social inequality while highlighting compassion and resilience. | |||||
| A Fraction of Time | Steve Tolz | The novel examines how brief moments can shape an entire life. | 2008 | 600 | 4 |
| Characters confront memory, chance, and personal failure. | |||||
| It reflects on identity, regret, and the passage of time. | |||||
| The Midnight Library | Matt Haig | Nora Seed finds herself in a library between life and death. | 2020 | 288 | 9 |
| Each book represents a different life she could have lived. | |||||
| The novel explores regret, choice, and what makes life meaningful. | |||||
| There There | Tommy Orange | Multiple Native American characters journey toward a powwow in Oakland. | 2018 | 304 | 6.5 |
| Their stories reveal identity struggles, trauma, and belonging. | |||||
| The novel powerfully portrays contemporary Indigenous life. | |||||
| A Ladder to the Sky | John Boyne | An ambitious writer will do anything to achieve fame. | 2018 | 400 | 9 |
| He manipulates and betrays those who trust him. | |||||
| The novel explores ego, morality, and the cost of success. | |||||
| Nella’s Last Peace | Patricia Malcolmson | As Nella approaches the end of her life, she reflects on past choices. | 2008 | 400 | 4 |
| Memories of love, loss, and regret resurface. | |||||
| The story focuses on forgiveness, reconciliation, and inner peace. | |||||
| All the Colours of the Dark | Chris Whitaker | A child’s disappearance leaves a small town fractured by grief. | 2024 | 592 | 5 and 10 |
| Years later, buried secrets begin to emerge. | |||||
| The novel explores trauma, love, and the lasting impact of loss. |