Stitches & Stories is a collaboration between Jo from The Bobbin Sisters (Backfold, Hay-on-Wye) and Jules at North Books. We thought a book group of crafters who sit and discuss books while they work alongside each other would be rather fun. Jo takes the credit for coming up with the textile-themed books.
The group meets on the third Thursday of every alternate month from 4pm to 6pm, and refreshments will be included.
Bring a stitching project with you and don’t forget to read the book in advance! See below.
JOIN THE CLUB
The book club meetings are seated events, so places are limited, and events can get pretty full. Please email Jules on jules@northbooks.co.uk or pop into The Bobbins Sisters (currently on summer opening) to add your name to the list. Participation is free if the book is purchased in advance from North Books at a 10% discount.
At North Books, 4 Castle Street, Hay-on-Wye on Thursday 17 October, 4–6pm.
THE BOOK
Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani is the fifth book on S&S’s 2024 reading list
The fifth novel of 2024 up for discussion on Thursday 17 October is Blood of Flowers by Anita Amirrezvani. This book is available from North Books now.
'Sensuous and transporting... filled with the colours, tastes and fragrances of life in 17th century Isfahan. Amirrezvani clearly knows and loves the ways of old Iran, and brings them to life with the cadences of a skilled story-spinner' Geraldine Brooks.
THE BLOOD OF FLOWERS is a mesmerizing historical novel about a young Iranian woman whose destiny changes on the sudden death of her father. Forced to leave their village, the woman and her mother travel to the beautiful city of Isfahan, where they are taken in by an uncle, a wealthy carpet designer, and his unsympathetic wife. When an ill-considered action results in the heroine's fall from grace, she is forced into an extraordinary secret marriage. Spirited and rebellious, she wants to be free to live a life her own choosing, if she can find a way.
'The most wonderful book... Fascinating, totally original and utterly gripping' Esther Freud
‘The prose... positively glows on the page, and the characterisation is similarly acute, notably of the wonderfully drawn heroine. As a journey into a society that will be alien to most readers, this is a remarkable achievement' Barry Forshaw