Secret Book Swap | Summer Fundraiser | St Columba’s
Thank you to everyone who joined us this summer for our fundraiser for St Columba’s. With two groups swapping, a scavenger hunt in the St Columba’s Book Shop, a tombola and a talk with our special guest author, Mary Turner Thomson, not only was it a brilliant fun afternoon but together we raised £425!
Books we swapped:
It Ends with Us – Colleen Hoover
Lily has worked hard to build the life she wants, but her relationship with charismatic neurosurgeon Ryle begins to raise difficult questions. When her first love, Atlas, reappears, she is forced to confront the past and make choices that could change everything.
Hindsight: Echoes Through Time – Mary Turner Thomson
Catherine's life begins to unravel when a childhood memory awakens vivid recollections of a life she never lived. As the story of Merwynn, a ninth-century Saxon caught up in Viking intrigue, emerges from the past, Catherine must confront questions of identity, freedom and the power to shape her own destiny.
Meet Me at the Museum – Anne Youngson
When Tina writes a letter to a Danish museum about something that has long fascinated her, she does not expect a reply. Her correspondence with lonely curator Anders develops into an unexpected friendship as they share their lives, regrets and hopes for the future.
Weyward – Emilia Hart
Across three different centuries, three women are connected by their extraordinary relationship with the natural world. Blending history, family secrets and female resilience, this atmospheric novel explores the power passed between generations.
I Am, I Am, I Am – Maggie O’Farrell
In this memoir, Maggie O’Farrell reflects on seventeen encounters with death, from childhood illness and dangerous accidents to the challenges of motherhood. Moving and intensely personal, these stories become a meditation on vulnerability, survival and what it means to be alive.
Summer in the City – Alex Aster
Screenwriter Elle returns to New York for the summer, hoping to overcome her writer's block and finish a screenplay. But her plans are complicated by her handsome billionaire neighbour, Parker, a man from her past who may prove to be both an inspiration and an infuriating distraction.
The Names – Florence Knapp
In 1987, Cora must decide what to name her newborn son, a choice that will shape the course of his life. Following three possible versions of the future, this powerful novel explores family, identity, domestic abuse and the extraordinary consequences of a single decision.
Young Mungo – Douglas Stuart
Growing up in Glasgow's housing estates, Mungo finds an unexpected friendship with James, a Catholic boy from the other side of a sectarian divide. As their relationship deepens, Mungo must navigate family expectations, masculinity and the dangers of being discovered.
The Mourning Necklace – Kate Foster
In 1724, Maggie Dickson is hanged for the murder of her newborn child — but then she returns home alive. Inspired by a real historical case, this gripping novel follows Maggie as she fights to understand what comes next and reclaim her life.
The Guest – B.A. Paris
Iris and Gabriel return home from a difficult holiday to find their friend Laure unexpectedly staying in their house. As Laure's behaviour becomes increasingly unsettling, old secrets begin to surface and tensions between friends spiral dangerously out of control.
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop – Satoshi Yagisawa
After her boyfriend reveals he is marrying someone else, Takako retreats from her old life and moves into the room above her uncle's second-hand bookshop in Tokyo. Surrounded by books and new friendships, she slowly begins to heal and discover the possibility of a fresh start.
The Signature of All Things – Elizabeth Gilbert
Born into a wealthy family in the nineteenth century, Alma Whittaker becomes a brilliant botanist with a fascination for evolution and the natural world. Her life takes her across continents in this sweeping story of science, ambition, love and the search to understand life itself.
None of This Is True – Lisa Jewell
A chance meeting between two women who share the same birthday develops into an increasingly unsettling relationship. As one woman becomes more deeply involved in the other's life, secrets emerge and the line between truth and manipulation becomes dangerously blurred.
The Impossible Thing – Belinda Bauer
In 1926, a young girl discovers an extraordinary red bird's egg on the cliffs of Yorkshire. A century later, two friends find themselves drawn into a dangerous search for the priceless object, uncovering a world of obsession, greed and a mystery that has endured for generations.
Nina X – Ewan Morrison
Nina has spent her entire childhood isolated from the outside world and raised within a strict Maoist cult. When she finally enters “Freedom”, she must learn to navigate a world she has been taught to fear while trying to understand who she really is.
The Undercover Economist – Tim Harford
Tim Harford uses everyday questions and familiar situations to explain how economics shapes the world around us. Accessible and engaging, the book explores everything from coffee and property prices to global trade and the hidden forces behind the choices we make.
Vintage 1954 – Antoine Laurain
When four neighbours share a very special bottle of 1954 Beaujolais, they wake to find themselves transported back to 1950s Paris. As they explore the city and confront the problems they left behind, each discovers unexpected possibilities for the future.
Room – Emma Donoghue
Five-year-old Jack has spent his entire life in a single room with his Ma, unaware of the world beyond its walls. Told through Jack's unforgettable perspective, this powerful novel explores survival, resilience and the extraordinary bond between a mother and child
Guest author, Mary Turner Thomson
We were delighted to be joined by international best seller and friend of The Secret Book Swap, Mary Turner Thomson.
Mary Turner Thomson is an Edinburgh-based author whose true-crime memoirs, The Bigamist and The Psychopath, recount her experience of manipulation and abuse by a psychopathic con artist and her novel, Hindsight explores themes of identity, ancestral echoes, and the enduring quest for personal liberation.
Mary joined us to talk about her writing journey and her role as founder of her not-for-profit, The Book Whisperers, where she helps others find empowerment by sharing their stories.
Hindsight
In a fusion of past and present, Catherine’s world spirals into chaos when a mysterious childhood memory unveils haunting recollections of a life she never lived. The mesmerising saga of Merwynn, a defiant 9th-century Saxon ensnared in Viking intrigue, beckons from deep within her psyche. Every revelation from Merwynn’s era sends ripples through Catherine’s existence as she grapples with the weight of their entwined destinies.Forcing her to confront stark parallels in their quests for love and liberation in worlds that seem determined to chain them. With each layer of Merwynn’s history, Catherine’s own life frays, driving her to a precipice: will she succumb or muster the strength to redefine her destiny?
Dive deep into a poignant narrative that examines the essence of identity, the scars of generational trauma, and the transformative effects of empowerment. HINDSIGHT doesn’t merely invite readers to witness a journey - it challenges them to question the very fabric of freedom. Catherine’s desperate search for clarity between illusion and reality is a testament to human resilience and the eternal hope that binds souls across ages.
Join us at future secret book swaps: