The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul

It's been years (I'm not kidding) since I last wrote a book review but what better book to get back into it than this one. What a sweet, sweet story.

I'd seen this book lying around on the shelves of bookshops, charity shops and supermarkets for a while but had never picked up it. Don't ask me why, though having a 16-month-old in the house has put a blight on reading over the last, well, 16 months!!!

However, the lure of a book club discussion, held in a venue that serves cocktails and cupcakes, was too good to refuse so The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul made it onto my reading list.

And I loved it! An easy read, a wonderful collection of characters, each with their own story to share (and a secret to reveal), a lovely tone and a fabulous setting. I'm not one to pick up non-fiction to learn about a particular area of the world - that's too much like hard work. But to be able to read stories that give you an insight into another country, another culture- like this one does - is certainly my cup of tea (I don't drink coffee!)

It's not a mind-blowing story by any means, nor is it all that gripping - I didn't get to the end of each chapter desperate to know what was going to happen to the characters in the next - but it was the perfect book to curl up with on an English summer's evening when a hot drink and a blanket are needed to keep warm!

I think for me, it was knowing a bit about the author - herself an expat having lived in Kabul - that really gave something of a compelling angle to the story. I'm now looking forward to picking up Deborah Rodriguez' bestselling memoir, The Kabul Beauty School.

I'll be interested to hear what the rest of the readers of the bookclub this week think of it - and what cocktails and cupcakes are on the menu!