This group is fully participatory with books and approaches decided by members who host in turn. Meetings are lively, but the Chairman always ensures speaking space for each member.
Meeting pattern: monthly, on the third Thursday morning 10.15 - 12.15.
We tackle a book a month. Recent choices are listed below. Books read in previous years are listed on a separate page, accessed by clicking the link near the bottom of this page.
Books selected -
2020
January North and South Mrs Gaskell
February Milkman Anna Burns
March Persuasion Jane Austen
April Dusky Ruth A E Coppard (short stories)
May Engleby Sebastian Faulks
June Pereira Maintains Antonio Tabucchi
July The Frozen Heart Almundina Grandes
August Solar Ian McKewan
September A Gentleman in Moscow Amor Towles
October Rebecca Daphne du Maurier
November Red Sorghum Mo Yan
December A Boy Made of Blocks Keith Stuart
2021
January Mothering Sunday Graham Swift
February Selected Stories D H Lawrence (Penguin Classis, ed: Sue Wilson)
March Madame Bovary Gustave Flaubert
April Greengage Summer Rumer Godden
May An Equal Music Vikram Seth
June Three Hours Rosamund Lupton
July Dance of Happy Shades Alice Munro
August White Tiger Aravind Adiga
September In The Name of the Family Sarah Dunant
October Solaris Stanislaw Lem
November Old Filth Jane Gardam
December Special Programme (each member to bring a short reading - about 3 minutes)
2022
January Grand Union Zadie Smith
February The Towers of Trebizold Rose Macauley
March Travels with Charlie John Steinbeck
April The Woodlanders Thomas Hardy
May The Oak Papers James Canton (non-fiction)
June Less Andrew Sean Greer (Romance)
July Guards Guards Terry Pratchett (Science Fiction Fantasy)
August Hamnet Maggie O'Farrell (History)
September Where Crawdads Sing Delia Owens (Bildungsroman)
October Lucky Jim Kingsley Amis (Realistic)
November 100 Years of Solitude Gabriel Marquez (Magic Realism)
December Each member to give a reading that made us laugh
2023
January Behind the Beautiful Forevers Katherine Boo (Non-fiction)
February Innocence Penelope Fitzgerald (Romance)
March How the Dead Speak Val McDermid (Mystery)
The books we have read in previous years are on the additional page, accessed by clicking here.
Contact: Click here to send an email to the leader.
Please refer to the entry in the Members' Handbook for more contact details.