Sunday 3 December 2023

"I guess there are never enough books"*

A busy week last week: Pool Club at Riley's, Girl Ray at The Bodega, Stuart Pearce at Chameleon, a friend's birthday curry at the Woodthorpe Tandoori. And Book Club (at The Abdication): Book and a Beer have just celebrated our 1st birthday - in the last twelve months we've read eight books and, as you can see from the above, are about to announce our ninth. With the exception of just one (I'll let you guess which) I've enjoyed them all enormously. Our meetings are lively affairs (not just because we meet in the pub) that always throw up lively debate. Thursday night saw us dissecting Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven. I can't recommend it highly enough. (If you're looking for a holiday read over the Christmas break, why not treat yourself?)

Lucy, our amazing BC host, has just issued our forthcoming dates for 2024; eight Thursdays falling six or seven weeks apart (leaving everyone plenty of time to read non BC books). Of course, they've gone straight in my diary; I tell you, I've never been so organised. If you want a heads up on any of the titles and fancy reading along with us remotely, I'll drop some links when the books are chosen.

* John Steinbeck

12 comments:

  1. Awww I feel honoured to be mentioned in your blog :)

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  2. I read The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - my first and only of hers - about twenty odd years ago. I enjoyed it - what did you think of this one?

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    1. It was a good read, albeit a long read (c.300,000 words - like three novels in one). Imagine David Copperfield set in America's Midwest in the 90s.

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  3. Enjoy Girl Ray. Saw them a couple of months back, they were excellent.

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    1. Apologies. Misread what you wrote, thought they were still to come. The sentiment still applies.

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    2. Yep, I love Girl Ray. Seen 'em three times this year!

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  4. I've just ordered Station Eleven as a Christmas gift for Louise. Sounds right up her street. Added a few of the others from this list to my endless list of books I'd like to read but probably won't get round to. Interested to know which one you wouldn't recommend.

    Please do keep us posted on future additions to the list. I wouldn't be able to read along as sadly it takes me far longer than 5-6 weeks to read a book these days (I've managed maybe 4 so far this year, not counting the self help books) but I'm always interested.

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    1. She'll love it. Yes, it's been a good selection thus far. The only fly in the ointment for me was This is Happiness - it was turgid. When I say that the author took a dozen or more pages to tell us it was raining, and how wet it was, I'm not exaggerating. It was at this point I bailed. Literally.
      Top of the shop was Leonard and Hungry Paul. One of the best books I've ever read, and one I shall probably reread before too long - a truly delightful book.
      The next list I'll probably put up is the 'Favourite Reads' of all of our 20+ readers. There's some real zingers in there.

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  5. "When I say that the author took a dozen or more pages to tell us it was raining, and how wet it was, I'm not exaggerating."

    Ah, another Dickens wannabe! I've no time for that kind of storytelling anymore... literally!

    Looking forward to future recommendations of books I'll dream about having the time to read....

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    1. I've got to admit though that Leonard & Hungry Paul all sounded a bit Forrest Gump to me, and that set major alarm bells ringing in my cynical cortex. I come out in a rash at the very mention of the word "heartwarming".

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    2. OK, so I've never seen Forrest Gump; you have the advantage over me there. All I can tell you is that L&HP is a modern day masterpiece - it is neither sentimental nor mawkish. It is beautifully written, not a word too much, not a word too less.

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