Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Book Group

I had book group this morning. Last January's meeting was discussing Irene Nemirovky's Suite Francaise but when it came to the meeting only around three people had read it, one or two were half way through, and the rest hadn't got onto it at all. So this year we changed tack. Because it's such a difficult time of year to really commit to a book (such a lot to do, either travelling back home or having visitors here) we decided we'd meet as normal, but we'd present whatever we did read at Christmas. So everyone had a free choice and if they were willing to lend it out they'd bring it to the meeting.

So over Christmas I read Daydream Girl by Bella Pollen; Massive by Julia Bell; Saturday by Ian McEwan. Daydream Girl was okay - I picked it up in one of the secondhand places. Massive I really enjoyed, but as a young adult book I had already passed to Son to see if he wanted to read it so I couldn't take that. Which left Saturday: I did a bit of a Suite Francaise on this - I didn't really give it the attention it deserved, but still I very much enjoyed it and it was fascinating to see how he covers just one day in the entire book. Anyway someone wanted it and I borrowed On Chesil Beach from someone else, so all in all, it was a bit of a bookcrossing session too. Next month's book is The Door by Magda Szabo.

Book Group is such a nice group, people I see around and about, but don't necessarily do anything except stop and have a quick natter. I do love talking books. It only occurred to me today that when (if) I'm ever at the stage of needing readers, there they are in front of me!

6 comments:

Lane Mathias said...

Sounds like a really relaxed book group. And great that they could be readers for you!


(Loved Suite Francais btw)

Leigh Forbes said...

How brave of you all to lend out your books...They must be really nice folk!

Carol said...

I have to say I really enjoyed the group yesterday and am looking forward to getting stuck into The Memory Keeper's Daughter.

You know that you can approach any of us at any time to have a read!!

C x

Jenny Beattie said...

helloooooo Carol, I know you'll read honey, I'd never thought about anyone else there... Dunno why.
JJx

laurie said...

some time i think i will blog about my now-defunct book group. it was fun and aggravating at the same time, and we often had the problem of one person in particular never reading the book, but always telling the rest of us what the book "really meant."

she was a smart and funny woman, but i grew to grit my teeth at her know-it-all assessment of a book she never read.

"chesil beach" is brilliant.

Yvonne said...

That's brilliant! No better audience than people you trust and value their opinion.