A meeting of the Pickwickians

We've finally set a date for our Dickens themed meeting to re-live the Pickwick Papers so get reading! Planning an afternoon walk/pub affair with a possible Dickensian tour. Sat/Sun date to be confirmed but it will be the weekend  12/13th January so put it in the diary.



Hi all!  Sorry not to let you know before but we actually postponed the Dickens date to allow others to make it/finish it!  We are now meeting on Sunday 17th Feb - venue to be confirmed but will likely be somewhere in Southwark.  All research re Dickens type tours are welcome! 

Starting the year on a positive note...

Excellent meeting this week - lovely to see some of those that we hadn't seen for a while! Unfortunately poor Henrietta got the brunt of our criticism and an overall thumbs down from all members of the group (science parts good, family parts not so good was general consensus). However I'm sure she'll live to see another day (or rather her cells will). First read of the year is 'One day in the life of Ivan Denisivich' by Alexander Solzhenitszn. Other suggestions were: A proper education for girls by El aine di Rollo The cellist of Sarajero by Steven Galloway What we talk about when we talk about love by Raymond Caver Shadow Dancer by Angela Carter Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino Memoir of the Sunday brunch by Julia Pandl Return to a Wednesday so we are back to the King's Head on the 9th January at 7.30pm. Have a great Christmas all!

She lives forever!

Firstly, total apologies for not updating the blog in time for the last meeting - I was under the impression that I had but obviously not!  We were reading 'The Good Solider' by Ford Maddox Ford which resulted in an excellent discussion and would be highly recommended by most, I personally would love to read more of him. 
The other suggestions were:



Five awesome proposals for next meeting. The winner was 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' by Rebecca Skloot but only after three rounds of votes!

There but for the by Ali Smith
The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist
All Passion Spent by Vita Sackville-West
Oranges are not the only fruit by Jeanette Winterson

Next group is in 4 weeks time on 4th December and again on a Tuesday - sorry for those who can't make that day of the week - we will move back to a Wednesday next meeting! Quiz night at The King's Head means that we'll meet at the Grand Union on Acre Lane (it's the Brixton one).

A real hero.....

Good discussion about Palmer Eldritch - all enjoyed the foray into sci-fi although some agreed that we didn't quite get it! Maybe that's the point? Pleased to be introduced to what was a a new genre for many. Next book is Zeitoun by Dave Eggers Other suggestions were: The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan A Monster Calls By Patrick Ness and Siobhan Dowd The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan Bury my heart at wounded knee by Dee Brown Still at the King's Head so see you there from 7.30pm on the 10th October....

Satanic takeover artists and corporate psychics

Regeneration. Generally agreed that Rivers was a fascinating man/character and Pat Barker's use of real people is quite genius. Those that hadn't yet were enticed to read the other two books in the trilogy at some point soon (even if we weren't sure what the dead moles and magpies 'meant')

Book for next time is The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch by Philip K Dick

Also suggested (and all close contenders!)

-The Chamomile Lawn by Mary Wesley
-Complete Short Stories by Elizabeth Taylor
-Go Tell it on the Mountain by James Baldwin
-Black Narcissus by Rumer Godden

 At the Kings Head, 100 Clapham Park Rd, 19th September from 7.30pm - 

See you then

Regenerate

Apologies for the delayed post. Battling against the quiz night we still managed to have a good discussion about The Gospel, even if we weren't sure what Norman Mailer was trying to achieve with it.

Next read is Regeneration by Pat Barker - it's the first in a trilogy so if anyone fancies reading the others please do.
Other great suggestions were:
Go tell it on the mountain by James Baldwin
Palimpsest by Gore Vidal
The perks of being a wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Life of Pi by Yan Martel
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

Back to a Wednesday next meeting so the noise level should be more conducive!  29 August at the Kings Head, 100 Clapham Park Rd, from 7.30pm.

Bible study.....

Some pretty mixed views of 'Hungover Square' but majority enjoyment overall and a great discussion as usual. Next book is 'The Gospel according to the Son' by Norman Mailer so get stuck in. Other suggestions were: Days of Grace by Arthur Ashe If nobody speaks of remarkable things by Jon Mcgregor The Life of Pi by Yann Martel The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller Please note the change of weekday for the next meeting - it's on Tuesday 7 August, sorry that's my fault again. At the King's Head, 7.30pm as usual so hope to see some of you there...

Hungover at the King's Head?!

Great discussion about Jessica Mitford and the other members of the family! All agreed that Hons and Rebels was an excellent read, if a little impersonal at times. 


The next read is 'Hangover Square' by Patrick Hamilton but it was a close vote between the many excellent suggestions!

Slumdog Millionaire by Vikas Swarup
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffery Eugenides
The Fall by Simon Mawer
Labyrinth by Kate Mosse
The Family Arsenal by Paul Theroux
Burmese Days by George Orwell
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

To mark the 70th Anniversary of the Famous Five we're ALSO reading 'Five go to Smugglers Top' by Enid Blyton so get those boiled eggs and corned beef sandwiches on the go!


Meeting on 11th July at 7.30pm in the King's Head, 100 Clapham Park Rd as usual.

Hons and Rebels

Apologies for the delayed post...
A good group last week, mostly unanimous enjoyment of 'The Prince of West End Avenue'. 
The next read is 'Hons and Rebels' by Jessica Mitford - should be a great discussion after this one. I can highly recommend 'The Mitford Girls' by Mary S.Lovell if this wets your appetite for more information about this extraordinary family.

Other great choices were:
Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen

Next meeting is 20th June from 7.30pm, still at the King's Head - with new improved toilets!

The Prince of West End Avenue

Firstly sincere apologies for the lack of a post after the last meeting! No good excuse, I completely forgot! Really sorry to anyone who was trying to find out what, when and where. Small group for Cold Comfort (perhaps because of the lack of that post!) but lots of fun recalling our favourite bits! A comedy classic. Next read is 'The Prince of West End Avenue' by Alan Isler. Other suggestions were: Wild Swans by Jung Chang The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro Frankenstein by Mary Shelley Just to be aware that we are meeting on a TUESDAY night next time - sorry to mess with the days but if anyone fancies a trip to the Science Museum Late on the Wednesday then you can do both! So Tuesday 29th May at 7.30pm at The King's Head, 100 Clapham Park Rd is the next meeting. We are also still going with 'The Pickwick Papers' - it's not too late to start it! People might or might not be aware that Maurice Sendak died last week. On a selfish quest I'd love the opportunity to discuss his work with others and if you haven't discovered his picture books yet then I can highly recommend their amazing content and illustrations! Well worth a 15min browse in the book shop or your local library! So if anyone wants to read one for the next group go for it! Some of his titles are: Where the wild things are In the night kitchen Outside over there Higglety Pigglety Pop We are all in the dumps with Jack and Guy Bumble-Ardy Hope to see some of you there!

It might be Spring but we're still reading Winter..

As predicted, a great discussion on Kevin last week - and lovely to have lots of new members to the group! Next read is 'Winter's Bone' by Daniel Woodrell - another book that's been made into a film - with good reviews I've heard.

Other great suggestions were:

A Handmaid's Tale by Margret Atwood
The Life of Pi by Yann Martell
Regeneration by Pat Barker
The New York Trilogy by Paul Auster
Death in the Afternoon by Ernest Hemingway

Don't forget that we're still reading 'The Pickwick Papers' by Dickens as a long read! Good reports coming back from several people!

We're back to a Wednesday meeting so hope to see everyone on the 18th April at The King's Head, Clapham Park Rd at 7.30pm.

We're talking about Kevin

Sorry for not posting the previous meeting up here - I completely forgot! We were reading The Waves by Virginia Woolf. Back to a small group this week but a great discussion about The Waves. Some members thinking that they might return to it at a later date in order to maximise their appreciation! Next meeting we are reading 'We need to talk about Kevin' by Lionel Shriver and I'm sure many people will have read it already but we agreed that it would make for a good discussion! Only a couple of other suggestions: The day of the Triffids by John Wyndham The possibility of an Island by Michel Houellebecq The intelligent woman's guide to socialism, capitalism, sovietism and fascism by Bernard Shaw Just a warning that the next meeting is on THURSDAY 29th March not the Wednesday! Hope no-one is too put out by that. Still at The King's Head, 100 Clapham Rd. Hope to see you there..

I'm sensing the end.....

The whole evening spent on Lolita! Several varying opinions lead to a great discussion with no room for gossip and chit chat! General agreement that Nabakov's writing is supreme even if the subject matter is disconcerting.

As usual some excellent suggestions for the next read; with an overwhelming majority the vote winner was 'The Sense of an Ending' by Julian Barnes.

The other pitches were for:

Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel

Atonement by Ian McEwan

House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

The Sisters Brothers by Edmund Dewitt

The Almond by Nedjme

Next meeting is 15th February at our usual venue: The King's Head, 100 Clapham Park Rd.

Don't forget to celebrate the 200th Anniversary of Dickens' birth on 7th Feb - I for one am dressing up as the man himself and delivering an assembly so beat that if you can!!

Until next time...

Lolita.

First group of the year off to a good start with a meaty religious discussion following 'Brideshead'. General consensus of enjoyment - I'd still definitely recommend the TV adaption (no vested interest is plugging it I assure you!).

Next read is 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov - should make for a good discussion!

I have to say there are some very interesting book covers for this one!

Other excellent and varied suggestions were:

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

The Outcast by Sadie Jones

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

The Magic Toyshop by Angela Carter

Our Man in Havana by Graeme Greene

Hope to see you all at the Kings Head, Clapham Park Rd, on the 25th Jan - have a good January until then!