Christmas party time!

Yes it's that time of year again - time for our Christmas Do! Sadly Rebartos in Vauxhall where we have made merry in recent years has closed down (she wipes a tear from her eye) so this year we are heading to deepest, darkest Camberwell Green to scoff yummy cheap Italian food and drink at Caravaggio's, Camberwell Church Rd https://plus.google.com/117032867874479038038/about?gl=uk&hl=en

If you would like to come (everyone welcome) please join the event asap and I'll book us a table.  Date is Monday 9th December, 7.30pm.

Please don't forget to bring a book for our secret book santa! Can be anything, pre-loved and new either is fine, just wrap it up to prolong the suspense!

Watch out!

Totally divided opinion on Women in White! Those who finished it absolutely loved it but others found it a bit of a struggle (for various reasons). If you know you like Victorian melodrama I'd say go for it! Second round voting this week and the next read is 'Watching the English' by Kate Fox. Other suggestions were: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut Canada by Richard Ford The Turn of the Screw by Henry James Next meeting is 4th December, at The King's Head, 100 Clapham Park Rd as usual.  Look out for the Christmas meal post, two meetings so close to each other - lucky us. Ha ha, sorry about the photo but I couldn't resist this image that came with the search for English people! Apparently it's the preparations for the New Year's Day Swim 2013 - go lads!

The Rehearsal

Lots of mixed opinion about Elmore Leonard and his crime writing, some liked some didn't. All were agreed though that Owen Wilson would make the worst Jack Ryan ever.

Next book is The Rehersal by Eleanor Catton. Good timing as her second novel is shortlisted for the Booker. Other suggestions were:

The Spy who came in from the cold by John Le Carre
The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa
Northern Lights by Philip Pullman
The Trial by Franz Kafka
Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

We are back at the Kings Head, 100 Clapham Park Rd for our next meeting on 2 October - far better for winter evenings and impassioned discussions! Hope you see you there....

Bouncing all the way to Clapham....

Finally managed to sit outside at the Stonhouse this week, even a little drizzle and a damp bench didn't put us off. Very animated conversations going on about the Princess Bride, enjoyed by everyone (how could you not?). If you haven't watched the film yet it will certainly cheer you on this rainy bank holiday weekend!

Next book is The Big Bounce by Elmore Leonard, RIP as of Tuesday last week. 

A short but excellent list otherwise:
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
Wise Children by Angela Carter

Back to a Wednesday for next meeting on the 11th September and we're holding out for an Indian summer so will still be at the Stonhouse, outside again hopefully, from 7.30pm.  

The Princess Bride!

A rather short meeting this week - we started early and finished very early, sorry to all those who were up for a bit more! Good discussion about Arthur Ashe, mixed reviews in terms of the writing style but those that reached the end (not the majority) agreed that he had some very interesting things to say. 

Our next read is The Princess Bride (finally!) by William Goldman NOT William Golding as I managed to type last post! A good light-hearted summer read I think!

Other suggestions were:
Don't tell mum I work on the rigs, she thinks I'm a piano player in a whorehouse by Paul Carter
Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
Yellow Birds by Kevin Powers

We will continue to meet at the Stonhouse and keep fingers crossed for an Indian summer. Please note that our next meeting is on THURSDAY 22nd August, from 7.30pm as usual. See you all soon.

Days of Grace, and tennis..

Great discussion on Flight Behaviour this week and the Stonhouse was a nice venue despite not being able to get a table outside AND the theft of a bag :( Sad ending to a nice evening. 
Next book choice is 'Days of Grace: a memoir' by Arthur Ashe. Think it will be an interesting read.

Other suggestions were:

Behind the beautiful forevers by Katherine Boo
The Princess Bride by William Golding
Light Years by James Salter
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Ten days in the hills by Jane Smiley

Four weeks until the next meeting on Wednesday 31st July - we're obviously getting slack in the heat. Going to say meet at the Stonhouse http://www.thestonhouse.co.uk/ again unless it's actually raining then we'll be at the Kings Head http://kingsheadclapham.com/ as usual.

Please follow on-board instructions.....

Apologies for the delayed post... A great discussion on Wednesday, lots of varied opinions on 'Was' always making for interesting chat. Next read is 'Flight Behaviour' by Barbara Kingsolver. Other shortlists were: She came to stay by Simone de Beauvoir American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach Please note that we are next meeting on Thursday 4th July- hope that doesn't put too many of you out. Default venue is The King's Head, 100 Clapham Park Rd but we agreed that if the weather looked warm enough (don't hold your breath) we will meet in the garden at The Stonhouse in Clapham North. Will post a message if this is the case. Whoever gets there early try to bag as many chairs as you can!!

The Crow Road

A large group for us this week and lots of different thoughts about 'if nobody speaks'. General consensus: some lovely ideas, lovely prose although not loved by all (!) but some clunky story lines.

Next choice - an outright winner of the vote this week - is 'The Crow Road' by Ian Banks.

We had a great list to choose from though including:Dominion by CJ Sansom
Black Dogs by Ian McEwan
The Unconsoled by Kazuo Ishiguro
What is the what by Dave Eggers
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
The Trial by Franz Kafka
There but for the by Ali Smith

Not quite warm enough to sit outside last night but ALMOST! We will stick with the King's Head, 100 Clpahma Park Rd for next meeting but maybe think of another venue with more outside space after that. 

 

Next meeting is in FOUR weeks, on the 22 May, so plenty of time to read Crow Road!  Meet at 7.30pm for an 8pm start...

Enjoy the sun (please stay!) in the mean time...

Speak up!

I think all enjoyed Capital - even if we didn't think it was the greatest literary novel. It was still way better than The Slap. Sticking with a theme the next book is 'if nobody speaks of remarkable things' by jon mcgregor (lack of capitals obviously in direct contradiction with our previous book). A great shortlist requiring a second (and almost third!) round, comprising of: Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick Persuasion by Jane Austen King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild Sticking with The King's Head in this BLOODY MISERABLE WEATHER so see you there  on Wednesday 24th April I hope...

A Capital choice!

As predicted, a fairly heated discussion about The Slap. What can we say? Certainly NOT 'one of the truly great novels of the millennium'!! 
Another interesting list, the next read is Capital by John Lanchester and his short and digestible book about the financial crash, Whoops! why everyone owes everyone and no one can pay, as a 'bonus' extra!

Others on the list were:
Maggot Moon by Sally Gardner
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Born Wierd by Andrew Kaufman
Kraken by China Mieville

Meeting on 3rd April from 7.30pm at the Old Kings Head as usual- a bit warmer this week and hopefully the sun will be out by then anyway!

What a bunch of Slappers!

Great meeting and chat about Tales of the City, not much controversy as everyone enjoyed it! Great to have some more new members arrive - welcome! Next read is The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas and you better get reading as it's 482 pages with pretty small print!

Other suggestions were:
The Prison Angel by Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Barchester Tower by Anthony Trollope
Flight Behaviour by Barbara Kingsolver

A great selection all round!
 
We meet next on 13th March, usual time of 7.20pm for 8pm and still at the Kings Head but make sure you bring some extra layers if the cold weather is still with us!!

A blast from the past!

Despite the positivity of several members 'The Night Circus' did not
fare well in our discussion. In fact that's a complete understatement -
we totally slated it! Nice idea but terrible execution was the general consensus!

Following a close vote the next book chosen is a blast from the past for many: 'Tales of the City' by Armistead Maupin.  Meeting date is Wednesday 20th February.

Other great suggestions were:
The Marriage Plot by Jeffery Eugenides
Death Comes to Pemberley by PD James
Persuasion by Jane Austen
There but for the by Ali Smith
 
Hope to see you at the Kings Head, 100 Clapham Park Rd, 7.30/8.00pm.
 

Don't forget the Dickens date on Sunday 17th Feb - plan still to be formulated but the date is set!

The circus at night

Sorry for this very delayed post - sincere apologies! Great first meeting of the New Year - back to the King's Head which was fun as usual and a great discussion about Ivan Denisovich. Decided that we really had nothing to complain about!
Next book choice is 'The Night Circus' by Erin Morgenstern.

Other suggestions were:
'Station X' by Michael T Smith
'Lucky Jim' by Kingsley Amis
'Thursbitch' by Alan Ggrner
'The Crossing' by Cormac McCarthy
'The Hundred Year Old Man who climbed out of the window' and disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

Meeting at the King's Head and back to a Wednesday after all those Tuesday meetings so hope you can make it -enjoy January until then!