Murder on the Orient Express - 4th of January

Eileen created a lot of discussion of if it was a good book or not. There was great writing but little plot and the story ended abruptly.

Our next book is Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Chrisie

"This is a classic book written by Agatha Christie who was known as “The Queen of Crime” as a result of writing so many detective novels. The story features Monsieur Hercule Poirot, a clever, logical, Belgian private detective with an elaborate, waxed moustache." - The Guardian

Other pitched books:

Northern Lights - Philip Pullman

Skippy Diei - Paul Murray

The Little Red Chairs - Edna O'Brien

What I Did While You Were Breeding - Kirstin Newman

Meeting will take place at the Rookery, Clapham from 7pm. Upstairs room.

Eileen - 5th of December

A great discussion on the different roles of the characters within the book. It was enjoyed by most however the start required some work to get through.

Our next book is Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh

"Short-listed for the Booker prize this year. Seductive, wise, shocking, morbid and searingly sharp, apparently, but that, of course, if for the club to decide."

Other pitched books:

Northern Lights - Philip Pullman

The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fford

Also next meeting is our Xmas meeting, which means our annual secret santa. If you want to take part bring a book wrapped up and pick another from the sack. The book doesn't need to be new, it can be a favourite from your collection.

The Blind Assassin - 2nd November

Elizabeth is Missing was liked by all and lead to a lot of discussion about the story and personal experiences of family with dementia. Although the ended seemed a bit rushed.

Our next book is The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood 

"In her tenth novel, Margaret Atwood again demonstrates that she has mastered the art of creating dense, complex fictions from carefully layered narratives, making use of an array of literary devices - flashbacks, multiple time schemes, ambiguous, indeterminate plots - and that she can hook her readers by virtue of her exceptional story-telling skills"

This book is 656 pages so we've made the meeting a week later than usual. We have the summer read meeting in between the two meetings however in case you're missing book club.

Other pitched books:

Hitman's Guide to Housecleaning - Hallgrimur Helgason

Schindler's Ark - Thomas Keneally

Elephant Moon - John Sweeney

The Raven Boys - Maggie Stiefvater

Meeting is same time same place

(The Rookery, 7pm)

Elizabeth is Missing - 27th September

The last book, The Vorrh, caused a lot of discussion, mostly trying to figure out what happened. It was a very strange book with a lot of characters interwoven in that made it difficult to follow. The majority liked the book, although you need to be a fantasy fan to enjoy it.

The next book is Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey

"In this darkly riveting debut novel—a sophisticated psychological mystery that is also a heartbreakingly honest meditation on memory, identity, and aging—an elderly woman descending into dementia embarks on a desperate quest to find the best friend she believes has disappeared, and her search for the truth will go back decades and have shattering consequences." - Goodreads

Other pitched books:

Doomsday Book - Connie Willis (tied twice in the voting!)

The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt

The Circle - Dave Eggars

Eat, Sweat, Play - Anna Kessel

Meeting in the same place as always, The Rookery, Clapham.
7pm upstairs

Summer Read - Poisonwood Bible - 16th October

Our summer read this year is The Poisonwood bible by Barbara Kingsolver

For the meeting we are going to eat at Adulis, Eritrean Restaurant (44-46 Brixton Road, SW9 6BT), at 12.30 on the 16th of October.

Other pitched books:

A Game of Thrones 

The House of the Spirits - Isabel Allende

The Northern Blemency - Philip Hensher

Dangerous Liaisons

A Spot of Bother - Mark Haddon

The Year of Living Danishly - 28th of June

The Colour of Magic was best summed up as marmite, you either love it or hate it. There was a lot going on in the book which made it hard to follow for non-fantasy fans.

Our next book will be The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell. 
"A hugely enjoyable romp through the pleasures and pitfalls of setting up home in a foreign land" PD Smith, Guardian 

Other pitched books were:
For Tiber with Love - Isobel Losada
My Brilliant Friend - Elena Ferrante
The Man in the High Castle - Philip K Dick
The Island of Dr Moreau - HG Wells
Mr Mercedes - Stephen King

At our next meeting we'll be choosing our summer read, a longer book that we wouldn't normally pitch. We'll have a special themed meeting after the summer around September/October time.

The Colour of Magic - 31st of May

For our next meeting we have The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett.

"Terry Pratchett takes the seriousness from the fantasy novel and replaces it with wicked humour. This is an excellent place to start for any reader yet to read a Pratchett novel as it gives the background history of the main characters. The action starts in Ahnk Morpork, a city that becomes firmly implanted in the memory."

Other pitched books:

Mr Mercedes - Stephen King

The End of the Affair - Graham Greene

The Garden of Evening - Tan Tuan Eng

Go Set a Watchman - Harper Lee

Meeting at our usual place, The Rookery, 7pm, upstairs!

Kon Tiki - 3rd of May

A massive turnout at book club last meeting to discuss Room. It was well liked and an interesting perspective on a depressing subject matter. 

Book for the next meeting is Kon Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl

"Kon-Tiki is the record of an astonishing adventure—a journey of 4,300 nautical miles across the Pacific Ocean by raft. Intrigued by Polynesian folklore, biologist Thor Heyerdahl suspected that the South Sea Islands had been settled by an ancient race from thousands of miles to the east, led by a mythical hero, Kon-Tiki. He decided to prove his theory by duplicating the legendary voyage."

Other Pitched Books:

The Buried Giant - Kazuo Ishiguro

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstesn

Skylock is My Name - Howard Jacobson

The Blind Assassin - Margaret Attwood

The Dog Star - Pete Heller

Meeting at The Rookery, Clapham Common

7pm in the upstairs room

Room - 5th of April

For our next meeting we are reading Room by Emma Donoghue

"Emma Donoghue's writing is superb alchemy, changing innocence into horror and horror into tenderness. Room is a book to read in one sitting. When it's over you look up: the world looks the same but you are somehow different and that feeling lingers for days" - Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife

As this book initially drew with another book and it's 5 weeks till the next meeting, there is a 2nd book for those who want more to read. The Jungle Book - Rudyard Kipling

Other pitched books
The Man in the High Castle - Philip K Dick
The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern

7pm on the 5th of April, top floor of the Rookery, Clapham

The Tiger's Wife

Our next book is The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
"Weaving a brilliant latticework of family legend, loss, and love, Téa Obreht, the youngest of The New Yorker’s twenty best American fiction writers under forty, has spun a timeless novel that will establish her as one of the most vibrant, original authors of her generation." - Good Reads

Other books pitched
Any Human Heart - William Boyd
The Cuckoo's Calling - Robert Galbraith
Room - Emma Donoghue


This meeting is going to be a little different and take place on a Tuesday, same place and time.

The Rookery, Clapham Common. 7pm, upstairs room.

Lolita - 3rd of Feburary

Our next book is Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Other pitched books were:
The Small Backs of Children - Lidia Yuknanitch
The Man in the High Castle - Philip K Dick
The Eyre Affair - Jasper Ffarde
Captain Corelli's Mandolin


Meeting in the top room of The Rookery, in Clapham at 7pm