Anyone fancy a bit of Manchester Yiddish?

A good discussion this week, mostly about our mutual loathing of Micheal Beard in Solar! If his character really is a metaphor for collective human behavior then what chance have we got? Although we did all agree, the first crisp is always the best one.

Interesting mix of classic and modern suggestions and despite the confusion with the random stars the choice for next group was:

Kalooki Nights by Howard Jacobson

The other suggestions were:

Madame Bovary by Gustane Flaubert

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Nemesis by Phillip Roth

The White Masai by Corinne Hofmann

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bonte

We're going to try a NEW VENUE for our next meeting on the 15th June.

http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/71/7152/Manor_Arms/Clapham

Hopefully one with an outside as well as inside option. I'll try to get there a bit early an bag a table so if anyone needs an excuse to leave work early then this is it. Until then.....

venue for this evening....

Ok, sun is shinning but still a bit too chilly in the evening to sit out all night so we'll be at the Royal Oak again this eve. Hope that's ok with everyone. See you later!

http://www.theroyaloakclapham.com/

A comic Ian McEwan?

A great meeting yesterday with a lengthy discussion about 'The Grapes..' despite the varying number of pages that people managed to read! Certainly some passionate feelings elicited and happily no one got too depressed, phew.

Outright winner for the next read is 'Solar' by Ian McEwan. Apparently a 'comic' plot line from him so it will be interesting to see what everyone thinks. Expect some strong opinions if the mini discussion was anything to go by!

Other suggestions were:

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

1984 by George Orwell

The Greatest Trade Ever by Gregory Zuckerman

The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

The Royal Oak was still a good choice with the cool evening, so unless the weather takes an amazing turn and we are all perspiring on the day of the next meeting then we'll stick with that venue until the proper summer months. Again, I'll try to post something on the day the let everyone know.

Til then.....

Tomorrow's meeting.

Hi all attending tomorrow's meeting. Given the wind and drop in temperature today I think it might be a little cold to sit outside all evening tomorrow, despite the sun's valiant efforts! So you'll find the meeting still at the Royal Oak tomorrow. Hope that's OK with all! See some of you there....

Will this be a grape book or will it incur our wrath.....?

Great meeting on Wednesday - Jean Brodie inspired a good discussion. Was it all in her master plan we wonder? Welcome to the new members, hope to see you again.

Apologies for the terrible title of the next meeting, I couldn't resist. So you might have guessed that we are next reading The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - finally it was an outright winner!

Lots of other good suggestions including:

Tender is the Night - F Scott Fitzgerald
Shooting the Elephant - George Orwell
Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
Suspicions of Mr Whicher - Kate Summerscale
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society - Mary Ann Shaffer Stevie Davies
Room - Emma Donoghue

We're meeting in 4 weeks, instead of 3 which brings us to 4th May. Provisionally we'll meet in the Royal Oak BUT if the weather is as lovely as it has been this week and it's warm enough to sit outside then we'll be outside at the Bread and Roses.

I'll try to post the venue up on the day but if you arrive at one pub and find nobody then head to the other one!! Clear as mud?!

Opportunity to do your bit...

In case anyone can spare a free evening and is interested in doing their bit to promote a love of reading across the world, Book Aid International need volunteers to stamp and pack books prior to their shipment to Africa.

The next event is apparently on Tuesday 5th April and runs from 6-9pm. Their offices are in Camberwell.

If you are interested, please get in touch with Martina Armstrong on the email address below....

Book Aid International

39-41 Coldharbour Lane, Camberwell, London SE5 9NR

Email: martina.armstrong@bookaid.org

http://www.bookaid.org

Registered charity number: 313869

Thanks!

In our prime......

Great meeting this week with lots of good discussion about 'On the road'. General consensus, Kerouac a bit of a misogynistic wanker but a very good writer. Lots to like, some stuff difficult to forgive.

Winner of the vote for next meeting is 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' by Muriel Spark. We meet again on the 6 April.

It was a close call with the other suggestions, especially 'I'll go to bed at noon' by Gerard Woodward, now on it's third suggestion (it will get there one day!)
The others were:
Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Lolita by Vladamir Nabakov
The People's Train by Thomas Keneally

Just a short list this week!

Continuing to enjoy the Royal Oak so hope to see all there in three weeks, revel in the start of Springtime and avoid the April showers til then!

(ps. Couldn't resist this orange image although it's of the film poster and not the book cover. Potential confusion between Maggie Smith and Muriel Spark!!)