August 2014 – Bringing Up The Bodies

June 1, 2014Book, Meetingadmin

The meeting in August will be held on Mon 11th August at 7:30 pm in the Ferryhill Community Centre.

The book under discussion is ‘Bringing Up The Bodies’ by ‘Hilary Mantel’.

Latest Suggestions

April 23, 2014Suggestionsadmin

These are the latest suggestions for the Book Group to read.

	Me Before You – Jojo Moyes ”Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick. What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.”
	Testament of Jessie Lamb – Jane Rogers ”Jane Rogers creates an extraordinary character in Jessie Lamb, determined to make her life count in a self-destructing world as the certainties of her life are ripped apart.”
	The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry – Rachel Joyce ”Recently retired, sweet, emotionally numb Harold Fry is jolted out of his passivity by a letter from Queenie Hennessy, an old friend, who he hasn’t heard from in twenty years. She has written to say she is in hospice and wanted to say goodbye. ”
	Instructions for a Heatwave – Maggie O’Farrell ”The stunning new novel from Costa Award winning novelist Maggie O’Farrell: a portrait of an Irish family in crisis in the legendary heatwave of 1976. It’s July 1976. In London, it hasn’t rained for months, gardens are filled with aphids, water comes from a standpipe, and Robert Riordan tells his wife Gretta that he’s going round the corner to buy a newspaper.”
	The Mystery of Edwin Drood – Charles Dickens ”Edwin Drood is contracted to marry Orphan Rosa, but they break the engagement off-and soon afterwards Edwin disappears. Is it murder? And is his jealous uncle-a sinister choirmaster with a double life and designs on Rosa-the killer? Dickens died before completing the story, leaving the mystery unsolved and encouraging successive generations of readers to turn detective.”
	Ragtime – E L Doctorow ”Welcome to America at the turn of the twentieth century, where the rhythms of ragtime set the beat. Harry Houdini astonishes audiences with magical feats of escape, the mighty J. P. Morgan dominates the financial world and Henry Ford manufactures cars by making men into machines. Emma Goldman preaches free love and feminism, while ex-chorus girl Evelyn Nesbitt inspires a mad millionaire to murder the architect Stanford White.”
	Tenth of December – George Saunders ”A new story collection, the first in six years, from one of our greatest living writers, MacArthur “genius grant” recipient and New Yorker contributor George Saunders.”
	Three Day Road – Joseph Boyden ”Inspired in part by real-life World War I Ojibwa hero Francis Pegahmagabow, this unblinking, impeccably researched novel is the astonishing story of two Cree snipers in the killing fields of Ypres and the Somme, and the winding journey home to northern Ontario that only one of them will make. A remarkable tale of brutality, survival, and rebirth.”
	Angelmaker – Nick Harkaway “From the author of the international best seller The Gone-Away World—a new riveting action spy thriller, blistering gangster noir, and howling absurdist comedy: a propulsively entertaining tale about a mobster’s son and a retired secret agent who team up to save the world.”

June 2014 – 419

April 16, 2014Book, Meetingadmin

The book for June is 419 by Will Ferguson.

The meeting will be at the Ferryhill Community Centre on June 9th 2014 at 7:30 pm

April 2014 – The Subtle Knife

April 14, 2014Book, Meetingadmin

April’s book is “The Subtle Knife” by “Philip Pullman”. The meeting will take place in the Ferryhill Community Centre on Monday 14th April at 7:30pm.

The Subtle Knife (His Dark Materials, Book 2)Philip Pullman; Scholastic Point 1998WorldCat

Suggestions Required

March 10, 2014Suggestionsadmin

We are now looking for suggestions for books to read.

So far we have the following suggestion:

Bring up the bodiesHilary Mantel; Thorndike Press 2012WorldCat•LibraryThing•Google Books•BookFinder

Testament of Jessie LambJane Rogers; Harper Collins 2012WorldCat•LibraryThing•Google Books•BookFinder

Making Sense

January 4, 2014Newsadmin

I was approached by Gordon Burnett & Carole Gray who wanted to attend the last bookgroup meeting to discuss their project called “Making Sense”. They describe themselves as retired educationalists and they are trying to set up workshops aimed at developing creativity.

They gave us some bookmarks with their website which is Making Sense

and, as you will see when you visit it, their ideas are in the early stages. They are very keen for us to let them organise a workshop for us. They will also participate. The workshop would take place in the community centre and pivot round our next book Tender is the Night. We are put into pairs and given some kind of stimulus to get the creative juices going. It could be an object or a quotation and, taken in conjunction with the book we have been discussing, should generate new ideas. I think that is the germ of the workshop. How successful it will be will depend on the participants and the skill of the organisers.

Personally, I thought it sounded OK – a bit of fun, something different and obviously it would be extremely helpful for them. I imagine not everyone will want to take part and we will need more details. They will be coming along to our next meeting and (afterwards) will explain their ideas further with a view to the workshop being held a couple of weeks later. Anyone who wants to join in the workshop would be welcome.

I really hope this won’t make people stay away from the bookgroup meeting just because they feel they would appear rude if they decline to join the subsequent workshop.

Any thoughts?

Ross