Thanks as ever to all those who came on a chilly Mayday (so much for my plans to sit outside in the gorgeous May weather) to talk about Edgelands. A great discussion because views about the book were so mixed – some people really loved it, me included, and others found it wilfully miserable and even pretentious. You’re nothing if not vocal!
The great news for next month’s book, Scissors, Paper, Stone, is that the author Elizabeth Day is coming up to Newcastle for the evening session to talk about her book. Elizabeth is a regular columnist for The Guardian and this is her first novel. I interviewed her for the Durham Book Festival and thought that it would be a good book club read. It’s about the secrets that families keep but it’s by no means a predictable read about a damaged family. It keeps you on your toes throughout.
So come and see Elizabeth Day talk about her book – note that because there’s something going on on Tuesday 6th (the day we’d normally meet), not quite sure what but something to do with the Queen… we’re going to be meeting the week after on JUNE 12th. Any members of the lunchtime group who’d like to come along to the evening session are most welcome, but I’ll be running the lunchtime session as well for those who can’t make it later on.
Hope to see you all there.
Apologies, but there’s been a muck up over the book for April. It was going to be Sybille Bedford’s Jigsaw, which I read about a year ago and then told everyone how good it was. Clearly I did too good a job on promoting it because it’s sold out!
So I’m sorry to those of you who’ve been frustrated with trying to get it – I’ll find out when it’s back in stock and reschedule for the end of the year. I’m determined that you will read it because it is a little gem.
In the meantime the book for April 2012 is Night Waking by Sarah Moss. Sarah’s going to be appearing in a free session at the Hexham Book Festival on 1 May at 8pm at the Queen’s Hall. Go to www.hexhambookfestival.co.uk and have a look…
And we’ll be meeting not on our usual first Tuesday of the month because I’ll be taking a well-deserved break in the Highlands in the run up to Easter. We’ll meet instead on Tuesday 10 April at the normal times of 12.30pm and 6.30pm at our new venue of the splendid pub, The Carriage in Jesmond.
Look forward to seeing you all there.
Caroline
Hello everyone,
I hope you’re well and in a suitably festive mood.
Following numerous problems with our usual book group venue, the Living Room on Grey Street, which culminated in them booting us out of our spot yet again in December, Caroline and I have decided to move venues.
Our new home, from January 2012, will be The Carriage pub in Jesmond. It’s really easy to get to by Metro, as the pub is the old Jesmond station so it’s right by the new Metro station too. There’s also plenty of parking for those of you who drive, and you can walk there from Newcastle city centre in about eight minutes.
More importantly, the staff could not be more helpful or enthusiastic about hosting the book group from next month.
Click here to see the new venue on a map.
And here’s the address and phone number:
The Carriage
Archbold Terrace
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE2 1DB
Tel: 0191 281 2151
The next meeting will be Tuesday 3 January 2012, with one meeting at 12.30pm and one meeting at 6.30pm, as usual. We’ll be discussing A Visit From The Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.
Have a good break and I look forward to seeing you there!
Liv
Thanks to all of you who came yesterday both at lunchtime and in the evening to chew the cud over ‘Mr Chartwell’ – and an especial thanks to Ruth and Steve who are expecting their first baby any day. I’m hoping next month you might bring the baby for us all to coo over. It made me think about how important books are for new parents. In those first few months when the world feels hyper-real and you’re swamped by huge tides of emotions books provide an anchor. I read avidly when both my daughters were born – when I was feeding them, when I was lying alongside the crib trying to get them off to sleep, when they were ill with chickenpox, raging colds and in one memorable case ‘Hand, Foot and Mouth’ virus (yes, it exists in humans too) and the books kept me sane. I wasn’t able to concentrate for any length of time so short stories and poetry were a lifeline and their intensity fitted in with my feelings at the time. Then I went on to experience the pleasure of reading to them myself, watching them light up when familiar books were read to them each night, and then see them read on their own. My eldest daughter is now taking English at ‘A’ level and as I looked through her essay the other night I thought about all the books that have accompanied us along the way. I recently put some of those old favourites in the attic the other week, unable to bring myself to clear them out. What are the children’s books you’d never part with?
There’s no official book club in August but a few of the regulars have decided to have their own impromptu gathering. Same drill as usual, Tuesday the 2nd at 18.30 at The Living Room. The book is Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair, as suggested by Kathryn. No official chair/leader unless someone particularly fancies it. Drinks and food afterwards for those who wish to partake.