Bring your favourite book
Yesterday’s reading group was a ‘bring-your-own’ book and tell the group about it. Only five of us came but others sent their choices by email – and what a varied collection we came up with. And what an enjoyable time we had discussing them!
Germinal by Emile Zola
Set in the 1860s around a coal mining village in Northern France, it depicts the poverty and oppression suffered by the mining community. The protagonist, Etienne, a young, naive idealist who is a newcomer to the village, very soon rages against the appalling conditions and begins to stir the community against the ‘bosses’. Zola’s description of the ensuing confrontations, consequences and family relationships is incredibly vivid, realistic and thought provoking. An altogether brilliant book both in content and writing.
The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
Nothing like ‘Eat, Pray, Love’, this is an enthralling novel set in the 18th/19th centuries, starting in Philadelphia and moving to Tahiti and then Amsterdam. The protagonist, Alma, is brilliant but not physically attractive. She becomes a botanist and shows a shrewd business sense but she’s a difficult character. Alma longs for love but instead focuses on the study of mosses. When her father dies, she inherits his wealth and sets off to study the flora and fauna of Tahiti. The author vividly portrays the frustrations endured by women of that time – intellectually and sexually – and writes a cracking yarn.
The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon
There are nine books in this series – all of them doorstops – but with plenty of action and good characters, making them an absorbing read. In the first book Claire visits a ring of stones on a significant night in the pagan calendar and is sucked through a time portal into 18th century Scotland. Two of us had read the first four in the series with great enjoyment. The books have been turned into a popular tv series.
Gut by Giulia Enders
It's brilliant...and for a sciency book it’s very accessible, and absolutely fascinating.
She shows that the gut is one of the most complex, important, and even wondrous parts of our anatomy. It begins with the personal experience of illness that inspired her research and goes on to explain everything from the basics of nutrient absorption to the latest science linking bowel bacteria with mental disorders.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
The framework of the book is based on Dickens’ ‘David Copperfield’ but the story is set in small town America and covers the opioid addiction crisis. It’s fun identifying Dickens’ characters in modern form and the book provoked smiles and tears and is beautifully written.
The Kapilllan of Malta by Nicholas Monsarrat
First read at the age of 10, this book inspired our member to visit Malta, fall in love with it and make it the subject of a dissertation. Set during the siege of Malta during World War II, it tells the story of Father Salvatore who tends to the frightened, starving people who take shelter in the island’s cave system.
Sweet Tooth by Ian McEwan
Set in 1972 during the Cold War, this is the story of a sheltered girl who is recruited to MI5. Worth reading just for the ending, which comes as a complete surprise and transforms one’s view of the book.
A Moment of War by Laurie Lee
The shortest of our chosen books this powerful masterpiece is set during the Spanish Civil War. A beautiful economy of writing conveys so much in just a few words. The couple of short passages read to us vividly capture the horror and the boredom of war.
All are available – either from Haddenham Library or by reserving a copy through Cambridgeshire Libraries – with the exception, sadly, of The Kapillan of Malta, which is available from World of Books for about £4.00
We will be discussing A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini on Tuesday 15 August at 3.30 in the Library
