H is for Hawk

Continuing on our nature theme over the summer, H is for Hawk was September's chosen title.

The group mainly enjoyed the book, and certainly found it more readable than The Bees.

H is for Hawk is about a woman grieving over the death of her father and her reaction to this loss is to rear a goshawk. The book is as much about grief as it is about this beautiful bird. Some found that references to T H White's study The Goshawk was the most interesting part of the story, whereas others felt it was a distraction. One much debated point in our group was how on earth did Helen Macdonald have the time or finances in place to withdraw from life and spend time training Mabel. The clip that follows doesn't answer that question directly, but does give us further insight into the author's state of mind (and some very cute goshawk images):

Other titles we discussed included:
The Sunrise by Victoria Hislop. Having previously recommended Victoria Hislop, this book is best avoided! 
The group also looked at the University's reading group's booklist and found plenty of overlap.

For the November book, no signs of nature except the human type. Apparently The Dinner is a controversial book, can't wait to find out what that's all about!

Next time:
The Dinner by Herman Koch
Thursday 12th November 2015

The Bees

The Bees. A book with a great premise, the tale of a sanitation bee called Flora, loosely based on the Indian caste system (it's this element that drew me to the book in the first place). A worthy book, we were all glad we read it, except for one of the group who admitted defeat. The author's in-depth research earned our admiration but The Bees could not be described as a page turner. Many points were verified by one of the group who had taken a bee keeping course, although she was able to confirm there were some elements of artistic licence. It may have been the same person who wondered if the work had been sponsored by the Bee Society - I for one feel a bit worried now about eating honey in case I traumatise a bee colony...

Of course, with the imminent release of Go Set a Watchman, we had to talk about Harper Lee. Whilst some in the group were going to preserve their memories and avoid the sequel of To Kill a Mockingbird, others were looking forward to the much anticipated offering by Lee. It will be good to hear from others in the group who weren't able to attend what their stance will be on the topic.

It was mentioned that Sarah Moss was featured in the Times Top 10 historical novels. The other reading group on campus will be reading Bodies of Light shortly, and we look forward to hearing what they made of the book.

Other titles we discussed included:
Do No Harm by Henry Marsh
A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson
The authors Kate Mosse, Victoria Hislop and the nature writer Robert Macfarlane
The Perfect Son by Barbara Claypole White
The Photographer's Wife by Nick Alexander
Discussed Iranian literature and Bitter Lake (on the iPlayer).　

Next time:
H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
Tuesday 8th September 2015

Bodies of Light

The book for May 2015 was Bodies of Light by Sarah Moss. Sarah is an academic based at the University of Warwick and we thought it would be interesting to read the work of a resident author.

Set in the 19th century, the first few chapters of the book look at a young couple starting out in life and we soon move on to finding out about their two daughters, Ally and May. Their mother Elizabeth makes a priority of the poor/destitute women she works with and cares for, over and above the physical and emotional needs of her own daughters. Their father doesn't seem to have much of a voice in the girls' upbringing. In pursuit of her own interests, Elizabeth determines that her daughter Ally become one of the first female doctors in the country (set against a backdrop of the early suffragette movement).

The subject matter was fascinating - medical history at a time of social upheaval. The characters were thought provoking - one compliant overachieving daughter, one rule breaking daughter, an artist father and an abusive mother. Whilst we all read the book and we all enjoyed the book, it wasn't likeable - it was hard to warm to Ally's character. The appalling treatment of women was a stark reminder of how far we have traveled in this country at least.

Here's the author in action, talking about her work:

Other titles discussed:
The Iceberg by Marianne Coutts
The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

Next time:
The Bees by Laline Paull
Tuesday 7th July 2015

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

March's title was Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, written by Jamie Ford. The story is set over two periods, firstly during WWII and then in the 1980s. Our hero is Henry, a young Chinese American boy who befriends a Japanese American girl called Keiko. Unfortunately, this friendship starts during a time of deep suspicion of the Japanese in the USA, since the bombing of Pearl Harbour. Keiko and her family are eventually interned - a part of WWII history which was new to many in the reading group. We fast forward some forty years to find out what happened to Henry and Keiko. 

The historical setting looking at the Japanese internment was probably the most fascinating part of the story, possibly because in the UK we focus on what was happening closer to home in Europe and the day to day impact of war in the USA feels more remote. 

Henry has a tense relationship with his father, and his relationship with his son isn't much better.As an observer, you can see why Henry's father behaves the way he does - he wants his son to do well in the USA, but at the same time there is a conflict as his parents hold onto their heritage in China. We talked about two people living together and not speaking to one another, and how difficult life must have been in such an environment. Then history repeats itself with Henry and his son, who also struggle to communicate effectively, until a girlfriend comes along and changes the dynamic between Henry and his son. Keiko's family on the other hand come across as far more accepting of their American life and their situation. 

Most people enjoyed the story, although a few commented that they were getting a bit tired of the 'set over two periods' formula that is commonplace in contemporary literature. It was an easy to read book, although some parts of the story required the reader not to question too deeply the reality of events actually happening (Henry moving in and out of the internment camps, the all too convenient relationship with the school's cook and her philanthropic misdemeanors). All in all, a good read introducing a lesser-known part of history for us. 

Other books that we discussed: 

The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton
Wreckage by Emily Bleeker
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beacher Stowe
Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey
Black Mischief by Evelyn Waugh

Next time:
Bodies of Light by Sarah Moss
13th May 2015

We are all Completely Beside Ourselves

This book was on the shortlist for the Man Booker Prize, which is always a great source for providing exciting and often challenging works to deliberate. 

We are all Completely Beside Ourselves is a difficult book to talk or write about without making the 'big reveal' which occurs around page 72. Once you are 'in the know', the book takes on a different perspective and indeed subject matter. The author's approach is very clever, because based on the cover blurb you think you are exploring the relationships of your typical dysfunctional family but there is much more tackled in Karen Fowler's work. I'm not going to say much else about the book, except that the group talked about it, moved onto other topics but kept coming back to We are all Completely Beside Ourselves. Of course, our meetings aren't always linear in approach but it was difficult to park the conversation and move on - it was a thought provoking book. 

Did it deserve its place on the Man Booker Prize shortlist? The prize is described as a literary prize awarded for the best original novel, written in the English language and publishing in the UK. To me the key word is 'original' and yes, Fowler has written an original piece of work. 

Other books that we discussed: 

Beloved by Toni Morrison
The Village by David Mamet
The Cazalet Chronicle by Elizabeth Jane Howard
The Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

Influenced by one of the group's course reading, we talked about Maya Angelou and Toni Morrison, which led us to think about racism as a theme for the next title. Which is how we've ended up with Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet as the book for March. 

Next time:
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
11th March 2015

Reading Group Summary Book List

2015

We are all Completely Beside Ourselves  Karen Joy Fowler
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet Jamie Ford
Bodies of Light Sarah Moss
The Bees Laline Paul
H is for Hawk Helen Macdonald
The Dinner Herman Koch

2014

Lives Through Letters: A Portrait of the Waller Family 1796-1856
The Rosie Project  Graeme Simsion

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant Anne Tyler

Crossing to Safety Wallace Stegner

A Time of Gifts Patrick Leigh Fermor
Regeneration Pat Barker

2013

Miss Garnet’s Angel  Salley Vickers

The Fever Tree Jennifer McVeigh

What Maisie Knew Henry James

Any Scandinavian book

For Whom The Bell Tolls Ernest Hemingway 
Pure Andrew Miller

2012

As I Lay Dying William Faulkner

The Sense Of An Ending Julian Barnes

OR

Snowdrops A D Miller

Purple Hibiscus Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Song of Achilles Madeline Miller

The Bookseller of Kabul Åsne Seierstad

The Interpretation of Murder  Jed Rubenfeld

2011

Mr Rosenblum's List Natasha Solomons

The Quiet American Graham Greene

The Help Kathryn Stockett

Fortune's Rocks Anita Shreve

Diary Of An Ordinary Woman Margaret Forster

Dancing With Darkness Magsie Hamilton-Little

2010

The Sea John Banville

Birthday Letters Ted Hughes

From The Holy Mountain William Dalrymple

Wolf Hall Hilary Mantel

The Two Of Us Sheila Hancock

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Nighttime Mark Haddon

The Pursuit Of Love Nancy Mitford

2009

Midnight' s Children Salman Rushdie

The Time Traveller's Wife Audrey Niffenegger

On Chesil Beach Ian McEwan

Kangaroo D H Lawrence

Anything by Charles Dickens

The White Tiger Aravind Adiga

The Secret Scripture Sebastian Barry

Perfume Patrick Suskind

Kafka On The Shore Haruki Murakami

Joseph Andrews Henry Fielding

Anything by P G Wodehouse

2008

Atonement Ian McEwan

Half of a Yellow Sun Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

The Rotters’ Club Jonathan Coe

Nella Last’s War: The 2nd World War Diaries Of Housewife, 49

The Mill On The Floss George Eliott 
The Other Boleyn Girl Phillippa Gregory 
Pride And Prejudice Jane Austen

Anything by Kazuo Ishiguro 

Map Of Love Ahdaf Soueif