Book Club

What is the St Michael's Book Club?

We are a group of about a dozen (men and women) who love reading and who welcome the opportunity to widen our literary horizons by meeting on a regular basis over a drink to discuss books we have collectively chosen to enjoy.
If you enjoy literature why not consider coming along to the Chiswick Book Festival 2010 in September.

Our titles and dates for 2010 are:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(*proposer)

February 24th An Education - Lynn Barber (*Carol Douglas)
March 24th The Reluctant Fundmentalist - Mohsin Hamid (*Judith Herbertson)
April 28th Netherland - Joseph O'Neill (*David Beresford)
May 26th God's Secretaries - Adam Nicholson (*Jane Thomson)
No meeting in June
July 28th The Short History of Myth - Karen Armstrong (*Wendy Callister)
August 25th Cakes and Ale - Somerset Maugham (* Moira Broom)
September 22nd A Children's Book - A.S.Byatt (*Carol Douglas)
October 27th Our Favourite Book from Childhood (*Ruth Joseph)
November 24th The Reader - Bernhard Schink (*Judith Herbertson)
No meeting in December

The group is chaired by Jane Thomson who writes:

 At the beginning of 2010, the St Michael’s Book Club embarked on another year of what we are confident will be good ‘reads’ and lively discussions.  We choose our books for the whole year at our January meeting when each member is invited to propose one or two titles from which the final selection is made.  We then get together at 8pm on the fourth Wednesday of most months, in either the Crypt Chapel or the Raphael Room, for our discussions, informally introduced by the book's proposer, which are further enlivened by a glass or two of wine.

 Despite books for selection being randomly proposed, a theme often emerges from our final choices.  In 2009 it was biography and we started with Barack Obama’s 'Dreams around My Father' which outlines his formative early years and initial employment history.  We continued with two well written and researched biographies – Peter Ackroyd’s account of Shakespeare’s life and Claire Tomalin’s of Thomas Hardy, 'The Time Torn Man'.  We further learnt about life in an enclosed Roman Catholic order from the well known writer, Karen Armstrong's 'A Spiral Staircase'; what led her to leave it and of her struggles to re-establish her life outside the convent walls.  In contrast, through Victoria Nicholson’s 'Singled Out' we read of the effects on many women, following the First World War, of the loss of so many men and potential husbands and how this, for some, contributed to greater educational and work opportunities.  Through the classics, 'Madame Bovary' by Flaubert and Henry James’s 'Washington Square' we glimpsed life in other ages and countries.  While having read Kate Summerscale’s 'The Suspicions of Mr Whitcher' which describes the circumstances of a murder and the suspicions which still surround it, we were very fortunate in being able to visit the National Archives in Kew and in being able to read the original documents, police and prison records, arising from the case.  Our final read for the year was Margaret Atwood’s unusual slant on The Odyssey, 'The Penelopiad.'
In September 2009 we were delighted to be represented by one of our group on a panel discussion entitled 'The Perfect Book Club Book' at the highly successful Chiswick Book Festival

Our meetings are relaxed and provide the opportunity for exchanging ideas about the chosen books,  for extending the scope of one’s reading repertoire and importantly, for members to get to know each other.  New members are always welcomed and currently we are hoping to start a second club so that each group remains the size to encourage discussion and give everyone the chance to contribute if they so choose.  If you would like to learn more about the Book Club and maybe to join, please do not hesitate to contact me, Jane Thomson , either directly or via the Parish Office