July 2021
6th (Novel) – The Hiding Game by Naomi Wood (Kay)
13th (Poetry) – Poems about gardens (Kay)
20th (Short stories) – The short stories of Somerset Maugham (Kay)
27th (Theme) – Writing about Summer in the City (New York, London, anywhere) (Louise)
August – no meetings
September 2021
7th (Novel) – The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (Ted)
14th (Poetry) – Amy Clampitt (Christine A)
21st (Short stories) – The Ballad of the Sad Cafe by Carson McCullers (Ted)
28th – Planning
October 2021
5th (Novel) – Should We Fall Behind by Sharon Duggal (Louise)
12th (Poetry) – Twickenham Poets, e.g. Tennyson, Pope, Walter de la Mare (Kay)
19th (Short stories) – The sermon on the Fall of Rome by Jerome Ferrari (Christine B)
26th (Theme) – Why do some books/writers stand the test of time and some quickly seem dated?
20th (Novella) – The Carpenter’s Pencil by Manuel Rivas (Ted)
27th (Theme) – What is the relevance or importance of having a Poet Laureate in 2021? Is the appointment really about ‘art’ or ‘politics’ as the poet is chosen by the government? (Kay)
May 2021
4th (Novel) – Trio by William Boyd (Ted)
11th (Poetry) – Satirical/humorous poetry (Christine A)
18th (Short Stories) – The Garden Party and Other Stories by Katherine Mansfield (Christine B)
25th (Theme) – A combination of ‘My life in books’ – 5 books that have shaped your life (Kay) and What book have you loved so much it’s become old and tattered and had to be replaced? (Margaret)
June 2021
1st (Novel) – Nothing Like the Sun by Anthony Burgess (Margaret)
8th – Planning meeting
15th (Poetry) – The poetry of A.S.J. Tessimond (Tim)
22nd (Short stories) – Which essays have piqued your interest and why? (Margaret)
29th (Theme) – Why do some of us read books constantly; why do others experience long gaps? What IS reading? What are our personal habits around books and reading, best time of the day, etc.? (Louise)
26th (Theme) – Books with memorable opening or closing lines (Kay)
February 2021
2nd (Novel) – The Shiralee by D’Arcy Niland (Ted)
9th (Poetry) – Poetry learnt by heart; what do we remember learning at school and later that’s stayed with us? (Christine A)
16th (Short non-fiction) – A Month in Siena by Hisham Matar (Kay via a recommendation from Christine B!)
23rd (Theme) – Books on the nightstand during Covid; what ‘rubbish’ and escapism kept you going? (Margaret)
March 2021
2nd (Novel) – Prague Nights by Benjamin Black [aka John Banville writing a thriller under pseudonym] (Christine B)
9th (Poetry) – Favourite cat poems (Kay)
16th – Planning Meeting!
23rd (Short Stories) – The Dream Lover by William Boyd
30th (Theme) – Novels set in the tropics – a bit of escapism in the winter months? (Ted)
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If you’re a visitor to this blog and would like to join in our discussions, do please read any of these books and share your thoughts via Comments the week we publish our reviews. We’d love to hear from you. Happy reading!
29th – usually a 5th Tuesday meal but to be decided later.
October 2020
6th (Novel) – The Fear Index by Robert Harris (Doreen)
13th (Poetry) – Christina Rossetti (Christine B)
20th (Short Stories) – The Means of Escape by Penelope Fitzgerald (Christine B)
27th (Theme) – Africa (Ted)
November 2020
3rd (Novel) – Clock Dance by Anne Tyler (Margaret)
10th (Poetry) – Dick Davis (Christine A)
17th (Short Stories/Novella) – A Very Private Life by Michael Frayn
24th – Planning Meeting!
December 2020
1st (Novel) – The Narrow Land by Christine Dwyer Hickey (Kay)
8th (Poetry) – Robert Frost (Louise)
15th (Short Stories) – Every Move You Make by David Malouf (Louise)
Thanks a lot Ruth. I’ll be able to keep track of some very interesting-looking reads.
Looks great. Thanks for putting in the effort.
Well done, Christine and Christine. A lovely list which I look forward to tackling
Great list – thanks to those who organised.
Lovely set of reading – looking forward to it all! Well done, planning group