St Michael's Book Clubs
What are the St Michael's Book Clubs?
We are now 2 groups, each of about ten (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.
The initial group, chaired by Jane Thomson, meets at 8pm in the St Michael's Parish Hall on the fourth Wednesday of the month, with the exception of June and December
The books for 2012 are: (*proposer)
February 23rd (Thursday): A Sense of Being - Julian Barnes (*Ruth
Joseph)
March 28th: Resistance - Owen Sheers (*Jane Thompson)
April 25th: A Man of Parts - David Lodge (* Sara Gronmark)
May 23rd: Blood River - Tim Butcher (* Phoebe Woollam)
July 25th: The Leopard - Giuseppe di Lampedusa (*Cathie James)
August 22nd: Poetry Reading Evening (*Carol Douglas)
September 26th: Charles Dickens-A Life - Claire Tomalin (*Jane Thomson)
October 24th: American Wife - Curtis Sittenfeld (*Carol Douglas)
November 28th: Barchester Towers - Anthony Trollope (* David Beresford)
There are no meetings in June (Green Days and Festival) and December
2011 books were (* proposer)
February 23rd: The Other Side of Me - Salley Vickers (*Wendy Callister)
March 23rd: The House Gun - Nadine Gordimer (*Phoebe Woollam)
April 27th: Mornings in Jenin- Susan Abulhawa (*Jane Thomson)
May 25th: Troubles - J.G. Farrell (*Cathie James)
July 27th: The Blind Assassin - Margaret Attwood (*Phoebe Woollam)
August 24th: The Black Sea - Neil Ascherson (*David Beresford)
September 28th:The Hare with Amber Eyes - Edmund de Waal (*Carol Douglas)
October 26th: The Glass Room - Simon Mawer (*Wendy Callister)
November 23rd: A Foreign Field - Ben McIntyre (*Jane Thomson)
A second Book group was set up in Autumn 2010 chaired by Jane Blanckenhagen:
It meets monthly on Mondays in the Parish Hall at 7.30pm.
Jane Thomson, who chairs the founding group, wrote in 2010:
"At the beginning of 2010, the St Michael’s Book Club embarked on another year of good ‘reads’ and lively discussions. We choose our books for the whole year at our January meetings 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, hosted by St Michael el & All Angels "
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.
If you would like to learn more about the Book Clubs and maybe to join, please do not hesitate to contact Jane Thomson, or Jane Blanckenhagen either personally or via the Parish Office.