We look back over 12 months of Book Club
January is a classic
First book of the month in 2020 was Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. It was simply FAB U LOUS and had so much to talk about. Why does she not have a name? Is Maxim hero or villain? Could Rebecca be cast in a different light than the second wife paints her? It was majorly suspenseful I genuinely loved it and want buttered crumpets in the library from now on.
Murder in February
Our book of the month for February was The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. The characters were very unlikeable however the tightly wound plot made it a real page turner. I have since gone on to read The Guest List which is even better.
A different dystopia March
I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman had many parallels to The Road by Cormac McCarthy (a book not liked by the book club) however this was somehow different. It didn’t answer many questions, it was brief and should have been quite depressing yet I found it strangely good and thought the ending very fitting.
Out and about in April
As self isolation kicked in we chose a book that was all about embracing life and getting out and about – Salt Path by Raynor Winn. Homelessness, death and bankruptcy surprisingly didn’t get in the way of a really uplifting read.
No nature here for May
Spring by Ali Smith was the chosen one for May yet it was decidedly un-spring like. This didn’t matter as it was beautifully written, littered with poets, literary references and, surprisingly, Brexit. I will be heading out to purchase Summer, Autumn and Winter (the other books in the series).
A bit of la de dah for June
A poem a day was the way for June when we reviewed Diary of a Somebody by Brian Bilston, the unofficial Twitter Poet Laureate. It was funny, heart warming and had a brilliant father/son relationship. If you haven’t seen Bilston on Twitter do check him out.
French fancy in July
Accident on the A35 by Graeme Macrae Burnet was July’s offering. Not so much crime fiction as false truth fiction whereby a forgotten manuscript ‘the Accident’ is found in a deceased writer’s estate. I’m not sure the tricksy element added much to the book as the manuscript alone was a pretty good read.
Greek Heroes in August
Managing to make Hercules and Jason accessible to a modern day audience is a difficult task yet Fry rises to the task brilliantly. Featuring golden showers, numerous ravished females and um Yoda(?!) Heroes is the second book in Fry’s Greek legend trilogy.
Breaking the chain in September
The Chain by Adrian McKinty was September’s offering. This pacey thriller really makes you question how far you would go to protect your child. Inner demons were a plenty in what seemed to be a book of two halves. The nightmare has stopped, yet it really, really hasn’t.
Mamas in October
Who is a good mother? As well as this BIG question Brit Bennett throws race, abortion and religion in to the mix with The Mothers. It’s a perfect book club book with lots of discussion points and a very modern in feel.
Gothic chill in November
Pine by Francine Toon was the PERFECT book to read post Halloween. Atmospheric and slightly eerie, it was a very good thriller with a supernatural twist..
One rule of book club
Away with the Penguins by Hazel Prior might not have been very Christmassy but it WAS wintery and heart warming which fits the bill at Book Social for December.
So that was our 12 books of book club. How many did you read? What was your favourite? For me Rebecca nudged it. What books will the next 12 months bring?