Jan's been reading: Forster,Margaret (2010) Isa & May. Chatto & Windus. Isamay, a would-be academic and mother-to-be, is writing her MA thesis about grandmothers in history - from Sarah Bernhardt and Queen Victoria, to other influential grandmothers - whilst constantly being ambushed by her own grandmothers and family history and secrets. Engaging and unusual story… Continue reading May Picks
Recommendations from Wisconsin
Genova, Lisa (2009) Still Alice. Penguin. Alice Howland is a cognitive psychology professor at Harvard and a world-renowned expert in linguistics, with grown children and a satisfying marriage. When she starts to experience fleeting forgetfulness and disorientation, she initially attributes these episodes to normal aging or menopause. But as her symptoms worsen, she decides to see a neurologist and is… Continue reading Recommendations from Wisconsin
April Picks
Jan's been reading: Watson, Richard (2010) Future Minds; how the digital age is changing our minds, why this matters and what we can do about it. Nicholas Brealey. Drawing on the latest research futurist Richard Watson looks at the ways digital culture is shaping the future and changing the way we think. Thought provoking, with… Continue reading April Picks
March Picks
Roz's has been reading: Thomas, Rosie (2010) Lovers and Newcomers. Harper Collins. They were wild in the 60s; but now they face turning sixty themselves. Miranda decides a lonely widowhood is not for her. Reviving a university dream, she invites five old friends to live with her. To begin with the omens are good, but they… Continue reading March Picks
Recommendations from Wisconsin Jan (her Bookclub’s favourites)
Walls, Jeanette (2009 ) Half-broke horses. Simon & Schuster. A debut novel based on the extraordinary life of Jeannette Walls' maternal grandmother - a sassy, straight-talking heroine for whom saving lives, taming wild horses and beating ranch hands at poker are all in a day's work. Glass Castle, a memoir of Jeanette's childhood, is also a… Continue reading Recommendations from Wisconsin Jan (her Bookclub’s favourites)
February Picks
Roz's been reading: Nicholls, David (2009) One Day. Hodder & Stoughton. On the 15th July 1988 Emma and Dexter meet for the first time, on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every… Continue reading February Picks
Great Reads – Reminder
Nafisi, Azar (2004) Reading Lolita in Tehran; a Memoir in Books. Hodder. For two years before she left Iran in 1997, Azar Nafisi gathered seven young women in her house every Thursday morning to read and discuss forbidden works of Western literature. The stories of these women are intertwined with the books they are reading.… Continue reading Great Reads – Reminder
Jan’s Summer Reads
Gruen, Sara (2010) Ape House. Allen & Unwin. Dr. Isabel Duncan studies and cares for six bonobos, members of the ape family who have mastered sign language and can understand English. The bonobos are like family to her. The bonobos are sold to a porn producer who puts them on a television reality show. Isabel… Continue reading Jan’s Summer Reads
Our Top Reads for 2010
1. Verghese, Abraham (2009) Cutting for Stone (May Picks) 2. Agassi, Andre (2009) Open (April Picks) 3 = Stockett, Kathryn (2009) The Help (July Picks) 3 = Mawer, Simon (2009) The Glass Room (August Picks) HONOURABLE MENTIONS Lewycka, Marina (2010) We are all made of glue (August Picks) Mitchell, David (2010) The thousand autumns of David… Continue reading Our Top Reads for 2010
Lynne Recommends
Osborne, Frances (2005) Lilla's Feast: One woman's true story of love and war in the Orient. Random House. At the end of her life, Frances Osborne’s one-hundred-year-old great-grandmother Lilla was as elegant as ever–all fitted black lace and sparkling-white diamonds. To her great-grandchildren, Lilla was both an ally and a mysterious wonder. Her bedroom was… Continue reading Lynne Recommends
7:30 Bookclub 