I am finding it very difficult to summarise our discussion last Thursday evening as the ideas really ricocheted around the room.
As some of our readers had grown up in country New South Wales they readily identified with the novel's setting. From their experience they thought that the portrayals of Med and Haines were very real and unfortunately easily recognisable. One reader was particularly incensed with Med's attitude to his wife - the notion that a garden and a child would guarantee a woman's happiness was beyond anathema for her! Fat's plight evoked much sympathy.
Another train of thought that created much emotion was the notion that a biological parent would be almost by definition, the best parent for a child. One reader considered this limiting assumption made by the courts and welfare system in this novel, as the source cause of distress in the book!
Our readers seemed to consider that the use of personal letters as the basis of the structure of the novel to be very effective because the novel's content was so intensely personal. Utilising letters in this manner reinforced the effect that such tragic events have on families.
One reader had not progressed far through the book but following our book club discussion was keen to continue reading the book so that they could form their own opinion.
While not exactly uplifting, this novel certainly provoked opinionated discussion which is part of the fun of being part of a book club. It's a great way to extend one's experience of a book through the reactions of other readers. Through a book club one is able to read the same book with more than one set of eyes.
In Cityside Book Club we are going to read our own choice of books over the Christmas break. We will meet again on Thursday 5 February at 6.00pm at Mackay City Library.
Don't forget our MRCL Book Club Christmas Get-together at the Gordon White Community Meeting Room on Thursday 18 December from 6.00 pm till 8.00 pm. Please bring some finger food to share and some beverages that cater to your own taste. It'll be a great chance to meet folk from the other two MRCL book clubs! Looking forward to seeing you there!
Monday, 8 December 2014
Monday, 1 December 2014
Come to say "Hello" at Cityside Book Club
Well it's the last Cityside Book Club for 2014!
I cannot say I am enjoying Caroline Overington's "I Came to Say Goodbye". I am finding it a very uncomfortable book to say the least and I certainly don't look forward to my evening reading session like I usually do. I hope to have it finished by Thursday but it is going to be close!
Hope you are having more success than I!
Looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday 4 December at 6.00pm at Mackay City Library!
I cannot say I am enjoying Caroline Overington's "I Came to Say Goodbye". I am finding it a very uncomfortable book to say the least and I certainly don't look forward to my evening reading session like I usually do. I hope to have it finished by Thursday but it is going to be close!
Hope you are having more success than I!
Looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday 4 December at 6.00pm at Mackay City Library!
Monday, 3 November 2014
Are we Closer to Stone this Thursday?
Hello everyone,
Well I'm sort of back and slowly picking up the reins again. I think Closer to Stone by Simon Cleary was the CBC book for October?
Looking forward to hearing what you thought of it. Unfortunately it seems to be a bit topical at present.
We'll meet this Thursday at Mackay City Library at 6 pm.
Until then, keep the pages turning!
Well I'm sort of back and slowly picking up the reins again. I think Closer to Stone by Simon Cleary was the CBC book for October?
Looking forward to hearing what you thought of it. Unfortunately it seems to be a bit topical at present.
We'll meet this Thursday at Mackay City Library at 6 pm.
Until then, keep the pages turning!
Thursday, 14 August 2014
'Foal's Bread' provides much food for thought
Gillian Mears' ability to authentically capture the spirit and nature of Australia's show jumping heyday really inspired enthusiam in one of our book clubbers. Her life experience had so mirrored some of the experiences described in the book that she lent her copy to her father who was a horseman of old. He also was impressed by the book's feeling of authenticity.
Some readers were concerned that the book's 'horsiness' would isolate non-horse inclined readers but this did not seem to be the case, rather Gillian Mears' passion for horses converted readers rather than turned them off. Her characters seemed true to their time and there was much discussion about how attitudes to social issues, in particular the treatment of animals, as well as human beings, had changed over time. Noah's 'cruelty' towards the horses made many of our readers cringe yet many of the group related personal experiences and stories of how in earlier times animals had been kicked and hit to 'discipline' them.
There was discussion of how the author's own illness might have informed and coloured the descriptions of Roley's increasing loss of mobility. Today's concept of counselling was not even a notion in those times and Roley's increasing withdrawal as he tried to cope with his increasing disability was particularly heart-breaking. Noah's resilience in the face of such persistent emotional isolation was cause for admiration from many of our readers.
Some of our readers had not finished the book but following the book club discussion they were keen to finish reading it.
Our next book club selection has quite a different flavour. It is a contemporary novel which takes us to a small town in the United States mid-west. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is quite a dark psychological thriller and it will be interesting to hear our book clubbers' reaction to it.
Oliver Burkeman, writing for 'The Guardian' had this to say about Gone Girl.
Next month's book club should certainly be interesting!
Some readers were concerned that the book's 'horsiness' would isolate non-horse inclined readers but this did not seem to be the case, rather Gillian Mears' passion for horses converted readers rather than turned them off. Her characters seemed true to their time and there was much discussion about how attitudes to social issues, in particular the treatment of animals, as well as human beings, had changed over time. Noah's 'cruelty' towards the horses made many of our readers cringe yet many of the group related personal experiences and stories of how in earlier times animals had been kicked and hit to 'discipline' them.
There was discussion of how the author's own illness might have informed and coloured the descriptions of Roley's increasing loss of mobility. Today's concept of counselling was not even a notion in those times and Roley's increasing withdrawal as he tried to cope with his increasing disability was particularly heart-breaking. Noah's resilience in the face of such persistent emotional isolation was cause for admiration from many of our readers.
Some of our readers had not finished the book but following the book club discussion they were keen to finish reading it.
Our next book club selection has quite a different flavour. It is a contemporary novel which takes us to a small town in the United States mid-west. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is quite a dark psychological thriller and it will be interesting to hear our book clubbers' reaction to it.
Oliver Burkeman, writing for 'The Guardian' had this to say about Gone Girl.
Next month's book club should certainly be interesting!
Monday, 11 August 2014
Cityside Book Club meets this Thursday at Mackay City Library at 6.00 pm!
Hello folks,
Just a reminder that we are meeting the second Thursday this month, just to keep you on your toes.
We'll be discussing Foal's Bread by Gillian Mears. If you haven't read it or finished it, that's not a problem, come along anyway. It's a while since I've read it, so I'll have to try to get a quick skim in over the next couple of days to try to jog my memory.
See you all on Thursday, at City, at 6 pm!
Just a reminder that we are meeting the second Thursday this month, just to keep you on your toes.
We'll be discussing Foal's Bread by Gillian Mears. If you haven't read it or finished it, that's not a problem, come along anyway. It's a while since I've read it, so I'll have to try to get a quick skim in over the next couple of days to try to jog my memory.
See you all on Thursday, at City, at 6 pm!
Monday, 4 August 2014
Just a reminder - we will be meeting NEXT week NOT THIS week!
Just a reminder that we will meeting to discuss Foal's Bread by Gillian Mears on Thursday 14 August, that is next week not this week.
Hope you are enjoying the extra reading time!
See you next week!
Hope you are enjoying the extra reading time!
See you next week!
Wednesday, 30 July 2014
In August we will be meeting the SECOND Thursday, not the first!
Well are you making it over the jumps? I know the title is 'Foal's Bread' but if our wonderful new member would like to bring along some more chocolate brownies we won't get on our high horse at all!
This way we get a bit longer on this month's book but a bit less on next month's - swings and roundabouts - to continue the show theme.
It's rather appropriate we'll be discussing horses in August as 1 August is the birthday for all racehorses!
Looking forward to chatting about 'Foal's Bread' on Thursday 14 August at Mackay City Library at 6.00 pm!
This way we get a bit longer on this month's book but a bit less on next month's - swings and roundabouts - to continue the show theme.
It's rather appropriate we'll be discussing horses in August as 1 August is the birthday for all racehorses!
Looking forward to chatting about 'Foal's Bread' on Thursday 14 August at Mackay City Library at 6.00 pm!
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