What we’re about
Our monthly book discussion evening, usually on the second Tuesday, is when we share views and gain new insights into our chosen book. This is a moderated discussion, and everyone has the chance to contribute. The discussion is often lively, but never gets personal. All views and opinions are respected.
We love to socialise and new members are always welcome. There's plenty of time to get to know the rest of the group before, during and after the meeting. There are some notes to help you here.
There is no charge for our meetings but if you'd like to make a voluntary contribution to the costs of running the group you can do so here. If everybody donated £1 per meeting attended that would more than cover it.
As well as our book discussions, we have occasional theatre nights and social events. Suggestions for nights out are always welcome.
Anyone who loves reading books and talking about them should join us. Books are always chosen by a democratic vote. This often leads us to some surprising places, but everyone finds it rewarding to read books that they might not have otherwise picked up.
For a list of the books we have read so far, look here. Although there is a wide variety, the majority of our choices have been 20th and 21st century literary fiction, ranging between the popular and the highbrow.
If you'd like some ideas for books to suggest, here is a list of the Booker Prize winners and here is a (controversial) list of the 100 greatest books of all time. (We've marked where we have already read them.)
Books should be available in paperback and ideally no longer than 350 pages.
Upcoming events (3)
See all- May Book Discussion - 'The Tenant of Wildfell Hall' by Anne BrontëThe Victoria, Birmingham
About the book:
Gilbert Markham is deeply intrigued by Helen Graham, a beautiful and secretive young woman who has moved into nearby Wildfell Hall with her young son. It is only when she allows Gilbert to read her diary that the truth is revealed and the shocking details of the disastrous marriage she has left behind emerge.
Most critics now consider The Tenant of Wildfell Hall to be one of the first feminist novels. May Sinclair, in 1913, said that "the slamming of [Helen's] bedroom door against her husband reverberated throughout Victorian England".
Probably the most shocking of the Brontës' novels, it had an instant and phenomenal success when published in 1848 and has always retained its appeal.
There is no charge for our meetings but if you'd like to make a voluntary contribution to the costs of running the group you can do so here. If everybody donated £1 per meeting attended that would more than cover it.
About the meeting:
Everyone is welcome to our monthly book discussion. We share views and impressions of our chosen book in a moderated discussion. Opinions are often divided, but the debate is always friendly and respectful. The meeting proper begins at 8.00 and lasts two hours with a half-time drinks break. There is more socialising time before and after the meeting.
- June Book Discussion - 'Klara and the Sun' by Kazuo IshiguroThe Victoria, Birmingham
About the book:
From her place in the store, Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her, but when the possibility emerges that her circumstances may change forever, Klara is warned not to invest too much in the promises of humans.In Klara and the Sun, Kazuo Ishiguro looks at our rapidly changing modern world through the eyes of an unforgettable narrator to explore a fundamental question: what does it mean to love?
(303 pages)There is no charge for our meetings but if you'd like to make a voluntary contribution to the costs of running the group you can do so here. If everybody donated £1 per meeting attended that would more than cover it
About the meeting:
Everyone is welcome to our monthly book discussion. We share views and impressions of our chosen book in a moderated discussion. Opinions are often divided, but the debate is always friendly and respectful. The meeting proper begins at 8.00 and lasts two hours with a half-time drinks break. There is more socialising time before and after the meeting.
- 'A Christmas Carol' at the Birmingham Repertory TheatreBirmingham Repertory Theatre, Birmingham
'God bless us every one'.
Get in the christmas spirit with Mark Gatiss's acclaimed adaptation of the Dickens classic, coming to Birmingham after a sell-out London season last year.
Meet in the bar at the Rep from 6.30 pm. The performance starts at 7.00 pm.
Please book your ticket online here: Cost between £32.50 and £54.50. Be sure to book for the evening performance, not the matinée. Once you have your ticket then RSVP from this page.
(NB. We are a book club, our social events are a supplementary activity. We would therefore prefer you to attend one or two of our book discussions to get to know us before you join us at a social. )
