June Meetup

Another great turnout for our May meetup – and wonderful to welcome several new members to our group. As ever plenty of great discussion on both books; Wasteland proved to be a hit scoring 81 which takes it to the top of our 2025 rankings so far this year. Plenty of love also shown for Glasgow Boys which scored 62.

For June we have two books with very high pedigrees – the winner of the 2024 Booker Prize winner and a best seller (2 million worldwide apparently!) which will be hitting the silver screen at the end of May.

And, by way of reminder, we appreciate attendees making a contribution of £1.50 at the meeting to help cover meetup charges.

Happy Reading.

Orbital by Samantha Harvey (nominated by Jenn)

A team of astronauts in the International Space Station collect meteorological data, conduct scientific experiments and test the limits of the human body. But mostly they observe. Together they watch their silent blue planet, circling it sixteen times, spinning past continents and cycling through seasons, taking in glaciers and deserts, the peaks of mountains and the swells of oceans. Endless shows of spectacular beauty witnessed in a single day.

Yet although separated from the world they cannot escape its constant pull. News reaches them of the death of a mother, and with it comes thoughts of returning home. They look on as a typhoon gathers over an island and people they love, in awe of its magnificence and fearful of its destruction.

The fragility of human life fills their conversations, their fears, their dreams. So far from earth, they have never felt more part - or protective - of it. They begin to ask, what is life without earth? What is earth without humanity?

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn (nominated by Rani)

Just days after Raynor learns that Moth, her husband of 32 years, is terminally ill, their home is taken away and they lose their livelihood. With nothing left and little time, they make the brave and impulsive decision to walk the 630 miles of the sea-swept South West Coast Path, from Somerset to Dorset, via Devon and Cornwall.

Carrying only the essentials for survival on their backs, they live wild in the ancient, weathered landscape of cliffs, sea and sky. Yet through every step, every encounter and every test along the way, their walk becomes a remarkable journey.

The Salt Path is an honest and life-affirming true story of coming to terms with grief and the healing power of the natural world. Ultimately, it is a portrayal of home, and how it can be lost, rebuilt and rediscovered in the most unexpected ways.

Other books nominated were:

Young Mungo by Douglas Stuart
A Time to Kill by John Grisham
Tomorrow in the Battle Think on Me by Javier Marías
You Like It Darker by Stephen King
Quite Ugly One Morning by Christopher Brookmyre
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig