Hello All,

We had a great meeting on Saturday. Thanks to all those who came along and braved the cooler outside area of the Beer garden! Having two books actually worked quite well, everyone had lots of great comments and different little insights which really got you thinking about things again.

Those readers who finished The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin really enjoyed the book. Even though Sci ?fi was not everyone?s cup of tea it was great to try something a bit different and even I have been encouraged by all the positive commentary to give it another go and finish the last half of the book just to see how the main character Shevek?s journey progresses with his work and overcoming the constraints of the society he lives in.

The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga was also well received. Most readers really enjoyed the colourful characters and landscape. Discussions also focused on working through the underlying drivers behind the White Tiger?s actions and comparing with thoughts and views of the differences between real life in India and China.

The next meeting is 2pm Saturday 25 July at Grumpy?s Green. I will try to get the lounge area inside this time as it is a bit warmer!

So we can keep the meeting size manageable enough so everyone can hear please RSVP at http://www.meetup.com/Around-Fitzroy-Collingwood-Book-Club/

Since it worked so well, we have decided to go with two books for July as well. If you have time the time to read both books - great! Otherwise you can pick the book you are more interested in!

The Book Thief ? Markus Zusak
On their way to Munich in 1939 to be given up to foster parents, Liesel Meminger's six-year-old brother dies and is buried beside the train tracks. Watching, Liesel acquires her first book - The Gravedigger's Handbook.
It will be one of the 14 that give solace to her, an abandoned child, struggling to survive in war-time Germany. Her father has been taken away, branded communist; her mother vanishes. Watching Liesel, whom he christens "the book thief", is the narrator of Markus Zusak's novel of the same name. His narrator, who courteously introduces himself, but forbears to speak his name, is Death. His task is "handling souls to the conveyor belt of eternity" and soon he will be very busy. It is Death who tells of Liesel's ordeal, "just a small story really", and of her resilience, of the moments when she almost comes within his reach. A prize-winning children's author, Zusak has made a daring debut as an author of adult fiction.

Life of Pi ? Yann Martel
The first part of the novel tells of Pi's childhood as the son of the zookeeper in Pondicherry. This section of the novel ends with Pi and his family leaving India for Canada. The zoo is closing and the animals are being sent to zoos all around the world. The family and many of the animals board a Japanese cargo ship for their passage to Canada. Pi is 16 and embarking on the trip to a new life. Unfortunately, it wasn't the life he expected. As the first sentence in Part Two of the book says, "The ship sank." Pi is cast adrift in a lifeboat with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan, and a huge Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. The first week is a horrific one as the animals battle for survival in the cramped boat and Pi quakes with fear as he tries to avoid being part of the food chain. Eventually, just the tiger and he are left in the boat. The rest of the book is Pi's tale of 227 days at sea.

Jason has also set up a Face Book page which will help everyone with picking new book suggestions ? How exciting! You can go to the link below to access!
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=103149871371

I hope everyone has a wonderful week and you find lots of lovely books in the sales!
Nerida