March Meetup

Our February meetup saw lots of great talk about two fascinating books; Annie Bot scored 59 while The Little Prince scored 54.

For March we have a dystopian novel and a non-fiction look at China from the perspective of its cuisine.

Please note, with thanks, we appreciate attendees making a contribution of £1.50 at the meeting to help cover meetup charges.

Happy Reading.

I Who Have Never Known Me by Jacqueline Harpman (nominated by Jenn)

Deep underground, thirty-nine women are kept in isolation in a cage. Above ground, a world awaits. Has it been abandoned? Devastated by a virus?

Watched over by guards, the women have no memory of how they got there, no notion of time, and only vague recollection of their lives before. But, as the burn of electric light merges day into night and numberless years pass, a young girl - the fortieth prisoner - sits alone an outcast in the corner.

Soon she will show herself to be the key to the others' escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them above ground. The woman who will never know men.

Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper by Fuchsia Dunlop (nominated by Reece)

Follow Fuchsia on her fascinating journey of discovery as she explores China and its culture through first-hand experiences of the country’s extraordinary culinary customs.

The award-winning cook and food writer vows to eat everything offered to her on arriving in China (however unusual!), covering an eclectic range of weird and wonderful dishes, from dog meat, civet cats, scorpions and rabbit heads, to the ovarian fat of the snow frog!

In this unforgettable food and travel memoir spanning the vibrant markets of Sichuan to the desert oases of Xinjiang, Fuchsia seeks to discover if it’s really possible for a Westerner to become a true convert to the Chinese cuisine …

Other books nominated were:

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
The Disaster Artist by Greg Sestero
Audition by Katie Kitamura
Year of the Rat: by Harry Shukman
Rough Beast: My Story and the Reality of Sinn Féin by Máiría Cahill