What we’re about
Are you interested in learning more about world literature or looking for a book club geared towards 20 & 30somethings?
This North Herts based group aims to bring people together in a friendly and relaxed environment to discuss a range of fiction from a diverse array of international authors.
Sounds interesting! What kinds of books will I be reading?
We’re super keen on the idea of creating a reading list that centres around books with global voices, contemporary perspectives, and (perhaps most importantly) don’t require a massive amount of time to get through. As such we’ll be using the following guidelines to help pick our titles:
• Must have been translated into English from another language
• Should ideally be no longer than 350 pages
So, how will the sessions be structured?
We’ll kick off each session by going around the group, asking everyone to introduce themselves and give their brief impressions of the book. We’ll then split into smaller groups and present a series of open-ended questions exploring the title’s themes, characters, language and style. The discussions will be moderated to allow everyone the chance to speak (or not if they choose, that’s perfectly fine!).
After the group questions we’ll come back together to gather everyone’s final review scores. There will then be a social period where members are free to chat and get to know one another better 😊
Understood! When and where do we meet?
Meetups will be held on a Sunday morning once a month in Hitchin (see individual events for times & locations). Meetups are free to attend but out of courtesy to our hosts please do remember to purchase something to drink or eat from the café or bar where the event is held.
Oh! And if you are planning on attending a session, remember to RSVP!
Upcoming events
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Book Club Meetup: Discretion by Faïza Guène
Hitchin Coffee Lab, 29 Sun Street, Hitchin, GBFor December we’ll be reading Discretion by Faïza Guène; Translated from the French by Sarah Ardizzone
Available at Waterstones: https://www.waterstones.com/book/discretion/faiza-guene/sarah-ardizzone/9780863569760 | 240 pages |
Yamina Taleb is approaching her seventieth birthday. These days, she strives for a quiet life, grateful to the country that hosts her and her adored family. The closest she gets to drama is scooping ‘revolutionary’ bargains in the form of plastic kitchenware gadgets.
But Yamina’s children feel differently about life in Paris. They don’t always fit in, and it hurts. Omar wonders whether it’s too late to change course as he watches the world pass him by from the driver’s seat of his Uber. His sisters are tired of having to prove themselves and their allegiance to a place that is at once home, and not. When the Talebs go away together on holiday – not to the motherland, but to a villa-with-pool rental near the Atlantic coast – they come to realise just how strongly family defines our sense of belonging.
Moving between Algeria and Paris, Discretion touchingly evokes the realities of a first- and second-generation family as they carve out a future for themselves in France, finding one another as they go along.
Faïza Guène is an award-winning French Algerian writer and director. Spotted at a writing workshop at the age of thirteen, she went on to make an astonishing literary debut with Kiffe kiffe demain (Just Like Tomorrow), which was an international bestseller and has been translated into more than twenty-five languages. Her other novels in English (also translated by Sarah Ardizzone to critical acclaim) include Dreams from the Endz, Bar Balto and Men Don’t Cry. Guène has directed several short films and is a co-writer on Disney+ Star’s Bafta-nominated Original mini-series, Oussekine.10 attendees
Past events
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