November Super-Meeting, February Book
We had an early start at Moy's and a long discussion of Jonathan Franzen's Freedom over a beautiful lunch. Moy finally got to make the quail with rose petals we heard about in Like Water for Chocolate all those years ago. Then she stuffed a duck, just for a follow up. Discussion was spirited, as is usual when the group splits. There were those like Ros who loved the irony, others who didn't like a book full of unlikeable characters. Jane took notes because we are at her place in January, when we are reading the Booker Winner, Harold Jacobson's book, The Finkler Question.

For February, 2011, we chose Room by Emma Donoghue (see above). There is a write up on a site called 'good reads', so hope it is.

If you want to compare prices, have a look at the Booko blog,.
Recently, though, I realised that the Coop bookstore will mail to you very quickly and give great discounts if you are a member, which you probably are from your university days - its a lifelong membership. Then you don't have to feel bad about buying overseas either. I got $10 off an already good price on the Stephen Fry autobiography, delivered to a friend in hospital in Brisbane.



Cheers
Patricia

August meeting, October book
We decided on the October Book:: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell. It's set in Japan. Yes, We've read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell before, but not many people read it, those who did loved it, and we decided he could have another turn. Rules are made to be bent. October meet will be at Jane's new house. We are reading Trespass by Rose Tremain for the September book group and that's at Sue E's place.
We had an excellent, fiesty discussion re Truth, with just about everyone in attendance. Sue E sadly didn't get back in time, but it was pretty much a full house otherwise. All in good voice with as Ros commented 'much overtalking'. It was pretty hard reading, tough subject matter, coarse language, demanding in terms of plot and exposition.There were those who didn't like the genre at all, those who embraced the genre and the book and those who found it an interesting excursion into a different world and certainly a different language from our usual book group reading. It is the first entry in our new book group diary - we've filled the old book and I'm holding it safely for posterity.

June meeting - August book

Hi there, June meeting at Stella's was spirited - Moy, Sue W, Ros, Sue E, Jane and of course Stella in attendance. Missing Clare, Margaret and Pat.
We were divided about Diamond Star Halo, as Jane and I enjoyed it, thought it was fun, but most others thought it lightweight, and I think the word 'rubbish' was used.
After Craig Silvey's Jasper Jones at Pat's Potts Point address, we will do Peter Temple's latest book, Truth, which has just won the Miles Franklin Award, remarkably for a crime novel. I'm the venue for August and Sue E has her name down for September. Jane's new place in October and Moy's place in November, so that's the whole year sorted!

Plenty of reviews of Truth online, and an ABC book show podcast at the following site:



I've just realised that Truth follows on with characters from The Broken Shore.
Good as I picked up a copy of that yesterday.
Regards and enjoy
Patricia

Hi
We met at Jane's - last time at her beautiful home, because next time it will be in her new place in Woolstonecraft - beautiful too, I'm sure.

We had little to say about the book. No one had liked it sufficiently to engage.
We did have plenty to say on related topics though!

Next book - June - we have at Stella's place. Jane was already reading the book, Diamond Star Halo, and loving it.

We decided on a new book, Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey for July which we think is at Pat's place in Macleay Street - will need confirmation and details, please Pat.

That's the news for now.

June book -

Book is Diamond Star Halo, by Tiffany Murray, Portabello, $29.99.

It was the Pick of the Week in SMH Spectrum today, if you want to read a summary. Sounds like fun. We rejected lots of other options to settle on this! It sounds like it will take us in another direction - See the Guardian review of it here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/jan/09/diamond-star-halo-murray-review


The May meeting is a Jane's and the June meeting at Stella's.

We had a lively meeting - we got stuck into today's book, On-Nibus straight off, and found plenty to say about it. It was judged a good choice for book group, but we've done our ration of non-fiction for now. Sue made her authentic Anzac Biscuits! (as well as a carrot cake).

May meeting - the book will be Orhan Pamuk's The Museum of Innocence. Meeting is a Jane's house.

References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orhan_Pamuk
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/29/orhan-pamuks-new-book-ith_n_337726.html

April Book: THE ON-NIBUS by David Malouf and others.

Read more about it at:

http://www.panmacmillan.com.au/display_title.asp?ISBN=9780522857207&Author=Various

This will be at Sue E's place.

MARCH BOOK: LET THE GREAT WORLD SPIN, by Colum McCann. This comes heavily recommended:

2009 National Book Award Winner
Amazon.com's "Book of the Year"
Oprah.com's "Books You Can't Put Down" Summer Reading Selection

And more importantly, Margaret L is reading it and says we'll love it.

This is at Ros's house.

BRIEF UPDATE: At our February 2010 meeting, there was a request to update the blog.
Six people can write in the blog - Sue E, Sue W, Margaret L, Pat R, Ros M and me, according to the settings. If anyone else wants to, I will add their names.

Anyone can read the blog - anyone who knows the address that is, I have set it so it won't be found with a google search, to minimise spam.

Thanks for contributions - books for last half of 2009 in short were:
August: White Tiger (Aravind Adiga)

Sept: Man Gone Down (Michael Thomas)

October: How to Paint a Dead Man (Sarah Hall)

November: Love and Summer (William Trevor)
January: The Road by Cormac McCarthy at Sue W's