Book club reads

by Deborah Rogers -  Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver's Pulitzer and Women's Prize for Fiction winning novel, was that most rare of reads: a unanimous hit for our group. Perhaps it shouldn't have come as a surprise considering its critical acclaim, but it's not always a guarantee. The structure of the novel, its key dramatic moments, [...]

by Deborah Rogers -  Des Kennedy's gentle tale of communal living on a small Gulf Island was just what our group needed for some light summer reading. Commune tells the story of a young and idealistic couple who decide to give up their lives and academic pursuits in Vancouver and join the back-to-the-land movement in

by Deborah Rogers -  We kicked off a new year of Book Club discussing Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. It is the ninth novel from this well-loved American author, but the first that we have discussed, and for some of our group the first book of hers they had read. The story is Lara's; a

by Deborah Rogers -  Monica Ali gave us lots to talk about with her novel Love Marriage. Set in contemporary, multi-cultural Britian, the story introduces us to Yasmin, a junior doctor, newly engaged and struggling to reconcile the worlds of her family and her fiancée. This compelling novel examines aspects of modern identity such as

by Deborah Rogers -  Cho Nam-Joo's slim 2016 novel, Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, sold over a million copies upon release in South Korea before being translated and published globally. It created a wave of discussion in that country and beyond about women's rights, and coincided with the #metoo movement that was gaining momentum elsewhere. We

by Deborah Rogers -  We started our reading year off strong with a beautifully written tale about family secrets and personal identity. In The Vanishing Half, Brit Bennett takes us into the lives of twins, Stella and Desiree. They grow up in the American South, in a town that's been built for fair-skinned black people.

by Deborah Rogers -  Sometimes when you reach for a book what you're reaching for is comfort and entertainment, something that will sweep you away and let you forget about the world outside. Many of our book club readers found this month's selection was just that. In Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting, Clare Pooley provided

by Deborah Rogers -  Imagine spending months alone, with only musk ox, elk and wolves for company. Imagine paddling, poling and towing a canoe upriver and through ice floes! Imagine covering nearly 4,000km of Canadian wilderness all under your own power. After reading this month's selection, Adam Shoalts' Beyond the Trees – A Journey Alone