Lionel Shriver gets the heave-ho

I may not have been physically present on Thursday but you can be assured I was there in spirit- wondering whether anyone would come, wishing I could be there too and extremely curious to see what you all made of A Perfectly Good Family. And, thankfully, my mind was put to rest very soon afterward; my spies inform me  that it was a fantastic meeting, with a fantastic turn out and brilliantly lead by the lovely Catriona. The only downside seems to have been the book itself- it sounds like it wasn’t a favourite, criticized in chief for being boring and repetitive. This makes it even more annoying that I missed the group; I feel like I’ve missed out on a great argument, as I was all set to defend it!  But luckily I have a WHOLE BLOG to argue my case- I think Shriver writes excellently, deceptively sparse yet razor sharp and incisive, about the awkward things that go on in out heads and within relationships which we might prefer to ignore. Her characters are incredibly well drawn too- I felt like I knew them all intimately (maybe too intimately in some cases!)- and that she’s not scared to make them unsympathetic to her readers. On the downside, I think sometimes she takes it too far- for me and there’s a cruel streak which runs through the writing which I find heavy going at times. I began to crave some generosity of spirit, a bit of acceptance of frailty and weakness. And, more prosaically, I also think the book DOES get pretty boring toward the end….

Onward to the next one then- to Joe Speedboat by Tommy Wierenga. This is the polar opposite and that “feel-good factor” you’re yearning for I think you could be in for a treat. This one’s a one to make you smile and feel full of the (fast-approaching) Christmas spirit of joy.  So get reading- you’ve only got three weeks to go until the next one! xx

My new best friend...

Books are great. I always suspected it but now it’s really being tested. My extended stay with the NHS continues, with every day very much like the last and not really able to do, well, anything except sitting down activities and there’s only so much Loose Women a girl can take. So I am racing through stories like there’s no tomorrow and have found some gems- Lorrie Moore, Zoe Heller, Samantha Harvey and the fabulous Lynn Barber memoir My Education, which the New Writing North girls got signed for me when she appeared with Nick Hornby at the Durham Book Festival (I never thought i’d be wished “Get Well” by Nick and Lynn…). Some really great reads and lots of ideas for future book groups! I’ve even managed to track down a fellow book lover and we are already operating an informal book swapping scheme. So it’s only books and the squirrel who lives in the tree outside my window are keeping me sane.

I am missing real life though, and can’t believe I’ve managed to miss both Lionel Shriver and Durham Book Festival. The report I’ve heard are all very positive though- I’d love to hear what you thought if you made it along (comment below!!). I’m also keen to hear what you’re making of A Perfectly Good Family- it seems like a while since I read it now but please let me know!

A reminder, as well, that the book group date for November has changed- the meeting is next week, Thursday 12th at 6pm in Cafe Roco. Lovely Liv will be hosting so treat her well! xxx

Me on sick-bed (slight exaggeration...)

You cant get rid of me that easily- even the combined mite of the NHS can’t keep me from my lovely book group! Internet connection has been established (courtesy of my new best friend- the “dongle”) and I feel at one with the wider world again. You have made me feel very special too, with loads of lovely messages of support, so a huge THANK YOU and I promise to be back before you know it.

Just a quick one really, to draw your attention to an very timely article in Saturday’s Guardian by Lionel Shriver herself, in which she describes the family explosion which she (accidently) ignited when A Perfectly Good Family was published. It’s an interesting conundrum and something I wondered about when reading the book; Shriver certainly isn’t sparing to her characters and it crossed my mind that her portrayals can have the whiff of  character assassination about them. It crossed my mind that this woman may be trying to get something off her chest. It turns out that, though the book is mainly fiction, the book was based partly childhood experiences (she’s the middle child of 3, has two brothers etc), yet (rather naively?) Shriver was still surprised  when her family reacted with horror when they read the book. It raises fascinating questions about the artists responsibilities to others. Is it fair when a version of yourself, no matter how remote, is released to the world and you have no comeback? Surely you have a right to be upset? And is it just an easy get-out to claim that the parts which offend are “just fiction”? I like the article because here she applies her beady eye as much to herself as she does to anyone else. Anyway, read it yourselves- it’ll get the brain working for both the event and the book group meeting.

So remember, Saturday 24th 10.30am at The Sage (Hall 2) for Lionel and Thursday 12th November 6pm for the next meeting.  AND Durham Book Festival from the 24th too. You healthy people make me sick- don’t have too much fun without me…

Life. What a funny business it is and, if it really is like a box of chocolates, unfortunately I just got the coffee cream that no one likes. After feeling pretty rubbish for quite a while it turns out that I am officially not very well and am going to have to have a bit of time off for rest, re-cooperation and a general putting myself right. So I’m handing myself over to the blessed NHS and handing the book group over to the lovely Liv at New Writing North who’ll be taking the next couple of sessions.  It means (dammit) I’ll miss Lionel Shriver, the Durham Book Festival (tickets still available!) and the next two books but never fear, I’ll be with you in spirit, reading along whilst reclining and blogging as usual. And missing book group like mad.

So, just to re-iterate: next meetings are November 12th and December 3rd, 6pm at Cafe Roco when we’ll be reading Lionel Shriver’s A Perfectly Good Family and Tommy Wierenga’s Joe Speedboat. Lionel Shriver is also appearing at The Sage, Gateshead at 10am on the 24th October to talk to the New Writing North book group collective, so get yourself along if you can- it should be BRILLIANT. For those of you who haven’t begun the Lionel Shriver yet, it’s a mesmerising read- she’s a lady who really doesn’t shy away from showing the worst side of people- and while it’s not quite We Need to Talk About Kevin, it raises similar thought-provoking questions about families, nature/nurture and the things we inherit. So get reading, get your opinions ready and take them to Lionel herself. And please all be on your best behavior for Liv- her last experience of Sunderland involved getting covered in chewing gum, so I guess it can only get better from there…..

See you soon. xx

Lionel Shriver at her most writerly

One of the reasons I love book group is you really can never predict what’s going to happen next. And this month was certainly one of ups and downs- four new members and another fulsome welcome from the lovely folk of Cafe Roco (yey!) but quite a few regulars missing (boo!) and some serious admin issues (the book seems to have been fiendishly hard to come by), although I do suspect that these last two issues may well be linked….

BUT… not only did a few people come along DESPITE having not got hold of the book (that’s real commitment!), but Talk of the Town went down remarkably well with those who had done the reading, with much praise for Polley’s risky combination of dialect and poetry, the accurate portrayal of small town life and the perceptive depiction of serious social issues in an non-preaching way. There were a few objections- the general grimness, the sometimes unclear plot- but we also talked a lot about the lighter moments, particularly the subtle evocation of the tiny, unspoken details of family life and the interior life of a teenage boy. I don’t mind telling you that I’m pretty surprised- as I’d thought I may have a bit of a fight on my hands with this one- but it turned out that it was me that had the most caveats! (Although I have had a few apology emails to the effect that people objected to the book SO much they just didn’t come- cowards!)

So, let’s see what you make of the next one-  Lionel Shriver’s A Perfectly Good Family- for which (fingers crossed) the book should be much more widely available. I’m also start to get super-excited that we’ll have the opportunity to speak to Lionel herself when she visits the region as part of the Radio 3 Free Thinking Festival, which is on the 24th October at 10.30am at The Sage, Gateshead. It should be great for those of you who can make it- an opportunity not just to hear from an amazing writer but also to meet members from the other New Writing North book groups! So I may be asking for a bit of speed reading this month, but I assure you’ it’ll all be worth it. Have fun… x

Enid Blyton- my secret literary love

My case is packed, the cat has been delivered to my mum-in-law (to be) and I’ve got my sunnies, ipod and a lovely pile of books- I’m off to Cornwall! Yes, my belated summer hols are finally here! We’ve opted for the rather trendy (it turns out) “staycation”, ready to brave  English hospitality and seaside drizzle in return for a delicious feeling of eco-smugness. I’ve never been so far down south before and am hugely excited, rather weirdly because of my first books crush, the blessed Enid Blyton. (Yes, I was the only girl in Sunderland to be gutted when my mum didn’t send me to boarding school..) And, for whatever reason, in my fantasy Blyton land, all the action took place in Cornwall- partly because I’d never been there but also from the inherited notion that posh people come from a distant southerly land- so, for me, the south coast is a world of lacrosse, smugglers and high tea.  We’ll have to see how long this will hold for (I expect to be having my usual hankering for concrete and the internet by about Sunday) but until then hope to have having have a wizard week (with lashings and lashings of ginger beer- of course)!

Oh and don’t forget to read the October book- the meeting is closer than you think…. xx

Exciting news has come my way. The collected members of New Writing North book groups have been invited- by non other than Radio 3!- to take part in their Free Thinking Festival taking place at The Sage this October! We’ve been invited along to talk to the amazing author Lionel Shriver (We Need to Talk about Kevin is her biggie) about her new book A Perfectly Good Family. The idea is that we go to the Sage on the Saturday 24 October and she talks, reads and answers our questions about the book- kind of like a communal and slightly more up-market version of our usual sessions. We would then have a normal book group as planned in November to talk about A Perfectly Good Family as usual in Sunderland.

No book-lover could turn down such an opportunity and so I’ve got us in on the party. This will mean some slight alterations to the programme – we’ve made the Lionel Shriver book the November book (which means we’ll read all of the listed books a month later than planned) and if you’re coming to the Sage event that’ll involve some traveling and reading the book a bit earlier than you might have done otherwise (or you can just treat the event like a “taster” before you dive in). I also know that some people won’t be able to make it to Newcastle but DON’T WORRY if you can’t; i’ll provide a full run down of whatever Ms Shriver says and you’ll still be able to participate fully in the November meeting!

And, quite frankly, it was always only a matter of time before BBC came to their senses and realised that they are lacking the wit and razor-sharp insight into arts and culture that our venerable book group has to offer. Who needs Jonathon Ross? We’ll justify their license fee…

Oh and the October book remains Jacob Polley’s Talk of the Town!

Happy Birthday to Us!

There are a lot of people in the world who seem to be pretty pessimistic about the state of the world- turn on the radio, open a newspaper and you’ll be hit with any number of articles about “Broken Britain”, economic crisis and climactic meltdown. And don’t even get me started about the things you can find on the internet. It’s not a pretty world.

But then I wonder… because, in a rather uninspiring corner of Sunderland (some would say), a group of people can come together- different ages, genders, backgrounds- to talk about books and somehow become really great mates in the process. And while I wouldn’t suggest we’re saving the world, a year of book group has made me feel a bit more optimistic about people and books and community spirit. It’s like a tiny revolution.

So (before I make you all sick), thanks for a fabulous year and a great night on Thursday. Birthday cake, delightful new venue and books- what more can a girl ask for? And The Boy with the Topknot provided a heap of subjects to start the new season- the knotty topics of mental illness, race, integration and language itself- and I think we pretty much all agreed that it was a funny and thought-provoking read which made us look at the world in a slightly different way (even if some of us wanted to give Sanghera a good shake by the end and tell him to grow up!). I was struck by the comment that Sangera’s ironic journalistic style works as a “way in” to such difficult issues but then it starts to prevent the reader from becoming really emotionally invested in his life; that seems to pretty much hit the nail on the head.

A bit closer to home for next month, to Carlisle and acclaimed poet Jacob Polley’s first novel. I think it’s going to be a bit of a love it or loathe it one, so get hold of it quick and see how it goes. Hope you all have an adventurous, mind-expanding month and I look forward to seeing you all soon. x

Every now and again I develop an full-on literary crush, where I happen upon an book and love it so much that I get an all consuming need to read everything by that author I can possibly get my hands on. It’s been a while but this week I fell head over heels in love with Muriel Spark. As with all great love affairs, there’s a story to it…

After a slightly depressing weekend, on the spur of the moment I decided to visit Edinburgh for a day and lose myself in the delights of the festival; strangely I’ve been reading about it for weeks but it took until Monday to realise that its only up the road and therefore well within reachable distance. I spent a lovely, largely silent day wandering around in the rain, mainly spending my time in art exhibitions as I wasn’t really in the mood for either crowds or the enforced hilarity of stand-up comics. My word addiction kicked in toward the end of the day though, and I decided to go into the first theatre I saw and just see something . That happened to be an adaptation of Spark’s The Girls of Slender Means and though the play was pretty ropey, it was enough to give me a hint that the story behind it might be worth checking out. It was; I couldn’t go to sleep that night until I’d finished it and have had a completely one track mind since. Spare, sharp prose that can say so much in so few words- amazing. My new love.

Luckily I’d finished my re-reading of The Boy with the TopKnot on the train on the way there and have laughed and cried at it all over again. It’s such a deceptively breezy, easy read yet it manages to deal with the incredibly complexity of mental illness, families, responsibility and culture in such a searingly honest way. Or at least I think it does- it does make me wonder how real it all is and I wonder whether anyone else finds the schism between subject and tone a problem rather than a strength. Can Sanghera can always have been that chipper about it all? It’ll be interesting to have a chat about that and the millions of other issues the book raises at the next meeting!

Don’t forget: THURSDAY September 3rd at 6pm at our new home, Cafe Roco, for BIRTHDAY BOOK GROUP. There will be cake, a birthday book quiz and rich tea biscuits (as requested) for Raymond. And red-hot intellectual discussion, of course.

Group Hug!

The day after the night before and I’m still filled with feelings of book-club related happiness. I was a bit unsure about how the freestyle summer session would work out- would anyone turn up? Would anyone say anything? Once again though you more than lived up to the challenge and we had not only a great turnout but perhaps my favourite meeting so far. It was fascinating to hear everyone talk about their favourites- and, boy, did we have a diverse selection- and I think we all got to know each other a little bit better… hearing about a favourite book is a bit like reading a page of someone’s diary (but not as mean!). It made me determined to introduce a bit more unregimented chatting time into the sessions- we need to keep this conversation flowing. So- genuinely- thanks all for such an amazing meeting!

Back to programme next month though and I hope by now that you should all have received emails from Liv telling you all the forthcoming books (also to the right). We’re going to have a go at a memoir in September- The Boy with the Topnot by Sathnam Sanghera- one of the funniest and most moving books I’ve read in a long time and easily a favourite of last year. I’m nailing my colours firmly to the mast with this one: I love it and will be really interested to see whether you agree…

It’s not only new books, new genres either. We have a fantastic new venue as of next month and a new day. So it’s Café Roco (very swish, great cakes and opposite the winter gardens) on the first THURSDAY of every month as of September. This is-hopefully- the end to the ongoing game of musical venues we seem to have been playing since last year. And (as if that wasn’t enough!) it is officially our FIRST BIRTHDAY, so expect cakes, games and prizes. Phew- I’m looking forward to it already. xx