“Before the Coffee gets Cold” by Toshikazu Kawaguchi (Japan) Review There were mixed feelings about this book, with most readers not really getting into the story at all and some enjoying it a lot. They found the first part a bit unconvincing, with a lot of repetitive passages which they felt slowed down the pace. But they agreed that the remaining three parts flowed better. … Continue reading Before the Coffee gets Cold
“Stay With Me” by Ayobami Adebayo (Nigeria) Review Readers agreed that this was an easy book to get into, with lots of twists and turns which kept them turning the pages. They loved the descriptions and felt that the author used subtle details to bring the scenes alive. They liked the two points of view and alternating chapters between the protagonists’ voices, though one reader … Continue reading Stay With Me
“Summer Light, and Then Comes the Night” by Jon Kalman Stefánsson (Iceland) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Book Club Favourite of Season 22 Review Readers loved this book, describing it as light, uplifting, gentle and philosophical. They loved the small world of the village with its little details, its simmering sexual undertones, the delicate balance between life and … Continue reading Summer Light, and Then Comes the Night
The four shortlisted Summer Reads this year all had plain writing styles making them easy to read despite some heavy themes. After some interesting discussion, the votes for Best Summer Read were spread equally over all 4 books, with one reader’s last vote tipping the balance in favour of “Afterlife.” “Afterlife” by Julia Alvarez (Dominican Republic) was chosen as Best Summer Read 2021. Set in … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2021 – Afterlife
The four shortlisted Summer Reads this year were all novels by black authors. When readers reserved their spot, they had the possibility to make a donation in memory of George Floyd and all the other Black Lives lost because of the systemic racism in our societies. We are delighted to say that we raised €125 and would like to thank all our readers for their … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2020 – Girl, Woman, Other
“The Old Drift” by Namwali Serpell (Zambia) Review This book was initially chosen for our Summer Reading Group 2019, but because of its length, most readers didn’t manage to finish it on time. As a result, we organised a one-off book club meeting to discuss it. To start with, readers were concerned by the scope of this book, fearing that they would be overwhelmed by … Continue reading The Old Drift
The four shortlisted books for this year’s Summer Reading Group were all first novels by authors under the age of 40. There was a lot of originality in the styles of writing and they had some common themes: from political cleavages to mental health issues. When it came time to vote for Best Summer Read, we had to base the choice on only 3 of … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2019 – Sadness is a White Bird
“A Way of Being Free” by Ben Okri One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Synopsis From Booker Prize-winner Ben Okri: twelve of his most controversial non-fiction pieces form this collection on the theme of freedom. Ranging from the personal to the analytical, covering subjects such as art, politics, storytelling and creativity, A Way of Being Free confirms Okri’s place … Continue reading A Way of Being Free
Nicola's Book Club 