“Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury (U.S.) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Book Club Favourite of Season 5 Synopsis and Review “Fahrenheit 451”: the temperature at which book-paper catches fire and burns In a time in which books are forbidden, Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are the source of all discord and … Continue reading Fahrenheit 451
“Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress” by Dai Sijie (China) Favourite Quote We were beside ourselves. My head reeled, as if I’d had too much to drink. I took the novels out of the suitcase one by one, opened them, studied the portraits of the authors, and passed them on to Luo. Brushing them with the tips of my fingers made me feel as if … Continue reading Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
Members of the Summer Reading Group enjoyed the selection of books this year, though most did not manage to read all five (on average they read four)! They voted “The Harmony Silk Factory” by Tash Aw the Best Summer Read 2006. The story has three parts with three different narrators and members enjoyed the suspense the author manages to build up in the first two … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2006 – The Harmony Silk Factory
“Distant Palaces” by Abilio Estevez (Cuba) Synopsis and Review “Distant Palaces”: transforming creative energy into life When Victorio learns that his home is about to be demolished he leaves his job, burns his possessions and takes to the streets. Wandering the city, he meets two people who change his life: Salma, a young prostitute, and Don Fuco, an enigmatic old man who performs as a … Continue reading Distant Palaces
“Broken Verses” by Kamila Shamsie (Pakistan) Synopsis and Review “Broken Verses”: needed more editing to mend Fourteen years ago, Aasmaani’s mother, Samina, a political activist admired also for her grazia, walked out of their house and was never seen again. Aasmaani has always refused to believe she is dead and still dreams of her glorious return. Now in her 30s and living in Karachi, Aasmaani … Continue reading Broken Verses
“Pilgrim” by Timothy Findley (Canada) Book Club Favourite of Season 3 Synopsis and Review “Pilgrim”: a journey well worth taking Pilgrim is a man who cannot die. On 17 April 1912, he fails, once again, to commit suicide, his heart miraculously beginning again, hours after he is found hanging from a tree. Admitted to the Burgholzi Psychiatric Clinic in Zurich, Pilgrim begins a battle of … Continue reading Pilgrim
“Welcome to Paradise” by Mahi Binebine (Morocco) Book Club Favourite of Season 2 Synopsis and Review “Welcome to Paradise”: a Difficult but Inescapable Journey “Welcome to Paradise” opens with a group of people waiting on a beach for the signal to start their crossing of the Strait of Gibraltar for the shores of Spain. They are a disparate group but all are seeking the ‘promise … Continue reading Welcome to Paradise
“Oracle Night” by Paul Auster (U.S.) This was the first book we read for Nicola’s Book Club on 3rd March 2005! Synopsis Several months into his recovery from a near-fatal illness, novelist Sidney Orr enters a stationery shop in Brooklyn and buys a blue notebook. It is September 18, 1982, and for the next nine days Orr will live under the spell of this blank … Continue reading Oracle Night
Nicola's Book Club 