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
“Irma Voth” by Miriam Toews (Canada) Review This book was one of the four selected titles for our Summer Reading Group 2012 Nicola chose the novel “Irma Voth” by Miriam Toews (Canada) as her Coup de Cœur Summer 2012. Set in Mexico in a Mennonite community, the story is narrated by 19-year-old Irma who not only gets married, but also takes a job with a … Continue reading Irma Voth
“Living in the Maniototo” by Janet Frame (New Zealand) Book Club Favourite of Season 15 Review Readers found this book most interesting both from the point of view of the story as well as the style of writing. They thought that there was an incredible use of language, which required their full attention, and they liked the clever interspersing of poems. Some readers didn’t like … Continue reading Living in the Maniototo
“Samarkand” by Amin Maalouf (Lebanon) Favourite Quote Travellers are in too great a rush these days, in a rush to arrive – whatever it takes. But you do not arrive only at your destination. At every stage of the journey you arrive somewhere and with every step you can discover a hidden facet of our planet. All you have to do is look, wish, believe … Continue reading Samarkand
“The White Tiger” by Aravind Adiga (India) Book Club Favourite of Season 10 Review From the opening pages of the book, readers were drawn into the tale Balram is telling to the Chinese Premier by the humour and irony he uses. It had them laughing from the start. Although not all the readers warmed to Balram, most found him a compelling character. They felt the … Continue reading The White Tiger
“The Bad Girl” by Mario Vargas Llosa (Peru) Book Club Favourite of Season 8 Review Readers enjoyed the book, describing it as an easy read and one they couldn’t put down. They liked the sense of place and the detailed descriptions of the different cities the characters live in or visit. They enjoyed the background information on the political situation in Peru as it evolves … Continue reading The Bad Girl
“Eva Luna” by Isabel Allende (Chile) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Review Most readers really enjoyed the book. They loved the rich descriptions of the different places and people. They liked Allende’s style of writing, which they described as confident and captivating. Most of the discussion centred on the part of the story set in South America and … Continue reading Eva Luna
“Matigari” by Ngugi wa Thiong’o (Kenya) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Synopsis Who is Matigari? Is he young or old? Dead or living… or even Jesus Christ? These are the questions asked by the people when a man who has survived a war for independence emerges from the mountains. Matigari is in search of his family, the rebuilding of … Continue reading Matigari
Nicola's Book Club 