The theme of this year’s Summer Reading Group was Crime, Murder Mysteries, and Thrillers. Readers had very differing opinions on all four shortlisted books which made for a highly interesting discussion. Not surprisingly, the Best Summer Read was chosen by a narrow margin. “Gaslight” by Femi Kayode (Nigeria) was voted Best Summer Read 2025. A crime novel set in Lagos, the protagonist Philip Taiwo, an … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2025 – Gaslight
Readers found all four shortlisted books in this year’s Summer Reading Group enjoyable and easy to read. One reader even said that she had a difficult time choosing one as a favourite because they all made an impression on her. With their 2-word titles, some readers also noticed other dualities: in two of the books, the protagonists are 2 sisters; and in the other two … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2024 – Crooked Plow
This year’s four shortlisted Summer Reads were all high-calibre page turners, with an enthralling mix of literary thrillers, mysteries and political intrigues. After an intense discussion on each of them, “My Father’s House” was voted Best Summer Read by a majority of readers. “My Father’s House” by Joseph O’Connor (Ireland) was chosen as Best Summer Read 2023. Set in Rome in the 1940s, it is … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2023 – My Father’s House
The four shortlisted Summer Reads this year all had highly original writing styles and structures, making each one of them a treat to read despite some serious themes, such as racism, trauma, and death. After an in-depth discussion on each of them, “The Promise” was voted Best Summer Read by a majority of readers. “The Promise” by Damon Galgut (South Africa) was chosen as Best … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2022 – The Promise
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
Nicola's Book Club 