The theme of our Summer Reading Group 2010 was humour in all its many forms: comedy, wit, satire, irony, farce. The interesting thing about humour is that it is very personal, and there were indeed members of the group who found some stories funny that others did not, and vice versa. “I Do Not Come to You by Chance” by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani was voted … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2010 – I Do Not Come to You by Chance
Members of the Summer Reading Group 2009 reacted both positively and negatively to the selection of books this year, loving some of them and disliking others. They did notice some commonalities between the stories: writers or would-be writers, books and literature, and funnily enough… alcohol! They voted “Broken Glass” by Alain Mabanckou the Best Summer Read 2009. This is the second novel to appear in … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2009 – Broken Glass
Members of the Summer Reading Group really enjoyed the selection of books this year, pointing out the exceptional quality of the writing styles and also noting the common themes of war/dictatorship and the immigrants’ life in each one. When time came to voting for the Best Summer Read 2008, an unusual event occurred: 3 of the books tied for first place, confirming the overall high … Continue reading Best Summer Reads 2008
Members of the Summer Reading Group enjoyed the selection of books this year, though they found the themes of each one quite melancholic! They voted “The Dream Life of Sukhanov” by Olga Grushin the Best Summer Read 2007. This is a first novel by a young Russian author, which was shortlisted for the Orange Award for New Writers in 2006. Readers found heart-breaking this complex … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2007 – The Dream Life of Sukhanov
“The Hummingbird’s Daughter” by Luis Alberto Urrea (Mexico) One of Nicola’s 100 Best Books for Inspiration in the 21st century! Review This book was one of the four selected titles for our Summer Reading Group 2006 Nicola was the only one to have read “The Hummingbird’s Daughter” by Luis Alberto Urrea (Mexico)! She has chosen it as her Coup de Cœur Summer 2006, since she feels that … Continue reading The Hummingbird’s Daughter
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
“Desertion” by Abdulrazak Gurnah (Tanzania) Abdulrazak Gurnah’s seventh novel “Desertion” transports the reader to East Africa with an exciting and captivating story that portrays a continent in upheaval through the lives of its characters. The first part is set in a small coastal town near Mombasa in 1899. Early one morning, Hassanali, a local shopkeeper, sets out for the mosque, but he never gets there, … Continue reading Best Summer Read 2005 – Desertion
Nicola's Book Club 