Ship of Fools Book Club 2025
I naively posted the below in August 2023 (although my thanks stands to Sarasa. Any ideas or for books, facilitators, preferred months for 2025?
I want to add my vote of thanks @Sarasa. I look forward to coordinating the Book Club next year. I wanted to suggest a manner for proceeding. Would it be possible to get 12 volunteers (1 for each month) to agree to facilitate a discussion? The volunteer would get to choose a book (keeping in mind availability). If we could have a complete schedule in place by the end of this year people could plan for acquiring copies for the months in which they want to join in the reading and discussion. Thoughts?
I want to add my vote of thanks @Sarasa. I look forward to coordinating the Book Club next year. I wanted to suggest a manner for proceeding. Would it be possible to get 12 volunteers (1 for each month) to agree to facilitate a discussion? The volunteer would get to choose a book (keeping in mind availability). If we could have a complete schedule in place by the end of this year people could plan for acquiring copies for the months in which they want to join in the reading and discussion. Thoughts?
Comments
I was thinking of possibly The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club for November, as it occurs around Remembrance Day and the troubles experienced by recent WW1 veterans like Lord Peter form a major part of the plot, for one character in particular. But I am open to other suggestions.
Have we done Cranford?
I'm probably not going to volunteer to lead anything, though, as my usual taste in reading is obtuse and obscure history - though maybe if we are a month short I can think of a couple of 20th century history of science that could be interesting?
I personally love obtuse and obscure history, though only if it's written for the general reader, not for the academic specialist.
I've been having a think and here are a few more suggestions from me.
Antonia White's Frost in May
David Nicholls You are Here - this was published earlier this year, and I'm not sure its out in paperback yet.
Samantha Harvey Orbital This recently won the Booker Prize
I'm going to suggest The Mould in Dr Florey's Coat by Eric Lax, looks be available for not too many beer vouchers on both sides of the pond, and everyone knows the accepted story.
Any others have a month in mind?
No, you've learnt I didn't spot a typo in time... that was meant to be "you were short"... *red face*
February-
March-
April-
May-
June-
July-
August-
September-
October-
November-
December-The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett-Mili
February- Frost in May by Antonia White-Sarasa
March-
April-
May-
June-
July-
August-
September-
October-
November-
December-The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett-Mili
February- Frost in May by Antonia White-Sarasa
March-
April-
May-
June-
July-
August-
September-
October-
November- The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy Sayers-Trudy
December-The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett-Mili
Here a couple of suggestions I made based on my experience when about October 2024. I could perhaps study one of these in sometime between March and May 2025 if my health persists. So far I continue to feel well, nearly 12 months over a dramatic breakdown I held in January 2024.
I have found a few short novels that might be suitable for Ship of Fools book readers for next year. Two that might be worth doing so (and worth reading for anyway) are:
- Stewart O'Nan "City of Secrets" (2016), which is set in the Israel revolution of 1948. Narrator is a Jewish survivor from the Nazi regime, who is hardly a strongly religious revolutionary, but a local taxi-driver drawn in by his girlfriend to various users of the revolution. It makes for very timely readers as it's Israel's government doing its best by killing thousands of the region to set off war yet again in the Middle East.
- Guy Kennaway "The Accidental Collector" (2021) , an English satirical novel set on the art world. A kind young man , having partnered a rich young widow, makes his efforts to impress her as an art dealer. The story tells in three parts, of which I found the first only mild but the middle made me laughing so aloud to break my wife wake up.
I read a fascinating novel a few years back set against the background of Israeli settlement of Palestine in the period between WW1 and WW2 ... a great and insightful read, but I would not want to be trying to have or host a discussion about it in the current geopolitical climate. Maybe I'm just too conflict-averse.
I would like to think we could have decent conversations of literature during the current geopolitical climate, Trudy, but you may correct.
January- The Mould in Dr Florey's Coat by Eric Lax-Sandemaniac
February- Frost in May by Antonia White-Sarasa
March-
April-
May-
June- The Wounded Sky by Diane Duane-Lamb Chopped
July-
August-
September-
October-
November- The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy Sayers-Trudy
December-The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett-Mili
I'm not sure if I've read this one or not -- I went through a phase of reading a lot of Trek novels years ago, but it was before I had started tracking what I read. I do remember reading and liking at least one by Diane Duane, so I'll be on board for this!
January- The Mould in Dr Florey's Coat by Eric Lax-Sandemaniac
February- Frost in May by Antonia White-Sarasa
March-Orbital by Samantha Harvey-Nenya
April-
May-
June- The Wounded Sky by Diane Duane-Lamb Chopped
July-
August-
September-
October-
November- The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club by Dorothy Sayers-Trudy
December-The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett-Mili