#93 - Dissolution - CJ Sansom (Choice: Doris) (Venue: ?)

Date: March 2015
Present: Sabine, Gill F, Doris and Jen?

So many details lost in the mists of time but this was when an unofficial book group favorite became an official choice so success was assured. Comments gathered subsequently:

"Great" - me
"Loved it and read all the others" - Sabine
"Brilliant" - Gill
"Yay!" - Jen

#92 - Not that kind of Girl - Lena Dunham (Choice: Shubha) (Venue: Mishkin's Covent Garden)

Date: February 25, 2015
Present: Jane, Sabine, Jen, Gill F, Gill C, Shubha and Doris

I missed what seems destined to win "Best attended" award of the year and, sadly, the ensuing discussion. Comments gathered subsequently:

"Argh!" - Nic
"Ugh" - Sabine
"No, thank you" - Gill C
"Yuck" Jen

I'd be interested to hear about the food.

#91 - Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts (Choice: Nic) (Venue: Salt 'n' Pepper, Leicester Square)

Date: January 20, 2015
Present: Shubha, Jen, Gill C, Gill F (first outing!), Nic

The second meeting for the book that keeps on giving ... and giving.

It was long but enjoyable with, I thought, a hint of the "Count of Monte Cristo" in the episodic nature and Lin's uncanny ability to demonstrate a new skill whenever occasion called. Other comments:
"Enjoyed it" - Sabine
"Nah! Really? Shaggy dog story" - Gill C
"Enjoyable if far-fetched and too long" - Jen

The food was pretty good and they gave us all free bangles.

Christmas 2014

So the much anticipated results of the 2014 boOkSCARS are finally here. It has taken 2 months for me to collate, count, recount, double check, triple check and post these results (and it didn't help that I lost the sheet with the results written down on for a month!), but here they are:

Booker of the Year (Best Book) - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Blooper of the Year (Worst Book) - Memories of my Melancholy Whores

Best Discussion - Gate of Angels

Most Disappointing Book of Promise - Westwood & Memories of my Melancholy Whores

Biggest Improver - Shantaram

Most Apt Venue of the Year - Lowndes Bar & Kitchen at the Jumeirah Lowndes (Westwood)

Best Venue of the Year (Food) - Shantaram (Roti Chai)

Best Moment (Yay!) - Northern Lights (Polar bears in armour and witch romances!)

Best Moment (Eek!) - The Ocean at the End of the Lane (A witch burrowing into foot!)

Best Nice Character (Male) - Iorek Byrnison (Northern Lights)

Best Nice Character (Female) - The Hempstock Women (The Ocean at the End of the Lane)

Best Bad Character (Male) - Gerard Challis (Westwood)

Best Bad Character (Female) - Mrs. Coulter (Northern Lights)

Worst Food - B Bar (The Ocean at the End of the Lane)

Dishonourable Mention (Blooper of Bloopers) - Spring Snow (Still)

Honourable Mention (Booker of Bookers) - To be decided

#90 - Northern Lights: His Dark Materials - Philip Pulman (No meeting)

Date: November, 13, 1024

Apologies: All

In what became the tradition for this year, we failed to meet.  So, we finally discussed this book during the annual Booker Voting (the results will be with you soon, courtesy of Mark) at our Christmas meeting and it was good to have this in reserve as we couldn't really discuss Shantaram because we hadn't finished it or, in some cases, remembered to start it.  (But we never name and shame here, do we Jen?!).  Or, in some cases, bothered to try it. (Ahem, I hate to criticise someone who travels 5,500 miles to come to an LGAG meeting!)

In consensus, Northern Lights was a bit of a romp, a classic "goodies versus baddies" but with some subtlety that many adult books can miss - Lord Asriel's good / bad status, for example, being a bit of an enigma for a long time.  We felt the characters were vibrant and well-drawn - which will be backed up by the voting results - and sometimes cartoon like.  We likened Mrs Coulter to Cruella de Vil, for example.

Generally, well enjoyed.  We'll let Clem come back next year!

#89 - The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman (Choice: Mark) (Venue: Bbar, Victoria)

October 9, 2014 

Present: Nic, Carl, Mark, Sabine, Gill 

Despite the torrential rain through which we'd each run, lost and alone, in the desolate carnage that is Victoria mid-revamp, great burgers, crispy sweet potato fries and decent red wine meant a most enjoyable evening was had by all.

We raised a glass to Carl's return and to the poor South African miner in whose memory we gathered at this "South African" restaurant that didn't seem to have any South African specialities except Biltong and animal-hide chairs. 

Some of us felt trapped in one of those old time-travel-type paradoxes when, at the end of the novel, we discovered our protagonist had been back to the same place many times and never remembered his trips.  Why then, we wondered, was he able to remember and write down this one?  The question went unanswered but, nonetheless, we enjoyed the adult fairy-tale nature of the book, rocked through it at pace and almost unanimously agreed that The Omen is a truly great book.  Well, we've never felt constrained to discuss just one book. 

#88 - Westwood - Stella Gibbons (Choice: Jen) (Venue: Lowndes Bar & Kitchen at the Jumeirah Lowndes)

September 4, 2014 

Present: Jen, Sabine, Gill, Doris, Shubha, Nic, Clem, Mark

I hadn't finished this novel when we had dinner, indeed, had barely started, so I didn't realise at the time how incredibly apt it was that we were eating in an hotel "miles away at the back of nowhere near Hyde Park". Look's like Jen's abandoned attempts to win Book of the Year and, instead, set her hat at Most Apt Venue of the Year!  

Likely to be our best turn out of the year, we each enjoyed the walk through glamorous Knightsbridge more than we enjoyed the book but that hardly dampened our spirits.  We didn't love either the book or the restaurant but we didn't hate them either - they just weren't exciting.  Those who'd reached the end of the novel found the sudden introduction of religion jarring although, by the time I read that far, perhaps forewarned, I didn't have the same experience.  Otherwise the reviews consistently rang with words like "gentle" (kind version) and "dull" (less kind).  

#87 - Memories of My Melancholy Whores - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (Choice: Jane) (Venue: Wahaca, Wardour Street)

Date: July 21, 2014

Present: Nic, Gill, Jane, Shubha, Jen

Jane is a GGM super-fan having devoured everything he wrote and loved this as much (almost) as everything else.  Jen and I loved One Hundred Years of Solitude and Love in the Time of Cholera so were looking forward to this.

Generally, this seemed to be considered a little less accessible, a little less "fantastic" than other of his novels and it was, therefore, a little harder to cope with the unacceptable sexual relationship between child and old man.  Of course, everything has to be placed in a context and the age of consent has varied over time and still varies between societies with the increasing age of consent at odds with natural fertility.  But it is a  complex and difficult topic, as was the subject matter of the book.  Did we imagine the writing was a little less lyrical (albeit hard to make the judgment in a translation) or was it because we were battling a distaste for the subject matter?

An interesting but not entirely enjoyable novel - however we'd all read more by GGM.

#86 - The Goldfinch - Donna Tartt (Choice: Gill) (No Meeting)

Apologies: All

The decision was taken to combine this one with the next meeting for Jane's book.

We were mostly Donna Tartt "fans" in as much as that's possible for an author with such a small output and so we'd been eagerly awaiting this book.

In the end though, Jane "liked" this, Gill loved the sense of obsession with an object and we all found the ending a little dissonant.  None of us really like the lead character.  Jen, like me, was confused about what was happening when.  The novel appeared to be post-9/11 yet the narrator, now in his late 20s had an iPod when we was 13 - which means the novel was being written in the near-future, yet without other futuristic elements.

Unfortunately, the general consensus seems to be that The Secret History is so outstanding a novel that it is very hard not to compare subsequent novels unfavourably.  Had I read The Little Friend first, I would have thought it fantastic and then The Secret History even better - the other way around though, The Little Friend became a disappointment.  Had I read this first, I may not have bothered with the others, which would have been a tragedy.

#85 - Life After Life - Kate Atkinson (Choice: Sabine) (No meeting)

Apologies: All

And so the run of poor attendance continues for the year.

The book however was almost universally liked (by those who've subsequently had chance to comment).

Jen found it very Kate Atkinson and did not enjoy the vehicle, whilst appreciating it was clever.  However, this was the closest we have got to criticism.  The said, I loved, loved, loved it so, it is likely that, had Shubha read it, she would have been a very vocal critic!  Given my review, I don't believe she's rushing off to buy it.

Unless something spectacular comes along in the next couple of months, this one will get my vote for book of the year!

#84 - Harvest - Jim Crace (Choice: Doris) (Venue: Waterloo Bar and Kitchen)

Date: May 1, 2014

Present: Gill, Sabine, Nic

A return trip to the Waterloo Bar and Kitchen - we were last here for If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things - still a long term favourite of mine.

At the time of meeting, I hadn't finished (read much of) the book so was unable to comment beyond the fact that I was not enjoying it.  Sabine and Gill greatly enhanced the literary level of the discussion however so I learned it was a reversed creation myth, with an established world and order being destroyed in seven days.

All very clever but we didn't much like it.

#83 - I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou (Choice: Shubha) (No meeting)

Apologies: All

The now familiar book group polarity: Shubha "loved, loved, loved it"; I sound it "dreadfully dull".

When we, finally, gathered and discussed this, it became clear that I was alone in finding this a rather pedestrian telling (and then this ... and then that ... and then ...)  of a tragic but too common childhood of a certain time.  However, to coin and bastardise a phrase, I am clearly on the wrong side of literature here because Clinton and Obama as well as Farrell, Crew, Banerjee, Mason and Buckley all disagree with me.

#82 - The Gate of Angels - Penelope Fitzgerald (Choice: Nic) (Venue: The Old Shades, Whitehall)

Date: February 20, 2014

Present: Nic, Jane, Sabine, Jen, Gill

We welcomed Sabine to the fold in a cosy, authentic feeling pub which knew little about  Bearnaise sauce and whose habit of opening the wine away from the table did little to endear Jane although I maintain it is rather quaint and a remarkably untouristy watering hole so close to Trafalgar Square.

Jane found this novel inaccessible and (like the pub) dated.  For Jen it was a non-story, a little like a French film but "kind of nice".  I was disappointed, hoping to uncover a lost old gem like The Tortoise and The Hare but instead uncovering a dated non-story ... oops.  There was a melancholy sense of foreboding about the (name unremembered) girl, a sense, from the start of the book, that she couldn't have a happy story, a sense which the vague ending (it can't be called a conclusion) did nothing to dispel.

No prizes for me this year.  (Unless it is the blooper - yikes.)

#81 - Rivers of London - Ben Aaronovitch (Choice: Mark) (No meeting)

Present: No one

Apologies: All

In an ominous glimpse into the book group year, our meeting for this one failed to get off the ground.  

However, we have subsequently gathered that the book was well received by all as a simple but enjoyable read.  It is not a work of great literary merit but it was wacky, fun and locally-inspired and the "Met bits" were endorsed by our resident expert, Jen, as feeling very true (which is only a little bit worrying).

2013, The Year of Ties

Decmber 12, 2013

We were so busy chatting and laughing, we almost forgot to vote.  So, here, as decided by Jen, Jane, Gill, Shubha and Nic just before we left, are a few highlights and low lights of 2013.

Book of the Year: Sense of an Ending and Bring Up the Bodies.  I see from the notes, I voted for both.  Shuba also voted twice but her other choice was Therese Raquin, where she was on her own!

Blooper of the Year: MR James Collected Ghost Stories

Most Disappointing Book: MR James Collected Ghost Stories and Tender is the Night

Best debate and Jane's Surprise Like: How to be a Woman

Best Sommelier: Code of the Woosters (Sartoria)

Worst Hangover: Code of the Woosters (Sartoria)

Most Apt Venue: Bring up The Bodies (The Perkin Reveller at the Tower of London) and MR James Collected Ghost Stories (The Grenadier)

Least Apt Venue: City of Thieves (Yauatcha to discuss the siege of Leningrad)

Favourite Character: Jeeves (nicest); Van Helsing (sexiest)

Least Favourite Character: Dick, Laurent and Nicole (a popular category this year)

#80 - Therese Raquinn - Emile Zola (Choice: Jen)(Venue: The Bleeding Heart Tavern)

December 12, 2013

Present: Jen, Jane, Nic, Shubha and Gill

Pre-dinner cocktails were taken by Jen and Nic at the American Bar downstairs at Brasserie Zedel.  We will return.  We will bring others.  We may even dress up.  How glamorous!  We might have to do another roaring twenties book!

At the Bleeding Heart Tavern, we had a space that amounted to a private room and the staff were attentive and gracious, attending to each new arrival as Gill and Shubha dashed from their work dos to the Christmas do that really matters!  The pork wasn't quite as good as it should have been or quite as good as I think the Bleeding Heart think it is.  Hey ho.  We had a super night.

Jane's review of this book, remains my favourite.  Upon hearing of Jen's choice, she said:

NOOOOOOOOOO

NOT ZOLA

NO NO NO NO NO

Not having read Zola at that time, I didn't understand.  Now, having read a third, may be a half (my complete works of Zola showed me still having read 1% of said works!) of this Zola, I understand perfectly.  Naturally, this means that Shubha LOVED the book.  Jen finished it because she'd chosen it and was trying to read it in French so was getting pleasure from that pursuit, if not from the tale itself.  Jane read it and didn't despise it,  I salute her.  I know what happens at the end now, I still don't want to read it.  

If one were forced to describe this book in one word, bleak would be a good one.

#79 - Dracula - Bram Stoker (Choice: Gill)(Venue: Citrus, The Park Lane Hotel)

November 7, 2013

Present: Nic, Gill, Jen, Doris

A small gathering, at a Piccadilly address that may have been mere metres from Dracula's London residence, enjoyed some surprisingly fine fayre at surprisingly reasonable prices thanks to Gill's eye for a Top Table 50% off your food offer.

The book was generally enjoyed.  We were all pleased to tick this classic off our lists and to be able to say "Done that".  Others enjoyed it more than I did, though, those who have sampled more modern vampire delights found it lacking in romance / sex.  I found the opening tale of Harker's travels to Transylvania and initial time on the Castle a little dull but agreed that things improved when Van Helsing joined the party (see December Review of the Year).  We all felt some characters were a little slow on the up take and removing the garlic wreath was a particular annoyance.  Over all, though, thumbs up.

#78 - Tender is the Night - F Scott Fitzgerald (Choice: Jane)(Venue: St Moritz, Dean Street)

September 26, 2013

Present: Jane, Jen, Gill, Shubha, Mark, Nic

A great turn out - was it for the book discussion or the fondue?!  As we walked into St Moritz, the smell of toasting cheese for raclette was divine.  Between us we had 2x cheese fondue and 1x "Chinois", which was a broth, into which, at the end, when you could eat no more, eggs were beaten.  Jane and Mark did the honours for us, the rest of us having no appetite for it.

The cheese fondue was good but I don't think any of us need another for some time.  By the end, we were scraping and rolling slightly crispy melted cheese from the bottoms of the pans with the forks, unable to eat any more bread or potatoes but unable to actually stop eating.  On the way out, we had all eaten so much cheese that the once so delicious waft of raclette that had made us salivate on the way in made us catch a breath and dash for the door on the way out.

So, the venue was a huge success; the book, less so.  I alone defended it's delights, the air of sumptuous glamour; the fading, now lost era; the ingenious timeline that made me read on to find out what had happened in the beginning; the poignance of a life wasted, a man purchased, who allowed himself to be bought not out of greed but from decency and honour; his tragic demise, fading away, his pride eroded, his shell cast aside by the woman who had depleted him, who had made him what he was and then no longer wanted him because of what he'd become.

Others found the characters unlikable, the story dull, the narrative style unappealing.  History appears to be on their side but I loved it.

#77 - The Honey Guide - Richard Crompton (Choice: Doris)(Venue: Cigalon, Chancery Lane)

August 22, 2013

Present: Doris, Jen, Gill, Eamonn, Carl, Nic

Wow - Carl really hated this book.  Coming to the review somewhat later than planned, that is my lasting memory of the evening.  Well, that and the intriguing bamboo screened mirrors and light decor which made this small intimate restaurant seem much larger than it was.  The staff were charming, the food good and the after-dinner liqueurs, delicious.

As for the rest of us, we generally enjoyed the read without thinking it was amazing and without putting the rest of the series on our Must-Read lists.  The Masai lead character was convincing and his hero "back story" was well-judged and human and, after the recent events in Nairobi, given extra poignance.  The tale revolved around hidden births, stolen babies, a corrupt church.  Sometimes confusing but sufficiently engaging to take us all through the story.

#76 - How To Be a Woman - Caitlin Moran (Choice: Shubha)(Venue: Cay Tre, Dean Street)

Date: July 26, 2013

Present: Shubha, Doris, Jen, Gill, Mark, (a triumphant return for ) Nathalie and special guests Alex and Davis

Unknown to Shubha, a return to our Christmas venue, where we'd all greatly enjoyed the food (and wine and cocktails) last December.  Again, the food was freshly prepared (some cooked with great care at the table) and full of herbs and balanced (though not always delicate!) spices to produce flavoursome food that feels healthy but satisfying and which found appreciation with all.

The place was busy, loud and buzzy, making it hard for us all to converse and sometimes hard to order but, hopefully, protecting the other diners from some of our more controversial conversation: Caitlin's obsession with what to call her "lady parts" making for some ripe discussion.  We all agreed, we'd never been driven, in the way Caitlin was to analyse and assess what to call them, as though feminism itself depended upon it.  "Boobs" was our winner for up top.  For the rest, Jen, as one might expect, takes a practical and no-nonsense, scientifically accurate approach.  Others fudged it with phrases like "down there" being popular.  "My lily" was a previously unheard description that we found endearing.

This was one of the best book discussions, though not necessarily best books, we could remember.  Our debates about the porn and abortion chapters were particularly spirited and we held and (loudly) espoused a range of differing opinions on these sensitive topics.  The abortion chapter, for example, was criticised for presenting only two possible choices - bring up another (unwanted) baby or have an abortion - and not addressing the possibility of giving birth and giving the child up for adoption where it would be very much wanted by a couple unable to have their own.  But that "oversight" was not universally accepted - some pointed to high adoption failure rates and the problems suffered by adopted children, whilst others countered that was because most adopted children were not new babies given up in these circumstances but children from difficult backgrounds, troubled families often with abusive histories, whose problems were not helped by a society which considers adoption a stigma and castigates a woman as heartless for giving up her baby but empowered for having an abortion.

We didn't all like the book but we were all agreed that Caitlin was forthright and (brutally, bravely) honest, articulate, intelligent and frequently very funny.  Whether the glimpses into her childhood were unwarranted or necessary background was a moot point, with special mention to the dog chewing her used sanitary pad.  And, with that, the final word on this book, must go to Mark, who should get a special award for reading and discussing this, given that:

For a chap who becomes queasy even at the mention of ladies special parts, I found this quite a hard read ;-)