Thursday 8th October - Warwick Arms, Reading

A bumper meeting! 6 of us met to discuss 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' by Stieg Larsson, this month's book. We had a lively discussion with most of us enjoying the story and characters, although we didn't really understand the legal stuff at the start of the book. A few of us guessed the twists in the story and Ros wanted to slap the main character for going to the murderer's house alone, but then she usually wants to slap at least one person in each book we read! As the book is the start of a triology we discussed whether we would read the other books, most of us would and wanted to know how the girl Salander would develop as the main character.

Result: 6 of us liked this book.

We chose our book after next from the following:

• December by Elizabeth H Winthrop
• Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlife by David Eagleman
• The Sweet Smell of Decay by Paul Lawrence
• Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel

We chose 'Sum' by David Eagleman, although votes were tied with 'Wolf Hall'. We decided on 'Sum' as 'Wolf Hall' is only out in hardback at the moment and our policy is only to read paperbacks to reduce on costs. We will be reading 'Wolf Hall' when it comes out in paperback in March 2010.

The next meeting will be in the Warwick Arms, Thursday 12th November. At the next meeting we will have another themed choice, the theme will be Christmas as we will be reading the book we choose over Christmas. So, get your thinking hat on I'm looking for any book linked with Christmas, snow or winter.

Thanks for those people who voted on doodle for the historical walk around Reading, Lisa will be in touch with the decided date.

You may remember me writing about the open air Shakespeare play some of us went to see in Oxford, well the same company are doing a Christmas production just outside Oxford (not open air). It's 'Beauty and the Beast' and runs from 27th November to 16th January. I've done another doodle poll so if you want to come, please do the usual and note your availability. I've chosen only Friday evening and Saturday showings as those are probably the one's most people can make, but they are doing a show most nights (apart from Sundays and Mondays). As the venue has some seats around tables near the stage, and some people mentioned wanting to bring friends and family, we thought it might be easier to organise a date where we can all go but then everyone organises their own tickets. We can meet for a drink before the performance but then have the rest of the evening with our chosen party. I'll send emails out to people in the next few weeks so please visit doodle sooner rather than later so we can get this organised.

August Meeting

Thursday 13th August - Warwick Arms Pub, Reading

I am blaming the school holidays on the fact that only 3 of us were in the pub last night, a poor turn out but it gave us the opportunity to discuss more than books! We discussed 'The Truth About Melody Brown' by Lisa Jewell, a great summer read as the story was gripping, the characters easy to like and the whole book wasn't too complex or in depth, perfect for reading on the beach. Everyone enjoyed the book, we liked the teaser at the start and also the way Melody's returning memory gave short flashbacks which didn't read like a narrative but gave us an insight into what happened. We felt sorry for Melody, so much tragedy in a young life but didn't like her son who seemed altogether too perfect for an 18 year old. It was so nice to finally find out that Melody was so loved by so many people, including her step-mother and little step-sister. A happy ending and tying up all the loose ends of the story was perfect for closure and a very satisfying conclusion.

Result: 3 people liked this book (I actually forgot to take a vote but I'm assuming we all liked it).

We chose our book after next from the following:

• Poison Study - Maria Snyder
• In The Eye of The Sun - Ahdaf Soueif
• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson

We chose 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' by Stieg Larsson.

The meeting will be in the Warwick Arms again, Thursday 10th September.

Thanks to everyone who filled in their availability for the theatre trips, I emailed everyone who is available on the most popular day (21st August) so hopefully I'll be able to book that soon.

We also discussed a few other things including themed book selections, the first we'll try will be classics. Classics can be any book really, use your discretion. The idea is that people may have read it before but it would be long enough ago that they might want to read it again, also any books which you've always wanted to read but never got round to it. So, for the next meeting, please bring a classic book review with you.

The Warwick Arms also does a meal deal on their Thai food, starter and a main for £10. The food smelt so delicious last night that I almost ordered some, so we thought that a meeting with food might be good. I'm open to suggestions on this one, shall we make it September or wait until October? Answers on an email please.