I’d like to start a monthly book discussion group here. I believe these did happen in the past but have fallen by the wayside. There have been a few recent threads about starting something again but things have stalled for one reason or another. Let’s try again.
I’m thinking along the lines that we try out a couple of books in what remains of 2021 to see how it goes. If there’s sufficent interest we could have something more structured for 2022 - invite title suggestions and pick twelve books for the year - one discussion for each calendar month. This approach would leave plenty of time to get hold of the books and good for those who like to read ahead.
With millions of books to choose from, we have to start somewhere so I'm going to plunge in. Two books that were featured on Sara Cox’s BBC Between the Covers TV programme back in May were:
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett and
Should We Fall Behind by Sharon Duggall
I’ve read both and think there’s plenty to discuss.
Briefly, The Vanishing Half is the story of twin girls, black but very light-skinned, who grown up in poor small town America where opportunities are few. They escape to New Orleans where they lose contact and their lives take dramatically different directions. One lives her life passing as white, a major theme of the book.
Should We Fall Behind is the story of a young man from a troubled home who leaves and ends up living on the streets. He meets a young woman, also homeless, who just as soon vanishes from his life. His search to find her leads him to a busy urban community, most people struggling to get by in one way or another. The book tells their stories, their attitude to the young man and how they interact with him.
We could discuss The Vanishing Half from 1 November and Should We Fall Behind from 1 December.
Meantime, I’d like to invite people to suggest books we could read and discuss in 2022. Rather than clutter the thread, can I ask people to send me a personal message. Three suggestions maximum and maybe a little bit about why you think they’d be good to discuss. It could be classic or contemporary fiction from any genre and we could include some biography and non-fiction. It would be great to have a wide selection - maybe read some books that take us outside our usual choices and comfort zones. I’ll make a list of all the titles and then pick twelve from a hat.
I do hope you will join in.
