The Monday Evening Book Group meets at my house on the 1st Monday in the month. It is somewhat unconventional in that we do not all read a single book choice each month. We started off by choosing a theme and all read different books. We found that this got us out of our particular reading ‘ruts’ and helped us to discover some unexpected delights.

Sometimes two or three specific books on a theme were recommended and more than one person read the same book, but we found that by choosing themes we broadened the scope of our reading. It also led to wide informal discussion with everyone contributing.

After exploring some very different themes, including science fiction and fantasy, war, comedy, crime, travel, biography, epistolary and diary novels and China, we decided to try selecting a particular author for some months and to read different novels by the named writer.

Our chosen authors have included Jane Austen, Dickens, Conrad, E.M. Forster, Orwell and modern writers such as Howard Jacobson, Ian McEwan, Michael Frayn, and Monica Ali.

As well as widening our reading, we have found new friends and we really enjoy our convivial monthly discussions.

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