Book Club: 'The Birds and Other Stories', Thursday 4th November

Jenny

We have chosen a book of short stories for October - The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne Du Maurier. Meeting at the Old Dairy at 8pm on Thursday 4th November (please note new date).

Great to see everyone tonight and welcome to our new members.

Please have a think about suggestions for our Christmas themed book. I thought of one on the way home:

Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow by Peter Hoeg

I've never read it but I've heard it's quite enjoyable. It would be nice to have a few different suggestions to mull over.

We pencilled in a potential Christmas do for 9th Dcember.

Andy - please make this sticky.

miss annie

Lovely to see everyone last night.

I'll put my thinking cap on for December books. This talk of mulling things over has got me thinking about mulled wine - one of the best things about Christmas!

Temeraire

The Hogfather?

Donna

I had a great time at the last book club, and am really looking forward to this book!

val

I enjoyed "Miss Smilla's Feeling For Snow", but if you want SNOW, I think there are two better books. "Snow Falling on Cedars" by David Guterson ("an absorbing, thoroughly enjoyable read. At times an interracial romance, a murder mystery, a courtroom drama, and a fictionalized chronicle of the World War II internment of Japanese-Americans") and "Snow" by Orhan Pamuk, set in a Turkish town ("evokes the spiritual fragility of the non-Western world, its ambivalence about the godless West and its fury").

Jenny

Disaster. We've booked a last minute holiday from 19th - 26th Oct totally forgetting about book club so I won't be able to come. I'm really sorry about that after all the discussion we had about the date. Gutted I won't be there but looking forward to hearing all about it. I've already started the book.

miss annie

Lovely to be on holiday for your birthday!

Donna

Oh no! I think we should change the date. After all, Jenny, you picked the book. Could we do it on the 4th November instead?

miss annie

I'm in favour of that or, as it's short stories, doing it before Jenny goes away. As discussed, any day but a Wednesday is fine for me.

Jenny

That's really kind of you to suggest but what do other people think? If it gets too complicated to change it may be best to do the original date.
I can certainly do either Thurs 4th Nov or Thurs 14th Oct instead.

sophie

4th or 12th of november would be fine for me too, then we could have a month to read the book for the christmas one, rather than squeezing in meetings in october, november and december. i've always meant to read miss smilla's feeling for snow!

Donna

I vote for the 4th november too! Miss Smilla's feeling for snow sounds good as well

Charlo

I can do 14th Oct, 4th Nov or 12th Nov - happy to go with meeting earlier in Oct or skipping a month if people prefer. Or meeting on 21st still if we could choose a different book - although that could be a bit complicated!

Angelab

I vote for the 4th November if everyone else can do it.

Jenny

Sounds good to me. 4th Nov if everyone is happy with that. I really appreciate this.

Donna

Definitely! Shall we change the date in the title of this thread?

miss annie

Yes, I think that only Jenny will be able to edit it as hers was the original post. Look forward to seeing you all, have a lovely birthday and holiday Jenny.

Lollo Rosso

A shame I couldn't make last time, but I look forward to the next meeting. 4th is fine for me.

Jenny

All changed. Look forward to seeing everyone.

Donna

awesome! can't wait!

miss annie

The dairy have their Christmas menu online now, if anyone fancies dinner there - or should we branch out somewhere different for our Christmas do? <http://www.theolddairyn4.co.uk/Christmas Menu.html&gt;

Salsa

Sorry I haven't made it to the book club in so long. I was away a lot over the summer and then moved house and work is getting in the way of the sessions this autumn. I'm also gutted I can't come to the Christmas do as I'll be working away. Really hope I can join in again in January. And maybe we can plan a spring/summer social if your Christmas one goes well!

sarahc

Hi everyone, i came to the book club for the first time in September and really enjoyed it. Just finished reading the Birds and other stories & look forward to seeing you all on the 4th November.

Donna

The birds is brilliant.

jomilne

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the area, can I join for your December meetings?

Jo

sophie

hi jo, of course you can join for the december meeting. you are even welcome to the one this thursday. quite often people haven't finished the books, and this one is short stories so even if you just read one or two it should still be nice to discuss them. otherwise, we'll post details of the next meeting on friday.

Charlo

I'm not going to be able to make tonight now unfortunately. Looking forward to the Christmas meeting - the Dairy would be nice but very happy to go anywhere else you think of too. See you all soon!

Donna

Have caught some horrible lurgy and am holed up in bed with flu, feeling very sorry for myself. Wish I could make it tonight but I have to drag myself into work tomorrow for something and I think it would be too exhausting if I went out tonight. But I read the book and I loved it, thank you Jenny for such an amazing choice. My favourites were The Birds, the last one (with the twist at the end) and the one about The Apple Tree.

miss annie

We will miss you both. I'm planning on going, who else will be there?

Angelab

I am coming!!!

sophie

ohh i'm SO sorry for not coming, i had an experimental disaster and had to salvage what i could of my last month's work. i am so disappointed because i had so much to say about the book. i absolutely loved most of the stories, especially the birds and the apple tree, and think du maurier is such a fantastic author. but the last story was so bizarre, it made me cringe. i would have loved to hear your thoughts on that one donna! let us know what you chose for december.