Hi everyone,
This meeting, held on the 9th May, began with a brief discussion about The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham and some other classics read by book club members. A few of us had made a start in reading The WInd in the Willows, others had tried but did not get far. One thing agreed upon was that, for those of us who tried the audio version of the book, we did not like the experience and preferred reading the text. Ms McNamara mentioned the enjoyable dramatisation of The Wind in the Willows that was held in the Sydney Botanic Gardens some years ago. This article about The Wind in the Willows might be of interest to anyone who wants to know a little more about the author’s background and how he came to write The Wind in the Willows.
Other classics read included Wuthering Heights, Persuasion, and The Catcher in the Rye (a modern day classic). When reading the classics it is interesting to consider the author’s background and the period in history when they wrote their story. This biographical essay about Emily Bronte and her enduring work of literature, Wuthering Heights, may be of interest.
Other books read and shared in this meeting included:
Zoe read Anne of Green Gables. While Zoe enjoyed it, she expressed that she couldn’t quite get into a reading flow with it which she thinks impacted on her engagement with this novel. This raised an interesting point about how we respond to story. What we bring to the reading experience and the way that we read, can influence our perception of what we are reading and if we are successful in achieving a reading flow.
Lillian read The Giver by Lois Lowry. She is also reading Defend the dawn by Brigid Kemmerer, sequel to Defy the night, and loving it.
Noelle read The Deathless Girls by Kiran Millwood Hargrave. It is about two main groups – settlers and wanderers. Two main characters are part of the wanderers and they are captured and made to work for the settlers. It is about how the girls have to get free, while still connecting to their past.
Mrs Ryan listened to the audio of House of Hollow. She found it to be a rather dark story that she did not enjoy (and would not recommend). She has also recently listened to the audiobooks of John Green’s novels, An abundance of Katherines and Paper Towns. Mrs Ryan commented that she loved the audio of Paper Towns.
Chevelle did not get to read as much as she wished. She did read Wuthering Heights for class. Here’s a link to the audio. Chevelle commented that she needs to have someone in the book that she can actually like (not the case in Wuthering Heights!). In Wuthering Heights there’s always fights, but towards the end Chevelle felt the book got better. Lillian says it’s a book you appreciate later (some time after reading it). Mrs Ryan thinks it’s gothic literature that leaves you heavy.
Anastasia read a biography, In order to live: a North Korean girl’s journey to freedom by Yeonmi Park.
Deeya read the Halo series by Alexandra Adornetto.
Ms McNamara read The seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. It is about an older actress telling her life story to a journalist.
Faith read urban fantasy City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. She is also reading the second book in the Good Girl’s series by Holly Jackson.
Mrs Lacey read a book recommendation, Warlight by Michael Ondaatje, and she did not enjoy her reading experience. She found the way that it was written very confusing. Despite her dislike for the book, she noted that the English department loved it.
Our next Book Club book will be a fantasy novel. More news to come soon.
Looking forward to our next Book Club meeting this week!
Mrs Sylaprany