The February Bookclub was another lively discussion on a range of exciting books. Thanks to everyone who came in the rain and a warm welcome to some more new members.

This month we shared views on the classic (and unfinished) Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell, the inspirational Elements of Marie Curie by David Sobel, the moving Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton, landmark novel White Teeth by Zadie Smith and the thrilling Safekeep by Yael Van Der Wouden (which everyone loved).

The Bookclub is a friendly, informal community for anyone who enjoys a discussion on books, a laugh and a drink.

If you want to join us just read one of the titles below (or more than one if you have time) and come along to tell us what you think. We guarantee a warm welcome and lively discussion.

Next meeting …

Our next meeting is Weds. 1st April.

This month’s selections …

Classic – Lord of the Flies by William Golding (224 pages)

To coincide with the current BBC drama. A group of schoolboys stranded on an uninhabited island attempt to govern themselves. Order collapses into violence and fear as civilisation erodes. The novel is a stark allegory of power, morality, and human savagery.

“A powerful and disturbing study of human savagery.” — The Guardian

Modern Fiction – The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury (256 pages)

A linked collection of short stories framed by a tattooed man whose illustrations foretell the future. Bradbury blends science fiction with lyrical reflection on technology and humanity. Each story carries both wonder and warning.

“Bradbury writes with lyrical imagination and moral urgency.” — The New York Times

Modern Fiction – Three Days in June by Anne Tyler (176 pages)

A quiet novel centred on a woman reflecting during a brief personal crisis. Tyler examines family, routine, and emotional resilience with subtle insight. The drama lies in the smallest shifts of daily life.

“Tyler’s great gift is her ability to illuminate ordinary lives.” — The Washington Post

Modern Fiction – The Untouchable by John Banville (≈320 pages)

A fictionalised portrait of a disgraced art historian inspired by Anthony Blunt. Banville explores betrayal, aesthetics, and self-deception through an unreliable narrator. The novel is intellectually playful and morally unsettling.

“Banville’s prose is as seductive as it is unsettling.” — The Guardian

 Modern Fiction – Clear by Carys Davies (208 pages)

Set on a remote Scottish island, the novel follows an unlikely friendship between a minister and a solitary islander. Davies explores language, isolation, and human connection with restraint and grace. It is a luminous meditation on understanding and belonging.

“Spare, haunting, and beautifully controlled.” — The Times