The darker nights gave us the perfect excuse for a lively discussion on a range of exciting books at our October meeting. Thanks to everyone who braved the weather and a warm welcome to all our new members.

This month we shared views on the classic The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Murial Spark, the gripping historic fiction of Precipice by Robert Harris (featuring scenes at Walmer Castle), the true story of the Los Angeles icons Didion and Babitz by Lit Aholik and the modern classic full of beauty and horror, The Vegetarian by Han Kang The Bookclub is a friendly, informal community that welcomes anyone who enjoys a discussion on books, a laugh and a drink or two.

If you would like 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 on Wednesday 26 November 6-8pm.

This month’s selections …

Classic: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Pages: ~400
A tempestuous tale of passion, revenge, and haunted landscapes set on the Yorkshire moors. Brontë’s only novel challenges the boundaries between love and cruelty in unforgettable ways.
🗞 “A wild, passionate story that defies categorisation.” — The Guardian

Factual: The Haunted Wood by Sam Leith
Pages: ~320
An exploration of myth and folklore in English forests, blending history, literary analysis, and eerie atmosphere. Leith unearths why woodland has loomed so large in the British imagination.
🗞 “A beautifully written, lightly worn blend of scholarship and spookiness.” — The Times

Contemporary Fiction: The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami
Pages: ~480
A meditative and surreal return to the themes of isolation, memory, and love. This long-awaited novel expands on the metaphysical space first introduced in Hard-Boiled Wonderland.
🗞 “An elegiac and dreamlike narrative from one of literature’s great explorers of the unconscious.” — The New Yorker

Historical Fiction: The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
Pages: ~360
Set in 18th-century France, this novel follows an exiled physician drawn into revolutionary intrigue. A story of resilience and rediscovery in a country on the brink of change.
🗞 “Richly evocative and psychologically acute.” — The Spectator

Memoir/Humour: A Cut Above by Alan Bennett
Pages: ~240
Bennett reflects on theatre, writing, and everyday absurdities in his inimitable style. Warm, witty, and subtly melancholic, it’s a charming read from a national treasure.
🗞 “As sharp as ever—poignant and funny in equal measure.” — The Telegraph