| Status: | Active, full but can join waiting list |
| Group email: | Books/Reading group |
| When: | Monthly on Tuesday afternoons 2:00 pm 1st Tues of month |
| Venue: | Biggar Library |
We read most genres of fiction, which hopefully broadens the minds of the members.
We have a summer break until our next meeting on 1st September 2026 in the Biggar Library Conference Room at 2pm as usual. The book for then is "It can't happen here" by Sinclair Lewis.
Happy reading over the next few months and thanks from Marion, the facilitator for making the discussions so interesting and such a pleasure.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS BOOK GROUP IS CURRENTLY FULL. However if you are interested in joining the group, please contact the facilitator so that your name can be put on a waiting list.
Reviews of the books we have read this year
Whether you would like to join the group or not, you may like to read what we thought of the books we have been reading. Maybe you might like to try some of them yourself? You can see our recommendations (and some non recommendations) by clicking on the links.
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May - "Black Widow" by Chris Brookmyre
This story is set in the Inverness area and also at the Inverness Royal Infirmary, with other important settings relevant to the unfolding facts. It is narrated by the various key characters in different chapters and in three parts, building the tension as it goes. This at first may perhaps be a bit confusing until…
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April - "Cartes Postales from Greece" by Victoria Hyslop
This book is basically a collection of anecdotes, in most chapters received by Ellie mistakenly from A, with a common thread linking the characters at the beginning and end. It is a journey through Greece and its islands, coupled with unusual photos, which underpins the Greek character and Greek attitudes to their ancient past and…
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March - "The Wife" by Alafair Burke
The story starts with wife Angela and son Spencer, along with husband Jason, living a contented life in the East Hamptons, this being a total contrast from her previous one. The equilibrium is disturbed by allegations of a sexual nature against Jason. Out of the many characters in this novel, we as a group especially…
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February - "The Scandal" by Frederik Backman
This story begins with a 'bang' (forgive the pun). It is set in a northern Swedish town called Beartown, a place that's seen better days, where the residents focus more on their ice hockey teams - indeed, obsession comes to mind. Backman spends quite a time setting the scene and delving deep into the multiple…
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January - "The Life Impossible" by Matt Haig
Set very briefly in Lincoln, then majority set on Ibiza. Grace (72), a retired teacher, inherited a house on the island from Christina, whom she knew briefly in the UK and did a good deed for. Grace is in a state of longterm grief and guilt from past tragedies in her life and boldly decides…
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December - 'A Family Recipe' by Veronica Henry
This is set in 1942 and 2017. The dates and characters and their descendants are linked from these time frames. The main characters are Jilly and Ivy, life long friends from circa 1942 right up to 2017. We also have Laura, Jay, Willow and Dom in 2017, and briefly Harry? - in both dates! As…
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November 'The Living and the Dead in Winsford' by Hakan Nesser
We were not far into this book when, as readers, we were asking ourselves many questions. What is the main character, Maria, doing and why? To add to the atmosphere, the descriptions of the remote village of Winsford on Exmoor in the dark days of winter are used to great effect by the author. The…
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October - "Sweet Caress" by William Boyd
This novel revolves around the main character, Amor Clay. She is reflecting on her life, now living on a remote Scottish island. The book is broken down in sections, from her childhood (born in 1908) which is touched on briefly. One dramatic event then perhaps changed her attitude to family, friends and relationships. The story…
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September - "My Sweet Revenge" by Jane Fallon
In this story we certainly have a mixed bag of characters! The four main protagonists are Paula, her husband Robert, Saskia and her husband Josh. Three of these characters work on a TV weekly drama 'Farmer Giles', i.e. Robert, Saskia (actors) and Josh (writer). The other character is Paula, who put her acting career on…
To contact the Facilitator, Marion Brown please click on the Group email link or telephone 01899 308210