Yorkshire book club December 6th Meeting :)

OK ladies!  Please vote for the name you like the best

Also, books.  So far we have 7 nominations. 

1)To The Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf
2)Far From the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
3)Taste: The Story of Britain Through Its Cooking, by Kate Colquhoun (non-fiction, 2007)
4) Zoology, by Ben Dolnick (fiction, 2007)
5) The Power & the Glory, by Graham Greene (fiction, 1939 - introduction by John Updike)
6) Any book by a Bronte, particularly Anne
7)A Far-Off Place by Laurens can der Post (my suggestion)

The day of the meeting is also the same day as the Leeds Christkindelmarkt.  Is this alright with everyone? 

I am thinking to meet up at the market around 5:30 or 6 and spend about an hour there and then head on to the book club meeting. 

As for the ordering of the books-Would you like to continue to make recommendations every meeting OR would you like to take these books and order them so that we know what we are reading the next couple of months? 

Sorry this is way off topic, but the list of suggested names for the book club reminds me of when I was in first grade and the class was broken down into 3 reading groups; The Jets, The Redskins (I think)--now terribly politically incorrect, and The Kittens.

I was devastated not to be in the group The Kittens, but finally, because my reading skills were obviously more advanced than my teacher first realized I got promoted to the highest group and the namesake of my favorite animal, The Kittens.  I was thrilled!

Anyway, still up in the air about participating, but knowing the books in advance is a big help.

  Hopefully you will be able to join!!  And, if not this time, there is always next time!!   

Also to add author/book recommendations that have a Yorkshire theme kindly suggested by BostonDiner and HME!

Barstow, Stan
Tolkien, J.R.R.
Priestlley, J.B.
Braine, John.
Herriot, James.
Drabble, Margaret.
Harris, Joanne.
Bennett, Alan.
Bronte sisters

Phyllis Bentley
J P Priestley (some of his novels might look a bit dated, but his book 'An English Journey'(not a novel) about touring industrial England during the depression, is excellent. May be difficult to get hold of though).
Laurence Sterne

and contemporary:

Sophie Hannah
Simon Armitage
Blake Morrison
Glyn Hughes
Richard Hoggart
David Nobbs
David Peace

and books/authors with a Yorkshire setting:

Mrs Gaskell's Life of Charlotte Bronte
The Northern Clemency Philip Hensher
Dracula

bump   

How are we picking the book?  There are so many to choose from - the possibility exists that if we vote, we could all end up voting for a different one. 

Another method - maybe take a suggestion (only one each) off each participant & then draw them out of a hat for order?  That way, everyone would get a chance at having one book selection of theirs included in the rotation?

Sounds good to me.  I was wondering the logistics myself...How about that-out of the recommendations, give me one.  I will put them in a hat and draw-whatever order they come out in is the order we will read them! 

And have we all voted on the club name??

Ok, my one suggestion is:  Far From the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy.

I've voted on the name, yes.

Book recommendation noted and thanks for voting   I think we shall be the Yorkshire Yanks yet!

Hey,

I am new to Harrogate and to this Forum... wondering if I can join the bookclub.  I'm bummed that I missed the last meeting that was so close to where I'm living right now!

I'm wondering if the new book has been selected yet. I'm good for December 6th (if I can join!)

cindy

I've been near-death this week with some kind of hideous illness my husband decided to gift to me, so apologies for not responding earlier.  I'm all for Hardy's "Far from the Madding Crowd". 

Also, January is Anne Bronte's birthmonth, so we could read her "Agnes Grey" that month (getting ahead of ourselves, I know, but I thought I'd throw it out there).  This information is from Wikipedia, however, so it is suspect

And Cinbin, welcome to Harrogate, and we'd love to have you join.  Unless you have a degree in English literature, then no fair.   

A new reader!  Welcome!!   
I think the idea of reading Anne Bronte in January is a good one.

Hi June Cleaver - I've been missing you! 

Welcome cinbin!

Agree that I like the idea of an Anne Bronte book for January.  We've had two different book suggestions for Anne Bronte:  The Tenant of Wildfell Hall from Meg, and Agnes Grey from exjerseygirl.

Thank you Mrs. R    You put a smile on my face.

I'm liking the idea of Anne Bronte for January - but if we do so, maybe we could hold off on Hardy until, say, March?  Just so that we're mixing things up a bit over the holidays?  Or maybe that's just my irrational dislike of Thomas Hardy talking....  (Though of course I'm willing to give Madding a chance, as I haven't read it before!)