Events and Meetings in 2006-2007
The dinner to celebrate the winner of the 2005/6 award, Marina Lewycka,
was held at Eaton Golf Club on 6th October 2006.
Some photographs of the event follow:
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The first meeting of the Good Read for 2006/7 was held in Waverton Primary
School on Monday 9th October.
The guest speaker was Linda Gillard author of last year's
short-listed book "Emotional Geology".
Linda also brought some of her quilts, although those which featured
in the book were fictional!
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The second meeting of 2006/7 was on Monday 20th November at 7.300pm in
Waverton Primary School.
The speaker was Kit Whitfield, author of Bareback,
one of this year's debut novels.
At the third meeting on Monday 29th January at Waverton
Primary School, R S Downie, author of Medicus
and the Disappearing Dancing Girls, spoke to an enthusiastic
audience about her writing.
The long list of 24 books for further reading was discussed and selected.
The final meeting was on Monday 26th March, when the
speaker was Robert Graham, author of "Holy
Joe" - one of this year's books which just missed the long
list. Robert lectures in creative writing and script-writing at Manchester
Metropolitan University.
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Readers' comments in 2006/7 included:
The decay of two elderly social misfit sisters into insanity and tragedy
is hauntingly painted. I found myself surprisingly involved and drawn
into their mental breakdowns. This is a very cleverly constructed book.
[Devoted Sisters]
This romantic comedy is reasonably well written, but too long, too predictable
and far too Mills & Boon. [Going Home]
This is an interesting inter-weaving of 19th century arctic exploration
and life in modern Ireland, linked by the loss of a child and enlivened
by psychic overtones. Despite this apparent over-complexity I enjoyed
this book hugely, and learned a bit both about ways of grieving and arctic
exploration. [The Emigrants Farewell]
This is only the second novel this year to meet my two main criteria
- it is eminently readable, and it tells me about a world - full of real
people - which is totally unfamiliar to me. Its subject matter is depressing
and its denouement only faintly optimistic, but the reality of tragic
drug-fuelled lives shines through. [The Killing Jar]
Christine Aziz's vision of the future is bleak, and owes a lot to 1984
updated to embrace Gaia. It starts well, slowly building the plot. However
the pace (and the introduction of "sci-fi" gadgets) accelerates ridiculously
in the second half of the book and I put it down with a cry of "bunkum"
(or was it "hokum"?). Aziz has some nice ideas, but she should not have
put all of them into this first novel. [The Olive Readers]