Status: | Active, full but can join waiting list |
When: | on Friday mornings 10:30 AM-12:00 PM 2nd Friday of the month |
Venue: | Bicester Library |
In October we met to review “This is going to Hurt” by Adam Kay.
Welcome to the life of a junior doctor: 97-hour weeks, life and death decisions, a constant tsunami of bodily fluids and the hospital parking meter earns more than you. Scribbled diary entries after endless days, sleepless nights and missed weekends, this book provides a dramatic insight into time on the NHS front line.
The group had mixed feelings about this one. Parts are very funny, the sort of gallows humour that professional people revert to just to cope in very difficult situations. Other parts had you reaching for the tissues. The writing was spoilt at times by the constant explanatory notes at the bottom of each page, distracting from the actual writing itself. It opened our eyes to the weight of responsibly resting on the shoulders of such junior staff. Quite frightening to think about.
We would hesitate to recommend it but found it a very thought provoking read.
Our book choice for September was “The Fraud” by Zadie Smith.
This is the authors first historical novel, based on the “Tichborne Trial” of 1873. Roger Tichborne, heir to the family title was presumed to have died in a shipwreck at the age of 25. Following extensive enquiries, a man came forward claiming to be the missing heir. A long-protracted trial followed in an attempt to prove the claim.
The book mostly sees events from the point of view of Eliza Touchet, cousin by marriage to the author William Ainsworth. There are many references to other authors, Charles Dickens being just one of them.
Despite the wonderful reviews, our group did not enjoy the book, finding it dull, tedious and disjointed. The short chapters were a bonus, some just one paragraph, but the constant flitting between time zones was annoying. There were some interesting characters, Andrew Bogle, a former slave from Jamaica being one of them. We agreed that we really didn’t care if the claimant really was Roger Tichborne.
Not a book we would recommend.
Our choice for November is "In the Wars" by Waheed Arian.
We are currently putting together our reading list for 2025.
If you have any questions or require further information, please contact the Group Co-ordinator.