Helmdon Community Groups
Reading Group Books – Archive
This page covers the years 2006 to 2022.
Helmdon Reading Group – Books for 2022 |
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| Date | Title & Author | Venue |
| January 2022 | The Guest List Lucy Foley |
Carol’s book |
| February 2022 | The Salt Path Raynor Winn |
Audrey’s book at Lynn Gartside’s |
| March 2022 | The Vanishing Half Brit Bennett |
Eileen’s book |
| April 2022 | Small Pleasures Clare Chambers |
Gill’s book |
| May 2022 | The Garden of Evening Mists Tan Twan Eng |
Jean’s book |
| June 2022 | Unsettled Ground Clare Fuller |
Jo’s book |
| July 2022 | Magpie Lane Lucy Atkins |
Lynn Gartside’s book |
| August 2022 | Howard’s End E.M.Forster |
Lynn Walmsley’s book |
| September 2022 | A Short History of Tractors in Ukranian Maria Lewycka |
Sally’s book |
| October 2022 | The Lincoln Lawyer Amor Towles |
Alex’s book |
| November 2022 | The Four Winds Kristin Hannah |
Carol’s book |
| December 2022 | 1984 George Orwell |
Eileen’s book |
Helmdon Reading Group – Books for 2021
| Books for 2021 | ||
| Date | Title & Author | Venue |
| 06 January | Rules of Civility Amor Towles |
Lynn’s book |
| 01 February | Girl, Woman, Other Bernadine Evaristo |
Sally’s book |
| 01 March | A Single Thread Tracey Chevalier |
Alex’s book |
| 05 April | The Liffey Near & Far Niki Phillips |
Audrey’s book |
| 03 May | Force of Nature Jane Harper |
Carol’s book |
| 07 June | The Night Tiger Yangtsze Choo |
Eileen’s book |
| July | Hamnet Maggie O’Farrell |
Gill’s book |
| August | The Architect’s Apprentice Elif Shafak |
Jean’s book |
| September | Bringing In The Sheaves Richard Coles |
Lynn Gartside’s book |
| October | American Dirt Jeanine Cummins |
Lynn Walmsley’s book |
| November | The Betrayal Kate Furnivall |
Sally’s Book at Alex’s |
| December | I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning Laurie Lee |
Alex’s book |
Books for 2020 |
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| Date | Title & Author | Venue |
| 06 January | The Corset Laura Purcell |
At Carol’s |
| 03 February | Once Upon A River Diane Setterfield |
At Gill’s |
| 02 March | The House Opposite Barbara Noble |
At Eileen’s |
| 06 April | The Burning Chambers Kate Mosse |
Jean’s book by Zoom |
| 04 May | The Centre of the Bed Joan Bakewell |
Lynn’s book by Zoom |
| 01 June | The Shepherd’s Hut Tim Winton |
Sally’s book by Zoom |
| 06 July | The Dutch House Ann Patchett |
Alex’s book by Zoom |
| 03 August | Blackberry Wine Joanne Harris |
Audrey’s book by Zoom |
| 07September | Where The Crawdads Sing Delia Owens |
Carol’s book by Zoom |
| 05 October | Life, Death & Vanilla Slices Jenny Eclair |
Eileen’s book by Zoom |
| 02 November | West With The Night Beryl Markham |
Gill’s book by Zoom |
| 07 December | Those Who Are Loved Victoria Hislop |
Jean’s book by Zoom |
Reading Group Books for 2019 |
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| Date | Title and Author | Venue |
| 2018 03 December |
The Other Hand by Chris Cleeve |
Sally’s book at Alex’s |
| 2019 07 January |
The Ship by CS Forester |
at Alex’s |
| 04 February | No meeting | |
| 04 March | The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey |
at Audrey’s |
| 01 April | The Body In The Ice AJ Mackenzie |
at Carol’s |
| 29 April | Reasons To Stay Alive Matt Haig |
at Eileen’s |
| 03 June | After The Party Cressida Connolly |
at Gill’s |
| 01 July | The Music Shop Rachel Joyce |
at Jean’s |
| 05 August | The Penguin Lessons Tom Michell |
at Jenny’s |
| 02 September | Transcription Kate Atkinson |
at Lynn’s |
| 07 October | The Scavenger’s Daughter Kay Bratt |
Sally’s book at Alex’s |
| 05 November | A Gentleman In Moscow Amor Towles |
at Alex’s |
| 02 December | The Warden Anthony Trollope |
at Audrey’s |
| 06 January | The Corset Laura Purcell |
at Carol’s |
Reading Group – Books for 2018
| 2018
29 January |
The Silk Merchant’s Daughter
Dinah Jefferies at Sally’s |
| 05 March | Cousins
by Sally Vickers at Alex’s |
| 02 April | Moving
by Jenny Eclair at Ann’s |
| 04 June | The Secret Rooms
by Catherine Bailey at Audrey’s |
| 02 July | The Dry
by Jane Harper at Carol’s |
| 06 August | Miss Boston & Miss Hargreaves
by Rachel Malik at Gill’s |
| 03 September | Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
by Gail Honeyman at Jean’s |
| 01 October | A Year of Marvellous Things
Sarah Winman at Jenny’s |
| 05 November 2018 | The last Painting of Sara de Voig by Dominic Smith at Lynn’s |
Reading Group Books for 2017
| 09 January | The Light Between Oceans
M.L Stedman at Jean’s |
| 09 February
7.30 p.m. new time |
The Sea Garden
Deborah Lawrenson at Jenny’s |
| 06 March | The Muse
Jessie Burton at Lynn’s |
| 03 April | The Watchmaker of Filigree Street
Natasha Pulley at Alex’s |
| 08 May | The Husband’s Wife
Amanda Prowse at Ann’s |
| 05 June | Wait For Me!
Memoirs of the Youngest Mitford Sister Deborah Devonshire at Audrey’s |
| 03 July | When Nights Were Cold
Susanna Jones at Carol’s |
| August | No meeting |
| 04 September | The Essex Serpent
Sarah Walters at Gill’s |
| 02 October | The Power of One
Bryce Courtenay at Jean’s |
| 06 November | The Children Act
Ian McEwan at Jenny’s |
| 04 December | Birdcage Walk
Helen Dunmore at Lynn’s |
Reading Group Books for 2016
| 04 January | Poetry
at Alex’s |
| 01 February | The Enchanted April
by Eliabeth von Arnim at Gill’s |
| 08 February | The Enchanted April
FILM at Carol’s |
| 07 March | All the Light We Cannot See
by Anthony Doerr at Jean’s |
| 04 April | The Orchard of Lost Souls
by Nadifa Mohamed at Jenny’s |
| 02 May | Me Before You
JoJo Moyes at Judy’s |
| 06 June | The Behaviour of Moths
Poppy Adams at Lynn’s |
| 04 July | Somebody Else’s Kids
Torey Hayden at Val’s |
| 01 August | Off Shore
Penelope Fitzgerald at Alex’s |
| 05 September | A Shepherd’s Life: A Tale of the Lake District
James Rebanks at Ann’s |
| 03 October | The Silk Factory
Judith Allnatt at Audrey’s |
| 07 November | The Last Train To Brackley Central
Stephen Done at Carol’s |
| 28 November | Exposure
Helen Dunmore at Gill’s |
| 09 Januaary | The Light Between Oceans
M.L Stedman at Jean’s |
| 09 February | The Sea Garden
Deborah Lawrenson at Jenny’s |
Reading Group Books for 2015
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Reading Group Books for 2014
| 6 January | Quartet – film at Carol’s |
| 3 February | The Baroness (Hannah Rothschild) at Alex’s |
| 3 March | The Last Dance & Other Stories (Victoria Hislop) at Audrey’s |
| 7 April | To Kill A Mocking Bird (Harper Lee) at Carol’s |
| 5 May | White Truffles In Winter (N.M. Kelby) at Gillian’s |
| 2 June | A Genius In The Family: An Intimate Memoir Of Jacqueline Du Pre(Hilary du Pre) at Liz’s |
| 7 July | Nothing To Envy (Barbara Demick) at Jean’s |
| 4 August | How It All Began (Penelope Lively) at Jenny’s |
| 1 September | Appletree Yard (Louise Doughty) at Judy’s |
| 6 October | A Walk In The Woods (Bill Bryson) at Alex’s |
| 3 November | We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves (Karen Joy Fowler) at Lyn’s |
| 1 December | Poems and Nibbles at Alex’s |
Reading Group Books for 2013
| 7 January | Poems at Gill’s |
| 4 February | The Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver) at Lynn’s |
| 4 March | The Complete Mapp & Lucia (E.F.Benson) at Alex’s |
| 8 April | In Pale Battalions (Robert Goddard) at Ann’s |
| 6 May | An Act of Peace (Ann Widdecombe) at Audrey’s |
| 3 June | The White Woman On The Green Bicycle (Monique Roffey) at Carol’s |
| 1 July | The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared (Jonas Jonosson) at Gillian’s |
| 5 August | Pure (Andrew Miller) at Jean’s |
| 2 September | The Cleaner of Chartres (Salley Vickers) at Jenny’s |
| 7 October | When God was a Rabbit (Sarah Winman) at Judy’s |
| 4 November | The Last Runaway (Tracy Chevalier) at Lynn’s |
| 2 December | The Distant Hours (Kate Moreton) at Ann’s |
Reading Group Books for 2012
| 2 January | Poems at Alex’s |
| 6 February | The Masters (CP Snow) at Liz’s |
| 5 March | East of the Sun (Julia Gregson) at Lynn’s |
| 2 April | Christ Stopped at Eboli (Carlo Levi) at Alex’s |
| 7 May | The Liffey Flows By (Niki Phillips) at Ann’s |
| 4 June | The Sense Of An Ending (Julian Barnes) at Audrey’s |
| 2 July | The Sealed Letter (Emma Donaghue) at Carol’s |
| 6 August | Summer in February (Jonathan Swift) at Gill’s |
| 3 September | The Peppered Moth (Margaret Drabble) at Jenny’s |
| 1 October | The Hare With The Amber Eyes (Edmund de Waal) at Jean’s |
| 5 November | State of Wonder (Ann Patchett) at Judy’s |
| 3 December | English Eagles (Nigel Slater) and visit of the author at Carol’s |
Reading Group Books for 2011
| 3 January | Poetry evening at Alex’s |
| 7 February | A Week in December (Sebastian Faulks) at Judy’s |
| 7 March | The Guernsey & Potato Peel Society (Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows) at Lynn’s |
| 4 April | The Persian Boy (Mary Renault) at Alex’s |
| 9 May | Trespass (Rose Tremain) at Alex’s |
| 6 June | England, Their England (A.G MacDonnell) at Ann’s |
| 4 July | The 19th Wife (David Ebershoff) at Carol’s |
| 1 August | The Long Song (Andrea Levy) at Carol’s |
| 5 September | Started Early, Took My Dog (Kate Atkinson) at Gill’s |
| 3 October | Before I Go To Sleep (SJ Watson) at Jean’s |
| 7 November | Isa And May (Margaret Forster) at Jenny’s |
| 5 December | Pigeon English ( Steven Kelman) at Judy’s |
Reading Group Books for 2010
The Reading Group in 2010
(From left to right) Liz Woolley, Carol Brookhouse, Judy Porter,
Ann Smith, Audrey Forgham, Alex Corrin, Lynn Gartside and Jean Simmonds (not present: Jenny Overson and Gill Watson)
5 January The meeting is at Carol’s. Take a favourite poem.
8 FebruaryThe meeting is at Judy’s. Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel)
11 March The meeting is at Ann’s The Great Gatsby (F.Scott Fitzgerald) and The Beacon (Susan Hill)
5 April The meeting is at Lyn’s Sacred Hearts (Sarah Dunant)
3 May The meeting is at Alex’s. Members’ recommended books
7 June The meeting is at Jean’s. Rogue Herries (HughWalpole)
5 July The meeting is at Ann’s. The Secret Scripture (Sebastian Barry)
2 August The meeting is at Carol’s The Remains of the Day (Kazuo Ishiguru)
6 September The meeting is at Carol’s The White Queen (Philippa Gregory)
4 October The meeting is at Gill’s The Help (Katherine Stockett)
1 November The meeting is at Jean’s The Five People You Meet In Heaven Mitch Alborn
6 December The meeting is at Ann’s The Outcast Sadie Jones
Reading Group Books for 2009
[Picture missing]
New Year 2009 – Plenty of eating and chatting, but did books get a look in?
Left to right: Alex Corrin, Liz Woolley, Ann Smith, Audrey Forgham, Carol Brookhouse, Gill Watson, Lynn Gartside and, in front, Jean Simmonds
5th January The meeting is at Carol’s. Take a favourite poem, with copies for the group and a plate of “nibbles”.
9th February The meetingisat Alex’s. Diary of an Ordinary Woman (Margaret Forster)
2nd March The meeting is at Ann’s. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (Agatha Christie)
NB King’s Sutton Literary Festival is the weekend 7th and 8th March
6th April The meeting is at Jean’s. The Reader (Bernhard Schlink)
4th May The meeting is at Judy’s. The Return (Victoria Hislop)
1st June The meeting is at Carol’s. The Bolter (Frances Osbourne)
6th July The meeting is at Alex’s. The White Tiger (Aravind Adiga)
3rd August The meeting is at Lyn’s. Coram Boy (Jamila Gavin)
7th September The meeting is at Ann’s. Azincourt (Bernard Cornwell)
5th October The meeting is at Jean’s. The Piano Teacher (Janice Y.K Lee)
2nd November The meeting is at Gill’s. Under The Greenwood Tree (Thomas Hardy)
7th December The meeting is at Alex’s. The Music Room (William Fiennes)
Reading Group Books for 2008
[Picture missing]
Some members of the Helmdon Reading Group 2008
From left to right: Jenny Overson, Alex Corrin, Liz Woolley,
Audrey Forgham, Carol Brookhouse and, in front, Jean Simmonds.
7th January Meeting at Alex’s. Take a favourite poem, with copies for the group and a plate of “nibbles”.
14th January Film trip to see The Kite Runner
4th February Meeting at Carol’s. North and South (Mrs Gaskell).
3rd MarchMeeting at Lynn’s. Star of the Sea (Joseph O’Connor)
8th March Kings Sutton Literary Festival – visit (contact Ann or Carol)
10th March Film trip to see The Other Boleyn Girl Cancelled
7th April Meeting at Ann’s. Fair Stood The Wind For France (H E Bates)
12th May Meeting at Gill’s. Purple Hibiscus (Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie)
9th June Meeting at Alex’s. Notes From An Exhibition (Patrick Gale)
7th July Meeting at Carol’s. Rough Music (Patrick Gale)
No August meeting
8th September Meeting at Judy’s. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist (Robert Tressell)
10th October Meeting at Ann’s. The Forgotten Garden (Kate Moreton)
3rd November Meeting at Lyn’s. The Road Home (Rose Tremaine)
1st December Meeting at Gillian’s. Fallen Skies (Phillipa Gregory)
[Picture missing]
Jean Spendlove (centre) showing a document to
Carol Brookhouse (left) and Lynn Gartside (right)
2006 “For Freedom to be Equal”
In November 2006 we discussed a book written by a resident of Helmdon, Jean Spendlove. The book is called For Freedom to be Equal, and is set in Rennes in the time of the French Revolution. Jean attended the meeting so we were able to ask questions and discuss her work. Most of the book club ended up purchasing the book that Jean so kindly lent us to read. We are now hoping she will complete the follow-on book.
The Reading Circle
[Picture missing] Some members of the original Reading Circle
The Helmdon Reading Circle was established in July 1999 to enable us to share the joy of reading. Ten of us meet on the first Monday of every month, with the meeting being held in the home of the person who has selected the book for that month. The meetings are usually about two and a half hours long. As a group we agreed that we did not want to read any science fiction or horror stories and that all books were subject to a limit of 500 pages. So far, we have read, amongst others, Hideous Kinky by Esther Freud, Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, Sold by Zana Muhsen, and Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt. The Helmdon Reading Circle has proved to be extremely successful and enjoyable and I hope it will continue to flourish.