Dear All,
A lot of members appear to be suffering from the lurgy at the moment, so it was a select group last night, although it was great to meet two new members! We had a lively discussion. 'Free' divided opinions and achieved an overall score of 3 out of 5.
November's book is Amor Towles' 'A Gentleman in Moscow'. A real treat, this novel is about Count Alexander Rostov - recipient of the Order of Saint Andrew, member of the Jockey Club and Master of the Hunt who, on 21st June 1922, "is escorted out of the Kremlin, across Red Square and through the elegant revolving doors of the Hotel Metropol. Deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, the Count has been sentenced to house arrest indefinitely. But instead of his usual suite, he must now live in an attic room while Russia undergoes decades of tumultuous upheaval."
A 'mega' bestseller, with over 2 million readers, this book as the Independent newspaper's book of the decade (2010-2020), and the Times, Sunday Times, Daily Mail, Daily Express and Irish Times Book of the Year (2017). Comments are very favourable:
- No historical novel this year was more witty, insightful or original' - Sunday Times, Books of the Year
- '[A] supremely uplifting novel ... It's elegant, witty and delightful - much like the Count himself.' - Mail on Sunday, Books of the Year
- 'Charming ... shows that not all books about Russian aristocrats have to be full of doom and nihilism' - The Times, Books of the Year
It is also Showtime/Paramount+ series starring Ewan McGregor as Count Alexander Rostov.
For those of you who life to read ahead. Here are books for the next few months:
December: Terry Pratchett, 'The Hogfather' (after much discussion at the October meeting, this was the Christmas book that was favoured for this December)
January: Jonathan Kauffman: 'Kings of Shanghai'
February: Sarah Pearse, 'The Sanatorium'
Christmas Party!
Usually we have to move to a different venue for our December meeting, because Coffee Couture are booked up with Christmas dinner bookings. However, this year, members were in favour of combining the December meeting with a dinner at Coffee Couture. The Coffee Couture Christmas meal is very reasonably priced (£17.95 for 3 courses and a bellini on arrival) and dietary requirements are catered for. If you pay before 14th October 2024 you get a further 5% discount.
The menu is:
Starter options:
Chicken liver pate with sourdough and red onion chutney, or
Tomato and balsamic vinegar bruschetta
Main Course:
Ballotine of turkey with gratin potatoes, roasted carrots, baby spinach and red wine jus, or
red onion and mixed pepper tartlet with celeriac remoulade and baby spinach.
Pudding:
Assiette of chocolate or Christmas pud.
If you want to attend the Christmas dinner, which will be on Friday 6th December, please either:
- Go into Coffee Couture, tell them that you want to join the Newton Abbot Book Club table and pay for your dinner.
- Telephone Coffee Couture (on 01626 332100) tell them that you want to join the Newton Abbot Book Club table and pay for your dinner.
You have until 31.10.24 to join the table- and Dec at Coffee Couture has indicated that he can take payment at November's meeting.
I hope that those of you who are ill get well soon! Have a healthy and Happy month!
Best Wishes
Tracey
