The Phoenix Monthly Book Group

Our book for SEPTEMBER is:

Summer of My German Soldier
by Bette Greene

Richmond's choice for this month is from an American author whose books focus on themes of injustice and alienation. Summer of My German Soldier is based heavily on her childhood. She has received the Golden Kite Award, ALA Notable Book Award, and Newbery Honor.

Minutes before the train pulled into the station in Jenkinsville, Arkansas, Patty Bergen knew something exciting was going to happen. But she never could have imagined that her summer would be so memorable. German prisoners of war have arrived to make their new home in the prison camp in Jenkinsville. To the rest of her town, these prisoners are only Nazis. But to Patty, a young Jewish girl with a turbulent home life, one boy in particular becomes an unlikely friend. Anton relates to Patty in ways that her mother and father never can. But when their forbidden relationship is discovered, will Patty risk her family and town for the understanding and love of one boy?

A big welcome to all!

The Phoenix Monthly Book Club is for everyone to enjoy - seasoned 'book clubbers' and those new to the idea - all will be made very welcome.

Come and join our relaxed, friendly group!

Our aim is to choose some really good reads and have lively times together discussing the chosen book of the month in a respectful manner.

The reading list will be compiled from members' suggestions and will reflect our differing tastes. It will be great to challenge ourselves with genres or writing styles we may not usually think to go for - we won't all like every book, but it will be fun to discover!

You'll be responsible for sourcing your own copy of the monthly book - borrow from the library, buy second hand, download or Kindle etc - whatever works best for you.

Our book for OCTOBER is:

In Too Deep
by Lee Childs

Grahame has chosen our book for October.

The gripping new Jack Reacher thriller from the No.1 Sunday Times bestseller. The Jack Reacher novels can be read in any order. In Too Deep is the 29th book in the internationally bestselling series.

"Reacher had no idea where he was. No idea how he had got there. But someone must have brought him. And shackled him. And whoever had done those things was going to rue the day. That was for damn sure.

Jack Reacher wakes up, alone, in the dark, handcuffed to a makeshift bed. His right arm has suffered some major damage. His few possessions are gone. He has no memory of getting there.

The last thing Reacher can recall is the car he hitched a ride in getting run off the road. The driver was killed.

His captors assume Reacher was the driver's accomplice and patch up his wounds as they plan to make him talk.

A plan that will backfire spectacularly . . ."

A big welcome to all!

The Phoenix Monthly Book Club is for everyone to enjoy - seasoned 'book clubbers' and those new to the idea - all will be made very welcome.

Come and join our relaxed, friendly group!

Our aim is to choose some really good reads and have lively times together discussing the chosen book of the month in a respectful manner.

The reading list will be compiled from members' suggestions and will reflect our differing tastes. It will be great to challenge ourselves with genres or writing styles we may not usually think to go for - we won't all like every book, but it will be fun to discover!

You'll be responsible for sourcing your own copy of the monthly book - borrow from the library, buy second hand, download or Kindle etc - whatever works best for you.

Our book for NOVEMBER is:

Raising Hare:
A Memoir
By Chloe Dalton

Our book for November has been chosen by Rosie.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2025

When lockdown led busy professional Chloe to leave the city and return to the countryside of her childhood, she never expected to find herself custodian of a newly born hare. Yet when she finds the creature, endangered, alone and no bigger than her palm, she is compelled to give it a chance at survival.

Raising Hare chronicles their journey together and the challenges of caring for the leveret and preparing for its return to the wild. We witness an extraordinary relationship between human and animal, rekindling our sense of awe towards nature and wildlife. This improbable bond of trust serves to remind us that the most remarkable experiences, inspiring the most hope, often arise when we least expect them.

A big welcome to all!

The Phoenix Monthly Book Club is for everyone to enjoy - seasoned 'book clubbers' and those new to the idea - all will be made very welcome.

Come and join our relaxed, friendly group!

Our aim is to choose some really good reads and have lively times together discussing the chosen book of the month in a respectful manner.

The reading list will be compiled from members' suggestions and will reflect our differing tastes. It will be great to challenge ourselves with genres or writing styles we may not usually think to go for - we won't all like every book, but it will be fun to discover!

You'll be responsible for sourcing your own copy of the monthly book - borrow from the library, buy second hand, download or Kindle etc - whatever works best for you.

*Our book for DECEMBER is:

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
By Gabrielle Zavin

🎄🎄🎄Our DECEMBER book has been chosen by Leslie.🎄🎄🎄🎄

"In this exhilarating novel, two friends—often in love, but never lovers—come together as creative partners in the world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality.

Spanning thirty years, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Venice Beach, California, and lands in between and far beyond, Gabrielle Zevin's Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow is a dazzling and intricately imagined novel that examines the multifarious nature of identity, disability, failure, the redemptive possibilities in play, and above all, our need to connect: to be loved and to love."

🎄🎄🎄Lots of chat & a Christmas drink to be enjoyed!🎄🎄🎄

*A big welcome to all!
The Phoenix Monthly Book Club is for everyone to enjoy - seasoned 'book clubbers' and those new to the idea - all will be made very welcome.

Come and join our relaxed, friendly group!

Our aim is to choose some really good reads and have lively times together discussing the chosen book of the month in a respectful manner.

The reading list will be compiled from members' suggestions and will reflect our differing tastes. It will be great to challenge ourselves with genres or writing styles we may not usually think to go for - we won't all like every book, but it will be fun to discover!

You'll be responsible for sourcing your own copy of the monthly book - borrow from the library, buy second hand, download or Kindle etc - whatever works best for you.