Kreis 6 English book club

Find out about our upcoming books and remind yourself of some of the things we learned in book club. Not sure what to read? How about getting some inspiration from this article recommending 15 short novels only one of which we've read so far.

2025 Dates

Wednesday 21 January - Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Wednesday 18 March - Seascraper by Benjamin Wood

Thursday 21 May - Possibly The Pelican Child by Joy Williams (we'll confirm this next time)

Wednesday 8 July

Possible books

As usual we'll decide together which book we want to read next. Here are some ideas.

• Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (379 pages)

• James by Percival Everett (320 pages)

• The Cost of Living by Deborah Levy (187 pages)

• Soldier Sailor by Claire Kilroy (233 pages)

• Mr Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo (307 pages)

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath (240 pages)

• Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (386 pages)

• Hamnett by Maggie O'Farell (384 pages)

• More by Molly Roden Winter (304 pages)

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (389 pages)

• Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (160 pages)

• We have always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson (176 pages)

• Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson (145 pages)

• The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta (260 pages)

• The First Bad Man by Miranda July (288 pages)

• Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley (277 pages)

• Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata (163 pages of fairly large font)

  
  

2026

Wednesday 18 March

Seascraper by Benjamin Wood

As usual I'd like you to bring the following to the lesson:

• one word you've learned

• one quote you liked

• one question about the book

Wednesday 21 January

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

There was a mixed reception to this book. Some of us loved it, others gave up on it fairly early on. Published in the 1950s, the book is set in late nineteenth century Africa in what is now Nigeria. The main character was flawed and the society described seemed brutal at times. But was the society replaced by something better? What about the morals of those who colonised this part of the world? Was their justice better than that of Okwonko's? The story stops in the early period of colonisation and leaves us with lots of questions to ponder.

The 2025 sessions

Wednesday 19 November

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

We all liked this one but some of us wondered whether the messages was a bit too conservative. However, the generally positive consensus on the book meant that we didn't have quite as much to discuss as we sometimes do.

The idiom quiz at the end proved tricky. The expression that really got up people's noses (it was annoying) was 'mutton dressed as lamb'. A ram is a male sheep, mutton is the meat that comes from an old sheep.

Wednesday 27 August

After the Quake by Haruki Murakami

It seems that the stories were not particularly memorable and yet we mostly enjoyed reading them. I think this is a book that needs to be read more than once.

Tuesday 24 June

Orbital by Samantha Harvey

Our favourite word to describe the book was 'fascinating'. It seems we were all fascinated by the lives of the fictitious astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the ISS. It was a truly thought-provoking book. Actually my favourite part of the discussion was when we started talking about art and whether it is possible to appreciate it if you haven't had the 'appropriate' education. I'll send you an Instagram reel on this theme.

Wednesday 14 May

The Life and Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee - PH Zurich

This book kept us talking for almost 90 minutes so was definitely a successful choice in that regard. We talked about the emotion in the book. Did we feel sad at the life being led? We also discussed perspectives - how much do we really know about what Michael K is thinking, how do the people he meets respond to him - and the themes - is it about war or more about society? How much of the book is about fate? Finally we thought we had detected some hope in the end of the book as he plans to set off on his journey again but this time with slightly different plans.

Tuesday 4 March

Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel - PH Zurich

Less of a mixed bag this time. From what I remember no-one particularly enjoyed this book. Some of us had stronger feelings about it.

Monday 6 January

Intermezzo by Sally Rooney - Kontrast, Josefstrasse

This was a mixed bag. A few of us really enjoyed the book but others didn't like it at all. Some of us kind of liked it but didn't really approve of the ending.

What we've read

The books are in order with our most recent ones at the top of the list.

1. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

2. Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

3. After the Quake by Haruki Murakami

4. Orbital by Samantha Harvey

5. The Life and Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee

6. Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel

7. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

8. Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

9. Baumgartner by Paul Auster

10. You are Here by David Nicholls

11. Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe

12. Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

13. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

14. Appliance by J O Morgan

15. Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks

16. On Connection by Kae Tempest

17. Heartburn by Nora Ephron

18. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

19. Vesper Flights by Helen McDonald

20. Stories I Forgot to Tell you by Dorothy Gallagher

21. Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingalls

22. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

23. A Life's Work by Rachel Cusk

24. Whatever Happened to Interracial Love by Kathleen Collins

25. We are Attempting to Survive our Time by A L Kennedy

26. My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay

27. Euphoria by Lily King

28. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

29. Cold Spring Harbor by Richard Yates

30. The Weekend by Charlotte Wood

31. Milkman by Anna Burns

32. Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

33. Will you Please be Quiet, Please by Raymond Carver

34. On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

35. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

36. Normal People by Sally Rooney

37. The Beacon by Susan Hill

38. Animal Farm by George Orwell

39. If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

40. Q&A by Vikas Swarup

41. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

42. The Children Act by Ian McEwan

43. Let me be like Water by S.K. Perry

44. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

45. Black Faces, White Faces by Jane Gardam

46. The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller

47. A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin

48. Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro

49. The Thing around your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

50. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

51. Dear Life by Alice Munro

52. An Education by Nick Hornby

Would you like to maintain and improve your advanced English skills by taking part in one of my book clubs? Send me a message via the contact form if you would like to join us.