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 19 November - Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

Wednesday 27 August - After the Quake by Haruki Murakami

Tuesday 24 June - Orbital by Samantha Harvey

Wednesday 14 May - The Life and Times of Michael K by J.M. Coetzee

Tuesday 4 March - Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel

Monday 6 January - Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

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 Hapless Child by Edward Gorey (64 pages)

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

• Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (160 pages)

• The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (192 pages) - originally in Swedish

  
  

The 2025 sessions

Wednesday 19 November

Three Days in June by Anne Tyler

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. After the Quake by Haruki Murakami

2. Orbital by Samantha Harvey

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

4. Headshot by Rita Bullwinkel

5. Intermezzo by Sally Rooney

6. Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

7. Baumgartner by Paul Auster

8. You are Here by David Nicholls

9. Last Summer on State Street by Toya Wolfe

10. Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf

11. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

12. Appliance by J O Morgan

13. Maud Martha by Gwendolyn Brooks

14. On Connection by Kae Tempest

15. Heartburn by Nora Ephron

16. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

17. Vesper Flights by Helen McDonald

18. Stories I Forgot to Tell you by Dorothy Gallagher

19. Mrs Caliban by Rachel Ingalls

20. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

21. A Life's Work by Rachel Cusk

22. Whatever Happened to Interracial Love by Kathleen Collins

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

24. My Name is Why by Lemn Sissay

25. Euphoria by Lily King

26. The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

27. Cold Spring Harbor by Richard Yates

28. The Weekend by Charlotte Wood

29. Milkman by Anna Burns

30. Anything is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

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

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

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

34. Normal People by Sally Rooney

35. The Beacon by Susan Hill

36. Animal Farm by George Orwell

37. If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin

38. Q&A by Vikas Swarup

39. The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

40. The Children Act by Ian McEwan

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

42. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

43. Black Faces, White Faces by Jane Gardam

44. The Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller

45. A Manual for Cleaning Women by Lucia Berlin

46. Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro

47. The Thing around your Neck by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

48. A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

49. Dear Life by Alice Munro

50. An Education by Nick Hornby

Would you like to maintain and improve your advanced English skills by taking part in the book club? Send a message via the contact form on the home page if you would like to join us.