Category: Uncategorized

Due to the Library closure we did not have a particular set book this month but the librarian had been helpful in that she had put together at least three sets of books which we could collect and which hopefully would cover our January, February, March reading needs. But then the next lockdown came along and the Library closed! So we have all been dipping into our own bookshelves and also have been swapping bags of books to tide us over.

I was given a book as a birthday gift which took me right back into my childhood – “Growing up in the 1950’s” by Paul Feeney. Memories of outside toilets, tin bath in front of the fire on a Sunday listening to “Sing Something Simple”, toasting fork, stone hot water bottle, fur coat and my dad’s old Army coat on the beds as extra blankets, frost on the inside of the bedroom window, bread and dripping, no telly; the list is endless. I wouldn’t want to go back to all that but people’s general attitudes and ethics would be welcomed back these days – no mobiles at the dinner table, you ate what you were given or starve, no striving for the latest clothes or gadgets; even the Teddy boys were not really as violent as they were portrayed compared to the knife wielding yobs today. The Teddy boys spent a lot of money on their draped coats and wouldn’t want to damage them! I wonder if today’s youth will look back with fond memories of present day activities and attitudes? Oh well, back to the books.

I hope everyone enjoyed Christmas, in whatever way you celebrated. We opted out of a family gathering, so spent it quietly at home, thankful for Facetime enabling us to see and chat safely to our loved ones, and admire all the gifts our grandchildren received. I imagine a few of us did the same thing.

There was a little interaction over the festive season though. Thanks to Rose (really, many thanks, Rose) the choir were able to present our usual floral token of thanks to our accompanist and musical director, Margaret. I had been concerned as to how we may manage it this year (I’m going nowhere, so felt reluctant about asking it of someone else) but Rose agreed right away, and to taking a photo’ to mark the event, and you can see from the super photo’ she provided that we were, as usual, able to express our thanks with flowers. Thank you for all your efforts, Margaret.

All good wishes for a happy and peaceful 2021.’

The December set book was Becoming by Michelle Obama which has been reviewed by Goodreads website as follows; In her memoir, a work of deep reflection and mesmerizing storytelling, Michelle Obama invites readers into her world, chronicling the experiences that have shaped her — from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago to her years as an executive balancing the demands of motherhood and work, to her time spent at the world’s most famous address. With unerring honesty and lively wit, she describes her triumphs and her disappointments, both public and private, telling her full story as she has lived it — in her own words and on her own terms. Warm, wise, and revelatory, Becoming is the deeply personal reckoning of a woman of soul and substance who has steadily defied expectations and whose story inspires us to do the same.

I personally enjoyed the first third which covered her upbringing the most but got a bit bogged down in the rest but still enjoyed the book on the whole.

Sadly, for the second consecutive year the choir won’t be performing for the u3a at Christmas. From last Summer our poor musical director suffered a string of accidents and ill health which eventually forced her to resign, we didn’t have time to practise and reach an appropriate standard in time for the u3a Christmas celebrations. It was a source of regret to us all. As well as the pleasure of feeling we were able to make a contribution, we enjoy performing, it gives us something to work toward, and the satisfaction of achieving something together.

We looked forward to this year, and at the time no-one could have suspected, or believed, that we would now be in the current situation! However, the news is good, there appears to be light at the end of the tunnel. We have hope that we’ll make it next year, when this year may just be a distant memory of a horrid experience we coped with, and survived.

In the meantime, stay safe. Happy Christmas everyone, and all good wishes for a peaceful and happy new year. ‘Have yourself a merry little Christmas, let your heart be light….’

Our set book for October was “Commonwealth” by Ann Pratchett. Commonwealth is the seventh novel by American author Ann Patchett, published in 2016. The novel begins with an illicit kiss that leads to an affair that destroys two marriages and creates a reluctantly blended family. In a series of vignettes spanning fifty years, it tells the story of the six children whose lives were disrupted and how they intertwined. It was not to everyone’s taste; some enjoyed it, others did not.

Our set book for November was The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George which tells the story of a heart-broken bookseller who makes a journey in his bookshop-barge all the way from Paris to Provence. The protagonist in The Little Paris Bookshop, Jean Perdu, runs a ‘literary apothecary’, where books are prescribed for their medicinal properties. No matter the ailment, Perdu can find a novel to ease the pain of his customers and provide them some much-needed perspective. Who doesn’t want to read about a benevolent bookseller with a book-cure for every malady?

The December set book is ‘Becoming’ by Michelle Obama which we will review in January.