CW Library's Thursday Book Club by CWL

#001

cwlib — 2024-12-13 16:19:28 UTC

May 2021. London. Campbell Flynn - art historian and celebrity intellectual - is entering the empire of middle age. Fuelled by an appetite for admiration and the finer things, controversy and novelty, he doesn't take people half as seriously as they take themselves. Which will prove the first of his huge mistakes. The second? Milo Manghasa, his beguiling and provocative student. Milo inhabits a more precarious world, has experiences and ideas which excite his teacher. He also has a plan. Over the course of an incendiary year, a web of crimes and secrets and scandals will be revealed, and Campbell Flynn may not be able to protect himself from the shattering exposure of all his privilege really involves. But then, he always knew: when his life came tumbling down, it would occur in public.

Meeting date:

09/01/2025

Our words of the month:

amazing, enjoyable, revealing, captivating, woke, emotional, disconnected, depressing, comic

#002

cwlib — 2024-12-13 16:25:35 UTC

Deep underground, 39 women live imprisoned in a cage. Watched over by guards, the women have no memory of how they got there and only vague notions of their lives before. As the burn of electric light merges day into night and numberless years pass, a young girl - the fortieth prisoner - sits alone and outcast in the corner. But soon she will show herself to be the key to the others' escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them above.

Translated by Ros Schwartz

Meeting date:

13/02/2025

Our words of the month:

displaced, isolation, depressing, solitary, repetitive, profound, unusual, mysterious, tough-going, hopeful, unimaginable, unsettling, haunting, sobering, giving, apocalyptic, existential, resilience

#003

cwlib — 2025-02-14 16:44:38 UTC

Fraught, disturbing and beautiful, 'The Vegetarian' is a novel about modern day South Korea, but also a novel about shame, desire, and our faltering attempts to understand others, from one imprisoned body to another.

Translated by by Deborah Smith

Meeting date:

13/03/2025

#004

cwlib — 2025-02-19 15:48:32 UTC

Elizabeth Zott, a talented chemist at Hastings Research Institute, faces sexism and discrimination, particularly from her male colleagues. She finds love and companionship with Calvin Evans, a brilliant scientist, but they face societal disapproval of their relationship. Calvin's untimely death leads Elizabeth to a single-motherhood journey while continuing her research and eventually becoming the host of the popular cooking show "Supper at Six". Through her show, she uses her platform to challenge the status quo, empower women, and teach them about the science of cooking. Elizabeth's journey is marked by her resilience, intellect, and her unwavering pursuit of equality and scientific advancement.

Meeting date:

10/04/2025

Our words of the month:

enlightening, inspiring, interconnecting, light, fab, motivating, immersive, illuminating, wonderful, timeless, outstanding, enjoyable, feminist

#005

cwlib — 2025-06-12 12:49:40 UTC

A modern-day retelling of Charles Dickens' David Copperfield set in southern Appalachia. The novel follows Demon Copperhead, a boy born into poverty and addiction, as he navigates the challenges of foster care, school, and a community struggling with the opioid crisis. Demon's story is told through his own voice, highlighting his resilience, wit, and sharp observations about the social issues affecting his life.

Meeting date:

08/05/2025

Our words of the month:

engaging, dickensian, heart-breaking and hopeful, binge worthy, dramatic, powerful, resilience, poignant, page-turner, rollercoaster, perceptive, masterpiece, didactic, depressing

#006

cwlib — 2025-06-12 12:52:50 UTC

A short novella, 'Flatland', tells the story of A Square, a resident of a two-dimensional world, Flatland, where society is structured according to geometric shapes. A Square's visit to Spaceland, a three-dimensional realm, leads him to question the nature of their own world and its social hierarchy, sparking a philosophical exploration of perception, dimensions, and social order.

Meeting date:

12/06/2025

#007

cwlib — 2025-06-12 12:57:55 UTC

This non-fiction book chronicles the systematic murder of Osage Native Americans in the 1920s after oil was discovered on their land, making them incredibly wealthy. This wealth and the system of guardianship that followed, where white guardians controlled the Osage's money, created an environment ripe for greed and manipulation. The book follows the FBI's investigation, led by Tom White, as they try to unravel the conspiracy and bring justice to the Osage.

Meeting date:

10/07/2025

Our words of the month:

chilling, interesting, factual, documental, footnote, fascinating, illuminating, astounding, eye-opening, interesting, meticulous, engrossing, gripping, eye-opener, murder, dry, dogged, frightening, enlightening

#008

cwlib — 2025-06-12 12:59:53 UTC

Elsa M. Anderson, a concert pianist, walks off stage mid-performance in Vienna and embarks on a journey through Europe, haunted by a woman she perceives as her double. The story explores themes of identity, loss, and the search for belonging as Elsa grapples with her past and the mystery of her relationship with the mysterious woman who bought the mechanical dancing horses she also desired.

Meeting date:

14/05/2025

Our words of the month:

puzzling, captivating, whimsical, unexciting, intriguing, cerebral, mesmerizing, introspective, enigmatic, grating, elusive, confusing, incomplete, hypnotizing, metaphorical, sparse, internal, flummoxing, psychologically correct, transportive

#009

cwlib — 2025-11-07 16:22:27 UTC

A thriller about Mariana Andros, a therapist who becomes obsessed with proving that a charismatic Greek tragedy professor, Edward Fosca, is a murderer. When a friend of her niece Zoe is found dead at Cambridge University, Mariana suspects Fosca, who is adored by a secret society of female students called "The Maidens". Mariana's investigation spirals out of control as she becomes convinced of Fosca's guilt, even as another student is killed and her obsession threatens to destroy her credibility and relationships.

Meeting date:

11/09/2025

Our words of the month:

cartoonish, complicated, whodunit, ordinary, dull, atmospheric, plup, fine, airport thriller, cliche, insignificant, undecided, banal, contrived, complicated, generic, page turner, bonkers, dark, romp

#010

cwlib — 2025-11-07 16:27:45 UTC

A satirical novel about the disruption caused by Dougal Douglas, a mysterious Scottish newcomer in a working-class London neighbourhood. Dougal, who possesses a devilish charm and a knack for manipulation, causes chaos and upheaval in the lives of the residents, from the typing pool to factory workers.

Meeting date:

09/10/2025

Our words of the month:

impish, enjoyable, chaotic, strange, disengaging, energetic, kinetic, exuberant, slapdash, enigmatic, oddish

#011

cwlib — 2025-11-07 16:53:08 UTC

A book by Naomi Klein that starts with her discovery of a doppelganger—another Naomi, a feminist who has become a conspiracy theorist. Klein then explores the "mirror world" of conspiracy theories, anti-vaxxers, and political extremism, examining themes like the distorted sense of reality, the role of social media, the blurring of identity, and the rise of deep fakes in a surreal cultural moment. Ultimately, the book is a dark comedy and a call for empathy to navigate a fractured world.

Meeting date:

13/11/2025

#012

cwlib — 2025-11-25 09:23:20 UTC

Meeting date:

08/12/2025

#013

cwlib — 2025-11-25 09:46:53 UTC

Meeting date:

08/01/2026

#014

cwlib — 2025-11-26 13:42:49 UTC

Meeting date:

12/02/2026

#015

cwlib — 2025-11-26 14:18:46 UTC

Meeting date:

12/03/2026

#016

cwlib — 2025-11-26 14:31:17 UTC

Meeting date:

09/04/2026