Rayleigh Booktalk Group



E  is for Essex.  As a Booktalk Group we are fortunate to be situated in Essex, which   
is a county that provides well for readers.  March 2004 was the month where the Book Festival organised a total of 57 talks and lectures all over the county, Booktalk quizzes and a Big Read Balloon Race.

D is for the Diversity of careers and talents of our members – councillor, teacher,
writer, housewife, secretary, to mention just a few.

I is for Incentives in joining the Group. – to meet other readers, to rediscover
literature, to broaden the range of books usually read, to get to know people and to widen an interest in reading.

N is for the Number of people in the Group – fluctuating between 11 and 15, it is
not too big, not too small, but as Goldilocks said “Just right”.  If we were less in number there would not be a large enough interflow of ideas.  If we were more, not everyone would have a chance to have their say each month.  Our views are very heated and diverse.  A healthy mix.

B is for Books to interest reluctant readers.  My Family and other Animals, by Gerald
Durrel;   Cider with Rosie, by Laurie Lee;  books by Joanne Harris; Watership Down by Richard Adams; White Fang by Jack London; books of short stories, audio books.  Essex libraries are also pioneering a special collection of suitable books.

U is for Unusual places to read.   These include in the bath (although the reader had
to stop this as her skin was becoming so wrinkled), in the dentist’s waiting room (to forget the coming ordeal), waiting for a train (this reader obviously gets through many books), in a traffic hold-up (not sure if this was the passenger or the driver), walking along the road until, the reader bumped into a lamp-post.

R is for the Rayleigh Booktalk Group, which we consider to be the best.

G is for the Group itself.  It consists of husbands, wives, fathers, mothers, daughters,
sons, brothers, sisters, cousins and so on.  It sounds incestuous, but only five members have relations in the Group.  One husband and wife and one family consisting of grandmother, mother and grandson (It must be admitted that the grandson is only 2 and has limited input to the discussions at the present time, but we have high hopes for the future.)

H is for Hated books.  Not too strong a word, as literature is a subject which evokes
strong emotions.  Among the short list is Whitehaven (in which a young boy returned home to find that his step-mother had hanged his dog in the shed, which made a lasting impression on the 12 year old reader);  Catcher in the Rye (much of the nation would disagree with that);   Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth;  Lord of the Rings (again the nation would disagree); Girl with the Pearl Earring;  Hell Bent on Murder by a local author Robert James Bridge, a murder story set in the next town to ours.  Probably it was too near home. 
(Quite hope none of these authors are on the panel of judges for this competition)

B is for Booktalk and Reading Groups - 240 in Essex.

O is for the Orange/Penguin Reading Group Prize, of course.

O is for Odd ways of reading a book.  One member starts at the last page and then
reads forward (probably keeps the blood pressure down with lack of anticipation). Another reader likes to eat a box of chocolates as she reads, but fears putting on weight.  So she only allows herself one chocolate at the beginning of each chapter.  It stands to reason that many-chaptered books are popular with her.

K is for Keeping track of all we read, as well as Kydd by Julian Stockwin, a popular
           read.

F is for Favourite books.  Many members had found it difficult to vote in the recent 
Big Read, owing to the fact that favourite books changed over the years and it      was impossible to keep it down to three.  Our favourite books did include – Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte;   Silas Marner, George Eliot;   The House on the Strand, Daphne Du Maurier;   The Woman in White, Wilkie Collins; Birdsong by Sebastian Faulkes.  No surprises there.  If we had to choose a Group favourite, it would be Nelson Mandela’s – Long Walk to Freedom.

E  is for Excitement.  – members have had exciting moments of fame. Meeting Bill  
Bryson, shadowing the first orange prize to be publicized in libraries in 2001        and taking part in a panel discussion with Jill Laurimore.  Meeting lots of authors.  Winning a scratch card holiday to Paris (Well it did involve reading!)

S is for Sex.  As one members says “Why do modern writers include 6-8 pages of
explicit sex whether relevant to the plot or not.”  There is a time for sex and a time to refrain from sex.

T is for Talking about books - adds to the fun of reading them.

I is for Inspiration gained as we read and meet together.

V is our Venue.  Usually we meet monthly in the local library, situated next
door to a wine bar, so sometimes we have to have an extra meeting!  Christmas meetings at each other’s houses, conference visits together and attendance at outside lectures.

A is for Anagrams.  Edinburgh Book Festival – changes into

LET  US  FORBID  BEHAVING  OK

or 

FEVERISH  BUT  BAD-LOOKING
   
A is also for Acrostics, such as –
Each Day Interesting Novels Beg Us Read Gaelic Homilies
By Our Omnipotent Kind-hearted
Friendly Edinburgh Scotties Til It’s Veritable Authors Leave.

Or an Acrostics poem on the initials of Edinburgh Book Festival – E.B.F.

Edinburgh that most noble city of the North
Book presenters hasten there and bring their volumes forth
Festival displays will try to justify their birth
but we, the readers, are the ones who’ll show what they are worth.

L is for Longing.  Longing to be chosen to go to Edinburgh.