The Book Club

I

Saturday was my first night attending "Book Club" and what a wonderful club it is.  It was not quite what I expected. I had been told the book for discussion was "The Slap" and I had frantically read through half of it to have some idea what the others were talking about.
I firstly got a call early yesterday morning to see if I had been told not to eat dinner as dinner was provided by the host. I was aware of this but hubbie had forgotten and for the first time in ages he had bought two juicy steaks for the dinner. I left home with the smell of steak and onions wafting through the air.
My fellow club members were very welcoming especially as they have been meeting for 5 years.. Even though, as usual, I am the oldest there, I was definitely "the new kid on the block"
After  a very tasty dinner and a few glasses of wine, we started to talk about the book. One of the group, like me, had only  read 200 pages. She felt the book was very slow, the character was only still only eleven half way through.. This didn't sound like the book I was reading..........t turns out my friend had given me the name of the wrong book. It didn't matter as most of them hadn't had the time to read the recommended book. There was a short discussion as to whether the book was worth the effort of sticking with it followed by a short discussion on "The Slap" It was felt the book gave the impression that Australia wasn't somewhere you would want to live, it being a very male chauvinist and racist society. I find it an interesting book because it discusses the issues of  child discipline.The book is told through the eyes of the individual people who witnessed the "slap" and I must say to date there is not one character I like!

Then the book for the next meeting was chosen "No Way Down" by Graham Bowley. It is a true life story of how 30 people climb K2 but when an ice shelf collapses their lines are cut and there is "no way down" I have just ordered it online from http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/  They deliver free, worldwide.
After this it was down to serious conversation and I rolled in home at 04.30 this morning! I'm glad that unlike the others, I do not have a young family and had no obligation to get up early.
Roll on the next meeting!