The Free-Range Bookclub
Bookclubbers without boundaries in Nelson, New Zealand
2011 – Thematic Construction
The best characters exist within the construct of firm guidelines, and life-changing literature becomes so because of the meaning which permeates every turn of events. It is these sturdy but often subtle parametres which define our love of books.
With this is mind we have opted this year to implement strategies to further enhance our enjoyment of our reads, and what better way than the construct of the very thing we discuss at length each month: themes.
Yes, along with the addition of a new book nerd, the lovely Sophia who joined us mid last year, we have integrated a structure to our book choices this year. This not only encourages a more solid framework to bookclub but allows us to delve deeper into genres, authors or literary forms that interest us.
Here’s how the year will shape up:
Sophia – The Great American Novel
Suzy – Maori & Pacifica Writers
Rachel – Feminist Novels
Jo – Russian Classics
It’s not only this which supplies us with additional form, but the feeling of stability and connectedness which has emanated now that we are four. Some things are just meant to be; our reading interests and knowledge are both complimentary and diverse, our thoughts on what makes a good book always up for debate. The midnight candle is often burning, and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Here’s the reading schedule:
Where We Once Belonged – Sia Figiel
Selected Short Stories – Katherine Mansfield
Crime & Punishment – Fyodor Dostoevsky
Ragtime – E L Doctorow
Sons For The Return Home – Albert Wendt
The Female Eunuch – Germaine Greer
Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
Freedom – Jonathan Franzen
Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
The Pregnant Widow – Martin Amis
Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
We’re currently reading:
Books read:
How many books have we read for bookclub in the past 17 years?
The Free-Range Bookclub 
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