2024: Coming of Age

Bookclub has come of age – it is 18 years old, officially grown up! And what an upbringing it has had. From simple beginnings, it has changed and flourished and developed a life of its own. Now, with a mass of memorable evenings, blog posts, discussions and analysis behind it, bookclub has a unique and distinct identity.

That identity is made up of our club members’ sometimes complimentary, sometimes contrasting opinions and is buoyed by the feedback and thoughts of our friends, whanau and followers. As bookclub comes of age, so too does our evolving literary knowledge, our ability to analyse and our collective appreciation of good books.

In our coming-of-age year we have discovered we are drawn to strong characters and identities. Last year we were introduced to some big personalities and it looks like we are chasing that high again. Interestingly, 2024 includes a bit of wildlife too, with a number of animal references in the the titles. What this means we don’t know yet, but we can’t wait to see how these animalistic personalities present.

Here’s the reading list:

Chain Gang All Stars – Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Bird Life – Anna Smail
Remarkably Bright Creatures – Shelby van Pelt
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 – Cho Nam-joo
I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home – Lorrie Moore
Bunny – Mona Awad
The Whalebone Theatre – Joanna Quinn
All Fours – Miranda July
Drive Your Plow Over The Bones Of The Dead – Olga Tolkarzcuk
Hamnet – Maggie O’Farrell
Passing – Nella Larsen
Martyr! – Kaveah Akbar