Thursday 28 February 2019
Book Club | February 2019 Roundup
As February is the shortest month of the year, we decided to throwback to our 2018 book club theme 'short stories' with the simple prompt 'under 200 pages'.
Thank you to everyone who shared photos and mini reviews over on social media throughout the month. We loved seeing your picks for our February prompt and were impressed by just how quickly some of you finished reading them!
Below are a selection of our favourite images and mini reviews shared over on Instagram - there will also be a roundup of photos in our latest newsletter which hits inboxes tomorrow morning.
"Originally published in the November 1956 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly, The Last Question is a very short story (according to Goodreads it's only 9 pages long!) that you can read online. It's very Sci-Fi, but this mind-blowing wee story somehow fits science, technology, philosophy and theology all into a very short space of time ('space and time' may or may not be a very apt turn of phrase for this tale - you'll have to read it to find out). A friend recommended it to me, and I'm glad I sat down and read it. If you're interested, you can find it here online, and it will only take about 15 - 20 minutes to read." - @anjalikay
"I was startled at first to start reading this book and discover it wasn't from the perspective of the title-named Stargirl, but rather from a boy called Leo who is at the school that Stargirl comes bursting into. But once I got over that initial that-wasn't-what-I-was-expecting feeling, I settled in for the story which was around 186 pages. Very briefly, it tells the tale of a high school in Mica, Arizona, who is heavily impacted by the sudden appearance of home-schooler, Stargirl. She explodes into their lives in a shower of quirky clothes, a ukulele, and a question formed around her by the entire student body: Who is Stargirl? Why is she so different? It's a beautiful wee story about non-conformity, about standing out because you're different, and for fearlessly being yourself. 5/5 from me, and I recommend picking up before the movie comes out later this year." - @anjalikay
"This month I chose to read Starers by Nathan Robinson, a book which had been sitting on my Kindle for quite a while. The story centres around the Keene family whose lives are shaken by an ominous crowd of people gathering around their house, simply staring. As soon as I started reading the book I found that it wasn’t exactly what I had expected but I was kept intrigued by the mystery of where the 'Starers' came from and why they were so transfixed by the Keene household. Overall I think the idea behind the book was interesting, unique and certainly creepy, but sadly I just didn’t love it." - @sawyerandscout
"Hard to read as all older classics are but still good and a great telling of Jason and Medea’s tale. I’ve heard all about Jason and Medea but never actually read their story so it was fun to read part of a new myth I wasn’t familiar with. It’s an odd section of the Golden Fleece expedition but I enjoyed it and now want to find a copy of the full version!" - @sofilly
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Thank you to everyone who shared photos and mini reviews over on social media throughout the month. We loved seeing your picks for our February prompt and were impressed by just how quickly some of you finished reading them!
Below are a selection of our favourite images and mini reviews shared over on Instagram - there will also be a roundup of photos in our latest newsletter which hits inboxes tomorrow morning.
THE LAST QUESTION BY ISAAC ASIMOV
"Originally published in the November 1956 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly, The Last Question is a very short story (according to Goodreads it's only 9 pages long!) that you can read online. It's very Sci-Fi, but this mind-blowing wee story somehow fits science, technology, philosophy and theology all into a very short space of time ('space and time' may or may not be a very apt turn of phrase for this tale - you'll have to read it to find out). A friend recommended it to me, and I'm glad I sat down and read it. If you're interested, you can find it here online, and it will only take about 15 - 20 minutes to read." - @anjalikay
STARGIRL BY JERRY SPINELLI
"I was startled at first to start reading this book and discover it wasn't from the perspective of the title-named Stargirl, but rather from a boy called Leo who is at the school that Stargirl comes bursting into. But once I got over that initial that-wasn't-what-I-was-expecting feeling, I settled in for the story which was around 186 pages. Very briefly, it tells the tale of a high school in Mica, Arizona, who is heavily impacted by the sudden appearance of home-schooler, Stargirl. She explodes into their lives in a shower of quirky clothes, a ukulele, and a question formed around her by the entire student body: Who is Stargirl? Why is she so different? It's a beautiful wee story about non-conformity, about standing out because you're different, and for fearlessly being yourself. 5/5 from me, and I recommend picking up before the movie comes out later this year." - @anjalikay
STARERS BY NATHAN ROBINSON
"This month I chose to read Starers by Nathan Robinson, a book which had been sitting on my Kindle for quite a while. The story centres around the Keene family whose lives are shaken by an ominous crowd of people gathering around their house, simply staring. As soon as I started reading the book I found that it wasn’t exactly what I had expected but I was kept intrigued by the mystery of where the 'Starers' came from and why they were so transfixed by the Keene household. Overall I think the idea behind the book was interesting, unique and certainly creepy, but sadly I just didn’t love it." - @sawyerandscout
JASON AND MEDEA BY APOLLONIUS OF RHODES
"Hard to read as all older classics are but still good and a great telling of Jason and Medea’s tale. I’ve heard all about Jason and Medea but never actually read their story so it was fun to read part of a new myth I wasn’t familiar with. It’s an odd section of the Golden Fleece expedition but I enjoyed it and now want to find a copy of the full version!" - @sofilly
We'll be introducing March's book club tomorrow so don't forget to check back!
Use the hashtag #bookshelfbookclub and tag @bloggersbookshelf to share your photos and mini reviews with us throughout the month.