September’s Bring Your Own Book (B.Y.O.B.) was sprinkled with themes around the natural world, dark folklore, monsters, post-apocalyptic fiction, and secluded societies as well as one manual for social change. Here were the picks for the month.
Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard (Penguin Books Ltd. £20.00) was an interesting exploration of the nature of trees, their interdependency and the development of permaculture. The book links the scientific development of trees to changes in the author’s own life, charting the social and scientific changes in the usually male-dominated world of Forestry.
Uprooted by Naomi Novik (Pan Macmillian, £8.99) was a YA Medieval era fantasy pick with a more sinister dark forest. An aged wizard protects the people of a magical land in a valley. Every ten years a girl from the village is chosen to become a housemaid to the wizard, the chosen always return but are forever changed. The book has strong themes of female friendship.
The Owl Service by Alan Garner (Harper Collins, £6.99) continued the folklore theme by transporting us to Wales where something is scratching around in the attic of Alison’s house. A blended family sees the two child protagonists uncover the mystery of the owl service and get tangled up in a common creation myth about love and betrayal which has repeated itself in that community for generations.
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry (Profile Books Ltd, £8.99) was our final monster. 1893. A budding female naturalist becomes widowed and decides to leave London for Essex; to find the fabled Essex serpent. She meets Will Ransome, a local minister and a clash between science and religion ensues as the superstitious locals begin to blame the Essex Serpent for everything wrong in their community.
The Chimes by Anna Smaill (Hodder and Stoughton, £9.99)From myths and monsters to a post-apocalyptic world, The Chimes addresses a society whose short term memory frequently fails them, but whose muscle-memory has been retained. It’s a world in which the written word has been lost and music is the only form of communication. The book is an interesting exploration of relationships, memory and loss, illustrated through musical terms.
Disobedience by Naomi Alderman (Penguin Books Ltd, £8.99) was a marked departure into the everyday realities of an insular Orthodox Jewish community in Hendon, Barnet, London. Ronit, who is gay, left the community to start an independent life but is called back to it after the death of her father, the community’s rabbi. Her return, as you might expect, causes friction.
Paint Your Town Red: How Preston Took Back Control and You Can Too by Matt Brown (Watkins Media, £10.99) was our final book. The book aims to act as a manual to teach and empower communities how to move towards plural ownership. Citing The Preston Model, the book explores community wealth-building and dares to show the reader how things can be done differently for everyone’s benefit.
It was a great night with interesting discussion and a few laughs, the majority of the above for each book has been quoted from each reader to get the most authentic impression. The next free B.Y.O.B. will be held at 7PM on Zoom on the 19th November 2021. Tickets via Eventbrite. We hope to see you there!
