In December’s Bring Your Own Book (B.Y.O.B.) we’re stepping boldly into the festive season. Our themes included two road trips, a trip through time, explorations of love and toxicity, and dedication to small town team football.
Home by Seven: One Woman’s Journey to Ride all Seven Continents on Two Wheels by Stephanie Jeavon (published by the author, £13.99)
This was our non-fiction book of the night. Home by Seven chronicles the four year long journey of Stephanie Jeavon across seven continents, after having been released from prison and after fighting drug addiction. She undertook the journey on her 250 Honda motorbike and blogged the entire experience. This book is ideal for those craving an escape from Christmas goings-on.
Carol by Patricia Highsmith (Bloomsbury Publishing, £8.99)
This is the story of a department store clerk, Therese, who works on the doll counter at Christmas. One day the rich, beautiful, and complicated Carol arrives and they become friends. Therese begins to admit to feeling something like love, and when the two women go on a road trip together, only to be tailed by a private detective, the stakes prove higher than previously thought.
Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford (Faber & Faber, £8.99)
Our next book set in South London was inspired by the real event of a bomb falling on the town of Detford in the 1940s resulting in a loss of life for many women and children. The author speculates what might have happened if this event hadn’t happened, and follows each of his characters’ lives from the 1940s-1990s through era defining moments and rites of passage.
All About Love by bell hooks (Harper Collins Publishers, £10.99)
Our second non-fiction book was a thoughtful and philosophical book about various kinds of love as seen through the prism of bell hooks’ feminist philosophy. It explores the full gamut of love, (not just romantic) with a different type of love discussed in each chapter. The author’s overarching idea is that of living life by applying an ‘ethic of love’ to all that we do.
My Husband’s Wives by Faith Hogan (Head of Zeus, £7.99)
A man dies, only for his wives (and daughter) to discover each other’s existence. This is the story of a subtly manipulative character, but it’s also a story of female rediscovery of the self as each woman comes to terms with both loss and change. Lastly it’s a story about what we give up for those we love, and ultimately not risking losing ourselves in the process.
How Steeple Sinderby Wonderers Won the FA Cup by J.L. Carr (various publishers on Gardners, price range £7.99-£9.00)
Humorous fiction with a sporty angle encapsulates our last novel’s offering. We follow the exploits of fictional local football team the Steeple Sinderby Wonderers. The team itself makes for an interesting study of men from a range of professions who are bonded together by their love of the beautiful game. Told with lashings of comedy and the odd truism, this was a light end to our B.Y.O.B. evening.
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 in the new year
Tickets via Eventbrite. We hope to see you there!
