Tiny Book Club, Big City | FIL 002
“We read to know we’re not alone.”
Apart from video games and my husband, there is nothing I love more than books and friends. To connect with another human being over a shared interest is euphoric, a simple pleasure based solely on the reminder that you are not alone in your joy. Upon moving to the other side of the world I was wondering how I could chase this feeling, because I rightly recognised that the quickest route to my unhappiness was isolation. We are fortunate to have so many friends here but London is a very big city, and life gets very busy very fast. This was why I started my teeny weeny bookclub. It was really just an excuse to talk about cool shit with cool people, a not-at-all-serious commitment every month that invited a bit of conversation, an opening of the mind and soul to people different from each other. I think each of us is learning a lot, about ourselves, about the world, about what it means to be human, all from a few words on a page. And if nothing else it’s a good laugh, which might just be my favourite part of it.
Hampstead Heath
My goal was never to expand, so only 4 of us were regular contributors for a long time. It was easy that way, we just chatted as friends do, about the book and beyond. Each of us gets a turn to pick 3 books from our to-read list and the most popular vote is the choice of the month. This method has really broadened our flavour profiles, forcing us to eat dishes we would never order from the menu. Romance enjoyers try their first taste of magical realism, fantasy nuts take a sip of non-fiction, mystery nerds nibble at sci-fi. It has all been fascinating, eye-opening and delicious. And we always have a lot to discuss, but our favourite question is “who would you cast if you were to make this into a movie”. Timothee Chalamet is constantly making an appearance, because of course he does.
Here is the list of books we have read so far and the most important take-aways from our discussions. As you can see, it’s a bit of everything.
The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Arden | The fact that this entire book takes place in the space of a couple of months is wild. The world is cool, the goblin boi is also cool. The fact they are not human is the only thing that makes this a fantasy. Timothee Chalamet could play Maia, the main character. It’s the curls.
Killers of the Flower Moon - David Grann | Wow wtf. Also, wtf. We watched the movie, but the book felt more real in a sense. This one was difficult to read, for the content and also the majority of us are not regular non-fiction readers. Timothee Chalamet could play one of the awful henchmen probably.
Kafka on the Shore - Haruki Murakami | A seriously weird experience. Mixed reviews all around, but the way everything tied up at the end was *chefs kiss*. Timothee Chalamet shouldn’t really play anyone in this movie but could potentially get away with portraying a pimp Colonel Sanders if appropriately costumed. I for one, would love to see that.
A Court of Thorns and Roses - Sarah J Maas | Somewhat disappointed by the lack of faerie porn we were promised. Lots of jokes about golden masks and purring though. Most of us thought it was terrible, one of us absolutely adored it. Timothee Chalamet could play Rhysand, but only just.
Daunt Books, Marylebone
City of Thieves - David Benioff | A banger of a book. Is funny, sad, informative, action packed, crude, vulnerable, literally everything all at once. Rated highly across the board. Timothee Chalamet would fit right in as Kolya.
Island of Missing Trees - Elif Shafak | Gorgeous prose, learnt a lot about Cypress. Could very much relate to the perspective of a second gen immigrant, an experience I could share with the others. Timothee Chalamet as a young Kostas of course!
Clytemnestra - Costanza Casati | Visceral in emotion but lacking in a solid ending. But what can you really expect from a Greek tragedy? Everyone is awful. Beautiful writing though. Timothee Chalamet is absolutely Odysseus and I will die on this hill.
If We Were Villains - M.L. Rio | Mystery meets Shakespeare meets melodramatic teenagers. I can’t say I liked it but many of the others did. The integration of Shakespearian quotes was both masterful and pretentious. Timothy Chalamet is a perfect Alexander.
And there you have it. An up to date report on fuck it list 002. Now that we have a few more people, our horizons have continued to expand. But that’s only a bonus. I’m not usually one to lead people, preferring to leave it up to the more comfortable to take the reigns. So it has been a learning curve, and a bit of a challenge in growth. I never really intended that to be so, but I guess some of the most valuable lessons come about that way.
Happily ticking off Fuck It List 002 - start a bookclub! I will likely continue this into 2025 because it’s a good test of confidence for me. I don’t know why but the devil on my shoulder keeps telling me nobody actually wants to attend, which is honestly a bit dramatic and entirely untrue. But anyway, if you’re in London and you want to read books, hit me up :) we’d love to have you.
