Book Circle

The Book Circle meets monthly in members’ homes.

Each month we all have the same book to read, ordered by our group leader and provided by Ash Library. The choice comes from members’ suggestions, and we aim to choose books that are both enjoyable and thought provoking.

Lively discussions on the book take place at each meeting and everyone’s opinion is respected, no matter how opposed it is to that of others. After our discussion, we give each book a score out of 10 and a one-word reaction. All this is followed by tea and biscuits, and sometimes cake!

We don’t charge a subscription, but do ask for a small contribution of about £5 a year to cover library reservation costs. If you are interested in joining, then please contact the group leader.

Some books that we have read recently, with ratings out of 10, are :

• The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie KInsella 6.7
• The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy 8.5
• Akin by Emma Donoghue 8.4
• The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsythe 8.0
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J K Rowling 9.1
• The House of Glass by Susan Fletcher 8.2

Next Meeting: October 18th at 2:30pm – the book of the month is Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier..

Here is a brief review of this month’s book.

The Day of the Jackal, by Frederick Forsythe, concerns a fictional attempt on the life President de Gaulle in 1963, instigated by the dissident group the OAS, who were unhappy that De Gaulle has ceded power in the French colony of Algeria to the Algerians.

After several failed attempts, they decide to employ a professional assassin to do the job. The book follows the assassin as he prepares for his task and the security services’ attempts to catch him. It provides a detailed account of the rather basic and slow methods in use at that time to detect criminals, and how to avoid detection. The book starts slowly but eventually becomes more exciting leading to a dramatic conclusion.

The group mostly enjoyed the book, despite its slow start, using words such as dense and exciting to describe it, and scoring it an average of 8 out of 10.

Day & Time: 3rd Friday in the Month at 2:30pm
Venue: Members’ Homes

Last updated on 21 September 2026 by Graham (Chair)