Thursday book club schedule

DateHostBookGenre & Pages
Thursday 30 January 2025GraceDinosaurs at the Dinner Party, by Edward Dolnicknon-fiction, history (352 pages)
Thursday 27 February 2025Maren
Thursday 27 March 2025Felix?
Thursday 24 April 2025Stef?
Thursday 29 May 2025Kaja?
Thursday 26 June 2025Heddwen
Thursday 31 July 2025Kiki?
Thursday 28 August 2025David?
Thursday 25 September 2025
Thursday 30 October 2025
Thursday 27 November 2025

If your name has a question mark, it means I would like to give you that month, but I haven’t checked it with you yet. By all means, reach out to me and tell me if that month works for you or not.

The host is expected to announce their book at least two months in advance. Want to announce it even earlier? That’s fine!

How to choose a book:

  • We have found that the best discussions are about books that were also new to the host. Something you have been meaning to read for a while, but haven’t yet. Picking a book you love is dangerous, because your love for it can discourage others from voicing their opinion, and stifle the discussion. We don’t forbid it, but we don’t advise it.
  • If you are not sure what to choose, you can select three options and put it to a vote in the WhatsApp group.
  • We love book club for making us read books we would have never picked ourselves. At the same time, reading books outside your comfort zone for months on end can become tiresome. For this reason, we try to limit niche genres or topics. That doesn’t mean we never read these, just not too often. Niche genres include: (political) non-fiction, classic sci-fi, artist memoirs, translated works that are very country or culture-specific, horror, self-help, spirituality. If a book like that has been read quite recently, please choose another genre. If you’re uncertain if your selection is too niche, just ask in the WhatsApp group.
  • In extremely rare cases, a book might be rejected by the experienced members of the group, and you will be asked to make a different choice.

Established book club members can, to a limited extent, join other book club meetings, for example if they are unavailable for their regular evening. The Tuesday schedule is here, the Thursday schedule is here. Message Heddwen a few days before the meeting to get the location.

(The Thursday group doesn’t have a meeting in December because so many people aren’t around on that day. The Wednesday and the Tuesday groups DO have meetings in December, so Thursday-group members are invited to join them.)

We never change dates, not even if the host has to cancel due to illness or similar. In that case the host can send their questions to another member (often, but not necessarily, Heddwen), and the book club evening goes ahead at Heddwen’s place or in a public location.

Past books:

DateHostBookGenre
Thursday 29 September 2022HeddwenThe Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time / Mark HaddonYoung adult/ Mystery.
Thursday 27 October 2022DaniWalk through walls / Marina AbramovicMemoir
Thursday 24 November 2022GraceThe Circle / Dave EggersDystopian thriller
Thursday 15 December 2022HeddwenNo book. Social meetup at Weihnachtsmarkt.Christmas! Also: Freezing German cold.
Wednesday 18 January 2023FelixBook club movie night: Blade Runner
Thursday 26 January 2023FelixDo Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? / Philip K. DickThe science fiction novel from 1968 that inspired Blade Runner
Thursday 23 February 2023BecGood Omens / Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.Fantasy/ humour
Thursday 6 April 2023 (!)CindyPrimate change / Vybarr Cregan-Reidnon-fiction
Thursday 27 April 2023KikiThe Hours / Michael CunninghamCharacter-driven, historical novel (230 pages)
Thursday 25 May 2023LisaTomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow / Gabrielle ZevinCharacter-driven novel (416 pages)
Thursday 29 June 2023RikeEducated / Tara WestoverMemoir (352 pages)
Sunday 2 July 2023HeddwenPicnic!
Thursday 27 July 2023MartinaQualityLand / Marc-Uwe KlingScience fiction (352 pages)
Thursday 31 August 2023HeddwenThe Dictionary of Lost Words / Pip WilliamsCharacter-driven, historical novel (432 pages)
Thursday 28 September 2023JensSnow Crash / Neal StephensonClassic SF (448 pages)
Thursday 26 October 2023MarenThe Whisper Man / Alex NorthHorror (400 pages)
Thursday 30 November 2023GraceDemon Copperhead / Barbara KingsolverModern version of classic Dickens (560 pages)
DateHostBookGenre
Thursday 30 November 2023GraceDemon Copperhead / Barbara KingsolverModern version of classic Dickens (560 pages)
Sunday 17 December 2023No book: Xmas meetup
Thursday 25 January 2024FelixGentleman Overboard by Herbert Clyde LewisRediscovered novella (120 pages)
Thursday 29 February 2024 (!)BecHomegoing by Yaa GyasiHistorical fiction (320 pages)
Thursday 28 March 2024StefThe Fraud by Zadie SmithNovel based on real historical events (464 pages)
Thursday 25 April 2024Kiki‘Hard Boiled Wonderland and the end of the world’ by Haruki MurakamiNovel (416 pages)
Thursday 30 May 2024DavidBlood in the Machine by Brian Merchantnon-fiction (496 pages)
Thursday 27 June 2024EstherMy sister the serial killer by Oyinkan BraithwaiteNovel (240 pages)
Thursday 25 July 2024LisaNot the End of the World by Hannah Ritchienon-fiction (352 pages)
Thursday 29 August 2024CaoimheProphet Song by Paul LynchNovel (320 pages)
Thursday 26 September 2024RikeBaumgartner by Paul AusterNovel (200 pages)
Thursday 31 October 2024MartinaLessons in Chemistry by Bonnie GarmusNovel (400 pages)
Thursday 29 November 2024JensAfter the Ecstasy, the Laundry by Jack Kornfieldspiritual wisdom (336 pages)
Sunday 8 DecemberChristmas meetup
DateHostBookGenre & Pages
Thursday 30 January 2025
Thursday 27 February 2025
Thursday 27 March 2025
Thursday 24 April 2025
Thursday 29 May 2025
Thursday 26 June 2025
Thursday 31 July 2025
Thursday 28 August 2025
Thursday 25 September 2025
Thursday 30 October 2025
Thursday 27 November 2025

(Empty table makes Heddwen’s life easier once a year)