HAJET Book Club: The First Meeting and the Next Book
Last month we kick started our first book club with reading fanatics from all over Hyogo (thanks for coming guys!). There were heated opinions, casual conversations and a spontaneous game of charades. For an unbiased review here’s Amy Kelly from Akashi:
An afternoon of high-brow literary analysis with a side of book-title charades.
Last month, Hyogo AJET had its first Book Club meeting. Seventeen people came and we chatted for a few hours about the book over delicious coffee and cake in the trendy Café Mamounia in Motomachi, Kobe.
The book was a thriller by SJ Watson about Christine, a woman who suffers from amnesia and forgets almost everything from her adult life every time she goes to sleep. Mostly we enjoyed it, it was quite tense and atmospheric… and, most importantly, an easy read for those boring free periods in school.
Book Club was a really nice way to spend an afternoon and a great way to make new friends. Why not come along next time? School exams are coming up and having a book to read might make them pass quicker!       – Amy Kelly
Plans were also made for the next Book Club meeting and, besides looking forward to sampling a new hidden Kobe cove, there’s a book to read too! Our second book was suggested by Christina Nguyen from Tatsuno- shi. Take it away Christina…
The Cuckoo’s Calling
By Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
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Cormoran Strike is a struggling private investigator who is barely making enough money to get by. Just when things seem to be at their worst, Strike is visited by a man named John Bristow who wants Strike to investigate the untimely death of his sister, Lula Landry. Three months earlier, Landry – a famous model – fell to her death from the balcony of her apartment. Although the police ruled the death a suicide, Bristow refuses to believe it, claiming he has evidence which proves Lula was murdered. With the help of his secretary Robin, Strike dives into the world of millionaires, rock stars, models, and fashion designers all in the hopes of answering the cuckoo’s calling.
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Rowling, writing under the pseudonym “Robert Galbraithâ€, has written a very compelling crime novel which will have you guessing until the end. While Harry Potter this is not, the story is very entertaining and Strike is a very likeable character. Rowling plans to turn this into a series with a sequel reportedly due out in 2014. “The Cuckoo’s Calling†is a must read for anyone who is a fan of mystery or detective novels.
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-Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Christina NguyenÂ
So there you go, take these happy members’ words for it and come join us next time for more literary fun! The book club meeting will be held on Sunday, December 8th from 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm at Macha Macha in Kobe. Hope to see you there!
Cherie
Book Club’s 2nd Meeting
The Cuckoo’s Calling (by Robert Galbraith)
Date: Sunday 8th December 2013
Time: 14:00-16:00
Meeting Place: Tits Park, next to Sannomiya Hankyu station
Venue: Macha Macha (本山ビル2F, 3 Chome-２-１３ Kitanagasadori, Chuo Ward, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan)
