Fancie book Club


Wednesday saw me attempt to make it to the Fancie bookclub for the 2nd time. Last month I tried, I cram re-read the book
{having not realised I’d already read it until I was half way through} I thought
carefully about the questions. I tweeted about it. And then I turned up a day
late. I know. Massive ditz right? 
But this month I knew I had it spot on with
the dates, I’d checked them a couple of times. It was just the reading I wasn’t so confident with*. And so, with
the book club on the Wednesday, I started reading on Tuesday morning. As luck would
have it, I was so poorly that doing anything but laying on the sofa reading made
my body hurt.

Our book this month was ‘When God was a Rabbit’ by Sarah Winman, a title, which despite
the pretty cover {my usual reason for choosing a book}, would have put me off
if it was up to me. I am not one for reading about religion. But I’ll let you
in on a secret – it’s not really about God, or religion, at all. Without giving
too much away, and this might be hard as there is so so much that happens in the book, it’s about a little girl and
her journey through life with her family, told in the beginning from her,
unique, childlike perspective, then we pick up the story again in her adult
like. I wasn’t all that sure about the style when I picked up the book,
especially about the not-finding-out-what’s-actually-happened-until-a-few-pages-later
bit of her style, but I grew to love it. I grew to, not love, but really like
the main characters – I could even ignore some of the bits that really annoyed me about the book once I got into it. I laughed, really, actually ‘LOL’d’ and I’ll admit to having had a
little cry but I won’t say why in case you fancy a read.  
My only complaint would be
the sheer number of events and story lines that appear – it had me confused
trying to remember them all and a couple of times during our discussions bits came up that I had forgotten about! 

Have you read it? What did you think? I know a
couple of people have mentioned that they didn’t ‘get it’ to me, and I think,
especially in my skim-reading, illness infused daze I might not have if I wasn’t
acutely aware I’d be discussing it!

And so, to my first meeting. 
I love Fancie cakes, like
really love them – they’re always really moist and the frosting is uber sickly
and sweet – just the way I like it – so I was pretty excited to be having the
bookclub at their main {original} store on Sarrowvale. Faith, the super sweet lady who organises the club, even text to ask what cake we’d like reserving {and maybe remind people like me that it was on!} I went with a white choc and berry cake, and a raspberry lemonade, and quietly took a seat on the pretty cushions with the rest of the readers. I have this issue in new situations – I am either that douchecanoe
who’s all ‘me me me’ or I am silly quiet. For the first half hour of the bookclub,
as it became apparent some people knew each other, I became the quiet me. I sat
awkwardly and observed. I snapped some secret squirrel shots because my ‘can I take a
pic for my blog’ me disappeared. But I found me again and I think I managed to
hold my own a little with some opinions – some opinions that I hope didn’t make me
look too eejit-y. I gathered it was the first time attending for a few of us too so I guess they were in the same boat. and a few of us even hung about for a little chat afterwards. 

And I ate cake, and drank pink lemonade. I talked about book geekery. What more could you want?
Next month we have a ‘boy’ book – Our Kind of Traitor by John Le CarreI might even get it on the Kindle – it sounds like the
sort of thing the boy might also like to read.  
*Having this puppy seems to be swallowing hours and hours of
my time, just poooof gone! How do you people with kids do it? 

6 comments

  1. Now I'm interested in the book, thanks!
    Belvoir Raspberry Lemonade is fantastic. I need to have my book club meet in a cake shop- YUM!

    1. You should definitely give it a go. It was far more interesting than I imagined. And it was my first time on the lemonade – Liked it so much I bought a big bottle this weekend.

  2. I've read the book and loved it! Agree with you about the sheer number of stories that went on. Sometimes I couldn't work out what characters knew what. Oh, but the rabbit !! I'd love to join a bookclub, like.. Although I know I'd leave it last min to read the book like you! Haha.

    HELen

    pierrelecat

    1. It seems to be the story of my life at the moment – leaving things until the last minute. Books, blogging, everything!
      I did get the impression there had been some cram reading going on by other thoguht so i didn't feel too bad!

  3. Sounds lovely! Our book club meets on Wednesday and it's my book pick. I haven't yet read the book or book the restaurant where we're meeting. I have to get on it!

    1. Ooooh, what did you pick to read? Hope you managed to get through it and meeting in a restaurant sounds like a great plan.

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