Book Club

Recap by member David Castle. There is nothing more inspiring than to hear a speaker who is passionate about their subject. Greg de Moore, co-author of Finding Sanity was inspirational at our literary lunch on June 18. The book is about Dr John Cade, a little-known Australian hero who discovered lithium as a cure for [...]

By member Nichole Donovan. Set against the backdrop of post-Revolutionary Russia, A Gentleman in Moscow brings a remarkable period of history vividly to life through the story of Count Alexander Rostov, who is sentenced to lifelong house arrest within Moscow's grand Hotel Metropol. Though written in recent years, the novel possesses the charm and elegance [...]

By member Ken Glover. A large turnout of members met in the Club on Tuesday, 28 April last to discuss their feelings about this book. Most discussion centred on the merits of the Booker Prize award for 2025. There was significant praise for the compelling story of the central character, Istavan, a young Hungarian [...]

By member David Castle. In 1948, aged 36, Dr John Cade (Australian psychologist) discovered lithium as a cure for bipolar disorder. This book is a full-scale biography of Cade. Having spent over 3 years in Changi, single-handedly Cade experimented with lithium and came up with a cure – which is now the world-wide gold [...]

Recap by Peter Werner. Last Tuesday, the Book Club met and discussed this book, which explores how famous authors’ lives and creative processes were influenced by their cats. Most in the group enjoyed the book, and almost everybody commented positively on the staggering amount of detail and research that went into it. The vignette-style format [...]

By member Nichole Donovan A "Spooky, Eerie, Fun" or "Boring As Bats" read - depending on your perspective! Our group gave the book a solid 7/10, and the discussion about it, we gave a 9/10. We explored how the supernatural fits naturally into Victorian society and the dangers of being too polite within it, [...]

Tuesday 25 November at 17:30 in the Members Bar. Step into the chilling world of one of literature’s most iconic horror stories! Our next Book Club selection is Bram Stoker’s classic novel, Dracula. Set in the late 1800s, the story follows a young Englishman’s journey to a remote Transylvanian castle, a trip that [...]

Recap by member Peter Werner. Book Club members (including 2 new members) met in the Club on Tuesday 28 October, over a glass of wine, to discuss the October reading: “The Bomber Mafia” by author Malcolm Gladwell. This story, set in WW2, is a case study which explored the view that long-range heavy bomber [...]

Report by Ian Pendleton This month, the Book Club discussed Paul Kalanithi’s remarkable memoir, When Breath Becomes Air.  A young neurosurgeon with a love of literature, Paul is on the brink of completing his training when he is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer.  Members found the book profoundly moving and beautifully written. Topics discussed [...]

Report by John Olovich Most readers of the book found the exposé on the environment by Naomi Klein overwhelming but enlightening. It covered aspects of climate change, its man-made causes and possible solutions in detail, which was reiterated with well-researched evidence. Members of the book club found the author's propositions for positive change to [...]