Sunset still life through a window

'If anyone doesn't yet have a blip, look out of the window now!' said Arclight from the sofa at our book group meeting hosted by Winsford* tonight.

Those seated directly opposite the window had the best view of the light show, so I passed my iPhone over to E and she took this shot for me. This caused some amusement because E is one of the non-blippers in our book group. Next time I should ask her to compose my text too...

Our book this month was LaRose by Louise Erdrich. I loved this novel. I particularly enjoyed the beauty in the poetry of Erdrich's writing style, the multiplicity of voices that tell the story, and the treatment of novel's main themes: atonement/revenge; kinship/estrangement; power/powerlessness; rejection/love; ancient/modern; dreams/reality... The apparently straightforward plot is subtly driven by the main characters' (largely unconscious) perspectives on these themes as they muddle through the consequences of their linked personal histories. I was gripped from the first chapter and (unusually for me) I was tempted to read the book a second time immediately after I finished it. I wanted to check page by page for the thematic links that I may have missed on my first reading.

Given my enthusiasm for this book I was keen to discover the others' opinion of it. Over the past two and a half years we have found that we all react differently to the texts selected for reading and discussion. This evening's verdict included strong approval from one member (me), and a lukewarm response from three. The others were not so keen on the novel - to the extent that they have not (yet) felt sufficiently motivated to finish it.

I find these monthly differences in opinion very interesting because until I joined my book group I only tended to discuss my reading with friends and relatives who share my literary tastes. It's great to have escaped this particular echo chamber.

In other news today I caught up with a host of post-holiday tasks today in readiness for my imminent return to work and more travelling later this week.

*With wonderful catering and dinner service provided by Mr Winsford.

Exercise today: sit-ups, weights and stretches; walking (17,737 steps).