Need a Read Book Club explores Orbital by Samantha Harvey

Please join Karen Lane and the Need a Read Book Club for an in-depth discussion on the 2024 Booker Prize winning book, Orbital by Samantha Harvey (published by Vintage). Novelist, playwright, theatre director, lecturer and beloved English teacher at St John’s College, Craig Higginson will lead our discussion. Drinks and snacks will be served.

The What?: Need a Read Book Club meets every other month for an informal and interactive lecture on an award-winning contemporary novel, with the odd classic thrown in. A respected literary academic or personality, who is known to be an entertaining and good speaker, leads the discussion. You’ll have a drink and a snack while listening to the speaker. There will be time for questions and answers, and at the end, of course, a chance to engage with other keen readers on matters bookish. After each session, you will be given about 2 months’ notice of the next book to be discussed, which will give you time to read it and return curious to learn more. 

The Why?: Many of us are keen readers, excited by the brilliance of fiction. Not many of us studied English literature beyond the compulsory set-works we were given at school and may be keen to learn and delight in literature at a slightly more formal level. Upon finishing a wonderful book, we often feel mesmerized by its brilliance, but also overwhelmed or confused and suspect we have not grasped the entirety of what the novelist was trying to achieve or where the work fits in, in relation to other similar works. Some of us may perhaps wonder, why did it deserve to be shortlisted or win a literary award? Or maybe we may even wish to debate its merits with other keen readers? Hopefully, you will join us to learn more about certain wonderful novels in a non-intimidating environment and to hear brilliant speakers discuss and explain a subject that they are passionate about and know so well.