It is time to set up a new reading schedule! Make sure to join our planning session on April 11, 2024âonly those who participate in the reading selection may complain about it later. đ As a reminder, these are the rules and guidelines we have established as our book clubâs […]
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We discussed Alison McGheeâs What I Leave Behind and Lize Meddingsâs The Sad Ghost Club I on March 14, 2024. McGheeâs 2019 YA novel tells the story of sixteen-year-old Will, who tries to cope with the misery of his fatherâs suicide by doing some good in the world and to […]
We discussed Leigh Bardugoâs Ninth House on February 8, 2024. Set on the prestigious Yale campus, this 2019 fantasy novel introduces us to an unlikely Yale freshman: Galaxy âAlexâ Stern was raised by a hippie mother, dropped out of school, worked shady odd jobs, and solely survived an unsolved multiple […]
Paderborn University students exploring banned and challenged books and PADERBORN2READâThe English Book Club organized an event all about contested literature, the cultural and political discourses at work and the ethical dimensions of book censorship and banning. About thirty to fourty people participated in the event at any given time and […]
We discussed Rebecca F. Kuangâs Yellowface on January 11, 2024. This 2023 novel centers around authors June Hayward and Athena Liu. While June struggles to get her writing career going, Athena becomes a literary success story. When Athena dies in a freak accident, June acts on impulse: she steals not […]
This holiday season, we continued a book club tradition: the Secret Santa Book Swap. For this termâs December session, all fifteen participants selected a book that they have read and wanted somebody else to enjoy, too. The books were brought wrapped in paper, with only written teasers hinting at their […]
We discussed Kiersten Whiteâs Mister Magic on December 14, 2023. This 2023 novel follows the Circle of Friends, five former cast members of the 90s childrenâs programme âMister Magicâ, who survived a tragic accident that ended the showâs production. They have spent their lives looking for the special sense of […]
We discussed Edgar Allan Poeâs The Fall of the House of Usher and T. Kingfisherâs What Moves the Dead on November 9, 2023. The 1839/1840 tale by Poe makes us witnesses to the mysterious decline of a house and the horrifying demise of its inhabitants. The 2022 retelling by Kingfisher […]
Paderborn University students exploring banned and challenged books in a seminar lead by club members Andrea and Beth are collaborating with PADERBORN2READâThe English Book Club to organize an event all about contested literature, the cultural and political discourses at work and the ethical dimensions of book censorship and banning. We […]
What do you do when you have only five discussion slots to fill in a term but twenty-five book suggestions to fill them? Where do you lean when every single book pitch sounds intriguing? How do you cope when promising read after promising read has to be dropped? Well, you […]
Our reading list for winter term 2023/2024 has been completed and leads us into horror, suspense, and thrillâwhile still ending on a wholesome note. We start with a post-Halloween special on November 9, 2023 with some classic horror retold: The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe&What […]
Our club member Ronja smiled about this brilliant suggestion in a Twitter/X post by Lena Dunham: Letâs be reasonable and add an eighth day to the week that is devoted exclusively to reading. Lena Dunhamâs Twitter/X Let us prepare for that eighth day. It is time to set up a […]
We discussed Bonnie Garmusâs Lessons in Chemistry on September 21, 2023. Garmusâs 2022 best-selling novel centres on intellectually gifted chemist Elizabeth Zott and her struggles to work in scientific research as a woman in the 1950s and 1960s. And because chemistry and cooking are quite closely related, a culinary tweak […]
Those who are born2read enjoy literature in all its forms but, arguably, its most beautiful form has a shiny cover, coloured end papers, and pages smelling faintly of their wooden origin. We love books. And there are exciting news for all book lovers because PADERBORN2READâThe English Book Club is starting […]
We discussed Sherman Alexieâs Indian Killer on July 13, 2023. Alexieâs 1996 âfeel-good novel about interracial murderâ (according to the author) intertwines the personal life-story of John Smith, born native and adopted by white parents (evidently oblivious to Pocahontas), with the murder-mystery of a serial killer dubbed the âindian killerâ […]
We discussed Maia Kobabeâs Gender Queer: A Memoir on June 15, 2023 as part of our Pride Month Special. Kobabeâs 2019 graphic novel shows the authorâs own journey to eir non-binary gender identity and has been at the heart of the ongoing U.S. censorship debate. We talked about the text […]
We discussed Aiden Thomasâs Cemetery Boys on June 15, 2023 as part of our Pride Month Special. Thomasâs 2020 YA novel follows latinx trans boy Yadriel on his journey to acceptanceâby himself, his brujx community, and Lady Deathâand loveâwith Julian who kick-starts the plot as an accidentally summoned spirit and […]
Pride month sets the theme for this summer termâs June discussion session on June 15, 2023: Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas&Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe Thomasâs 2020 YA novel follows a latinx trans boy engaging with the Mexican death culture and features actual magic. Kobabeâs 2019 graphic novel […]