Great as ever to have a good turnout with a mix of familiar faces and several first time attendees. Hope you all enjoyed yourself as much as I did. The discussion was, as ever, stimulating and entertaining. Both books we reviewed had plenty of fans... Tyll scoring slightly higher (69) than The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner (65). For October we have a classic early 20th century novella and a contemporary metafiction novel. Please note, with thanks, we appreciate attendees making a contribution of £1.50 at the meeting to help cover meetup charges. Happy Reading. **The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka** (nominated by Orest) As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a monstrous vermin. Gregor attempts to adjust to his new condition as he deals with being burdensome to his parents and sister, who are repelled by the horrible creature Gregor has become. Dealing with the unexplained horror, his dark humour and his humanity is constantly re-evaluated. Gregor is literally living within a thought experiment, making the Metamorphosis a classic short story. **The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall** (nominated by Jo) Eric Sanderson wakes up in a place he doesn’t recognise, unable to remember who he is. All he has left are journal entries recalling Clio, a perfect love now gone. As he begins to piece his memories back together, Eric finds that he is being hunted by a creature that moves in language, that swims through the currents of human interaction. With the help of his cynical cat Ian, Eric must search for the Ludovician, the force that is threatening his life, and Dr Trey Fidorus, the only man who knows the truth. Other books nominated were: You Weren't Meant to be Human by Andrew Joseph White A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy by Tia Levings The Sportswriter by Richard Ford I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

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