The Peninsula Arts Reading Group is open to all those who love reading and want to talk about books. We meet once a month on a Monday evening at 7.00pm in the upstairs Cafe area on the first floor of the Roland Levinsky Building of the University of Plymouth.
We read all types of fiction, with titles drawn from the book sets held by the Plymouth Central Library and the recommendations of members.
You can find details of our previous and forthcoming reads on this site. If you would like to join us please come along.
Contact Details
Joan Chandler: j.chandler@plymouth.ac.uk
Karen Cheek: Karen.cheek@plymouth.ac.uk
Start at 7pm in the Roland Levinsky Cafe – splitting off into another room (209/10) if we have a rather large group.
The group will not be meeting at the University on 12 December the next venue will be confirmed by email.
Previous Reads
Each meeting we give the book an overall score (out of 10).
Here’s what everyone thought of our previous reads…
The Distance between Us by Maggie O’Farrell – 5.2
Marina Lewycka Two Caravans -
Matthew Kneale Small Crimes in an Age of Abundance - 8.3
Andrew Nicoll The Good Mayor - 6.0
Sally Vickers Miss Garnet’s Angel - 5.7
Mitch Albom The Five People you Meet in Heaven – 5.7
Peter Murphy John the Revelator –
John Steinbeck Tortilla Flat -
William Boyd Restless -
Zoe Heller Notes on a Scandal — 7
Jane Austen Northanger Abbey — 5.8
J M Coetzee Disgrace – 7
Julian Barnes Metroland — ??
Mary Lawson The Other Side of the Bridge — 8.8
Jed Rubenfeld The Interpretation of Murder — 5.4
Babs Horton Recipes for Cherubs – ??
Haruki Murakami The Wild Sheep Chase — 3.5
Jonathan Safran Foer Extremely Close and Incredibly Loud — 4.9
Patrick Gale Notes from an Exhibition – 5.8
Aravind Adiga The White Tiger – 7
Central Library book sets list, courtesy of Sue Lancaster:
| Title | Large Print available | Spoken Word available |
| Charmian Hussey: Valley of Secrets | On request | |
| Gervase Phinn: Up & Down in the Dales | On request | On request |
| Mary Lawson: The other Side of the Bridge | ||
| Julian Stockwin: Kydd | On request | On request |
| Maggie O’Farrell: The Distance Between Us | On request | |
| Joseph O’Connor: Star of the Sea | On request | On request |
| Haruki Murakami: The Wild Sheep Chase | ||
| Rupa Bajwa: The Sari Shop | ||
| Zoe Heller: Notes on a Scandal | Yes | On request |
| David Almond: The Fire Eaters | ||
| Michel Faber: The Crimson Petal & the White | ||
| Angela Carter: Nights at the Circus | ||
| Jane Gardam: Queen of the Tambourine | ||
| Alexander Masters: Stuart – A Life Backwards | ||
| Nigel Slater: Toast | On request | |
| Phillipa Gregory: The Other Boleyn Girl | On request | |
| Patrick Neate: Musungu Jim | ||
| Wladyslaw Szpilman: The Pianist | Yes | |
| Salley Vickers: Miss Garnet’s Angel | Yes | |
| Barbara Pym: Quartet in Autumn | ||
| Geraldine Brooks: Year of Wonders | On request | |
| Dan Rhodes: Timoleon Vieta Come Home | ||
| Matthew Kneale: Small Crimes in an Age of Abundance (Short stories) | ||
| Anne Tyler: The Amateur Marriage | On request | On request |
| Clare Chambers: Learning to Swim | On request | |
| Zadie Smith: Autograph Man | Yes | |
| Graham Greene: The End of the Affair | ||
| Stella Gibbons: Cold Comfort Farm | ||
| Anita Brookner: Bay of Angels | On request | On request |
| Ann Patchett: Bel Canto | On request | On request |
| EF Benson: Mapp & Lucia | On request | |
| Margaret Forster: The Battle for Christabel | On request | |
| Patrick Gale: A Sweet Obscurity | ||
| Jane Austen: Northanger Abbey | ||
| Arthur Golden: Memoirs of a Geisha | On request | |
| Jed Rubenfield: Interpretation of Murder | ||
| Kate Atkinson: Case Histories | On request | On request |
| Marge Piercy: Three Women | ||
| Chris Stewart: Almond Blossom Appreciation Society | On request | |
| Bill Bryson: A Short History of Nearly Everything | On request | |
| Julian Barnes: Metroland | ||
| Kazuo Ishiguro:Never Let Me Go | On request | On request |
| Paul Coelho: The Alchemist | On request | |
| Mark Haddon: A Spot of Bother | On request | On request |
| Daphne Du Maurier: Rebecca | On request | |
| Jasper Fforde: The Eyre Affair | On request | |
| John Rabe: The Good German of Nanking | ||
| Deborah Lawrenson: Songs of Blue & Gold | ||
| Tibor Fischer: Good to be God | ||
| Dennis Lehane: Shutter Island | ||
| Stef Penney: The Tenderness of Wolves | On request | |
| William Boyd: Restless | On request | |
| Imran Ahmad: Unimagined | ||
| Kurt Vonnegut: Slaughterhouse 5 | ||
| William Gibson: The Difference Engine | ||
| Eric Sykes: If I Don’t Write it Nobody Else Will | ||
| Tony Black: Paying for It | On request | |
| Nicole Krauss: The History of Love | On request | On request |
| Khaled Hosseini: The Kite Runner | On request | On request |
| Jake Arnott: True Crime | ||
| Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Love in the Time of Cholera | ||
| Edward Rutherfurd: Sarum | ||
| Marina Lewycka: Two Caravans | On request | On request |
| Dan Gardner:Risk | ||
| John Steinbeck: Tortilla Flat | ||
| Curtis Sittenfeld: American Wife |
| Title | Large Print available | Spoken Word available |
| Charmian HusseyValley of secrets | On request | |
| Gervase PhinnUp & down in the Dales | On request | On request |
| Mary LawsonThe other side of the bridge | ||
| Julian StockwinKydd | On request | On request |
| Maggie O’FarrellThe distance between us | On request | |
| Joseph O’ConnorStar of the sea | On request | On request |
| Haruki MurakamiThe wild sheep chase | ||
| Rupa BajwaThe sari shop | ||
| Zoe Heller: Notes on a scandal | Yes | On request |
| David Almond: The fire eaters | ||
| Michel Faber: The crimson petal & the white | ||
| Angela Carter: Nights at the circus | ||
| Jane Gardam: Queen of the tambourine | ||
| Alexander Masters: Stuart – a life backwards | ||
| Nigel Slater: Toast | On request | |
| Phillipa Gregory: The other Boleyn girl | On request | |
| Patrick Neate: Musungu Jim | ||
| Wladyslaw SzpilmanThe Pianist | Yes | |
| Salley VickersMiss Garnet’s Angel | Yes | |
| Barbara Pym: Quartet in Autumn | ||
| Geraldine BrooksYear of wonders | On request | |
| Dan RhodesTimoleon Vieta come home | ||
| Matthew KnealeSmall crimes in an age of abundance(Short stories) | ||
| Anne TylerThe amateur marriage | On request | On request |
| Clare ChambersLearning to swim | On request | |
| Zadie Smith: Autograph Man | Yes | |
| Graham Greene: The end of the affair | ||
| Stella Gibbons: Cold comfort farm | ||
| Anita Brookner: Bay of angels | On request | On request |
| Ann Patchett: Bel Canto | On request | On request |
| EF Benson: Mapp & Lucia | On request | |
| Margaret Forster: The battle for Christabel | On request | |
| Patrick Gale: A sweet obscurity | ||
| Jane AustenNorthanger Abbey | ||
| Arthur GoldenMemoirs of a geisha | On request | |
| Jed RubenfieldInterpretation of murder | ||
| Kate AtkinsonCase Histories | On request | On request |
| Marge PiercyThree women | ||
| Chris StewartAlmond blossom appreciation society | On request | |
| Bill BrysonA short history of nearly everything | On request | |
| Julian Barnes: Metroland | ||
| Kazuo Ishiguro: Never let me go | On request | On request |
| Paul Coelho: The alchemist | On request | |
| Mark Haddon: A spot of bother | On request | On request |
| Daphne Du Maurier: Rebecca | On request | |
| Jasper Fforde: The Eyre affair | On request | |
| John Rabe: The good German of Nanking | ||
| Deborah Lawrenson: Songs of blue & gold | ||
| Tibor Fischer: Good to be God | ||
| Dennis Lehane: Shutter island | ||
| Stef PenneyThe tenderness of wolves | On request | |
| William BoydRestless | On request | |
| Imran AhmadUnimagined | ||
| Kurt VonnegutSlaughterhouse 5 | ||
| William Gibson The difference engine |
||
| Eric Sykes: If I don’t write it nobody else will | ||
| Tony Black: Paying for it | On request | |
| Nicole Krauss: The history of love | On request | On request |
| Khaled Hosseini: The kite runner | On request | On request |
| Jake Arnott: True crime | ||
| Gabriel Garcia Marquez: Love in the time of cholera | ||
| Edward Rutherfurd: Sarum | ||
| Marina Lewycka: Two caravans | On request | On request |
| Dan Gardner:Risk | ||
| John Steinbeck: Tortilla flat | ||
| Curtis Sittenfeld: American Wife |
