ShelterBox Book Club event archive

8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster by Mirinae Lee

A unique and celebrated work of fiction chronicling the life of a remarkable woman.Ms Mook’s story was a beguiling, complex tale of love and survival that kept us riveted – and speculating – until the very end thank’s to Lees beautiful writing and deft storytelling. We read 8 Lives of a Century-Old Trickster between July and August 2024. 

To begin our discussion week, we hosted a fascinating discussion with our members! That event took place on the 14th of August 2024. Watch here. 

We were then joined by Mirinae from her home in Hong Kong for a superb Q&A with our members.

Sidesplitter by Phil Wang

Phil Wang is adamant that his book is not a memoir, so let’s call it memoir-adjacent. In his comic observational essay collection based on the experiences of his life, he shares what it’s like to grow up between Malaysia and the UK, and how it affects your identity to call two places home. We read Sidesplitter by Phil Wang between April and May 2024.

Unfortunately Phil was on tour while we had our discussion week so he was unable to join us for a Q&A. However we had a brilliant discussion about the book nonetheless (which I would heartily recommend) on Tuesday 21st May.

Farewell Fountain Street by Selçuk Altun

A twisting turning ode to Samuel Beckett. Selçuk Altun’s delightfully debatable ‘thriller’ spins out from Istanbul to Switzerland, Ukraine and even the United Kingdom following the twin stories of Artvin and the mysterious Ziya. We read Farewell Fountain Street between January and February 2024. 

To begin our discussion week, we hosted a thrilling discussion really enlightening event with our members on the 26th of February 2024. Watch here.

We were then joined by Selçuk from Istanbul for a great Q&A with our members. 

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Our first spooky story came in the form of Mexican Gothic by New York Times bestseller Silvia Moreno-Garcia. Her gothic noir thriller combines the real horrors of eugenics and colonialism, with something a bit more fantastical. We read Mexican Gothic between November and December 2023. 

Our book club discussion on Mexican Gothic took place on the 6th of December 2023. You can watch it here.

In December 2023, Silvia joined us from her home in Vancouver for a Q&A in which she expounded on her inspirations and aims for the book. 

The Color of Air by Gail Tsukiyama

A spellbinding piece of historical fiction sees a small town in Hawai’i made up of Japanese migrants thrown into disarray when the local volcano Manu Loa threatens eruption. One family are forced to face their secrets as the clock ticks towards destruction. We read this book between August and September 2023. 

As we were reading The Color of Air horrific wildfires spread across Hawai’i which made for a unique discussion with our members new and old. Watch here.

We were then joined by Gail herself on the 14th of September who started her morning in San Francisco with a big dose of ShelterBox Book Club questions!

Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn

A lyrical and unflinching story about the dark underbelly of Jamaica and the twisted web of chaos wrought by colonialism and modern tourism. We read this book between May and June 2023. 

There was a lot to talk about in our discussion of Here Comes the Sun, the surprising and twist-ridden plot, the beautiful language, and the rich characters. Watch here.

Here Comes the Sun is undeniably a heavy read, but Nicole Dennis-Benn was a breath of fresh air and levity when she joined us for our Q&A on the 22nd of June 2023 from her home in New York, and it was fascinating to hear what we’d read into the text that she hadn’t intended.

My Pen is the Wing of a Bird – New Fiction by Afghan Women

My Pen is the Wing of a Bird is a groundbreaking collection of short stories from women in Afghanistan. The breadth and depth of the stories gives a new way of seeing Afghanistan and a powerful way to support women across the country. We read this book between February and March 2023. 

As you’d expect, our discussion was considerate, compassionate, and interesting. Together we found space for hope. Watch here.

We were also extremely pleased to be able to host a Q&A with Lucy Hannah, the director of UNTOLD who brought the book together, and one of the translators, Dr Negeen Kargar, herself an Afghan woman. They were able to talk brilliantly about how the collection was brought together, and their feelings on the situation in Afghanistan at that time.

A People’s History of Heaven by Mathangi Subramanian

This is the story of Heaven, a thirty-year-old slum hidden between high-rise apartment blocks and fancy office buildings in contemporary Bangalore. It is also the story of the girls who live there, and the community that are forced to stand up for their home in the face of endless modern expansion. We read A People’s History of Heaven between November and December 2022 

Our discussion on the 4th of January 2023 was completely joyful, filled with readings of our favourite passages, the power of community and our thoughts on the refreshing perspective of the book. Watch here.

Mathangi Subramanian joined us for an insightful Q&A where she talked about her inspirations, the realities of life in Bangalore, explained the narrator of the story and shared some beautiful images from a special photography project with the girls who inspired the book.

The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai

A firm favourite in the Book Club, The Mountains Sing (now an international bestseller) is a beautiful family saga that spans almost the whole of 20th century Việt Nam. Following the Trần family through many upheavals and moments of joy it is an invigorating, enlightening and emotional read. We read this book between September and October 2022. 

In our discussion on the 12th of October 2022, we talked about the characters connection to nature, the effect of childhood on memories, and Wynne shared her favourite proverb from the book: “He who sows the wind, will reap the storm”. Watch here.

Quế Mai is one of my favourite authors, she is so passionate about her writing and the stories she is able to tell, so generous with her time (she’s now an ambassador for ShelterBox), and so authentic in her communication. Our astonishing Q&A which includes a recital of some of her poetry is available here.

Mrs Mohr Goes Missing by Maryla Szymiczkowa

A bit of a marmite book this one, Mrs Mohr Goes Missing was Book Club’s first foray into cosy crime fiction. The book follows nosy socialite Zofia Turbotynska in her comic first run of solving mysteries around Victorian Krakow. We read this book between June and July 2022. 

In our discussion on the 21st July 2022, we talked about shifting opinions on Zofia, our unexpected learnings from that period of history, what social commentary there is in the book and I gave an update on the work of ShelterBox in Ukraine at that time. Watch here.

The Q&A with Jacek Dehnel and Piotr Tarcynski (who write collectively under the pseudonym Maryla Szymiczkowa) took place a few days later when they joined us from their shared home in Berlin. They talked candidly about how they write together, their relationship with their translator, and why they chose to write a detective story.

We Are Displaced by Malala Yousafzai with Liz Welch

A groundbreaking collection of testimonies from young women across the world who have been displaced. The book begins with Malala’s own experiences before, like a fireside chat, she passes attention across to some of the inspiring women and girls she’s met in her extraordinary life. We read the book between March and April 2022. 

In our discussion on the 27th April, we talked about who we thought the book was aimed at, what that did for our experience of reading, how timely it felt to read these stories at that point in time, and how important it was for refugees to be seen as more than statistics. Watch here.

We were lucky, then, to be joined by Liz Welch who helped to bring the compilation of stories together, working individually with each of the young women to help them tell their story, in their own words. Liz talked to us about that process, and was able to share updates of some of the women including Zaynab and Marie-Claire.

Black Mamba Boy by Nadifa Mohammed

An almost unbelievable story (if it were not based on the life of the authors father), about a young boy in the 1930s, who, in search of his father, walks across East Africa and up into the Middle East, beginning in Yemen, before entering Somalia, Djibouti, Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt before boarding a boat in Palestine destined for a small Welsh town. The journey is remarkable and the writing beautiful. We read this book in January and February 2022.  

Our discussion saw 50 people talking about their personal reflections on the text, which characters and locations drew us in, what other books it reminded us of, and what we thought of specific scenes. Watch here.

We had a technical snag in our recording of our Q&A with the Booker-nominated author Nadifa Mohammed where only the sound recorded, but as you and I both know, the best part of any story is the words. She talked about her writing process with her father, the decisions she made while editing the book and what she hoped the story conveyed to her readers. 

Tamesis Street

Flesh and Bone and Water by Luiza Sauma

Mr Loverman by Bernardine Evaristo

A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum