What we’re about
We are decolonising our shelves!
The world is growing smaller every day. In today’s increasingly global culture, we all need to become familiar with other traditions, and literature provides an exciting and enjoyable mode of entry into the variety of the world’s cultures. A group for bibliophiles that seeks to go beyond the literary Western canon, but also with an interest in eclectic non-fiction. We are reading world fiction in alphabetical order—the next readings will cover Azerbaijan, the Bahamas and Bahrain
The theme for 2025 for non-fiction is the history, anthropology, sociology and evolutionary psychology of humankind. There'll be a quiz at the end of every discussion.
Gaia Books multilingual website and Youtube channel about everything bookish will be announced in the coming months.
Do you speak French and would like to be part of a reading group and other events in French? Join us here:
https://www.meetup.com/gaia-livres/
Do you speak Spanish and would like to be part of a reading group
and other events in Spanish?
https://www.meetup.com/gaia-libros/
While we have real debates over books, the environment of this group is intended as friendly, tolerant and informal. Diversity is welcomed.
Looking forward to connecting with you,
Mónica
Upcoming events (3)
See all- Homo Deus: A Brief History of TomorrowBurdock The Montcalm Royal London House Hotel , London
Hello, hello, Homo legens!
Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Harari, shifts the focus to the future, examining how technology, artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and data science might reshape humanity. With this read, we’ll continue building on the ideas of human progress and cultural evolution previously discussed, while tackling questions on how this could impact humanity's future and the core of what it means to be human.
We’ll have plenty of questions to spark the debate, followed by a fun team quiz to wrap up.
Interesting web sources:
https://lnk.bio/sapienship.lab
https://m.youtube.com/@YuvalNoahHarari
https://youtu.be/CGhTQ4iruLc?si=lOfx-QmfhvIfNdpW
Let’s travel in time!
- Ali and Nino—AzerbaijanBurdock The Montcalm Royal London House Hotel , London
Hello, hello, Homo legens!
We are continuing to decolonise our shelves by reaching the end of letter A.
The life of author Kurban Said is surrounded by mystery–a story as exotic as his fiction, as an article in The New Yorker revealed.
A cultural odyssey, Ali and Nino is a novel of passion, identity, and the collision of civilisations. Set in early 20th-century Azerbaijan, it follows the romance between Ali, a Muslim from the East, and Nino, a Christian from the West. Lushly written and deeply evocative, this book captures a world on the brink of change, where love struggles to transcend borders.
Translated into 30 languages, Ali and Nino is widely regarded as a literary masterpiece and since its rediscovery and global circulation, which began in 1970, it is commonly considered the national novel of Azerbaijan.
There is a film based on the novel directed by Asif Kapadia in 2016:
https://youtu.be/eJLW_LuyKnE?si=D2EVuYEVYlI1s6oa
Come and join us for an imaginary trip to Azerbaijan!
- A History of GodBurdock The Montcalm Royal London House Hotel , London
Hello, hello, Homo legens!
According to Karen Armstrong, the history of God is the history of humankind and, thus, we ought to know about it. As a non-believer and a staunch advocate for an anti-dogmatic life, I find myself wondering: will this book offer anything valuable to me?
What enticed me about this book is that the author approaches her research as an observer, consciously avoiding taking sides. But I’ll be honest, this is not my kind of reading. In fact, I failed my GCSE in Religious Studies, my teacher—a priest—was a moron who unjustly failed me because I dared to confront him about his questionable teachings. Do you want to know what he taught? Come to the book discussion and I’ll tell you all about it. Haha! I’m making this one exception to explore the history of human struggle—and, admittedly, to please Harry.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/History-God-Karen-Armstrong-ebook
Our next non-fiction reads will be:
5. The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber and David Wengrow
6. The Human Condition by Hannah Arendt
