The Book Orphanage

17/07/2025

What if your mother disappeared and you don't know why?
What if the world you live in states that you had to marry before you were 30yrs?
What if witches are real?
What if you read our next book and joined us at our next meeting?
So many What Ifs!
We will be reading 'The Women Could Fly' by Megan Giddings and we'd love to know what you think!
Join us upstairs at Barnaby's, 6pm on Wednesday 20th August.
No need to book, it's free!
Please do share/download/print etc.
🤩Stella🤩

16/07/2025

Tonight's book club, although small in number still packed a punch when it came to reviewing The Promise by Damon Galgut! It was a real 'Marmite' book! In fact it practically split the room!
We scored out of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The average was 2.8 with equal high and low scoring!
Contrasting views of 'Beautifully written' - 'Depressing' -'Loving the parallels between South Africa and the family' - 'Unlikeable characters' - 'It had such promise but meandered too much for my liking'.
Next read to be posted tomorrow morning!

16/07/2025

Tonight we will be discussing 'The Promise' by Damon Galgut. We will also be rating it! Will it get ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️?
There's also a chance to recommend books for future reads and maybe a game!
See you soon!!
🤩Stella🤩

24/06/2025

Today I popped over Broomgrove Community Centre, part of Oasis Community Project - East Hastings and filled up their top shelf with a good genre of books for adults. The lower two shelves are mainly children's books which Sara Heeson from The National Literacy Trust keeps an eye on.
There is a huge range of activities and services offered for young and old here. It's definitely grown into something special for the community since my teenage years spent in the area!

22/06/2025

Guess who's got a new toy! And it works!! 🤩

21/06/2025

Topped up the free book shelves at Warrior Sq Station yesterday.

19/06/2025

📒Our next read will be The Promise by Damon Galgut.📒
A family saga spanning over four decades starting in South Africa, questioning morals through Apartheid and the relationship between White and Black South Africans.
The Promise also includes some slightly different styles of writing and we will be musing about how it impacts our reading enjoyment.
🕕We will meet again on Wednesday 16th July to find out what we all thought!
As always everyone is welcome, no need to book, just pop along!
📔I can't wait to see you!
🤩Stella🤩

18/06/2025

We have had a fabulous evening sharing our different 'Hastings' reads. We've indulged in memoirs, the weird and and slightly spooky, poetry and historical fiction! We even did a local quiz to see how much we really knew about our town! Our next read will be announced tomorrow morning so please do check in to see!
📓Reading Between The Vines is an informal book club that you can dip in and out of when you wish. It's free and no need to book.
Pop along next month on the 16th July, 6pm at Barnaby's Lounge, Hastings.📓
I can't wait to see you!
🤩Stella🤩

11/06/2025

There's a new local in town! Take a look at the real issues happening in our community.

Cut it Out Over 100 Labour MPs are threatening to vote against the government to stop cuts to welfare benefits. They seem to think that taking away Personal Independence Payments (PIP) from around one million sick and disabled people is not what they were elected to do. But not our MP. No, the very....