This new WICE book group, the Bookers, picks from a treasure trove of international great books, winners in different categories, but each acting as a bridge to connect us to universal threads of humanity, empathy and understanding to celebrate the rich tapestry of global literature.

From this diversity of authors from every corner of the globe, one book will be chosen every month, as a passport to different cultures.

This group gathers on the 2nd Thursday of each month between 2:00 pm and 3:30 pm. Join us as we delve into wisdom, imagination and human experience throughout time and place.

A list of the next candidate novels is listed below.

This list is by no means exhaustive or exclusive, and any other novel that meets the criteria is open for inclusion. A longer list of books being considered will be added. 

Note: Our book reading groups are among the most popular activities in WICE, and available seats get taken quickly, so we will reserve two seats each month in this group for anyone new who would like to join.

If you would like more information or if you have questions, please email:

literature@wice-paris.org


UPCOMING EVENTS

  • LM161 Bookers: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

    • 16 May 2024
    • 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
    • (Cocoon Pad) 10 Rue du Laos, 75015 Paris
    • 9
    Register

    Bookers: Drive your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, by Olga Tokarczuk

    This 2019 Man Booker International prize shortlist is a subversive, entertaining noir novel.

    In a remote Polish village, Janina Duszejko, an eccentric woman in her sixties, recounts the events surrounding the disappearance of her two dogs. She is reclusive, preferring the company of animals to people; she's unconventional, believing in the stars; and she is fond of the poetry of William Blake, from whose work the title of the book is taken.

    When members of a local hunting club are found murdered, Duszejko becomes involved in the investigation. By no means a conventional crime story, this existential thriller by 'one of Europe's major humanist writers' (Guardian) offers thought-provoking ideas on our perceptions of madness, injustice against marginalized people, animal rights, the hypocrisy of traditional religion, belief in predestination - and caused a genuine political uproar in Tokarczuk's native Poland.

    About the organizer: An AI scientist trained in Oxford, UK, Saumya has worked previously as a researcher, technology consultant and a university professor across India and the U.K. Now based in Paris, she is pursuing her long-standing interest in the fine arts, literature and writing.

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  • LJ131 Bookers: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

    • 13 Jun 2024
    • 2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
    • TBD
    • 10
    Register

    Bookers: The Bee Sting, by Paul Murray

    This brilliantly funny, deeply sad portrait of an Irish family in crisis is also a 2023 Booker Prize shortlist.

    Dickie’s once-lucrative car business is going under - but rather than face the music, he’s spending his days in the woods, building an apocalypse-proof bunker. His exasperated wife Imelda is selling off her jewellery on eBay while half-heartedly dodging the attentions of fast-talking cattle farmer Big Mike. Meanwhile, teenage daughter Cass, formerly top of her class, seems determined to binge-drink her way to her final exams. And 12-year-old PJ, in debt to local sociopath ‘Ears’ Moran, is putting the final touches to his grand plan to run away.

    Yes, in Paul Murray’s brilliant tragicomic saga, the Barnes family is definitely in trouble. So where did it all go wrong? And if the story has already been written – is there still time to find a happy ending? 

    About the organizer: An AI scientist trained in Oxford, UK, Saumya has worked previously as a researcher, technology consultant and a university professor across India and the U.K. Now based in Paris, she is pursuing her long-standing interest in the fine arts, literature and writing.

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