The Wisdom Within Book Club
You bought the book. You meant to read it. It’s been on your bedside table since the spring, and every night your phone wins.
Maybe you used to read all the time and now you get to page three and start scrolling. Maybe you do finish books, but there’s nobody to talk to about them. Or maybe you tried a book club once, felt you had to have read every page and say something clever, and never went back.
This isn’t that.
The Wisdom Within Book Club is a small, friendly book club in Herne Bay. We read fiction and non-fiction, we’re honest about what we thought, and nobody gets marked for turning up with half a book read.
What you get
- A reason to actually finish a book (even if you only get through most of it)
- A proper evening out in Herne Bay that isn’t about the weather
- Books you’d never have picked up yourself
- An honest room: last month two of us loved the book and the rest didn’t, and it was one of our best nights
Join in three steps
- Message or ring me on 07973 518640. Say “Book club” and your name.
- I’ll send you the next date, the venue and this month’s books.
- Read what you can, then come along at 11am with your opinions. A review is welcome, but not essential.
Next meeting: Sunday 11am – 1pm 22nd November 2026 at 64 Willow Farm Way, Herne Bay.
Message me for details.
October 2026: choose one, or read both
Pick whichever one calls to you and bring your thoughts along. Read both if you’re feeling ambitious.
The Story of a Heart by Rachel Clarke
Rachel Clarke is a palliative care doctor, and in this true story she follows two families brought together by a heart transplant. Max Johnson is a young boy whose heart is failing. Keira Ball is a nine-year-old girl who dies in a car crash. In the worst moment of their lives, Keira’s parents agree to donate her organs, and her heart gives Max a second chance. Their story helped inspire “Max and Keira’s Law”, which changed organ donation in England to an opt-out system.
Clarke weaves in the history of the heart transplant too, from the surgeons who risked everything to the people working in transplant medicine today.
Come ready to talk about: organ donation, grief, and whether you’ve ever had that conversation with your own family.
See it on the Women’s Prize website
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Theo Decker is thirteen when he survives an explosion at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York that kills his mother. In the chaos, a dying old man presses a ring into his hand, and almost without thinking, Theo walks out carrying a small Dutch painting, The Goldfinch.
What follows is grief, a wealthy Park Avenue family, a chaotic spell in Las Vegas with his unreliable dad, a wild friendship with a boy called Boris, and a secret that follows Theo into adult life. It won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2014 and is around 800 pages, so it’s a big commitment.
Come ready to talk about: whether beauty can redeem a life that has gone wrong, and whether the whole thing earns its length. I think this one will split the room.
September 2026: A History of the World in 47 Borders by Jonn Elledge
Jonn Elledge tells the story of the world one border at a time, from lines drawn by empires to ones that appeared almost by accident. It’s a clever idea, and his tone is chatty, irreverent and often funny.
Only two of us enjoyed it. They loved the quirky stories and went home with a handful of “did you know?” facts to share. The rest of us found it repetitive. With 47 short chapters, each one started to feel like a variation on the last, and the jokes and the history sometimes got in each other’s way. A few of us would have preferred fewer borders in more depth.
Our verdict: a good dip-in-and-out book, but a tough one to read cover to cover. Two thumbs up, and the rest of the group on the fence. It also made for a brilliant conversation.
On the reading list for the coming months
- Finding Hildasay: How One Man Walked the UK’s Coastline and Found Hope and Happiness by Christian Lewis
- A Thousand Threads by Neneh Cherry (Fern Press, Vintage, Penguin Random House)
- Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (Canongate Books)
- Agent Zo: The Untold Story of Courageous WW2 Resistance Fighter Elżbieta Zawacka by Clare Mulley (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Orion Publishing Group, Hachette)
- What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World’s Ocean by Helen Scales (Grove Press, Atlantic Books)
- Private Revolutions: Coming of Age in a New China by Yuan Yang (Bloomsbury Circus, Bloomsbury Publishing)
Previous books and our reviews
April 2026: Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Héctor García
Discover ikigai, the Japanese secret to a long and happy life, from the world’s longest-living people.
- “A practical guide to seeking a long, healthy and happy life.” Liz Earle
- “Ikigai urges individuals to simplify their lives by pursuing what sparks joy for them.” Marie Kondo
- “I read it and it’s bewitched me ever since. I’m spellbound.” Chris Evans
February 2026: Careless People: A Story of Where I Used to Work by Sarah Wynn-Williams
Reading Careless People felt like lifting the lid on a machine most of us use every day but rarely question. I found it both shocking and, at the same time, entirely unsurprising. The way the author describes her treatment inside Facebook reveals a culture where power, profit and protecting reputation seem to outrank basic human decency.
What stayed with me was not only the corporate dysfunction, but the reminder of how invisible the machinery of social media is to the people using it. Decisions made in boardrooms quietly shape what billions of us see, think about and react to every day. The book shows how little control we really have unless we choose to take it back.
I spend a lot of my time encouraging people to step away from the noise and back into their own bodies, so this one felt personal. It often feels like I’m quietly battling huge, million-pound platforms just to remind people that they are still in charge of their attention, their thoughts and their sense of worth.
Careless People is unsettling, illuminating and very human. It’s not just a story about Facebook. It’s about power, accountability and what it costs the individual when systems grow too big to care. I’ll keep caring, and I’ll keep encouraging everyone to put social media down and breathe.
November 2025
A Year of Living Simply by Kate Humble
An interesting read, though not one that truly resonated with me. I did finish it, and I can see the intention behind the project, but much of it felt a long way from everyday life. Kate Humble’s experiment in simplifying is thoughtful and well described, yet it often seemed to rely on space, resources and financial freedom that many people don’t have. There are good moments of reflection, and it does make you think about what you buy and what you keep, but it felt like simple living as a choice for the fortunate rather than something open to everyone.
Nobody Wants Your Sh*t: The Art of Decluttering Before You Die by Messie Condo
Exactly the jolt I needed. After all the gentle, well-mannered books on decluttering, this one is bracingly honest. It’s blunt, occasionally sweary, and it works. Since reading it I’ve made six trips to the charity shop, sold £150 worth of things on Vinted, redecorated both my sons’ rooms and finally got them to sort through the boxes they left behind eighteen months ago.
The biggest shift is mental. I now pick things up around the house and ask myself, “Will the boys actually want this?” When in doubt, I ask them. So far, the answer has always been no, and that’s been surprisingly freeing. If you’ve worked through the kinder decluttering books and you’re still surrounded by stuff, this is the one that changes what you do. I’m now eyeing the garage and twenty-five years of printed photos, waiting for good weather and a bit more courage.
Rachal’s review: An easy, light read. Having hugely downsized about eighteen months ago, I didn’t have a great deal left to declutter, but it gave me the push to finally tackle my junk drawers, and I’ve since culled books and magazines I’d finished with. It helped me see that things I’d kept just because they were Mum and Dad’s are just things. My memories will always be with me, and my kids didn’t know their grandparents and won’t want their things. My biggest takeaway was the “burn box”. I’ve kept journals for years and would be mortified if anyone read them, so I’ve told my children that if they ever find anything marked BURN, they’re not to open it, just light a bonfire.
A Monk’s Guide to Happiness: Meditation in the 21st Century by Gelong Thubten
A book I genuinely enjoyed. It’s calm, clear and makes meditation feel doable rather than mysterious. I started my own meditation practice in 2020, during lockdown, when I finally realised it wasn’t something reserved for the end of a yoga class, and I now find myself wanting everyone to feel the benefits. This book speaks directly to that starting point. It covers why, how and what difference it makes day to day, without overwhelming you, and it’s especially good for beginners.
Rachal’s review: An easy read that explains meditation in a clear, no-nonsense way. Ideal for beginners, or for anyone who struggles with the idea of meditation. The exercises are simple and the focus on short sessions makes it feel doable rather than daunting. I especially liked the idea of “micro moments” for everyday life. A very practical and encouraging book.
October 2025
The Chimp Paradox by Prof Steve Peters
A book I go back to again and again. Steve Peters explains the mind through the “chimp”, the “human” and the “computer”, and it’s simple, memorable and surprisingly powerful in real life. What I value most is how practical it is. It gives you a way to understand why you react the way you do, why emotions hijack sensible thinking, and how to respond instead of react. Once you see your chimp at work, you can’t unsee it.
I once met Steve Peters and asked whether he encourages his patients to meditate. His answer was immediate: absolutely. He said the world would be a better place if we all learnt to control the chimp. That has stayed with me.
Like having a coffee with an old friend who tells you the truth kindly and without fuss. I’ve followed Mel Robbins since her first TED Talk in 2011, so her voice felt familiar: steady, direct and human. The message is simple. Stop trying to manage other people and manage your own response. That alone feels like a breath out. Whether it’s family tensions, workplace frustrations or the general noise of the world, letting people be as they are hands your energy back to you. Practical, warm and easy to put into practice.
September 2025: Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty
One of those books that earns its place on the bedside table rather than the bookshelf. I’ve returned to it several times, and each reading meets me at a slightly different point on my own journey. Jay Shetty is brilliant at turning ancient monastic wisdom into clear, practical language for modern life, with no preaching. He gives thoughtful guidance on understanding your mind, managing your emotions and living with more intention. It’s accessible to anyone, whether that means letting go of comparison, building better habits or simply pausing long enough to listen to yourself.
Questions about the Book Club
Do I have to finish the book? No. Come with what you’ve read. Half a book and an honest opinion is welcome.
Is it fiction or non-fiction? Both. Some months are self-help or true stories, some months are novels. You’ll read things you’d never have picked for yourself.
Where does it meet? At my house Message me and I’ll send you the details.
Do I have to do yoga or Qigong with you? No. The book club is open to everyone, whether or not you come to my classes.
Can I come from Whitstable, Canterbury or further afield? Yes. Anyone is welcome.
What if I hated the book? Good. Say so. Those are often the best conversations.
Ready to join?
Message or ring me on 07973 518640. Say “Book club” and your name, and I’ll send you the next date, the venue and this month’s books.
Contact me | See all my events | My yoga classes in Herne Bay
P.S. Not sure you’ll finish the book in time? Come anyway. Last month, two people loved the book, everyone else didn’t, and we all went home having had a great evening. Just message me.
- Here’s the books we plan on reading – it might change and I accept all ideas
- A Thousand Threads by Neneh Cherry (published by Fern Press, Vintage, Penguin Random House)
- Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (published by Canongate Books)
- Agent Zo: The Untold Story of Courageous WW2 Resistance Fighter Elżbieta Zawacka by Clare Mulley (published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, Orion Publishing Group, Hachette)
- What the Wild Sea Can Be: The Future of the World’s Ocean by Helen Scales (published by Grove Press, Atlantic Books)
- Private Revolutions: Coming of Age in a New China by Yuan Yang (published by Bloomsbury Circus, Bloomsbury Publishing)