New Parents Book Group

Hello everyone,

Well, there’s no better excuse for self-imposed confinement than a fresh dump of snow. But actually now that the joy of snowmen and sledging has passed, I am going slightly mad at the thought of yet more trudging to nursery and back or, worse, being stuck in all day with a runny-nosed toddler. Despite the weather and my own romantic inclination, I have no interest in curling up with a blanket and cocoa in front of the (imaginary) fire. No, every inch of my body is demanding to be taken OUT. At least books are an escape.

We’ve got some great reads lined up over the next few months, sure to make us laugh, cry and scrunch up our faces in furious indignation (my favourite reading stance).

Next up on 8 February is Keith Waterhouse’s 1959 classic, Billy Liar. For those who’ve asked, it’s the novel, rather than the later play we’re discussing, although if you’ve had too many sleepless nights you can always cheat and watch the film.

On 8 March we’ll be talking about The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey, a magical novel set in the Alaskan wilderness in the depths of winter. By Alaskan standards, our own snow-day frustrations might just pale into insignificance…

And briefly, beyond March our reading list is as follows:

April – The Sense of an Ending, Julian Barnes

May – The Thread, Victoria Hislop

June – The Marriage Plot, Jeffrey Eugenides

July – The Casual Vacancy, JK Rowling

We were talking last meeting about the effects of library closures on communities in Newcastle. You might like to read these short essays by local authors who visited the libraries in question. The piece by David Almond sent shivers down my spine.

See you on the 8^th!

Laura

It’s hard to believe that it is more than two years since the group began. Tiny, suckling babies have turned into gorgeous, wobbly toddlers and little people with huge personalities. New babies arrive, big children go off to start school (yikes!) and so we continue, meeting over a clatter of bright plastic toys to chat about books, parenthood and everything in between.

Our final two books for the year should give us loads to talk about. First up, next week (Friday 8 June) is The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. I read this book on a long journey and became totally caught up in the beautifully described world of Alma, her little brother Bird and, right across town, the elderly author Leo Gursky. I hope everyone enjoys it.

Our last discussion this year will take place on Friday 27 July, when we will look at The Damned United by David Peace. After a host of books about women, we picked this fact-based novel about Brian Clough’s 44 days as manager of Leeds United. The story of ‘a man characterised by a fear of failure and a hunger for success’, The Damned United sounds right up our street!

 We take a break for the summer holidays, but will return in September. If you have any ideas of books you would like to discuss in the autumn, let Liv or me know.

See you on 8 June, in the Quay Education area of BALTIC as usual.

Laura x

Ah, autumn. Season of snuffles and sneezes. I have spent three nights in the last ten lying on my children’s bedroom floor while they cough and whine in their sleep – all the better for catching up with this month’s book, How to be a Woman. I love Caitlin Moran’s writing and have laughed and hurrahed! through these sleepless nights, always hanging around on the bedroom floor for longer than required while I read just one more chapter. I’m looking forward to discussing it with you on Friday.

Just to remind everyone that The Sage is closed on the 14 October, so we’re meeting at BALTIC instead – Level 2, in the Quay Education area.

See you there, Laura x

New parenthood is decidedly unglamorous. Whatever happened to candlelit garden parties, cocktails, sultry afternoons and mysterious men?

We’ve picked a real summer classic in The Great Gatsby, so come along and taste the American Dream with us (safe in the knowledge that needy babies and the chill of the Tyne will bring us back to reality, with a bump).

Please note that due to work and family commitments of different members, we’re now meeting at 1pm on the second Friday of the month (third Friday in June). We hope this still suits most people!

Yesterday’s Journal article detailing funding cuts to North East arts organisations made depressing reading.

This hasn’t been the best of weeks to be a parent. From child benefit to working tax credit, whatever the income bracket, families are being hit the hardest by the government’s rash of public spending cuts.

But much of the pain is still to come. The Art Council’s cuts have been revealed, but we are yet to hear how council budgets will further cut funds for many of our cultural gems.

And while libraries and the arts are for everyone, you can’t help but feel that families will once again be disproportionately affected.

Before having children, my local library was a useful resource that I rarely called upon. Now we visit twice weekly.

I used to visit galleries when I wanted to see a new exhibition. Now we visit the play areas and activity stations in The Shipley Art Gallery and the Laing Gallery every week. They are part of the fabric of my children’s lives.

It is hard to quantify what has been gained from countless sessions at Baltic, The Sage Gateshead, Dance City and Seven Stories – hard because having seen my children enthralled by imaginative programming and wonderful practitioners, I too am emotionally involved.

And I am grateful. All the riches of the arts – the opportunity to create, to dream, to make sense of their world – have been available to my children, often for free and never for more than the price of a trip to a dingy soft play centre.

Don’t imagine that every town is like this: we are fortunate to live in a city that has invested heavily and successfully in its cultural landscape for more than a decade. I believe it is the best thing about raising a family in NewcastleGateshead.

For a city that invests in its arts is one that invests in its children.