I have spent an amazing few weeks here at Allison & Busby (a huge thank you to all theA&B women) and wanted to leave you with this.  CBC Radio has a brilliant show called the Vinyl Café hosted by Stuart Maclean.  Nearly every episode features as its highlight a story about a couple called Dave and Morley, and their family and friends.  These stories are hilarious and poignant and are my must-hear (available as podcasts) and must-read (there are books too!) recommendations from 2012.

The theme of a recent-ish episode was book clubs, and mentioned one book club which started in the 1950s and another which has been running for 27 years and only missed one meeting!  The story for that episode featured Morley, her attempts to join a local book club and how the book club politics lead her to start her own club with her own categories:

1. A book about a man/woman I could marry.
2. A book I read in primary school.
3. A book that mentions chocolate favourably.
4. A book I haven’t read but have seen the movie.
5. A book my husband/wife would quit after the first chapter.

As we move towards the end of 2012 and look to the new books we are going to enjoy in 2013, I think these unconventional categories should be adopted when next browsing the bookshop shelves. You never know, they could introduce us all to unexpected treasures.  I know I will try and select books from some of the options Morley has suggested and see what new books I can find and what books from my childhood I can rediscover.

Happy Christmas and good reading!

Pippa Watts, finishing her work experience at A&B