We meet in each other’s homes and are grateful for the warm welcomes. We choose our books by a democratic method of nominating books for a long list, then voting for those we wish to read. This year’s long list is as wide-ranging as ever, so another interesting year is in prospect.

This year we read a satisfying mixture of fiction and non-fiction, old and new, books from Scotland and books giving us insight into other parts of the world. Our list included:

• Home Sick: Why I live in a shed, Catrina Davies
• Travels with Charley, John Steinbeck
• The silver darlings, Neil Gunn
• Hear no evil, Sarah Smith
• The Paris Library, Janet Skeslien Charles
• Dreams from my father, Barack Obama
• The island of missing trees, Elif Shafak
• The fair botanists, Sara Sheridan
• Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus

No book emerged as a firm favourite (or one to be avoided) but differences in opinion led to some excellent discussions.