Special Interest Groups

Our Special Interest Groups met by Zoom yesterday.
 
The Bookworms discussed the Number One New York Times Bestseller, “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens.
 
President Andrew reports on the the Fixers: "what action, if any, governments should take to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles".
 
 

The Bookworms

Reviews of  “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens describe it as 'Painfully beautiful' - New York Times, 'Unforgettable . . . as engrossing as it is moving' - Daily Mail, and 'A rare achievement'  - The Times.  It is soon to be a major film.

For years, rumours of the 'Marsh Girl' have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life - until the unthinkable happens.

 

The Bookworms had a lively discussion on Monday: led by Ian Bentley, we compared our opinions about “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens. 

We were all engrossed by the plot and the pace of the book, with the suspense of a possible murder trial always present. The descriptions of the North Carolina marshes were an eye-opener for us all.

The credibility of the story was discussed: how bad was the family scene, if the mother walked out on her children? Could an abandoned girl survive in the swamp, and avoid most of human contact (including truant officers) as Kya did?  How did she survive the loneliness? So we compared the concept of being alone with loneliness. 

We compared the characters of her two “boyfriends”: Chase, the spoiled rich boy, and Tate who deserted her when he went to college, but later returned to help her. The murder trial and her alibi were also questioned, as was the possibility of her eventual success as an author.

However Owen’s writing was so realistic and convincing, we ended up discussing Kya as if she were a real person: even Kya's poetry provoked some differing opinions.

  

We all enjoyed the book, and our ratings of it were between 8 and 9.5 out of 10. We now look forward to the movie, which is due for release in June 2022.

 If you are bored during the lockdown, we recommend this book for you. 

 

Next up?

Why not join us in reading and discussing our next selection: “Paradise Postponed” by John Mortimer?

No, it’s not another Rumpole of the Bailey book, but  “An exquisitely drawn saga of ancient rivalries and class struggles, featuring a glorious cast of characters, Paradise Postponed is a delicious portrait of English country life by a master satirist.”

"When Simeon Simcox, a socialist clergyman, leaves his entire fortune not to his family but to the ruthless, social-climbing Tory MP Leslie Titmuss, the Rector's two sons react in very different ways. Henry, novelist and former 'angry young man' turned grumpy old reactionary, decides to fight the will and prove their father was insane. Younger brother Fred, a mild-mannered country doctor, takes a different approach, quietly digging in Simeon's past, only to uncover an entirely unexpected explanation for the legacy."

 

 

 

Special Interest Group report from the Fixers - Posted by Andrew Crockett
 
On Monday evening the Fixers had a spirited discussion about what action, if any, governments should take to encourage the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs), and how owners of EVs should contribute to the cost of road maintenance and upgrades.
 
We were challenged at the outset by Dennis Shore (in the guise of Devil’s Advocate) asking why it was necessary for government to ‘incentivise’ (forgive me) the purchase of EVs at all, since it was inevitable that they will replace vehicles with internal combustion (IC) engines, and few car companies will continue to manufacture IC vehicles anyway.
 
Not all of the group were convinced by this argument, but we acknowledged that it had some force. Contra arguments were that incentives would help speed up construction of networks of fast charging stations and encourage overseas manufacturers to export a greater range of electric vehicles to Australia.  
 
We noted the different incentives offered by states and territory governments, including subsidies and the reduction, or waiver, of stamp duty and registration fees.  We discussed plans to impose road user charges on EV owners based on the number of kilometres travelled.  While similar charges are becoming common overseas, Victoria has been criticised for imposing its EV charges from 1 July this year while other Australian jurisdictions will not impose charges for several years.  Scepticism was expressed about how accurate the data on distances travelled provided by EV owners would be since it would be self-reported and could be falsified.  Eventually technology will no doubt provide a solution either remote reporting devices built into vehicles, or vehicle movements monitored by GPS. 
 
We also discussed battery development. More scientifically minded members of the group were sceptical that the much-touted ‘solid state’ or ‘lithium-metal’ batteries under development, with promise of greater range, faster charging and longer life than the lithium-ion batteries currently in use, will become a reality in the foreseeable future.  
 
At the end of another enjoyable and informative hour the Fixers reflected on why more Club members don’t join our discussions.  True to form we have developed a ‘fix’ for this.  
 
I’ll tell you about it in my President’s Post next week.