The Book Circle

The Book Circle is a bookclub with the Waterstone's Card at its heart. Our panel of Cardholders read, review and vote for their favourite paperback fiction title from a new book shortlist, with the winner becoming our Cardholders' Choice of the Month.

Find out more about other Waterstone's bookclubs and reading groups

Our February Cardholders' Choice is Hearts and Minds by Amanda Craig.

"The book addresses some difficult issues about London's society and the treatment of immigrants through this gripping novel. It will appeal to anybody who likes their crime novels with a social conscience."

Anja de Jager

"Intense, brutal, challenging, through the interwoven narratives of immigrants living in London, this novel confronts us with what it means to live and what it means to be human and as a result, forces us to interrogate our own life choices and values. It will make you squirm and want to look away but you will want to know what happens next. You will want to talk about it and it will stay with you."

Helen Cleaves

Characters: London itself is a character in the book. What do you think of Craig's portrait of the city? Why do you think that it opens on Hampstead Heath, and what is the significance of the two quotations in the Preface by TS Eliot and Wordsworth? How do the characters relate to the city?

Story: The novel's main events take place over three months, and are structured around the change in season. How do you think this affects the progression of mood?

Themes: Legal and illegal immigration is the main theme of the book. Discuss the differences in the experience of those who have migrated legally, such as Katie, and those who are in the country illegally. Do you think this is a true reflection of illegal immigration? How does this novel compared with other novels you may have read on the subject, for instance Monica Ali's Brick Lane and Rose Tremain's The Road Home?

Style: How does its style, scope and themes differ from other big London novels such as Charles Dickens's Our Mututal Friend, Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now or George Gissing's New Grub St? How does it differ from other contemporary novels about London?

Download our exclusive reading guide for Hearts and Minds

You've read their reviews, now find out who's behind our Cardholders' Choice of the Month. Take a look at our Book Circle panellists and read up on their favourite titles and other books they recommend.

The Book Circle panel

Our January Cardholders' Choice was The Outlander by Gil Adamson, a haunting tale of one young woman's deliberate journey deep into the wild.

See January '10 Book Circle discussion points and shortlisted titles.

Our September Cardholders' Choice was The Girl on the Landing by Paul Torday, is an exciting novel - part love story, part psychological thriller - which confounds your expectations as it tightens its grip.

See September Book Circle discussion points and shortlisted titles.

Our August Cardholders' Choice was True Murder by Yaba Badoe, a wonderful, intense and complex mystery novel and coming-of-age story centered around Ajuba, an eleven-year-old Ghanian girl sent to an English boarding school.

See August Book Circle discussion points and shortlisted titles.

Our July Cardholders' Choice was American Wife by author Curtis Sittenfeld. American Wife is an epic yet intimate story of an ordinary woman thrust into extraordinary circumstances when she becomes first lady.

See July Book Circle discussion points and shortlisted titles.

Our June Cardholders' Choice was City of Thieves by author David Benioff. Complex and compelling, it's a thought-provoking novel that leaves its own lingering, haunting presence in the reader's imagination.

See June Book Circle discussion points and shortlisted titles.

Our May Cardholders' Choice was Born Under a Million Shadows by author Andrea Busfield. Revolving around the conflict in Afghanistan and the life of an 11 year old boy, Fawad, and the hope and grief he faces.

See May Book Circle discussion points and shortlisted titles.

Our April Cardholders' Choice was Firmin by author Sam Savage. Told through the voice of a rat, Firmin is brimming with charm and surprised Cardholders with its moving and profound story.

See April Book Circle discussion points and shortlisted titles.

View the April Book Circle discussion on Firmin.

Our March Cardholders' Choice was The Story of Forgetting by debut author Stefan Merrill Block. Touching on poignant themes, such as Alzheimer's, our Cardholder panel were moved by the sensitive and accurate portrayl of the lives affected by the disease.

See March Book Circle discussion points and shortlisted titles.

View our author web chat with Stefan Merrill Block.

Our February Cardholders' Choice was the powerful and riveting refugee tale The Other Hand by Chris Cleave. The book won over our booksellers, book lovers and literary critics alike with its refined dual narrative and emotionally moving subject matter.

View the February Book Circle discussion on The Other Hand.

See February Book Circle discussion points and shortlisted titles.

Read any of these books already? Submit a review to let us know your thoughts.