The latest report from our book club comes from Emma Williams, our learning development officer and features a book inspired by the museum itself:
1950s room at York Castle Museum
A healthy group of seven turned out on Saturday at York Castle Museum to discuss this month’s book.
Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson sparked a lively discussion with regards to family attitudes, sibling rivalry, keeping up appearances, changing York, war and attitudes to death amongst other topics!
The group then handled objects from York Castle Museum’s collection such as a Victorian tea set and propaganda documents distributed throughout the Second World War with tips of how to make your food go further with suggested recipes for stale bread and the like in order to reduce wastage (or pig food).
They were then shown around the museum, looking at certain exhibitions including the 1950s period room that linked to the themes of the book.
The book club will meet again at the Yorkshire Museum on Saturday 10 December 2011 at 3pm to discuss the book Pompeii by Robert Harris.
- If you would like to read more about the writing of Behind the Scenes at the Museum and its links to York read this Guardian interview with Kate Atkinson
