Library friends in a book club
Halldór Alexander Haraldsson Medical student, Karl Andersson Claesson mathematics teacher, Gunnar Jarl Ívarsson master’s student in mechanical engineering and Felix Steinþórsson mathematics student, all born in 2001, were together in their studies in the Reykjavík High School, their conscientiously and also what was read at any given time.
A journalist met Halldór, Karl and Gunnar, but Felix did not return home. Karl had the idea for the establishment of the club. « I like to read and the main reason I wanted to start in a book club was that I sometimes have a hard time starting a book. I often take Syrpur and read a lot and then I read nothing for a long time. A book club keeps you on the subject and it’s fun to be able to talk to someone. »
« It’s the same here, » says Gunnar. « I find it easy to start with a book, but then I may not finish it. This book club keeps me on the subject, we start with a book and finish it. »
« I read a lot as a kid, but then the reading fell a little down when I started high school, but I’m starting to read more out of the book club. You start reading those days and weeks that you wouldn’t have read much, » says Halldór.
They try to meet once a week and claim to read more in English than Icelandic. Asked how books they read, they say they mainly read classic literature but also popular science books like Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker.
When it comes to classic literature, they call Homer, Machiavelli, Emily Bronte and Charles Dickens as an example of authors they have read. They do not read a lot of creepy and Stephen King is not on the list but have read Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
« I think Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte the best novel I read for the first time in this book club, » says Halldór. « Dickens was okay, only a torled, but the story we read, the story of two cities is very good. »
« I felt Wuthering Heights really torley, » says Karl, « sometimes I didn’t know what was going on. »
« Yes, you had to have the focus on reading these books, » adds Gunnar Jarl.
The first work they read in the book club was The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. The play struck them and they have a lot of enthusiasm on Wilde. Halldór claims to have read the work at least four times and that Oscar Wilde is his favorite author.
Karl says Dostoevsky his favorite author. « I’ve actually read everything after him, even though we have only read one short story after him in the club. Crime and punishment I think his best book. So Oscar Wilde is also a big favorite. »
Gunnar claims to be the most on Tolkien, but also mentions Michael J. Sandel, who has written the book The Tyranny of Merit, among other things.
They say they read to get to know world literature and want to read books that create discussion. They say the book club will live long. « This is also a great way to make sure we meet regularly because we have become very busy and no longer together in school.
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