The south of France, food, art and war were charted at the Balclutha Book Club last week, along with the volatile politics of modern-day America.
Non-fiction journeys by the attendees took in the river Rhine, medical biography and the fall-out of military service.
"Some of us have been coming here since the book club started in 2015," Balclutha Library customer experience officer Kaye Evans said.
"It’s very social to meet fellow book lovers and share what you’ve been reading over a cup of tea, and sometimes get put on to a book that really brings people together."
Carole Dunlop had read a biography about the challenges faced by soldiers returning from service in Indonesia, which put the group in mind of a similar book that had been passed rapidly around the readers.
"Parts of it literally brought you to tears, the trauma those men went through and the denial and lack of care they received when they came home.
"It turned out most of us here had had family members who’d been through of that kind of thing, so it sort of brought everyone closer with the empathy and shared experience.
"That’s what a really good book can do."
The book club conversation moved from reflections on life to writing styles and challenging reads and a neighbourly checking in on each other.
Balclutha Library’s Book Club welcomes new members with fresh perspectives and meets on the second Thursday of every month.
