November 2025

The evening began with Alfred’s reassurance that Dalio’s book “makes the rise and fall of empires as easy to grasp as a shopping list.” This was greeted with polite scepticism from Constance Dilmore, who arrived armed with an annotated copy of the book and the gleam of a woman preparing for intellectual combat.

During our last meeting, and to avoid Eleanora Reingold scouring old minutes in search of another suitable title, the club agreed to stick with Alfred’s pick. Few, it turned out, had made it past Chapter Two. Those who had declared the author “impressively clear,” while Joe Halton contributed that he’d watched the book’s 45-minute YouTube summary and the animation “blew him away.”

Discussion wobbled almost immediately when Alfred, rifling through his satchel, realised he had forgotten his notes. He then confessed, with characteristic grace, his recent diagnosis of dementia and asked for the group’s patience now and in future meetings.

Gerard Savin was moved to tears; Alfred, ever the gentleman, patted his shoulder. Eleanora, abandoning procedure for once, gathered Gerard into a consoling hug—an act almost certainly in breach of club by-laws, but no one objected.

Sonia Featherstone, our long-suffering Chair, brought proceedings to a close before sentiment could escalate further. A motion to adjourn to the Slippery Eel was raised and passed unanimously. Even Constance did not dissent, a historic moment in the Book Worms’ annals.