Our May Selection

“Anyone can grow into something beautiful.” 

- Vanessa Diffenbaugh, The Language of Flowers

Dear members,

This month we have the opportunity to observe one of the most loveliest transformations nature can give us: the blooming of flowers and the opening of leaves on the trees, leaving us smitten by the grand surroundings to come.

May is a time where gardens become our own private Eden- and as such, this month's theme is dedicated to stories about or inspired by our love of flowers and gardens, making everything a "blossoming solace". 

On Saturday the 19th, we gathered together at the Toronto Music Garden, in light of our current theme, and discussed our previous read "The Mistress of Nothing" by Kate Pullinger. Overall, the book was well- received, where many praised the wonderful scenarios of Egypt. 

The crucial moment came where we had to look at the selections and pick a title that will be our book club pick. The majority of members have decided and our pick is:

  

Summary: The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she has a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what’s been missing in her life. And when she’s forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it’s worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

(From Goodreads)

Here is a wonderful book trailer for The Language of Flowers: 

Make sure you check out The Language of Flowers website as it contains a lot of interesting bits about the book and more!

The author also has a Facebook page as well for you to check out.

I will continue to post more things along the way in the near future, but until then, happy reading!

On Travel: Egypt

“To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.”

 – Freya Stark

Dear members,

Reading Kate Pullinger's The Mistress of Nothing has given me a case of wanderlust. How I wish I could just travel to all of these wonderful places right this instance! I do have a list of places I want to go and I want to make it a dream come true to check all of them off.

When we think of Egypt, what instantly comes to mind are the extraordinary feat of the pyramids, the incredible artworks, the culture of this civilization, and the lavish history it holds!

Here are some interesting things to look at when it comes to all things Egypt and travel!

Watch: Cairo Time

Starring Patricia Clarkson and Alexander Siddiq, the film is about an unexpected love story set in the heart of Egypt.

Read: Wayfare Magazine

This is one of my favourite sites I like to go on when it comes to travel- it has fantastic stories and great travel inspiration.

Naguib Mahfouz's Palace Walk- Volume One of his Cairo Trilogies. One of the most well known writers of Arabic literature, he received his Nobel Peace Prize for Literature in 1988.

Write: Travel Journals

Ah, travel journals- whether we are avid writers or not, one things for sure: nothing is as blissful as keeping a record of your travels as you go abroad. Now comes a hard question: which to pick?

A Closer Look At "The Mistress Of Nothing"

"And so, an adventure - a brilliant escapade in fact. I loved it on that ship, I loved the port cities and the sights, ever more exotic as we travelled south. I loved it best when we were far out to sea: no sign of land, no trees, no buildings, no people; just water, the ship, my mistress, and me."

-Kate Pullinger, The Mistress of Nothing

Dear members,

I hope everyone is enjoying this month's read at the moment!

This post is dedicated to additional outlets for all things Kate Pullinger and The Mistress of Nothing. I came across this interesting video of the author giving us a "behind the scenes" look at the novel.




I also found this neat clip of the author reading an excerpt of the book (at page 51 to be exact) which you can follow along or give a listen while looking at the lovely images.




Earlier on via Twitter, the author has realized that we were reading a book and responded with this lovely message:

@katepullinger: @MatchbookClub Hope you have an enjoyable discussion of The Mistress of Nothing - you can always tweet me questions!

Fellow members, feel free to either send me along your questions over the next couple of weeks by commenting below or in future posts to come. You can also send an email and I will happily post it up on our Twitter page and keep you updated on her replies!