Our September Selection

“She -was a reader.

He had a library.”

- C.S. Richardson, The Emperor of Paris

Dear Members,

September has arrived!
Fall is my favorite season for so many reasons: I'm taking out my cardigan sweaters and scarves, the smell of apple or pecan pie, the leaves begin to change colour, which adds an incredible beauty to the city (not to mention stepping on those crunchy leaves!), going apple picking, adding cinnamon to everything, autumn sunsets, foggy mornings, the smell of firewood, the crisp Fall air, and painting at this time of year. I also tend to become more of a coffee drinker at this time of year! Best of all: it's cozying up to a delightful read on those chillier nights.
I look forward to our upcoming meetings, where themes range from digging into a good mystery, looking at the lives of others through biographies, traveling abroad to destinations unknown, and coming back to Member's Choice.
This month's theme, There and Back Again, looks back at selections that were previously picked before and provides the opportunity to be selected again. At the same time, it also reflects the state of our mood as we say goodbye to summer and welcome a brand new season. Not only are we returning to our old routines, but we're also starting a new chapter of our lives.
I look forward to seeing everyone very soon, and I wish you all a wonderful month!

                                                                                                                Joanne

Meeting Update

Thank you to all who came to this month's meeting! We gathered at Balzac's Coffee at 122 Bond Street at the Ryerson Image Arts Building. It was the perfect place to catch up: everyone seemed to have a fantastic summer, though it was agreed upon that it went by much too fast! As well, we discussed our previous read, M.L. Stedman's The Light Between Oceans over a cup of coffee.
The novel is full of descriptions of the natural world: the ocean, the landscape, and the sky, all play a pivotal role in Tom and Isabel's life.
Janus Rock, as we find out, is named for Janus the Roman God of doorways. In that sense, this knowledge of being torn between two ways of seeing things reflect much of the issues that haunt both Tom and Isabel. We all loved Tom, not only for his righteousness, but the fact that he was willing to sacrifice so much for Isabel and her happiness. We all agreed that the ending surprised us all, as we expected the book to end in a different way. Altogether, everyone enjoyed the book, having succeeded in pulling our hearts in different directions as we read each page and felt the turmoils and the emotions of each character.

Shortly after, we began to select our next pick. Not surprisingly, the book we chose was 100% agreed upon!

Our September Selection

Summary: Like his father before him, Octavio runs the Notre-Dame bakery, and knows the secret recipe for the perfect Parisian baguette. But, also like his father, Octavio has never mastered the art of reading and his only knowledge of the world beyond the bakery door comes from his own imagination. Just a few streets away, Isabeau works out of sight in the basement of the Louvre, trying to forget her disfigured beauty by losing herself in the paintings she restores and the stories she reads. The two might never have met, but for a curious chain of coincidences involving a mysterious traveller, an impoverished painter, a jaded bookseller, and a book of fairytales, lost and found . . .

Check back for more interesting posts on all things C.S. Richardson and The Emperor of Paris! 

Happy reading everyone!