Our September Edition

Matchbook Book Club presents: The September Edition   Dear Members, I hope that everyone is off to a lovely start to the month so far! Fall has got to be my favorite time of the year- not to mention 'tis the season for book lovers everywhere in Toronto: from Word on the Street to Fall's newest releases! As per tradition, September is also the month of Mystery- who wouldn't like to cuddle up with a thriller in your armchair by the fireside! I'm very excited for what's to come this season: from themes like political thrillers, to fun movie nights and special events- there's something for everyone. See you all very soon! Joanne Thank you to everyone who turned up to our recent meeting! Lunch at the Gallery Grill inside Hart House was splendid. A fantastic experience for all.  When discussing about our previous pick, A Time of Gifts by Patrick Leigh Fermor, it was mixed reviews. Some couldn't make it to the last page, while others thought it was a wonderful read but just needed a bit more time and the right mood to enjoy the book. Overall, we'd probably give it a 3/5 star rating. Speaking of travels, Eric and I will be off to Italy next week, and will promise there will be tales to tell when we get back. We also wish safe travels to Lauren, who will be off to Washington- exciting!   Thanks to everyone who's submitted their choices for this month! At the draw of a hat, our September book club pick is: Summary WICKED above her hipbone, GIRL across her heart  Words are like a road map to reporter Camille Preaker’s troubled past. Fresh from a brief stay at a psych hospital, Camille’s first assignment from the second-rate daily paper where she works brings her reluctantly back to her hometown to cover the murders of two preteen girls. NASTY on her kneecap, BABYDOLL on her leg  Since she left town eight years ago, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed again in her family’s Victorian mansion, Camille is haunted by the childhood tragedy she has spent her whole life trying to cut from her memory. HARMFUL on her wrist, WHORE on her ankle  As Camille works to uncover the truth about these violent crimes, she finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Clues keep leading to dead ends, forcing Camille to unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past to get at the story. Dogged by her own demons, Camille will have to confront what happened to her years before if she wants to survive this homecoming. With its taut, crafted writing, Sharp Objects is addictive, haunting, and unforgettable. “He found himself wondering at times, especially in the autumn, about the wild lands, and strange visions of mountains that he had never seen came into his dreams.” - J.R.R. Tolkien Future Event Due to Thanksgiving long weekend, I have set out different dates and times to accommodate our next meeting. Vote for your date! Here is the link.  From Books To Films... One of our previous reads, Serena by Ron Rash, finally has a movie trailer out (starring Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper)- long overdue! Check it out. I can't wait to discuss everyone's reactions during the next meeting! Watch it here. Events in TO Dates: Sept 17-27, 2014 Location: Spadina Museum: Historic House & Gardens  Price Summary: $25  Audience: All ages Movie Night! Choice of films and times are TBA!

This Month's Selection

A book must be the ax for the frozen sea within us.- Franz Kafka

Matchbook Book Club Newsletter Theme: Where The Streets Have No Name Dear Members, As summer is drawing to a close, we look back at some fantastic moments spent with loved ones and with one another: we've entered our third year as a book club, we've checked out fun cultural events and explored parts of the city we've never been. So it's only fitting we turn to reads that will help to provide some armchair travel ! Here's to the final weeks of summer. I can't wait to see what's new in store for us next season. See you next month! Joanne Thank you to everyone who came out to this month's meeting! There were a lot of laughs, great discussions and best of all, fine company. A big welcome to Teresa, who joins us as a new member! One thing's for sure, hosting a BBQ means great food and even better desserts- there definitely wasn't a shortage of them! In regards to our previous pick, Boundless by Kenneth Oppel, there was an overall high satisfaction with the book. Many members thought it was great fun to have read bits of Canadian history throughout the book, and will definitely pass it on to younger members of the family to read, or to those who would love an adventurous book! The votes are in and this month's pick is... Summary:  In 1933 Patrick Leigh Fermor was eighteen. Expelled from school for a flirtation with a local girl, he headed to London to set up as a writer, only to find that dream harder to realize than expected. Then he had the idea of leaving his troubles behind; he would "change scenery; abandon London and England and set out across Europe like a tramp . . . travel on foot, sleep in hayricks in summer, shelter in barns when it was raining or snowing and only consort with peasants and tramps." Shortly after, Leigh Fermor shouldered his rucksack and set forth on the extraordinary trek that was to take him up the Rhine, down the Danube, and on to Constantinople. It was the journey of a lifetime, after which neither Leigh Fermor nor, tragically, Europe would ever be the same, and out of it came a work of literature that is as ambitious and absorbing as it is without peer.  Taking in not just haylofts but mountain heights, country houses as well as cottages, with stops along the way in the great cities of Hamburg, Munich, Vienna, and Prague, A Time of Gifts is a radiant evocation of people and places and one of the glories of modern English prose. Barbara's Quinoa Chocolate Chip Cookie Receipe Gluten-free! Thank you to everyone who brought lovely treats for our BBQ! A big hit was Barbara's lovely chocolate chip cookies made with quinoa flour! Many requests were made for the recipe and Barbara happily send the recipe my way to share it with you all. Enjoy! As I walked, I ran my fingers along the spines of hundreds of books. I let myself be imbued with the smell, with the light that filtered through the cracks or from the glass lanterns embedded in the wooden structure, floating among mirrors and shadows.  - Carlos Ruiz Zafón, The Angel’s Game  Member's Recommendations! Apart from our book club picks, many of our members have read great titles along the way and for that reason, I will be adding this feature in future newsletters for all to enjoy. Teresa: The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan Shirley: The Massey Murder by Charlotte Gray Barbara: The Martian by Andy Weir Sweetland by Michael Crummey Sonya: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo Joanne: Then and Always by Dani Atkins Future Event Our September meeting will be taking place a wee bit early as I will be away on vacation from September 20-29th! As a result, I hope all will be okay with meeting up onSunday, September 14th. The location is to be determined, however you can vote for times here on theDoodle! Coming up on September 4-14, the Toronto Film Festival comes to town! Potential get-together to enjoy a film or two? Let me know! Artfest Toronto is taking place this coming long weekend at the Distillery! Check it out! (Thanks to Kristin for this heads-up!) Author Q & A  I am still waiting on a reply from author Kenneth Oppel with our questions. Once I receive the e-mail, I will post the Q & A to next month's newsletter. Stay tuned!