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!