Our January Edition

Brighter beginnings...

Matchbook Book Club presents: January 2015 Newsletter "With freedom, books, flowers, and the moon, who could not be happy?"- Oscar Wilde Dear Members, Apologies for sending this newsletter on the last day of the month, please forgive me: I've been super crazy busy this past month and as a result, time flew by all too fast!! I hope everyone has been doing well! January certainly carries an air of of renewal, of brightened spirits and new memories. This year, I will be heading out to several destinations in Europe- I want to make 2015 the year of adventure. What does 2015 mean to you? A new year also means one thing: new books! There are some fantastic reads I am looking forward to this year- I can't wait to share and discuss with you all! See you all very soon! Joanne Thank you to everyone who attended last month's meeting, where we had Sunday brunch at the beautiful Cluny restaurant at the heart of the Distillery District! It was a hearty catch-up to see how everyone was over the holidays and to discuss our previous book, The Table of Less Valued Knights by Marie Phillips. Overall, the feedback was positive- a great start to the bookish new year! Not only was it funny, but it was a page-turner and full of good cheer. Everyone enjoyed the ending, and the story was well-written. Highly recommended for all! Many thanks to those who have submitted their titles for this month's Member's Choice! We placed all the titles into a bag and Shirley had the honours of selecting this month's winner, which was Sonya's choice! Enjoy! I can't wait to discuss this book next month! Summary: Despite their many differences, Detective Rachel Getty trusts her boss, Esa Khattak, implicitly. But she’s still uneasy at Khattak’s tight-lipped secrecy when he asks her to look into Christopher Drayton’s death. Drayton’s apparently accidental fall from a cliff doesn’t seem to warrant a police investigation, particularly not from Rachel and Khattak’s team, which handles minority-sensitive cases. But when she learns that Drayton may have been living under an assumed name, Rachel begins to understand why Khattak is tip-toeing around this case. It soon comes to light that Drayton may have been a war criminal with ties to the Srebrenica massacre of 1995. If that’s true, any number of people might have had reason to help Drayton to his death, and a murder investigation could have far-reaching ripples throughout the community. But as Rachel and Khattak dig deeper into the life and death of Christopher Drayton, every question seems to lead only to more questions, with no easy answers. Had the specters of Srebrenica returned to haunt Drayton at the end, or had he been keeping secrets of an entirely different nature? Or, after all, did a man just fall to his death from the Bluffs? In her spellbinding debut, Ausma Zehanat Khan has written a complex and provocative story of loss, redemption, and the cost of justice that will linger with readers long after turning the final page.  Reading Bingo Challenge: The Canadian Edition! This year, I thought it would be super fun to take part in Random House's Bingo Challenge! I have given away copies of this Bingo sheet in the previous meeting, but for those who could not attend, do feel free to print out one for your own here. One rule we have applied is that no member should cross off two squares at the same time- that way it'll be fair for all! Feel free to bring your card to the meetings and we can compare! So far with our latest pick, we can cross off "A Mystery or Thriller by a Canadian Author" and "A Book Set in Toronto". Have fun! Future Event Our next meeting will be taking place in the middle of February. ADoodle has been placed so vote for your dates! Location: a place we haven't gone in awhile, but we have been quite fond of their brunch: Wind Up Bird Cafe. See you there! Member's Recommendations Shirley found a very lovely post to share with you all: 15 Ways To Prove You're A Book Addict: here is the link See how many you've checked off! I also found this very humorous article: 8 Things Only People In Book Clubs Know: read it here February Selections Theme: I Carry It In My Heart Inspired by the words of E.E. Cummings, this month will showcase titles that will inspire and take us to a poignant moment in our lives where we have felt sentiment at its most radiant, a place in time that we have cherished deeply. Stay tuned!