Our March Selection

“Is the spring coming?" he said. "What is it like?"

"It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine...” 

-Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Dear Members,

I hope everyone is enjoying their start to the week! I welcome March with open arms because the signs of Spring is not too far away- hard to believe at the moment, but each day we are getting closer!
A huge thanks to everyone who attended our last book club meeting which took place on a bright Saturday afternoon at Panera Bread. It was a lively discussion with talks about travel, food and all things Italy. One thing's for sure: if any of us wins the lottery, our book club will be going on a very lovely vacation!

Our recent book club pick, A Thousand Days in Tuscany by Marlena de Blasi, received positive feedback from the members. She writes really well, but we all agreed on the fact that the way she writes is very much in the way of a food critic. How she described the Italian cuisine throughout the book was so good, it left us in a constant state of hunger - it was nice to have an armchair vacation to the Tuscan landscape amidst the frigid conditions outside!

This month's pick:

Thanks to everyone for submitting their member's choice picks: during our last meeting, we drew our next pick out of a toque (most fitting!) and it was Lauren's choice!

 

Summary: The year is 1975 and Reno—so-called because of the place of her birth—has come to New York intent on turning her fascination with motorcycles and speed into art. Her arrival coincides with an explosion of activity in the art world—artists have colonized a deserted and industrial SoHo, are staging actions in the East Village, and are blurring the line between life and art. Reno meets a group of dreamers and raconteurs who submit her to a sentimental education of sorts. Ardent, vulnerable, and bold, she begins an affair with an artist named Sandro Valera, the semi-estranged scion of an Italian tire and motorcycle empire. When they visit Sandro’s family home in Italy, Reno falls in with members of the radical movement that overtook Italy in the seventies. Betrayal sends her reeling into a clandestine undertow.

The Flamethrowers is an intensely engaging exploration of the mystique of the feminine, the fake, the terrorist. At its center is Kushner’s brilliantly realized protagonist, a young woman on the verge. Thrilling and fearless, this is a major American novel from a writer of spectacular talent and imagination.

Events:

Matchbook Movie Night

Our previous movie night with the book club members watching The Book Thief was incredibly fun, and I hope to revive that once again this season! Films to select are:

The Grand Budapest Hotel, directed by Wes Anderson, starring Ralph Fiennes, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Adrian Brody, Bill Murray

Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa, starring Steve Coogan, 

Enemy, directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Melanie Laurent, Isabella Rossellini.

In terms of dates, I was thinking of hosting the movie night either on a Tuesday or Friday night: March 18th or March 21st. The film will be on a 6:30pm or later time slot.

Vote for the dates and film: e-mail me at matchbookclub@live.ca with the subject line: RSVP Movie Night. Can't wait!

Future Event

Our next meeting will be taking place on Sunday, March 23rd. In terms of the time, it will be followed up by a Google Doodle. Stay tuned!
In terms of location, I am always open to new places: feel free to throw suggestions my way!

Our Next Theme

Flourish

Having been in the cold for far too long, it's a welcoming feeling to know that Spring will come very soon! As such, I will be hand-picking titles that will revive our hearts and our minds!