The October Edition

Matchbook Book Club presents: The October Edition   Dear Members, We're well into the Fall season, and the excitement's just only begun. I can't believe October is already over- soon enough we shall be entering holiday season, and that's when things get festive! There's lots of great events coming up, so make sure to join in on the fun including... Taste of Iceland: starts November 12-15th. From food to films, can't wait for this as many of you know I'm very fond of that country! For more information, visit their website here. Roald Dahl Day: Sat November 14th, 1PM free screening of Fantastic Mr. Fox at Bloor Hot Docs Cinema. Tickets at bloorcinema.com See you next month! Joanne Thank you everyone who came out to our recent meeting! We discussed our latest pick, The Fishermen! I'm pleased to hear that everyone enjoyed reading the book- there are parts where it was very dark, but all can agree on the magnificent storytelling and vivid imagery the author weaves on the tale of four brothers in Nigeria. Thank you to everyone who voted for our next pick! Looking forward to reading it and discussing with you all soon. The winner: Summary: An attack in London left Ann Walmsley unable to walk alone down the street, and shook her belief in the fundamental goodness of people. In Canada a few years later, when her friend Carol asked her to participate in a bold new venture in a men’s medium security prison, Ann had to weigh her curiosity and desire to be of service with her anxiety and fear. But she signed on, and for eighteen months went to a remote building at Collins Bay, meeting a group of heavily tattooed book club members without the presence of guards or security cameras. There was no wine and cheese, plush furnishings, or superficial chat about jobs or recent vacations. But a book club on the inside proved to be a place to share ideas, learn about each other, and regain humanity. For the men, the books were rare prized possessions, and the meetings were an oasis of safety and a respite from isolation in an otherwise hostile environment. Having been judged themselves, they were quick to make judgments about the books they read. As they discussed the obstacles the characters faced, they revealed glimpses of their own struggles that were devastating and comic. From The Grapes of Wrath to The Cellist of Sarajevo, Outliers to Infidel, the book discussions became a springboard for frank conversations about loss, anger, redemption, heroism and loneliness. The Prison Book Club follows six particularly involved book club members, who kept journals at Ann's request and participated in candid one-on-one conversations. Graham the biker, Frank the gunman, Ben and Dread the Jamaicans, and the robber duo Gaston and Peter come to life as Ann reconciles her knowledge of their crimes with the individuals themselves, and follows their lives as they leave prison. And woven throughout is the determined and compassionate Carol Finlay, working tirelessly to expand her program across Canada and into the United States. The books changed the men and the men changed Ann, allowing her to move beyond her position as a victim. She came to realize that given the choice, she'd forsake the company of her privileged friends and their comfortable book club, and make the two hour drive to Collins Bay.  For an interesting extra, watch the author being interview on Global News here. A fun bookish list that we can all check off together in November! (Except of course, #4 of course!) If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. -Marcus Tullius Cicero     Some Food For Thought...Literally! A great article from The Telegraph on the 10 Greatest Meals in Literature- read it here! Toronto Power Walkers Group For those of us who attended our recent meeting, Shirley had informed us about her walking group which seemed fantastic! For more information, visit their blog here! Future Event Our next book club gathering will be taking place next month around the usual time! ADoodle has been created, so vote for your time and dates! New: A Friday night time slot! Location would be at Artisano Bakery Cafe: learn more about this placehere. Our November Selections As per tradition, November is Mystery Month! (Cue PBS's Masterpiece Mystery Credit Opening from the late 90's: watch ithere!) Best of all, it will be Member's Choice! Bookshop love:   Paris bookshop Shakespeare & Co. has opened up a cafe. Potential meeting place in the future, dear members? :) Read all about ithere! A very interesting read on author Lisa See and celebrating 20 years of Gold Mountain: you can read it here! (thanks Shirley for sharing!)

The September Edition

Ah, the first hints of Autumn...

Matchbook Book presents The September Edition Dear Members, A new season means the start of something exciting: whether it's taking a cooking class you've always wanted to try, or reading up a fresh new batch of new books- there's plenty of events and goals to aim for! September seems to be quite a busy month for everyone, but let's not forget to try and attend these following fun events that are taking place, like Word On The Street- !!!!! I also want to wish safe travels for Lauren, who is off on an amazing European adventure for three months, and a big happy birthday to Shirley! Hope to see you guys next Sunday for WOTS, enjoy your week, and happy Fall! Joanne Our meeting took place at Gusto 101- a great place for brunch! Thank you to everyone who came out to this month's meeting! We discussed our latest book club pick, Sara Taylor's "The Shore". It was quite a mixed review of this book- there were some chapters we wished the author to elaborate more on (the story of Chloe and Renee and Medora for example) and others that had us going "What the heck?!" (The last chapter anyone??) However, the storytelling was vivid and interesting. Overall, a 3/5 rating. Thank you to everyone who voted for our picks this month, whose theme is the Man Booker Prize Shortlist! The votes are in and our pick: About the author and book: this article helps to give us a little background about Chigozie Obioma and the origins of The Fishermen. Click here! This just in: our book club selection made it to the Man Booker Prize Shortlist!! Let's continue to cheer him on! Summary: In a Nigerian town in the mid 1990's, four brothers encounter a madman whose mystic prophecy of violence threatens the core of their close-knit family. Told from the point of view of nine year old Benjamin, the youngest of four brothers, The Fisherman is the story of an unforgettable childhood in 1990s Nigeria, in the small town of Akure. When their strict father has to travel to a distant city for work, the brothers take advantage of his extended absence to skip school and go fishing. At the ominous, forbidden nearby river, they meet a dangerous local madman who persuades the oldest of the boys that he is destined to be killed by one of his siblings. What happens next is an almost mythic event whose impact-both tragic and redemptive-will transcend the lives and imaginations of its characters and its readers. Dazzling and viscerally powerful, The Fishermen never leaves Akure but the story it tells has enormous universal appeal. Seen through the prism of one family's destiny, this is an essential novel about Africa with all of its contradictions—economic, political, and religious—and the epic beauty of its own culture. With this bold debut, Chigozie Obioma emerges as one of the most original new voices of modern African literature, echoing its older generation's masterful storytelling with a contemporary fearlessness and purpose. “All good books have one thing in common – they are truer than if they had really happened.” -Ernest Hemingway FUTURE EVENT Our next meeting will be taking place next month: location is to be announced, vote for your dates and times on the Doodle here. See you all very soon! The beautiful bookshop in Buenos Aires, El Ateneo! Must. Visit. From Books To Film (TIFF Edition) I had the extreme pleasure of watching TIFF films this year that were amazing in its own way: from The Danish Girl to Legend, one thing they all have in common is: they were adapted from books! So here's a couple of great titles to add on your To-Read List: The Danish Girl (starring Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander): The Danish Girl Novel by David Ebershoff The Dressmaker (starring Kate Winslet and Liam Hemsworth): Novel: The Dressmaker by Rosalie Ham Legend (starring Tom Hardy) Novel: The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins by John Pearson The Martian (starring Matt Damon, Kate Rooney, Jessica Chastian) Novel: The Martian by Andy Weir The Septembers of Shiraz (starring Salma Hayek, Adrien Brody) Novel: Same title by Dalia Sofer A Tale of Love and Darkness Novel: A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz

The August Edition

I think of life as a good book!"

Matchbook Book Club presents: The August Edition Dear Members, I cannot believe we've arrived at the month of August! Summer days just seem to just fly past us at such speeds that often we take such warm afternoons for granted. Let us not forget that there are still weekends, afternoons, and evenings left so let's make the best out of them! Leisure moments like these are best spent with a book in tow: how has everyone been with their book pledge this year? Anyone close to accomplishing the 2015 Reading Bingo? (For those who need a refresh or have not encountered one before, please visit this link hereand print one out today!) I am thrilled to see that some of you are on Goodreads (We have a Goodreads page too- follow us here!) It's always lovely to see what everyone else is reading. I'm looking forward to seeing all next month- and in the meantime, enjoy the sunshine, relax, and read! Joanne Thank you to everyone who came out on a warm Sunday to have lunch at Bar Milano! What a beautiful view of the lake,  not to mention sitting in a shadier place helped to beat the heat! Sipping on iced tea and eating dishes like pizza and delicious pasta: can't complain! My, my, what overwhelming feedback for our latest read, Confessions! The characters, the story-line, the themes, the vivid imagery of certain scenes (hint: the ending anyone?!!?!?)- there were definite moments where we went WTH! While there were those who couldn't sympathize with the characters but thought it well-written, others found it to be a thrilling read and liked that the story was told through multiple points of view- one member even finished this book in two sittings! Fun fact (taken from Wiki): The author has been described in Japan as "the queen of iyamisu." Iyamisu (eww mystery) is a subgenre of mystery fiction which deals with grisly episodes and the dark side of human nature. Readers blurt out "eww" when they are reading iyamisu (eww mystery) novels. Huh! Interesting! Theme: Carry Me Thank you to everyone who have submitted their votes: our theme draws on titles which renders coming back to the theme of home: memories of days past, weekends spent, evenings well cherished with loved ones- which at times for some, can hold both the good and the bad. And this month's pick is: The Shore by Sara Taylor  Left: UK Cover Version Right: Canadian Cover Version Summary: Welcome to The Shore: a collection of small islands sticking out from the coast of Virginia into the Atlantic Ocean. Where clumps of evergreens meet wild ponies, oyster-shell roads, tumble-down houses, unwanted pregnancies, murder, storm-making and dark magic in the marshes. . .  Situated off the coast of Virginia's Chesapeake Bay, the group of islands known as the Shore has been home to generations of fierce and resilient women. Sanctuary to some but nightmare to others, it's a place they've inhabited, fled, and returned to for hundreds of years. From a half-Shawnee Indian's bold choice to flee an abusive home only to find herself with a man who will one day try to kill her to a brave young girl's determination to protect her younger sister as methamphetamine ravages their family, to a lesson in summoning storm clouds to help end a drought, these women struggle against domestic violence, savage wilderness, and the corrosive effects of poverty and addiction to secure a sense of well-being for themselves and for those they love. Together their stories form a deeply affecting legacy of two barrier island families, illuminating 150 years of their many freedoms and constraints, heartbreaks, and pleasures. Conjuring a wisdom and beauty all its own,The Shore is a richly unique, stunning novel that will resonate with readers long after turning its final pages, establishing Sara Taylor as a promising new voice in fiction. If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads. – Ralph Waldo Emerson FUTURE EVENT Our next meeting will be taking place in September! A Doodle has been made so vote for your dates and times. See you soon! Bookshop love!

The July Edition

“Without words, without writing and without books there would be no history, there could be no concept of humanity.”

Matchbook Book Club presents: The July Edition Theme: How Far We've Come Dear Members, What a glorious weekend we've had! With sunnier days and warmer nights, I hope everyone has been enjoying themselves! This month's pick will look at reads that will further deepen view of the human condition, whether it's about self-discovery, injustice overcome, or being inspired by the unexpected. Thank you to all who have voted for this month's selections! It was safe to say that it was an overwhelming yes for Harper Lee's  "Go Set A Watchman", the much anticipated runner-up to the classic, "To Kill A Mockingbird". "Go Set a Watchman" will debut on July 14th, and as a result, our upcoming meeting will be pushed a little later: regardless, for the ambitious readers among us- there's room for opportunity to read the first book as a refresher, or better yet, watch the film (who doesn't love Gregory Peck, my ultimate dream man?!) I think it's safe to say that this book will definitely lead a hearty round of discussions for our next meeting! I can't wait to hear what you have to say! In the meantime, enjoy the sunshine and stay bookish! Joanne “I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. It's when you know you're licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what.”  - Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird Summary: Originally written in the mid-1950s, Go Set a Watchman was the novel Harper Lee first submitted to her publishers before To Kill a Mockingbird. Assumed to have been lost, the manuscript was discovered in late 2014. Go Set a Watchman features many of the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird some twenty years later. Returning home to Maycomb to visit her father, Jean Louise Finch—Scout—struggles with issues both personal and political, involving Atticus, society, and the small Alabama town that shaped her. Exploring how the characters from To Kill a Mockingbird are adjusting to the turbulent events transforming mid-1950s America, Go Set a Watchman casts a fascinating new light on Harper Lee’s enduring classic. Moving, funny and compelling, it stands as a magnificent novel in its own right.  Happy reading!

Future Event In light of the Pan Am Games, we figured it would be best to meet more uptown this month. Location is to be announced- however due to the nature of the book's late release into the month, there is only one day we can call the meeting (the following weekend is a long weekend) here is aDoodle to vote for the times! Bookish love: a personal library shot from a beautiful home in Dallas. Beauty!

June Edition

Good reads under a summer breeze...

Matchbook Book Club presents: June 2015 Dear Members, I hope that everyone is having a wonderful start to this month so far! My goodness does time fly: already we are heading into the summer season and with a touch of lovely weather we've been having here and there, I'm looking forward to warmer afternoons! Thank you to everyone who came out to our last meeting at Cibo Wine Bar- it was a delicious brunch buffet and definitely worth a visit! In terms of our previous pick, we enjoyed H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald. There were some bones to pick, such as the preference of eliminating segments where she talks about T.H. White out of the book, and more focus on both her personal moments and her father's interesting past! Overall, the book was well-written and definitely worth passing on to bird-loving friends! Looking forward, I can't wait to discuss our next pick: for those who loved Still Alice, I'm excited to hear everyone's thoughts on this one! Enjoy! Joanne Thank you to everyone who submitted their votes! In light of this month's theme, the kick-off read to our summer season is: Summary: From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author and neuroscientist Lisa Genova comes a powerful new novel that does for Huntington’s Disease what her debut Still Alice did for Alzheimer’s. Joe O’Brien is a forty-four-year-old police officer from the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, proud father of four children in their twenties, and respected officer, Joe begins experiencing bouts of disorganized thinking, uncharacteristic temper outbursts, and strange, involuntary movements. He initially attributes these episodes to the stress of his job, but as these symptoms worsen, he agrees to see a neurologist and is handed a diagnosis that will change his and his family’s lives forever: Huntington’s Disease. Huntington’s is a lethal neurodegenerative disease with no treatment and no cure. Each of Joe’s four children has a 50 percent chance of inheriting their father’s disease, and a simple blood test can reveal their genetic fate. While watching her potential future in her father’s escalating symptoms, twenty-one-year-old daughter Katie struggles with the questions this test imposes on her young adult life. Does she want to know? What if she’s gene positive? Can she live with the constant anxiety of not knowing? As Joe’s symptoms worsen and he’s eventually stripped of his badge and more, Joe struggles to maintain hope and a sense of purpose, while Katie and her siblings must find the courage to either live a life “at risk” or learn their fate. "There comes a time when you have to choose between turning the page and closing the book. "-Josh Jameson Future Event There are a couple of options to vote from in terms of meeting dates. Unfortunately, June 14th and June 21st are out of the equation as I will be running the Nike Womens 15K on the 14th and it will be my birthday on the 21st! As a result, the only dates availble this month would be Sat the 13th, the 20th, and the weekend of the 27th and 28th should anyone be interested in a later date. Vote here! Bookish love: we are loving this room. How inspiring!

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