Books and Meetings 2025

This list will be updated as members choose their book choice.

January 27 - Colette's choice, Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr, Marg hosts

February 24 - Betty's choice, The Nurse's Secret by Amanda Skenandore, Shirley hosts

March 24 - Sharon's choice ,  Held by Anne Michaels,  Carla hosts

April 28 - Marg's choice, Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon, Michèle hosts

May 26 - Michèle's choice,  The Beauty of Humanity Movement by Camilla Gibb,  Linda hosts

June 16 - Carla's choice, The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer, Colette hosts

September 22 -Linda's choice, The Briar Club by Kate Quinn, Sharon hosts 

October 27 - Shirley's choice, The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris, Betty hosts

November 24 - 

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer - June 16, 2025

Our last meeting before our summer break was hosted by Colette who was joined with Marg, Carla, Betty and Shirley. In honour of the season, Colette baked and served rhubarb muffins plus rhubarb and strawberry bars to accompany our morning coffee and tea. Delicious.

We discussed Carla’s book choice, The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer. Brammer is a writer originally from Tasmania, Australia, who is now based in New York City via France and Spain. This book is her debut novel which she wrote while trying to understand her own anxieties around the topic of death. It was a Book of the Month pick for May 2023, was named a Best Book of Summer 2023 by the New York Times and a Best Book of 2023 by NPR. It was also nominated for the 2023 Goodreads Choice Awards for Best Debut and Best Fiction. In addition to fiction, Brammer writes about architecture, art, and design for publications including Architectural Digest, Dwell, ELLE Decor, Luxe Interiors + Design, Metropolis, and Surface.

The story begins slowly as Clover’s character is developed. She was witness to the death of her teacher when she was very young followed closely by the death of both of her parents. She is then raised by her grandfather. Clover never seems to fit in so leads a solitary life with no personal friends beyond her grandfather and her grandfather’s friend, Leo. In this book we are introduced to death cafes and Clover as a death doula.

As a death doula, Clover offered emotional, spiritual, and practical assistance, helping people navigate the complexities of death and dying. Death doulas focus on enhancing the quality of life for those nearing death, providing comfort, and helping to create meaningful experiences. Clover kept a record of what she learned from each of her clients divided into three categories: Advice, Confessions and Regrets. As an act of homage to her clients, she tried to fulfil some of the regrets that she heard from her dying clients. The regret that she heard most often was the wish that they had told their families and friends that they loved them and we come to understand the vulnerability in saying ‘I love you’. Clover admits that it wasn’t just the regrets of the dying people she was trying to resolve, it was her own.

Clover learned that each dying client had different needs, and she would ask each one, ‘Would you like to be hugged, helped or heard’. These are wise words that our book club members all agreed would undoubtedly be useful in the future.

Clover’s life changes over the course of the book and for those who like a happy ending, that is to is included. 

Our thanks to Carla for choosing this book. The Collected Regrets of Clover was enjoyed by all our members as it elicited a wide-ranging discussion on death, grief, loneliness and living a beautiful life and, as one of the characters says, ‘to have the wisdom to be cautiously reckless’

The Beauty of Humanity Movement by Camilla Gibb - May 26, 2025

This was our second morning meeting and Linda, our host, provided some lovely muffins, coffee and tea. Perfect!  Present were Betty, Carla, Colette, Linda, Michèle, Sharon and Shirley.

After a great chat discussing summer projects, we discussed Michèle's book choice The Beauty of Humanity Movement  by Camilla Gibb. 

Camilla Gibb is the author of four novels—Mouthing the Words, The Petty Details of So–and–so’s Life,Sweetness in the Belly, and The Beauty of Humanity Movement—as well as numerous short stories, articles, and book reviews. She has won several awards and is presently teaching at the University of Guelph and at the University of Toronto.

The story takes place in Vietnam after the American War.  The Communists have taken over and life is a struggle especially for the poorer people.  Hung the senior, and Pho maker, best soup in Hanoi,  has several people around him that he considers family.  His next door neighbour, Lan who no longer talks to him but that he still provides her with food, Tu and his father Binh who are the son and grandson of his dear friend and artist Dao.  When Maggie, the American Vietnamese young woman arrives in the picture, looking for her father who was also an artist, she also becomes part of his family.  

 "The old man as special power - he is the heart of this place, was the heart of the Beauty of Humanity Movement - he brings people together, keeps them fed. " pg 252

All members very much enjoyed the story.  All said that the writing, the text was soothing even when difficult aspects were described, the words, the descriptions were easier to read. There was romance and intrigue.  The story kept you reading, wanting to know what would happen next to Hung and his family/friends.  Would Maggie find clues about her artist father? 

There is a happy ending enjoyed by many of our members.  Some however felt that the end was too wrapped up in a ribbon, Hung has a shop again, he and Lan are talking and together serving the family and clients of the new shop.  Artists and professors from the Hanoi University of Fine Arts have a table at the shop.  Maggie has found her father's story and one of his paintings hangs in the shop.  It is all happy endings wrapped in a ribbon, leaving you with a warm, soothing feeling. 

Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon - April 28, 2025

Our April meeting, the first "day" meeting was held at 10 am at Michèle's home.  Present were Betty, Carla, Colette, Marg and Michèle.  We began our meeting by celebrating Betty's birthday with a glass of mimosa and a piece of coffee cake that Marg provided.  Bran & Apple muffins and Banana & Almond flour were also offered.  

We discussed Marg's book choice Code Name Hélène by Ariel Lawhon.  Marg chose this book because we had all enjoyed a previous book by this author The Frozen River.  

This story was enjoyed by all members present,  This is a Historical novel, very close to the actual facts, very well researched.  It is based on the life of a young Australian woman, Nancy Wake who fought with the Resistance in France during WW II.  The book is sort of divided into two periods,  as the Nazis arrive in Paris, she is trying to begin a journalist career and meets her future husband Henri Fiocca,  and when she is fully into her involvement with the Resistance in 1944.  

Members felt that it was well written, a type of story that you didn't wanted to put down, wanted to see what would happen next.  You could identify it as a true love story and an adventure as she embarks into training and working with the French Resistance . She showed courage and determination and the ability to organize men and women in her group. As she takes on different roles her code name changes. As Lucienne she smuggles people across the border to Spain. The Germans nickname her White Mouse as she successfully evades capture. Her British code name is Hélène and finally when she is air dropped into France she is Madame André.  Our members were impressed by the description of how to kill a man with the hand, and we all practiced the manoeuvre, very impressed and aware that it would take practice.  We also all noted her ever present lipstick "Victory Red" 

Thank you Marg for a book selection that had us all living adventure and a true love story. 

Held by Anne Michaels - March 24, 2025

Our March meeting was hosted by Carla and attended by Colette, Linda, Marg, Michèle, Sharon and Shirley.    Carla had an excellent variety of cheese, olives,  asparagus rolls and a wonderful Milk cake or some call it a Lazy Daisy cake.  Many of us mentioned that it is a cake that our mothers used to make.  

We discussed Sharon's book choice Held by Anne Michaels.

We also discussed the possibility of changing the time of our meetings now that we are all retired.  We have decided to try the 4th Monday of the month at 10 am., coffee, tea and muffins or scones, whatever we prefer to serve.  

Sharon gave us a short bio of the author Anne Michaels.  She is a poet and novelist.  She has written two other novels, Fugitive Pieces that was adapted into a feature film and The Winter Vault. She has also published several poetry books, including All We Saw.  She has won several awards, The Giller Prize 2024 for Held ,  It was also short-listed for the 2024 Booker Prize. She received the Canadian Authors Association Award for Poetry.  She was Toronto Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2018.  

Most members found the book difficult to read and not enjoyable.  They felt that it had no easily understood plot and little character development.  However, many found that her texts were poetic and quite beautiful.  A couple of our members felt that it was more poetry than a novel.  

A couple of our members did enjoy the book.  The language was beautiful and it was interesting to connect John and Helena's descendants throughout the book.  The story begins with John in WWI, lying in the fields injured, thinking of his life and goes through to the 21st century.  Ms Michaels describes well the change in women's roles and their increasingly important lives through Mara who is a doctor and who travels the world to help where she is needed.

It is a novel that certainly took us out of our comfort zone. Some of us will re-read it and some of us will go on to something else.  Thank you Sharon, you have certainly had us push ourselves, some to the limit of our reading enjoyment but some of us accepting new writing styles.  That is what Book Clubs are meant to do, I believe! 

Anne Michaels introduces Held

The Nurse's Secret by Amanda Skenandore - February 24, 2025

For our February meeting we (Linda, Colette, Betty, Marg, Sharon, Carla, Shirley) discussed Betty's book choice, The Nurse's Secret by Amanda Skenandore.  Tonight's host Shirley provided some snacks to eat along with the book discussion: sausage rolls, goat cheese topped with pistachios, fig preserves and honey, and a Bakewell cake with ice cream for dessert. 

Betty provided background on the author who has written four other books to date, including The Second Life of Mirielle West and Between Earth and Sky. Skenandore struggled with dyslexia in school and found reading difficult, but she persisted and says that even now she doesn’t read fast but reads often and wide. Coming from a family of readers and a family of professionals; she is an infection prevention nurse which gives credibility to the medical jargon in tonight’s book.

The Nurse’s Secret is set in New York in the so-called Gilded Age and is a stark depiction of the political corruption of the time, the two distinct classes – extreme wealth and extreme squalor. This was a time, 1873, when Bellevue Hospital started to train nurses instead of using convicts to staff the hospital. The main character of the story, Una Kelly, who is talented pickpocket, liar, and grifter decides to hide in plain sight as a nurse trainee when she is accused of a murder she did not commit.

This is a historical novel with a murder mystery, albeit one where the murderer is telegraphed early in the story. There were a few incredulous incidents with respect to solving the murder which was a detraction from the story. The characters, however, are well described and well developed. It was noted by some that the opening section where we meet Marm Blei held an uncommon similarity to Charles Dickens’ Fagan. The description of the medical procedures of the time were interesting as it was a time when Lister’s new concept of cleanliness was dismissed as being radical and totally unnecessary. Yikes!

Una, in her life as a loner and a thief, has set herself Rules, many Rules, to live by. Her first rule of survival on the streets was to ‘keep your head down and look out for yourself’. Over the course of the story, Una is transformed under the tutelage of her roommate Dru and begins to see the benefits of helping others.

Thank you, Betty, for introducing us to this author and this book with so many points of discussion.

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr -January 27, 2025

Present were Betty, Colette, Linda, Marg, Michèle et Shirley.  Marg had for us, a very nice variety of cheese, crackers, nuts and raisins, wine and some lovely non-alcoholic drinks. We also had a very nice baklava. 

This month's book recommended by Colette, was Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr.  We all very much enjoyed All the Light we Cannot See by the same author and we looked forward to reading this story by the Anthony Doerr that has excellent reviews.  Unfortunately of our members present only one person said that she enjoyed the book, though like other members found it a challenge to read. 

The book is a collection of 5 stories in different time periods from the 15th century to a future century and each story line has a main character and minor characters.  The stories are connected through a lost book by Antonius Diogenes.  The challenge is being able to follow the stories and trying to find a connection between the stories.  

One of our members who was not able to be present at our meeting found the book captivating and she sent her opinion of the book.  It is copied here because it can help all members better understand the stories and the connections.  Here is Carla's opinion of the book.

"I didn’t read any reviews before I began reading the book. I found myself confused as to what was going on. Eventually I realized that Diogenes Folio was the thread that tied the stories together. 

The main message as I see it is that, stories, books, can unite us, educate us , calm us, and even heal us.  The love of ,  reading  learning, libraries, and protecting books ran through all the stories. 
The characters were very well described as were their motivations which helped me keep track of them as the story jumped from one time period to another. I wanted to know what was going to happen to them and was happy with the resolution of their story lines.  Anna and Omeir were able to escape their circumstances and make a life together and have a family. 
There was redemption for Seymour ( that must have been gratifying for Linda). Konstance escaped the Argos.  Her storyline was captivating. 
I began the book being annoyed at all the jumping around but as I continued reading and got into the rhythm of the book, I was captivated. 
The book within a book was an interesting vehicle to tie the storylines and timelines together and it was challenging because the book within the book was fragmented, incomplete and needed to be not only translated but interpreted and filled in as needed."

Thank you Marg for being a lovely host on this wintery evening.  

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon - November 25, 2024

 

Present were Betty, Carla, Colette, Linda, Michèle and Shirley.  Our host was Colette.  She offered us a very nice variety of cheese and pâtés.  

The month's book was The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon, chosen by Shirley.  The Frozen River is a historical fiction inspired by the real person, Martha Ballard who was a midwife, healer and diarist in Maine during the last 40 years of the 18th century.  The principle character in the novel has the same name. Though a novel, the descriptions of country and village life, the harshness of winter, midwifery,  farming and the legal system in Maine are very realistic.  

There are many characters in the novel plus animals that have their own personalities.  Some found it took some concentration to keep the characters and their relationships and connections with others straight.  However, Ms. Lawhon gave us vivid descriptions of the mains characters, Martha and her husband Ephraim are well described, obviously a couple with respect and love. 

The story begins with a drowning death and stories of families, murders, births and a court case are all intertwined .  Martha's journals serve as record keeping of births, deaths and the history of the community. There is drama,  family activities, a court case in which Martha is a witness.  There are crimes committed. There is no down time in this novel! 

Almost all of our members enjoyed the book and found all very realistic.  Thank you Shirley for an excellent choice.