Muse & Views Bookclub: August 2026

Saturday, August 1, 2026

CHANGE OF FORMAT FOR THE MUSE & VIEWS BOOKCLUB BLOG

As of May 2026, the format of the blog for the Muse & Views Bookclub is being modified . There will no longer be a resumé of the member comments from each meeting. The first page you will see on the blog is the list of books read and to be read for the current year. Each book title will be in red and when you "click" on the title, it will bring you to the Goodreads description of the book and for this year only, the resumé of member comments before May.

The resumé of comments before May 2026 are still available. On the right hand side, you can click on the year you wish to consult and it will bring you to that year's list.

This format will allow members to read a quick description of the books for the coming year.

Books and Meetings 2026

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

January 26 - Betty's choice, The Undertaker's Assistant by Amanda Skenandore - Marg hosts

February 23 - Colette's choice, The Maid by Anita Prose - Carla hosts

March 23 - Sharon's choice, - Tom Lake by Ann Patchett, Cathy hosts

April 27 - Marg's choice, - Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano - Michèle hosts

May 25 - Michèle's choice, Pick a Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa - Colette hosts

June 22 - Carla's choice - The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict - Kathleen hosts

September 22 - Kathleen's choice - The Air Raid Bookclub by Annie Lyons - Sharon hosts

October 26 - Linda's choice - Betty hosts

November 23 - Cathy's choice - Michèle hosts

The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict - June 22, 2026 - Carla

Her beauty almost certainly saved her from the rising Nazi party and led to marriage with an Austrian arms dealer. Underestimated in everything else, she overheard the Third Reich's plans while at her husband's side and understood more than anyone would guess. She devised a plan to flee in disguise from their castle, and the whirlwind escape landed her in Hollywood. She became Hedy Lamarr, screen star.

But she kept a secret more shocking than her heritage or her marriage: she was a scientist. And she had an idea that might help the country fight the Nazis and revolutionize modern communication...if anyone would listen to her.

A novel based on the true story of the glamour icon and scientist whose groundbreaking invention revolutionized modern communication.

312 pages, Hardcover

First published January 8, 2019

Pick a Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa - May 25, 2026 - Michèle

From Giller Prize and O. Henry Award winner Souvankham Thammavongsa comes a revelatory novel about loneliness, love, labour, and class. An intimate and sharply written book following a nail salon owner as she toils away for the privileged clients who don't even know her true name.

Ning is a retired boxer, but to the customers who visit her nail salon, she is just another worker named Susan. On this summer's day, much like any other, the Susans buff and clip and polish and tweeze. They listen and smile and nod. But beneath this superficial veneer, Ning is a woman of rigorous intellect and profound complexity. A woman enthralled by the intricacy and rhythms of her work, but also haunted by memories of paths not taken and opportunities lost. A woman navigating the complex power dynamics among her fellow Susans, whose greatest fears and desires lie just behind the gossip they exchange.

As the day's work grinds on, the friction between Ning's two identities—as anonymous manicurist and brilliant observer of her own circumstances—will gather electric and crackling force, and at last demand a reckoning with the way the world of privilege looks at a woman like Ning.

Told over a single day, with razor-sharp precision and wit, Pick a Colour confirms Souvankham Thammavongsa's place as literature's premier chronicler of the immigrant experience, in its myriad, complex, and slyly subversive forms.

188 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2025

The Air Raid Bookclub by Annie Lyons - September 2026 - Kathleen

London, 1938: The bookstore just doesn’t feel the same to Gertie Bingham ever since the death of her beloved husband Harry. Bingham Books was a dream they shared together, and without Harry, Gertie wonders if it’s time to take her faithful old lab, Hemingway, and retire to the seaside. But fate has other plans for Gert.

In Germany, Hitler is on the rise, and Jewish families are making the heart-wrenching decision to send their children away from the growing turmoil. After a nudge from her dear friend Charles, Gertie decides to take in one of these refugees, a headstrong teenage girl named Hedy. Willful and fearless, Hedy reminds Gertie of herself at the same age, and shows her that she can’t give up just yet. With the terrible threat of war on the horizon, the world needs people like Gertie Bingham and her bookshop.

When the Blitz begins and bombs whistle overhead, Gertie and Hedy come up with the idea to start an air raid book club. Together with neighbors and bookstore customers, they hold lively discussions of everything from Winnie the Pooh to Wuthering Heights. After all, a good book can do wonders to bolster people’s spirits, even in the most trying times. But even the best book can only provide a temporary escape, and as the tragic reality of the war hits home, the book club faces unimaginable losses. They will need all the strength of their stories and the bonds they’ve formed to see them through to brighter

days.

336pages, Hardcov

First published July 11, 2023