Original House Photo Taken Sometime Before WWI

Despite some nasty weather, nine hopeful and excited book club members arrived last night to launch the Devereaux House’s first book club. Ann Lawlor, Chair of the Friends of Devereaux House, took us on a tour of the home and gave us a brief history of the building and surrounding lands. It was fascinatng to learn about the house, it’s origins, its decline, and ultimately, the incredible story of its restoration. I’m sure we’ve all driven by it hundreds of times and wondered about it.  Now we know!  Walking through the house feels like stepping back in time.  It will make a fantastic backdrop to some of our more historical books. What a beautiful piece of Halton’s  past in which to hold our meetings. Thank you Ann – both for the tour, and for all your hard work and dedication to the house and to the community! You can learn more about the house here:  www.devereauxhouse.ca

Next came the boring stuff.  As a group, we needed to make a few decisions.  First, we decided to commit to meeting at Devereaux House the last Thursday evening of every month up to and including January 2013. A fee structure for membership will be determined and communicated separately. At this time, we also decided that new members would be added on a case-by-case basis and would be discussed with the group before invitations are extended.  In the future, if the group becomes larger that is conducive to good discussion, we have some options to help manage numbers.  At this time, our current membership of approximately 15 feels just about right.

Then came the fun part.  From a list of about 22 books, we narrowed the reading list down to 11, with a few more on a “Maybe” list. With no further ado, here is the list:

• the Birth House
• the Book Thief
• the View From Castle Rock
• At Home
• the Paris Wife
• the Journal of Best Practices
• the Cellist of Sarajevo
• the Diary of Ellen Rimbauer
• I Shall Not Hate
• the Book of Negroes

And the pick for the month of February:

We chose this as our first title for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that the movie version is slated for release in March.  We thought it might be fun to organize a movie night sometime in the early spring.

The reading list is in no particular order and the next book will be determined at our February meeting. Also remember that you don’t have to finish a book to attend the meeting (but do be prepared for spoilers!).

So there we go, we’re off and running (or reading, as the case may be). Looking forward to everyone’s feedback, and to seeing everyone on February 23.

Here’s to new beginnings – Cheers everyone!

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”
― C.S. Lewis

Welcome to the inaugural blog post of the Deveraux House Book Club! 

Rather than sending out emails, this blog space will serve as our online meeting place.  In it, you will find meeting dates, book lists, recaps of past meetings and administrivia. I’m learning as I go, both with the book club and the blog, so any and all suggestions and feedback are not just welcomed but requested.

After months (possibly years) of speculation, it’s exciting to finally get things off the ground. Before our first meeting on Thursday, I had asked for everyone’s book choices.  I’m posting the ones I have so far, and if there are more we can discuss them at the meeting.

In no particular order, here they are:

• The Birth House – Ami McKay
• New York – Edward Rutherford
• Boomerang – Michael Lewis
• Thinking Fast & Slow – Daniel Kahneman
• The Hunger Games – Susanne Collins
• Secret Weapon: How Economic Terrorism Brought Down the US Stock Market and Why It Can Happen Again – Kevin Freeman
• The Book Thief – Markus Zusak
• Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close – Jonathan Safran Foer
• Still Alice – Lisa Genova
• The Known World – Edward P. Jones
• The Pillars of the Earth – Ken Follett
• The View From Castle Rock – Alice Munro
• At Home – Bill Bryson
• The Paris Wife – Paula McLain
• Wench – Dolen Perkins-Valdez

(updated!)

• Journal of Best Practices – David Finch
• Breaking and Entering – Eileen Pollack
• Small Island – Audrey Levy
• the Cellist of Sarajevo – Steven Galloway
• Diary of Ellen Rimbauer, My Life at Rose Red – Jane Reardon
• I Shall Not Hate – Izzeldin Abuelaish

Reading has always been a huge part of my life. Books have introduced me to new ways of looking at the world, they have challenged me, made me laugh and made me think.  They were my escape and my salvation during those years when I was at home with my babies, and even though my kids are bigger now, reading still sustains me. (Although coffee ranks pretty high too.) I’m so looking forward to spending a few hours every month with all you like-minded women!

See you on the 26th (7:30 sharp!).

“It is what you read when you don’t have to that determines who you will be when you can’t help it. ”  -Oscar Wilde