Helping artists through coaching and big picture planning, to get clarity on the next best steps, so they can be confident, breathe easy and build a sustainable, successful career.
[Silent Book Club ~ Ottawa Chapter] Autumn... A Chilly, Crispy New Beginning
|
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald No matter how old I get, Reader, no matter how long it's been since I've been in school, and no matter how long ago it was since the last time I had the chance to go back-to-school-supplies' shopping, September always feels like the beginning of something. It certainly isn't the beginning for a lot of other things ~ farmers are havesting, not planting; leaves are readying themselves (with the most beautiful colours, I might add) to drop, sending their host trees into the sleepy seasons of Autumn, then Winter; and the bright warmth of Summertime fun is wrapping up for another year ~ yet, here in the Western world, it very much has the flavour of starting new things. With the return to the ritual or routine of school or work, comes the opportunity to choose new things to learn, new things to begin. This may not be a positive set of circumstances for everyone. Not everyone loves stepping into a roomful of unknown faces, navigating new school buildings or playing awkward getting-to-know-you games in home room. There are countless reasons for preferring just about any other time of year over this one. But for those of us who feel inspired by the crisp air, the crunch of brown leaves underfoot, the weight of new text books in our book bags, and the promise of a clean slate, this is a new beginning, with new books to start and new stories to discover. Do you dread the end of Summer and letting go of beach or cottage reads? Or do you break into new and cozy Autumn stories and books at this time of year? Once again, writing to you, sweet Reader, has given me the introspective opportunity to realise that my reading practice is more seasonally influenced by what's happening in the world around me, than I'd realised. I look forward to some cozier reads, maybe like stories that carry me to enchanged schools set in haunted castles, teeming with gowned students looking for their next class in magical arts. Do you find yourself turning to cozy reads at this time of year? Perhaps revamping your TBR pile with scholarly texts? Or are you holding onto your sandy paperback, trying to squeeze in one more chapter of that beachy novel? I'd love to know what kinds of reading you're doing in this season... please hit reply and let me know! · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · Thank you so much for signing up and reading these emails! It never ceases to amaze me, my book-loving Reader, that you are here, reading what I write and send you. It means the world to me, knowing that you are there happy to gobble up these words, as I am happy to be writing them! And when I receive some replies, even just a line or two, well... there are no words for that brand of happiness. · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · Make sure you use the signup links... Despite the paused events (Constance Bay, Hintonburg, etc.), we are still so very grateful to those of you who are using the signup link: https://www.ticketleap.events/events/silent-book-club-ottawa. It truly helps us to keep our host venues up to date with how many people to expect at any meetup. So... thank you! Please bookmark that link and use it when making your SBC plans. Also... you can go here and subscribe to the Silent Book Club ~ Ottawa Chapter's Google calendar so that our meetups show up on your calendar. In the description field of each meetup "event" in the calendar, you'll find the link you need to sign up. Easy peasy! Once you've visited the link and explored what's there, please let me know what you think! · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · What I'm reading... I finally completed of A Spoonful of Murder by Robin Stevens, and really enjoyed it. Its twists and turns were clever! I also read The House in the Cerluean Sea by TJ Klune (one of my favourite authors) and it was delicious. I look forward to making time for the next book of that series, Somewhere Beyond the Sea, coming out September 10. I also ploughed by way through The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown and The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose. The former was a book I'd picked up ages ago but never read ~ a twisted story about magical books with super powers ~ and the latter, I purchased at the Ottawa Writer Festival ~ a Molly Grey mystery or A Maid Novel, which I highly recommend. Once again, I renewed my hold on The Embroidered Book by Kate Heartfield, local Ottawa author. (Gosh... time for reading that book is proving quite elusive.) For our book club, it was Alyson's turn to choose and she chose Small Mercies by Dennis Lehane. I am audio-reading it... something I rarely do. It is at times dark, and at times very jarring; over all, I am captured by the story and the grit of the characters ~ especially the protagonist, Mary Pat Fennessy, who, at 42 works two jobs and still can't make ends meet. Now that I am done ACOTAR's five books by none other than Sarah J. Maas, I look forward to diving into her next series, the Crescent City series. But for now, I have started The Book Woman's Daughter: A Novel by Kim Michele Richardson (sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek) as well as finishing up my bookclub book, too. *whew!* That's all from me for now. Happy reading! Warmly and bookishly, as always, nicole p. s. ~ The East End meetup was paused only for the month of August, but it's back this month! · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · SEPTEMBER EVENTS 📆 If you'd like to add our events to your Google calendar, please click here and subscribe! 📝 All meetups are now available for signup here! This helps our hosts know how many people to expect. Thank you! As always, please pay close attention in the list below to the start times for various gatherings. Not all meetups are at the same time. We have one that starts a touch earlier than most, one over lunchtime, and one that's in the afternoon! Read carefully below and when you sign up. ⭐ = New! Upcoming events
How does it work?
Make your experience fit your vibe
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · Silent Book Club ~ Ottawa Chapter If you received this email from a friend and would like to subscribe, please click here. |
little acorn creative coaching
Helping artists through coaching and big picture planning, to get clarity on the next best steps, so they can be confident, breathe easy and build a sustainable, successful career.
April 2025 SBC613 is pleased to announce its first-ever Book Swap! Book swaps are great opportunities to shed some of your old reads and welcome in some new ones: a wonderful, free exchange of recycle, re-use, and RE-READ. Join us at Anina’s Café in Vanieron Wednesday, May 21st from 6-8pmto refresh your seasonal book list & commune with your fellow reading enthusiasts. Tasty snacks, treats, and beverages will be available to purchase as you browse! How it works: Register on TicketLeap...
March 2025 “For most of history,Anonymous was a woman.” ― Virginia Woolf Welcome to March. In this part of the world, it came in like a lion, indeed. As I sit here with my hands paused, fingertips poised and ready to write to you, my mind swirls with the maelstrom happening outside of my safe little office walls. Inside here, I can convince myself that the world can be safe and calm... just not right now. Because even inside here, there are too many things, impossible to deny; impossible to...
February 14, 2025 “What a blessing it is to love books.” ― Elizabeth von Arnim, The Solitary Summer We're about halfway through February and we've just had the heaviest snowfall of the Winter. No surprise, really. But it does mean that many folks spent the better part of the last 24 hours digging themselves out of over a foot of snow... 32 cm to be precise, according to some reports. AND... there's more coming this weekend. But you know... this is a good thing. It's supposed to snow, in this...