Tag Archives: book club

Mar26

run.

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et, longtime sporty friend of mine

signed up to do a quick 5k this morning

prior to our bookclub brunch

and was surprised to learn

that she was somehow stuck doing a 5-miler

due to a ‘volunteer miscommunication error’

and toughed it out, arriving  on time.

please note the difference in her demeanor, expression, and body language

in the photos

before (above)

still running and realizing the mileage

and

after (below)

arriving at brunch and enjoying a breakfast bud light.

here’s to her mighty spirit.“either you run the day or the day runs you.”

-jim rohn

Aug21

*h2.e.l.p.

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IMG_1599

we began as a mixed group

of teachers and parents

and

became friends

stayed friends

formed

a book club

had

passionate discussions

about books

but

over time

it became

challenging

to get

everyone

in one place

on a regular basis

for hours at a time

on the same night

so

one day

we had an idea

and

 decided

to meet

after work on fridays

at the end of each week

late in the afternoon

just for a bit

on a drop-in basis

whoever could make it was welecome

and we

talked about

books, life, family, loves, our news, the world

and we

listened

to each other

and

asked and answered questions

about things

in our lives

that made us happy

or

that made us sad

or

that we didn’t understand

or just

needed

to tell someone

and

wanted

the perspective

of others

we trusted

as we

shared our personal stories

and we

celebrated each other’s lives

and we all made a point

of being there

on a regular basis

and sometimes

husbands

 kids

dates

 visitors

popped in

and out

and soon

the books fell away

and

we met

just to

spend time together

so

one day

i had an idea

and

i gave us a name

on a shirt

as a christmas present

*h2.e.l.p.

*(happy hour extra large print)

book club 

of ann arbor

and to

make it official

and it seemed

just the right name

for us

for more than one reason

and

a couple of times

each year

we kick it up a notch

when

we go

on an

overnight adventure

to a local hotel

or a cottage on a lake

where it feels

so far away from it all

yet

they’re

just

a

few miles away

no husbands

no kids

no dates

no visitors

and

we stay up

most of the night

with food and drink

and music

sharing our stories

and

our own

good company

and

sometimes

we sneak into the pool or take a dip in the lake

for some

late night swimming

and play games

and

all sorts

of

other antics

and merry-making

happen

it’s a slumber party

of the highest order

after all

and

i may even suggest

that we

read a book

one day soon

one that

that has it all

romance, mystery, action and adventure, travel, suspense, humor, friendship

and no vampires

it’s one of my favorites

and

it’s sure to

inspire a passionate discussion

about its surprise ending

go-dog-go2

—

“the first rule of book club – is that nobody wants to talk about book club.”
― douglas lewis

Mar28

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.” ― Stephen King

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Image

literati – my favorite local independent book store.

their first book club night ever. 

that’s me, 3rd person on the left in a white sweater. so happy to be there.

so happy to support them.

they’ve made it. one full year.

and this is what they wrote about how happy they are.

—

One Year Anniversary Party!

March 28, 29, and 30th!
The end of March marks our One Year Anniversary! To celebrate, we’re throwing a party.
All. Weekend. Long.

All weekend will be treats, raffles, and fun. On Sunday, we’re donating 50% of proceeds to BINC, a locally-focused non-profit that supports booksellers across the country.

We are thrilled to be part of this community. It’s been a dream come true. We are proud to be Ann Arbor residents, to return to the area we were raised, and bring an independent bookstore that sells new books to the downtown area. One year down, and with your help, hopefully many more to come… 

Lastly…
This year. It’s really hard to articulate how much gratitude and thanks we have to this community. We recently read the dialogue in the NYTimes about how bookstores can survive. It was more a question — “Can they survive?” Certainly, opening a small independent bookstore is not the safest way to ensure a long, viable career. There are concerns and fears about rising downtown rents, online booksellers, e-readers… to name a few.

But this first year proves to me one thing: People want books. People want an event space. People want a downtown location to browse books, share ideas, attend author events, book clubs, story times, and a safe, welcoming place to surprise themselves. We’ve seen so many surprises this year: A marriage proposal on our typewriter. A Halloween literary-themed costume contest. A violin monster and a 7-year-old beginning a pen pal relationship. Friends who hadn’t seen each other in 20 years bumping into each other, wildly enthusiastic, hugging. World War II veterans talking to 20-somethings about their experiences. 
One year down. We are still here. We are still surviving. And it’s all because of you.

Sincerely, thank you. 
-Mike and Hilary and the rest of the Literati staff

“Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.” ― Mark Twain