Our book group has been meeting over lunch-brunch at Brantford’s Symposium Cafe ever since we ventured out for post-pandemic non-zoom gatherings. Always, the service is stellar and always the food is beautifully presented, tasty and not too expensive. The staff at Symposium never rush us out and they are so very pleasant and friendly. This is Annette. Her smile says it all!
The 9:30am walkers decided to walk over the plywood patch bridge on the Dike Trail to enjoy the artwork. It was a glorious day to do that and it was also great to see the improvements that have been made on the trails.
The Golden Teapot is a wonderful place to gather with friends for good food and great conversation.
The Thursday night Reading group read The Maid by Nita Prose, a Canadian mystery writer in Toronto.
“I am your maid. I am the one who cleans your hotel room, who enters like a phantom when you are out gallivanting for the day, no care at all for what you left behind the mess or what I might see when you are gone.” Molly maid, Regency Grand Hotel.
What if, what’s left behind is a dead body? What follows are the twists and turns of a murder mystery. Within the group of possibilities group of possibilities are an unhappy family and the staff of the Regency — not the least is Molly herself who discovers the dead body. This is a delightful mystery full of interesting characters, relationships of staff and guests in a big hotel and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing right to the end. Both Thursday night groups enjoyed the book which led to a lively discussion.
5/5 stars from Marsha S!
So nice to have dear Molly the maid back to solve a new murder at the Grand Hotel. Molly’s unique way of looking at the world is her blessing and curse and readers can’t help but root for her as she overturns tropes (the maid did it …. she’s just a maid … she’s not very bright) as quickly as she can make a bed. The characters in this novel are deliciously Dickensian and the key to the murder is in Molly’s childhood. Satisfying and cozy. This mystery is the perfect companion to a warm fire and a good cup of tea.
The Monday Book Club selection for November is the graphic novel, Ducks,: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton. This Canadian comics artist wrote the first graphic novel to win Canada Reads.20 women from our dining out group enjoyed a wonderful and leisurely dinner at Speekezzies Cafe and Wine Bar in Brantford. The food was delicious, as you can see in a few of our choices pictured below. The conversation and laughter was a pleasure, as always.
Leslie L spoke of three books she recently read but particularly wanted to highlight Five Wives by Joan Thomas, which won the Governor General Award a couple of years ago.
In addition to reviewing a book, Norah O brought brochures about things to do locally. Wine and cheese go together so this pic shows her holding the most recent brochure for wine tours in the area and also cheese tours. She said that the Wayne Gretzky Sports Complex has a good selection of brochures for local activities.
