The American & Canadian Reading Group
On the second Wednesday of the month, from 19:00 to 21:00 you are invited to join our Reading Group to discuss the book-of-the-month, written by an American or Canadian author. We meet once a month, our evening get-together is in the Brussels area.
We often share a meal together while sharing views on the book-of-the-month.
And secondarily, good reads we have enjoyed. All contributions to the conversation are welcome!
Interested in participating? Please contact Kayali Lenssen:
klenssen@proximus.be
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Book-of-the-Month Discussions
September 13, 2023: What a Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad
“What Strange Paradise is a novel by Canadian writer Omar El Akkad, published in 2021…. The novel centres on Amir, a young boy from Syria who has survived the sinking of a ship that was carrying him and other refugees, and his developing bond with Vanna, a teenage girl who resides on the island where Amir washed up after the shipwreck."
October 11, 2023
Freezing Order: A True Story of Money Laundering, Murther and Surviving Vladimir Putin’s Wrath by Bill Browder
“Following his explosive New York Times bestseller Red Notice, Bill Browder returns with another gripping thriller chronicling how he became Vladimir Putin’s number one enemy by exposing Putin’s campaign to steal and launder hundreds of billions of dollars and kill anyone who stands in his way.”
November 8, 2023: Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Grams
“Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality… But like science, lifee is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant star of America’s most beloved cooking show… as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott isn’t just teaching women to cook. She’s daring them to change the status quo. "
December 13, 2023: The Night Watchman, by Louise Erdrich
“Thomas Wazhashk is the night watchman at the jewel-bearing plant near the Turtle Mountain Reservation in rural North Dakota. He is also a Chippewa council member who is trying to understand the consequences of a new “emancipation” bill in the United States Congress. It is 1953, and he and the other council members know the bill isn’t about freedom - it is a “termination” that threatens the rights of Native Americans to their land and their very identity”.
Book club guidelines/criteria : This book club is comprised of members of the American Women’s Club of Brussels, the American Club of Brussels, and the Canadian Club of Belgium. We look for American or Canadian authors, available for purchase in shops or online, not more than 300-400 pages, and have a preference for those that have a score of at least 4/5 on Goodreads. The books do not have to be recent, they can also be ones you loved that we might have missed. We meet on the second Wednesday of the month in the evening, from 7pm to 9pm, either at a host’s home or a restaurant, in the greater Brussels area.
