About us
Welcome to our Eclectic Wine and Cheese Book Club Meetup!
Do you like the idea of being a part of a community of open-hearted people (who are very real and sometimes forget to read the book)?
Our book club started so we could connect with others who have an appreciation for books that are absurd, sublime, life-changing, side-splitting, exotic, erotic, terrifying, thoughtful, heart-pounding, and far flung. We also happen to blend our love for literature with a little wine and cheese during our meet ups!
Whether you are a connoisseur or a beginner, all levels of wine, cheese, and book enthusiasts are welcome to connect and have a great time together! Cheers to delightful tastings and enriching conversations!
Upcoming events
7
Wine, cheese and Mark Stibbe's Enchanting "A Book in Time"
TBD - Looking for volunteer host! :-), Duke Street, ALEXANDRIA, VA, USWe invite you to an engaging evening of wine, cheese and lively conversation around the 2020 Winner of the prestigious Page Turner Award, Mark Stibbe's A Book in Time. A truly enchanting work of magical realism by “a hugely talented storyteller.” This exceptional novel has been described by publishers, agents, and literary judges alike as “visionary”, “ambitious”, “magical”, “unique,” “refreshing”.
From Goodreads:
A Book in Time is really a love story about a book’s longing over two centuries for the mother who bore it. Adopted by many different owners – some loving, others unscrupulous – this book longs to be reunited with an elderly author who cherished it as if it was her only child. As the book passes through many hands, it observes not only the way people treat it, but each other, and in all of this, its mother’s love sets the high standard against which everything is lovingly judged.
In a strange demonstration of synchronicity, the author – Mark Stibbe – experienced the culmination of his own search for a mother after completing this novel. Having been orphaned in 1960, and having never met or known his birth mother, Mark met her for the first time at the end of 2021, shortly before she died. So, there is more than a hint of Mark’s own search in the book’s quest for its author.
In the case of A Book in Time, in perhaps a unique way, art has magically imitated life even as life has magically imitated art.
As always, please feel free to join even if you have not finished the book - no stress :-)
All attendees are asked to please bring one of the following:
- A bottle of wine
- Cheese and Crackers
- An alternate beverage or nosh of your choice
Host will provide glasses, wine opener, plates & napkins.
To enhance the opportunity for great conversation, we would like to keep the group small. Please feel free to sign-up to meet us along with up to 2 friends.
📚 Exciting Updates for 2026 Book Club! 📚
Starting in January 2026, we’ll be implementing a new system for book recommendations that will make our reading selections even more collaborative and engaging!
Book Recommendations:
From January through October, members can submit book recommendations at each meeting, via email, text or Meetup DM.
All suggestions will be added to a shared Google Sheet, which will include links to Goodreads and other pertinent information for each book.
LINK to 2027 BOOK LIST
Voting for 2027 Reads:
Our voting for next year’s book selections will take place during the November 2026 meeting. Members in attendance will have the opportunity to cast 12 votes for their favorite picks. If you’re unable to attend the November meeting, you can still participate! Simply submit 6 votes via email, text, or DM through Meetup before the start of the November meeting.
Announcement of Selections:
The chosen books for 2027 will be revealed at the end of the November meeting.
We’re excited about this new process and can’t wait to see the amazing book recommendations you all have! 📖✨PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE COMMITTED TO ATTEND WHEN YOU RSVP FOR THIS EVENT. We ask that ALL folks honor their RSVP. If you are unable to attend after sending in a YES, please update your status so that others may join us. In the event you do not communicate and are a no-show, your ability to RSVP for future events will be restricted. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
If you are unable to join us in August, we hope you'll remain interested and join us for an evening in the future. Looking forward to wine & cheese with you soon - happy reading!
15 attendees
Wine, Cheese and Valerie Perrin's Poetic "Fresh Water for Flowers"
TBD - Looking for volunteer host! :-), Duke Street, ALEXANDRIA, VA, USWe invite you to an engaging evening of wine, cheese and lively conversation around one of France's #1 Best Sellers, Valerie Perrin's Fresh Water for Flowers, a funny, moving, intimately told story of a woman who believes obstinately in happiness. Translated by Hildegarde Serle.
From Goodreads:
Violette Toussaint is the caretaker at a cemetery in a small town in Bourgogne. Random visitors, regulars, and, most notably, her colleagues—three gravediggers, three groundskeepers, and a priest—visit her as often as possible to warm themselves in her lodge, where laughter, companionship, and occasional tears mix with the coffee that she offers them. Her daily life is lived to the rhythms of their hilarious and touching confidences.
Violette’s routine is disrupted one day by the arrival of a man—Julien Sole, local police chief—who insists on depositing the ashes of his recently departed mother on the gravesite of a complete stranger. It soon becomes clear that the grave Julien is looking for belongs to his mother’s one-time lover, and that his mother’s story of clandestine love is intertwined with Violette’s own secret past.
Perrin has the rare talent of illuminating what is exceptional and poetic in what seems ordinary. This book is a delightful, atmospheric, absorbing fairy tale full of poetry, generosity, and warmth.
As always, please feel free to join even if you have not finished the book - no stress :-)
All attendees are asked to please bring one of the following:
- A bottle of wine
- Cheese and Crackers
- An alternate beverage or nosh of your choice
Host will provide glasses, wine opener, plates & napkins.
To enhance the opportunity for great conversation, we would like to keep the group small. Please feel free to sign-up to meet us along with up to 2 friends.
📚 Exciting Updates for 2026 Book Club! 📚
Starting in January 2026, we’ll be implementing a new system for book recommendations that will make our reading selections even more collaborative and engaging!
Book Recommendations:
From January through October, members can submit book recommendations at each meeting, via email, text or Meetup DM.
All suggestions will be added to a shared Google Sheet, which will include links to Goodreads and other pertinent information for each book.
LINK to 2027 BOOK LIST
Voting for 2027 Reads:
Our voting for next year’s book selections will take place during the November 2026 meeting. Members in attendance will have the opportunity to cast 12 votes for their favorite picks. If you’re unable to attend the November meeting, you can still participate! Simply submit 6 votes via email, text, or DM through Meetup before the start of the November meeting.
Announcement of Selections:
The chosen books for 2027 will be revealed at the end of the November meeting.
We’re excited about this new process and can’t wait to see the amazing book recommendations you all have! 📖✨PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU ARE COMMITTED TO ATTEND WHEN YOU RSVP FOR THIS EVENT. We ask that ALL folks honor their RSVP. If you are unable to attend after sending in a YES, please update your status so that others may join us. In the event you do not communicate and are a no-show, your ability to RSVP for future events will be restricted. Thank you in advance for your understanding.
If you are unable to join us in September, we hope you'll remain interested and join us for an evening in the future. Looking forward to wine & cheese with you soon - happy reading!
15 attendees
Past events
70
Group links
Members
925
