About us
Join other book lovers for adventures in reading and real life! LOVE TO READ AND TRY NEW ACTIVITIES?
Join this unique book club where we will casually discuss a book while engaging in an activity or exploring a location inspired by the book! This will be a no-pressure book club. If you don't finish the book or didn't like it, no problem. Please join us anyway for a meal and an event. We’d love to get to know you!
Newsletter/FB group: Meetup isn’t great at sending out notifications, so to stay up to date with the latest book and activity pairings, sign up for the newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/fc5e0725650d/thenoveltourist and join the community on our Facebook group: [https://www.facebook.com/share/z7aGScVNC95MEbi6/ ](https://www.facebook.com/share/z7aGScVNC95MEbi6/)
Audrey, the club founder also posts regularly on books and book pairings on Instagram via @thenoveltourist
This will be a great way to meet fellow book lovers who also want to live a well-read and well-rounded, adventurous life. Most of the activities will take place in and around Cecil and Harford Counties and surrounding areas. Sometimes we will branch out to further areas.
Are you ready for a new book and a new activity? Grab that book (or eBook) and let's go explore together!
Diane and Audrey
Upcoming events
4
EVENT: Cinnamon Bun Break/READ: "Maybe in Another Life" by Taylor Jenkins Reid
North East Library, 106 W Cecil Ave, North East, MD, USFor February, we'll discuss the novel Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Cinnamon Buns are a favorite of Hannah's, and a recurring theme in the novel, with people always bringing them to her. So, I've reserved a meeting room at North East Library in North East, MD, for a Cinnamon Bun Dessert Break/Book Discussion after lunchtime. I'll bring the Cinnamon Buns, coffee, tea and a few other desserts for those who don't care for cinnamon buns. I'm asking everyone who attends to bring their favorite cinnamon bun, pastry, or dessert recipe to share with the number of people who attend.
LOCATION: The North East Public Library, 485 Mauldin Ave, North East, MD 410.996.6269
PLEASE NOTE: In the location section below, it is giving a different address. The above address is what is listed on the library website.
DIRECTIONS:
### From I-95
Take exit 100 (North East/Rising Sun) and go south on route 272. After crossing Route 40, turn right into the North East Station shopping center before you get to the bridge on Mauldin Ave. The North East Branch Library will be on your right.
### From Route 40 east of route 272
Take Route 40 east to Route 272, turn left onto route 272/Mauldin Ave, and then turn right into the North East Station shopping center before you get to the bridge on Mauldin Ave. The North East Branch Library will be on your right.
### From Route 40 west of Route 272
Take Route 40 east and turn right into the North East Station shopping center entrance before the intersection with Route 272. The North East Branch Library will be on your left.
### From areas south of North East
Take route 272 north through the town of North East and turn left into the North East Station shopping center after crossing over the bridge on Mauldin Ave north of town. The North East Branch Library will be on your right.
TIME: 1:30 PM/Study Room 2
No charge for this event
NOVEL: Maybe in Another Life By Taylor Jenkins Reid
Genre: Fiction/Contemporary Romance
From Amazon:A breathtaking new novel about a young woman whose fate hinges on the choice she makes after bumping into an old flame; in alternating chapters, we see two possible scenarios unfold—with stunningly different results.
At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan.
Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?
In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Life raises questions about fate and true love: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate?
Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she believes she’s found him.
Happy Reading,
Diane and Kelly
9 attendees
Online discussion of March’s member choice book - The Bookbinder’s Secret 📕
·OnlineOnlineWe have a winner! The Bookbinder’s Secret by A.D. Bell won the popular vote for March’s Member Choice Book!
Online discussion as always on the last Monday of the month at 7pm.
‼️Stay tuned for the paired in-person adventure! It's definitely going to be bookish!
Zoom link will be posted on the day of the event.
🎉Want more ideas for bookish fun? Join the Novel Tourist online community:
📸Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thenoveltourist/
🌟Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNovelTourist📚**NOVEL: _The Bookbinder’s Secret _by A.D. Bell
Genre: Historical FictionEvery book tells a story. This one tells a secret.
A young bookbinder begins a hunt for the truth when a confession hidden beneath the binding of a burned book reveals a story of forbidden love, lost fortune, and murder. Read more
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-------------------The below is silly babble just for the algorithm - no need for book club members to read the below
Reading books everywhere including in Philadelphia and Maryland and the world’s neighborhoods is such a fun way to make new friends and be social with book loving book club members who like to read and explore urban areas and try new activities such as hiking, reading, craft, hobbies, museums and more! It's especially fun for a book club to go on outdoor and indoor adventures with all the book club friends who like to explore and try new hobbies and go on day trips.4 attendees
EVENT: NCCo Reads Evening with the Author/READ: "The First Ladies"
Chase Center, 815 S. Justison St, Wilmington, DE, USOnce again this year, we'll be hosting the New Castle County Reads Evening with the Author. This is always an informative and fun night as we hear directly from one of the authors of the book. We'll meet before the event at Timothy's to discuss this wonderful book. After dinner, we'll walk or drive over to the event. If you're not joining us at the restaurant, please meet in the lobby of the Chase Center around 6:50.
Event Description: The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is the 2026 selection for New Castle County Reads. A novel about the extraordinary partnership between First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune—an unlikely friendship that changed the world.
Co-author Victoria Christopher Murray will join New Castle County Libraries for a discussion of the book. Victoria Christopher Murray is the New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of more than 30 novels, including the New York Times Instant Best Seller, The Personal Librarian, also co-written with Marie Benedict.You must: Register for the Event.
DINNER/5:30: Timothy's on the Riverfront
930 Justison Street, Wilmington, DE
302.429.7427
MENUEVENT LOCATION/7:00: Chase Center on the Riverfront, Wilmington, DE
NOVEL: The First Ladies
Genre: Historical Fiction
From Amazon:The daughter of formerly enslaved parents, Mary McLeod Bethune refuses to back down as white supremacists attempt to thwart her work. She marches on as an activist and an educator, and as her reputation grows she becomes a celebrity, revered by titans of business and recognized by U.S. Presidents. Eleanor Roosevelt herself is awestruck and eager to make her acquaintance. Initially drawn together because of their shared belief in women’s rights and the power of education, Mary and Eleanor become fast friends confiding their secrets, hopes and dreams—and holding each other’s hands through tragedy and triumph.
When Franklin Delano Roosevelt is elected president, the two women begin to collaborate more closely, particularly as Eleanor moves toward her own agenda separate from FDR, a consequence of the devastating discovery of her husband’s secret love affair. Eleanor becomes a controversial First Lady for her outspokenness, particularly on civil rights. And when she receives threats because of her strong ties to Mary, it only fuels the women’s desire to fight together for justice and equality.
This is the story of two different, yet equally formidable, passionate, and committed women, and the way in which their singular friendship helped form the foundation for the modern civil rights movement.Happy Reading,
Diane and Kelly
7 attendees
Past events
142
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