What we’re about
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 (3)
See all- EVENT: Pumpkin Succulent Workshop/READ: The "Lost Vintage" by Ann MahHarford Vineyard & Winery, Forest Hill, MD$66.63
In conjunction with the Novel Tourists of Philly, we'll read the September book pick, The Lost Vintage, and enjoy a few hours at a winery discussing the book and creating pumpkin succulents.
In this workshop, you will learn how to create a beautiful, long-lasting pumpkin succulent planter. Your experience will include a (real) 6-7 lb. "Cinderella" or "Ghost" pumpkin, a variety of succulents, soil, preserved moss, mini bundle of dried florals and step-by-step instruction. We will discuss best practices for succulent care and maintenance; soil, sun requirements, grooming, watering, and propagation for healthy plants.
Please note these pumpkins are not carved so your centerpiece will last for many months! We also will not be using glue on the succulents so no plants will be harmed during this workshop.
After your planter is complete, we will also show you how to properly transfer the succulents into a more permanent container for you to enjoy for years to come!
Included with your ticket, you’ll also receive a complimentary drink: choose a glass of wine from Harford Vineyard & Winery or enjoy one of their distilled spirits or seasonal cocktails to sip while you create!
Tickets are non-refundable nor transferable. If you purchase a ticket and are unable to attend, please email Terrarium Therapy directly at events@terrariumtherapyworkshops.com to discuss options.
We make every effort to include the plants shown, however occasionally, substitutions must be made due to supply or to maintain quality.## Tickets Here
DATE: Saturday, September 20
TIME: 1:00 to 2:00 PM
LOCATION: Harford Vineyard and Winery
1311 W Jarrettsville Rd
Forest Hill, Maryland 21050
443.495.1699NOVEL: The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah
Genre: Historical FictionSweetbitter meets The Nightingale in this pause-resisting novel about a woman who returns to her family’s ancestral vineyard in Burgundy and unexpectedly uncovers a lost diary, an unknown relative, and a secret her family has been keeping since World War II.
To become one of only a few hundred certified wine experts in the world, Kate must pass the notoriously difficult Master of Wine examination. She’s failed twice before; her third attempt will be her last chance. Suddenly finding herself without a job and with the test a few months away, she travels to Burgundy to spend the fall at the vineyard estate that has belonged to her family for generations. There she can bolster her shaky knowledge of Burgundian vintages and reconnect with her cousin Nico and his wife, Heather, who now oversee day-to-day management of the grapes. The one person Kate hopes to avoid is Jean-Luc, a talented young winemaker and her first love.
At the vineyard house, Kate is eager to help her cousin clean out the enormous basement that is filled with generations of discarded and forgotten belongings. Deep inside the cellar, behind a large armoire, she discovers a hidden room containing a cot, some Resistance pamphlets, and an enormous cache of valuable wine. Piqued by the secret space, Kate begins to dig into her family’s history - a search that takes her back to the dark days of World War II and introduces her to a relative she never knew existed, a great-half-aunt who was a teenager during the Nazi occupation.
As she learns more about her family, the line between resistance and collaboration blurs, driving Kate to find the answers to two crucial questions: Who, exactly, did her family aid during the difficult years of the war? And what happened to six valuable bottles of wine that seem to be missing from the cellar’s collection?Happy Reading
Diane
- The Lost Vintage: Online discussion of Fall Harvest theme book choice winner! 🍷Link visible for attendees
September’s Member Choice Book!!! The winner is The Lost Vintage for the theme “Fall Harvest.” Woot woot!
Sweetbitter meets _The Nightingale _in this page-turning novel about a woman who returns to her family’s ancestral vineyard in Burgundy and unexpectedly uncovers a lost diary, an unknown relative, and a secret her family has been keeping since World War II.
This is our online book club discussion night (always the last Monday of each month). Zoom link will be posted on the day of the event.
Stay tuned for the paired inperson adventure!
🎉Stay connected to other adventurous readers! Join the Novel Tourist online community:
📸Instagram! https://www.instagram.com/thenoveltourist/
🌟Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNovelTourist📚NOVEL: _[The Lost Vintage](https://amzn.to/3U71D0t)_
Genre: Historical Fiction
Harvest: GrapesIf you enjoyed Sarah’s Key and Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, then this wonderful book by Ann Mah is for you.” -- Tatiana de Rosnay
To become one of only a few hundred certified wine experts in the world, Kate must pass the notoriously difficult Master of Wine examination. She’s failed twice before; her third attempt will be her last chance. Suddenly finding herself without a job and with the test a few months away, she travels to Burgundy to spend the fall at the vineyard estate that has belonged to her family for generations. There she can bolster her shaky knowledge of Burgundian vintages and reconnect with her cousin Nico and his wife, Heather, who now oversee day-to-day management of the grapes. The one person Kate hopes to avoid is Jean-Luc, a talented young winemaker and her first love.
Happy Reading!
Diane and Audrey - Mexican Gothic: Online discussion of October’s member choice bookNeeds location
The votes are in and it was close! Join us for our online discussion of Mexican Gothic - our gothic Member Choice pick. 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 creepy...
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: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Genre: Gothic FictionAn isolated mansion. A chillingly charismatic aristocrat. And a brave socialite drawn to expose their treacherous secrets. . . . From the author of Gods of Jade and Shadow comes “a terrifying twist on classic gothic horror” (Kirkus Reviews) set in glamorous 1950s Mexico.
After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
Happy Reading!
Audrey❓Event Review Guidance:
Meetup reviews are now public. Did you love the event? Tell the world with a 5-star rating AND a comment!🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I love putting together fun literary adventures and your comments feed my soul. But, if you didn't like something, please don’t submit a negative review — instead, message me (Audrey) directly with your suggestions so we can improve the club together! Also, please remember, you’re reviewing the club experience, not the location. So, for instance, if we go to a play and you didn’t like it, don’t give the Meetup event a negative, it’s not my fault the play stunk. I can’t change what I can’t control.--------------------------------------------------------
-------------------The below is silly babble just for the algorithm - no need for book club members to read this!-------------------------------
Reading books everywhere including in Philadelphia and New Jersey and thecworkd’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
