Perhaps you remember how at the end of last year we mentioned having a few new things up our sleeves for 2015? Well, the L.W.A. Book Club is one of them! This book club is a reading group for letter writers and mail lovers and will span both non-fiction and fiction. We will focus on books that have to do with mail, letters, typewriters, fountain pens, and other postal related topics. The reading schedule is quarterly. Donovan and I will get together with special guests to talk and review the book for that season.
For the inaugural book we chose 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. The discussion of this book will be on April 12th at 3pm CST with our special guest, Ana Reinert of The Well Appointed Desk. The meet-up will be live streaming video, so if you would like to join us in reading this book, have it finished by April 12th and join us online!
The format will be similar to our Virtual Video Socials except that the three of us will be mostly talking/discussing the book the whole time. We will have a chat window up, but for ease of discussion, we will be mainly answering questions and comments posted on the Goodreads group page made before the online meeting. This is just to save on distraction and keep the discussion going. As usual, if you cannot make it to the live discussion, the recording will be on YouTube for you to watch at your leasiure.
Library Users
If your library does not have 84, Charing Cross Road you may be able to get it through your library's Interlibrary Loan system. (This is where your library borrows the book from another library on very specific terms.) Check to see if your library has an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) and request a copy through that service. Sometimes it takes a few weeks for the book to get to you from the other institution, so plan for that turnaround time. You can see what libraries own 84, Charing Cross Road through WorldCat.
Great book!
Posted by: Cindy R. | March 09, 2015 at 08:34 AM
Have it loaded onto my Kindle and queued in my mind (have to finish the incredible Codex Alera series, first!!)—can't wait!
Posted by: Reg | March 09, 2015 at 11:01 AM
Just got the book and the movie on Amazon can't wait to start reading it!
Posted by: Amy Yingling | March 09, 2015 at 01:51 PM
I have the used book from Amazon on its way, and can't wait to start! This club is a great idea. The quarterly format allows plenty of time, both to obtain, and digest the book. The subject matter is of guaranteed interest. Questions posted ahead of time. Win, win, win!
Posted by: Mary #5149 | March 10, 2015 at 04:09 PM
Wonderful book! I didn't know there was a movie version. Book Club - great idea.
Posted by: Patricia | March 10, 2015 at 07:10 PM
I just went back and read this book recently. It was the first one that came to mind. You might also want to look into The 3000 Mile Garden....another USA/Brit connection, but with gardens.
Posted by: Judy Hudgins | March 11, 2015 at 12:32 PM
What a great choice! I loved the book and the movie (one of the best adaptations I've seen). Please allow me to share my CCRd experience: I went to London for the first time, with some members of my family, in 2002 (I had read the book some time before that). We were walking around and came to Leicester Sq. at lunchtime, and there I saw the sign: "Charing Cross Road" I couldn't resist; as everyone else sat down to order lunch, I took off at a fast clip, my 15-year-old nece with me. We ran up the street, calling out the numbers as we went: ...56! 58! 60!... 74! 78! 80! Whaaa!??!! The next building was a Pizza Hut with three doors!
Few times in my life have I been so disappointed. It's a sad world where a bookstore like that one gives way to a Pizza Hut. All the more reason to be grateful the store and its people live on in Hanff's wonderful book.
Posted by: Mari | March 11, 2015 at 08:16 PM
Loved this book. I'll have to go back and read again to refresh my very dull memory. The movie with Ann Bancroft is very well done. You might want to view it before the start of discussion.
Posted by: Joan | March 12, 2015 at 12:39 PM
This is an ultra-nerdy comment, but as a librarian who works in ILL, I appreciated the shout out at the end of this post. I'm always surprised how many people don't know about this service or take advantage of it!
Posted by: Davina | March 12, 2015 at 04:58 PM
Found this inscription in my library's copy:
http://imgur.com/1595H33
Posted by: Davina | March 26, 2015 at 04:16 PM
What a wondrous idea. I love it. Barring some unforeseen circumstances, I will be there. I was floored by the book, 84, Charing Cross Road. I read it a few years ago and it was such a great experience. I think this LWA idea is fine one, btw. (I've always had thrilling postal adventures too.)
Posted by: Hunter Murphy | April 01, 2015 at 10:31 AM
Just finished it and it's so much fun. A love letter to letters.
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Posted by: Mrs Amuta Racheal. | June 01, 2015 at 08:19 PM
Love this idea. Another book to consider is A Secret Gift: How One Man's Kindness - and a Trove of Letters - Revealed the Hidden History of the Great Depression, by Ted Gup.
Posted by: Christine | June 05, 2015 at 08:45 PM
hello Kathy and Donovan,
I YouTubed your discussion of 84 Charing Cross Road not because of my affection for handwritten letters, but because of my great affection for that particular title and all the sentiments therein expressed especially Hanff's love of REAL books. Hence, you can imagine the revulsion and disappointment I felt when it was revealed that Ana read that title for the discussion on an e-book!!! Of all the books you guys may ever discuss, that beloved title should never be read on an e-book. It's like having a beer with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Some things just don't go together and in this case it may even be an insult to Hanff herself if she were still alive and destructive to the entire feel of the story. Oh, the horror, the horror. Shame, shame, shame. This is something that now can never be undone.
Anyway, I did enjoy the discussion despite this glaring bibliophilic crime and am impressed by your wit and intelligence. Keep up the good work of promoting the reading of books (even e-books, grrr) and discussing them. Sincerely, Hank Salerno, age 73.
Posted by: Henry Salerno | August 20, 2015 at 09:47 AM