Welcome to the ~new~ Orchard Street Reading Society

We're back, with a fresh point of view!

Dear friends and readers,

Happy new year to you all and welcome back to the Orchard Street Reading Society!

Since closing the shop in November, I’ve been taking some time to re-set before diving right back into regular life. As I begin my pursuit of a new direction, it’s important to me to take this little piece of CWPE with me and I hope you’ll join me.

Here’s the deal: from now on, we’ll be reading books by New Yorkers and/or books that take place in New York City! Like always, we’ll read one book every two months, and will begin meeting in person by going on a book-specific field trip! If you joined us in November, you’ll recall that we did a scavenger hunt at The Met for From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, which was a great success. Be ready for more of that and please let me know if you have any suggestions of New York books that you love.

If you’re wondering why I’ve chosen to pivot this way, let me explain:

For most of my adulthood, I’ve prioritized researching and reading location-specific books when I travel. It doesn’t matter if it’s a different state I’m traveling to or a different country — I have managed to find something wonderful to read that either takes place in the area I’m visiting, or is written by an author from that place. What I’ve learned it that it adds context to my experience in an unfamiliar place, and give me an insider view into the culture I’m immersed it. It’s a highly rewarding way to read, and last year when I began making plans for my next step (remind me to tell you about it sometime soon!), I realized I could really use a comprehensive list of good books that take place in NYC, from different points of view and during different eras. There’s no reason why I shouldn’t utilize fiction to add context to the place that I live, too. And besides, it’s a fun excuse to go out and explore the city with equally curious company.

From now on, I’ll be sending all book club communication via this Substack, which will also give us all a place to access old emails/posts and to interact with each other. And for the sake of transparency, eventually, I’ll be setting up a paid subscription, with the smallest possible monthly fee (I think it’s $5) for additional posts/meeting access because being a club organizer involves a lot of work! But don’t fret — the free subscription will include our regular monthly email if you’d like to participate passively.

Next Monday, I’ll email you information about the first book selection but until then, please let me know if you have any questions!

Fondly,

Caroline

P.S. You are receiving this email because you opted into the Orchard Street Reading Society email list via CW Pencil Enterprise. Please feel free to unsubscribe if you’re no longer interested! No hard feelings :)