Book Club reads “The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit”
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Flash Covid-19: this event has been maintained for a maximum of 15 participants. The March read for the book club is “The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit” by Lucette Lagnado. In vivid and graceful prose, Lucette Lagnado re-creates the majesty and cosmopolitan glamour of Cairo in the years between World War II and Gamal Abdel Nasser’s rise to power. Her father, Leon, was a boulevardier who conducted business on the elegant terrace of Shepheard’s Hotel, and later, in the cozy, dark bar of the Nile Hilton, dressed in his signature white sharkskin suit. But with the fall of King Farouk and Nasser’s nationalization of Egyptian industry, Leon and his family lose everything. As streets are renamed, neighborhoods of their fellow Jews disbanded, and the city purged of all foreign influence, the Lagnados, too, must make their escape. With all of their belongings packed into twenty-six suitcases, their jewels and gold coins hidden in sealed tins of marmalade, Leon and his family depart for any land that will take them. The poverty and hardships they encounter in their flight from Cairo to Paris to New York are strikingly juxtaposed against the beauty and comforts of the lives they left behind. To join the book club please send an email to the group coordinator here. |
Cancelled: Knit and Natter
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Flash Covid-19: the March 20th “Knit and Natter” has been cancelled. |
Cancelled: Coffee House
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Flash Covid-19: this activity has been cancelled. Join the library community for a special moment to talk about anything and everything (in English of course!) over a cup of coffee or tea. Coffee House is free and open to all library members. Just drop by, no need to reserve! |
Cancelled: Books and Tea
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Flash Covid-19: the March 19th “Books and Tea” has been cancelled. “Books and Tea” is a monthly meeting for bookworms and tea drinkers. Bring a book you’ve really enjoyed, talk about it and pass it on! The group meets from 2 to 3:30 at the tea shop in town called “Les Casse-Croûte de Suzy”. No need to sign up, just come and enjoy! |
Take your TOEIC test
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Flash Covid-19: this test has been maintained. The library is an authorised test center for the TOEIC Listening and Reading Test (the Test of English for International Communication). For more information please visit our TOEIC page or to sign up go to the official ETS website.
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Cancelled: drama Club
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Flash Covid-19: the March 18th drama club has been cancelled. There are still a couple of spaces left to join the Drama Club which is open to adults and university students, with or without acting experience. These evenings of acting consist of miming, improvising, and acting out published works of theater such as sketches and plays. This activity is open to library members, the cost is 90€ for the 2019-2020 school year. Sign up at the front desk with the registration form. Take the stage and break a leg! |
Cancelled: Walk and Talk
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Flash Covid-19: this activity has been cancelled. Time to get outside! Get on those hiking boots and take some time to revel in the great outdoors! The idea is to organize an easy walk once a month – approximately 10 km, 4 hours, in the afternoon – in order to discover or re-discover the beautiful hiking paths of the Maine-et-Loire. Come along with good walking shoes, protection against rain, cold or heat according to the season… a bottle of water and a little “en-cas” to keep you going! Maximum group is 20 so be sure to sign up! Sign up by sending your name, email address and phone number (preferably cell phone) to the group leader by clicking here. You will be sent full details for the upcoming walk. |
Cancelled: Reading Shakespeare
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Flash Covid-19: the March 13th “Reading Shakespeare” has been cancelled. Please consult at a later date for eventual cancellation for March 27th. Treat yourself to an afternoon of a collective reading of one of Shakespeare’s plays. This activity consists of watching a BBC production on DVD and then reading relative scenes. This is a great activity for lovers of language and fans of the great wit. Free and open to all library members, for more information or to sign-up please contact the group coordinator here. |
Writing workshop to follow talk & readings “One Hundred Days with Virginia”
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Flash Covid-19: this workshop has been maintained for a maximum of 12 participants. Come to this writing workshop conducted in French by Marcelline Roux. En amont de la lecture bilingue du même matin, Marcelline va proposer à une douzaine de lecteurs d’expérimenter cette forme « d’écriture-lecture » avec l’univers woolfien. Cette mise en pratique serait une entrée concrète dans l’univers de Virginia Woolf et enrichirait la discussion d’après lecture. Expérimenter une démarche littéraire est une façon participative et conviviale de partager des questionnements. Cet atelier n’est pas uniquement réservé aux lecteurs expérimentés, mais à tous les curieux! This event is free and open to the public and is organised with the support of the MIEL. Sign-ups can be made by sending an email. Photo: Michel Durigneux |
Knit and Natter
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Flash Covid-19: Knit and Natter has been maintained for a maximum of 12 participants. Come along and bring your knitting, Have a natter while you’re sitting, Or learn to knit with wool provided, Needles loaned and stitches guided. Knitted garments are très chic, So be in vogue and start this week. Knit and Natter is a free activity, open to all library members. No need to reserve, just come and enjoy! If anyone has some extra yarn please bring it in. |