Archives: Events

The June read for the bookclub is “Summer” by Edith Wharton.

‘Can’t you see that I don’t care what anybody says?’ Charity Royall lives in the small New England village of North Dormer. Born among outcasts from the Mountain beyond, she is rescued by lawyer Royall and lives with him as his ward. Never allowed to forget her disreputable origins Charity despises North Dormer and rebels against the stifling dullness of the tight-knit community surrounding her. Her boring job in the local library is interrupted one day by the arrival of a young visiting architect, Lucius Harney, whose good looks and sophistication arouse her passionate nature. As their relationship grows, so too does Charity’s conflict with her guardian; darker undercurrents start to come to the surface. Summer is often compared to Wharton’s other New England story, Ethan Frome, and it shares the same intensity of feeling and repression. Wharton regarded it as one of her best works, and its compelling story of burgeoning sexuality and illicit desire has a strikingly modern and troubling ambiguity.
For any enquiries about joining the bookclub please send an email by clicking here.

Harriet Springbett’s debut novel, Tree Magic, was published by Impress Books earlier this year. A coming-of-age novel set in Dorset and the Charente, it has charmed adults and teenagers alike, as can be seen from the reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. In Tree Magic we see how troubled teenager Rainbow comes to terms with her gift for communicating with trees. She must struggle to reinvent herself and piece together her broken family.

“Tree Magic is a beautiful and universal tale of loss, love and learning to find a place in a world without roots.” Storgy Magazine 

If you’d like to meet Harriet and get your copy of Tree Magic signed, come and meet her in the English language library in Angers at 10 a.m. on Friday 23^rd June. She’ll be reading from her book and talking about the journey to publication, which will be of particular interest for unpublished writers on the same path.

Harriet lives in Poitou-Charentes with her French partner and teenage daughters. She is working on her 4th novel and also writes short stories and blogs about writing and cultural events in France on Harriet Springbett’s Playground.

The pizza and board games evening is scheduled one Tuesday a month from 6-8 pm. Cost is 7 euros (covers pizza and non-alcoholic drinks, 5 euros for children 12 and under and native English speakers). No reservations necessary, just come and enjoy! This is the last pizza and board games evening before the summer break…stay tuned for dates for the fall…

The Saturday Reading Group is for anyone who loves to read, socialize in English, and meet new people.

The June selection is the book “qmlbqjofdbij” by Colm Toibin. Eilis Lacey has come of age in small-town Ireland in the hard years following World War Two. Though skilled at book-keeping, Ellis cannot find a proper job in the miserable Irish economy. When an Irish priest from Brooklyn visits the household and offers to sponsor Eilis in America — to live and work in a Brooklyn neighborhood “just like Ireland” — she decides she must go, leaving her fragile mother and her charismatic sister behind. Eilis finds work in a department store on Fulton Street, studies accounting at Brooklyn sister behind. Eilis finds work in a department store on Fulton Street, studies accounting at Brooklyn College, and when she least expects it, finds love. Tony, who loves the Dodgers and his big Italian family, slowly wins her over with persistent charm. He takes Eilis to Coney Island and Ebbets Field, and home to dinner in the two-room apartment he shares with his brothers and parents. But just as Eilis begins to fall in love with Tony and consider what this means, devastating news from Ireland threatens the promise of her future.

When and where: Meetings will be held in the library once a month on Saturday afternoons starting at 3:00. Cost: FREE to all members of the library. To join: Please contact Anne Kaar at bookgroup@ellia.org

The Saturday Reading Group is for anyone who loves to read, socialize in English, and meet new people.

The June selection is the book “Brooklyn” by Colm Toibin. Eilis Lacey has come of age in small-town Ireland in the hard years following World War Two. Though skilled at book-keeping, Ellis cannot find a proper job in the miserable Irish economy. When an Irish priest from Brooklyn visits the household and offers to sponsor Eilis in America — to live and work in a Brooklyn neighborhood “just like Ireland” — she decides she must go, leaving her fragile mother and her charismatic sister behind. Eilis finds work in a department store on Fulton Street, studies accounting at Brooklyn sister behind. Eilis finds work in a department store on Fulton Street, studies accounting at Brooklyn College, and when she least expects it, finds love. Tony, who loves the Dodgers and his big Italian family, slowly wins her over with persistent charm. He takes Eilis to Coney Island and Ebbets Field, and home to dinner in the two-room apartment he shares with his brothers and parents. But just as Eilis begins to fall in love with Tony and consider what this means, devastating news from Ireland threatens the promise of her future.

When and where: Meetings will be held in the library once a month on Saturday afternoons starting at 3:00. Cost: FREE to all members of the library. To join: Please contact Anne Kaar at bookgroup@ellia.org

The next film club event will be a showing of “Blue Jasmine” by Woody Allen (2013). After everything in her life falls to pieces, including her marriage to wealthy businessman Hal (Alec Baldwin), elegant New York socialite Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) moves into her sister Ginger’s (Sally Hawkins) modest apartment in San Francisco to try to pull herself back together again. Jasmine arrives in San Francisco in a fragile mental state, her head reeling from the cocktail of anti-depressants she’s on. While still able to project her aristocratic bearing, Jasmine is emotionally precarious and lacks any practical ability to support herself. She disapproves of Ginger’s boyfriend Chili (Bobby Cannavale), who she considers another “loser” like Ginger’s ex-husband Augie (Andrew Dice Clay). Ginger, recognizing but not fully understanding her sister’s psychological instability, suggests that she pursue interior design, a career she correctly intuits that Jasmine won’t feel is beneath her. In the meantime, Jasmine begrudgingly accepts work as the receptionist in a dentist’s office, where she attracts the unwanted attentions of her boss, Dr. Flicker (Michael Stuhlbarg). Feeling that her sister might be right about her poor taste in men, Ginger starts seeing Al (Louis C.K.), a sound engineer whom she considers as a step up from Chili. Jasmine sees a potential lifeline when she meets Dwight (Peter Sarsgaard), a diplomat who is quickly smitten with her beauty, sophistication and style. Jasmine’s flaw is that she derives her worth from the way she’s perceived by others, while she herself is blind to what is going around her. Delicately portrayed by a regal Cate Blanchett, Jasmine earns our compassion because she is the unwitting instrument of her own downfall. Woody Allen’s new drama BLUE JASMINE is about the dire consequences that can result when people avert their eyes from reality and the truth they don’t want to see.

Screening begins at 15:00 sharp. This activity is free of charge for all library members. Please reserve by signing up at the front desk in advance. A discussion in English will follow the film.

You are cordially invited to the concert of jazz, blues & swing performed by “Big Up”… come and sing and dance along with them to some of the great sounds from American musicals, jazz and blues classics plus other original pieces. Free and open to the public. No need to reserve. Donations accepted.

“Big Up, ensemble vocal jazz d’Angers, vient pour la quatrième fois à la Bibliothèque Anglophone. Elle est seule en son genre dans le Maine et Loire, avec ses choristes toujours enthousiastes pour le swing des comédies musicales hollywoodiennes, les blues, les standards du jazz anglais et français. La chorale s’est confrontée aussi au rock-barroque, a chanté au Grand Théâtre d’Angers, au cloître Toussaint, à la Collégiale Saint Martin… et a gaiement déambulé en ville. Alors, que la fête continue, et place au Big Up show!!

“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 “Les Casse-Croûte de Suzy” 3 rue de l’Espine. No need to sign up, just come and enjoy!

You can sign up to take your TOEIC test here in the library. To sign up please consult the ETS website.

Love those French restaurants? Feel like you need to speak English more but in a relaxed atmosphere? Join this club which schedules a lunch in a great local restaurant. This event takes place on the second Tuesday of the month. Click here to send an email to the coordinator for more information and the full schedule and to sign up!