We Don't Bake Muffins Book Club

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“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.”
Charles William Eliot

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No Longer Human

By Osamu Dazai

img_1222“We all looked forward to this month’s book and book club more than usual – Kelly’s niece, Samantha, chose the book and described it to her aunt as one of her favourite. More than that, she would attend the book club night in person to tell us all why. Only those who had to miss the night because of work didn’t show up. Everyone else filtered in and after normal arrival chatter, we took our places and slowly quieted to sit and stare at Samantha…

Most of us were dreadfully curious to know why No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai was one of her favourites. Some of us liked Dazai’s writing style and sentence structure. Some hated the longer chapter, three notebook format. “He’s a snivelling whimp.” “A spoiled intelligentsia.” “No, he would be diagnosed as autistic in today’s times.” All of us recalled moments of feeling like social outcasts. But not one of us identified with the unrelenting alienation described by Dazai and experienced by him through Yozo, his main character.

But then again, none of us experienced life in post-war Japan, when the tensions between traditional Japan and modernity, between rural and urban lives, peaked and plummeted. No matter what our individual “notebooks” read, what tragedies they contained, we each have a fourth notebook and more to come.

Samantha has her notebooks too. And her’s so far, is a life of love for the art of the book. Her fascination with Dazai arose from a character with the same name. The sentences were well written, says Samantha, and in line with other Japanese verse. No Longer Human is one in a very high pile of books, some classics, in a grade nine’s room on a bedside table.

Personally, I admire Samantha and her appreciation for literature. I admire her maturity and courage to love art and the slow, printed word and I’m thankful for her choice of book. We expect great things from you Miss Samantha!”

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Living in beautiful St. John's NL, our book club members are as diverse and interesting as our book selections. Read More

Our Book Club Reading List

We’ve read a little bit of everything over the years. Whether you’re a book club looking for some ideas about what to read or just want a good book to curl up in bed with this reading list should help!

  • 110. Women Talking | Miriam Toews | Cathy’s Pick
  • 109. Where the Crawdads Sing | Delia Owens | Alison’s Pick
  • 108. Everything I Never Told You | Celeste NG | Toddy’s Pick
  • 107. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe | Fannie Flagg | Peggy’s Pick
  • 106. The Innocents | Michael Crummey | Kelly’s Picks
  • 105. The Alice Network | Kate Quinn | Kathy’s Pick
  • 104. Green Grass Running Water | Thomas King | Liz’s Pick
  • 103. Girl, Stop Apologizing | Rachel Hollis | Kelly’s Pick
  • 102. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine | Gail Honeyman | Alison’s Pick
  • 101. The Next Thing On My List | Jill Smolinski | Toddy’s Pick
  • 100. River Thieves | Michael Crummey | Peggy’s Pick
  • 99. Before We Were Yours | Lisa Wingate | Kathy’s Pick
  • 98. Most Anything You Please | Trudy Morgan Cole | Cathy’s Pick
  • 97. Into the Water | Paula Hawkins | Toddy’s Pick
  • 96. Difficult Women | Grove Atlantic | Pam’s Pick
  • 95. Neuromancer | William Gibson | Andrea’s Pick
  • 94. Something Is Always On Fire | Measha Brueggergosman | Liz’s Pick
  • 93. Rock Paper Sex | Kerri Cull | Peggy’s Pick
  • 92. We’ll All Be Burnt In Our Beds Some Night | Joel Thomas Hynes | Kathy’s Pick
  • 91. Cutting for Stone | Abraham Verghese | Cathy’s Pick
  • 90. Bear Town | Fredrik Backman | Kelly’s Pick
  • 89. Caught | Lisa Moore | Alison’s Pick
  • 88. Let’s Pretend This Never Happened | Jenny Lawson | Andrea’s Pick
  • 87. Found Far and Wide | Kevin Major | Toddy’s Pick
  • 86. The Sparrow | Author Mary Doria Russell | Pam’s Pick
  • 85. Tomboy Survival Guide | Author Ivan Coyote | Liz’s Pick
  • 84. Rush Oh! | Author Shirley Barrett | Kathy’s Pick
  • 83. The Invention of Wings | Author Sue Monk Kidd | Toddy’s Pick
  • 82. No Longer Human | Author Osamu Dazai | Kelly’s Pick
  • 81. The Nest | Author Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney | Peggy’s Pick
  • 80. I’m Thinking of Ending Things | Author Iain Reid | Alison’s Pick

See Our Complete List

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