The House Finch Book Club
First Book: The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating, by Elisabeth Tova Bailey
Thursday, February 20th, 7 pm- 8:30 pm
Purchase on Bookshop.org (proceeds go to House Finch) or books are available to purchase in-store
Book Synopsis
In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, Elisabeth Tova Bailey shares an inspiring and intimate story of her encounter with a Neohelix albolabris—a common woodland snail.
While an illness keeps her bedridden, Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up residence on her nightstand. As a result, she discovers the solace and sense of wonder that this mysterious creature brings and comes to a greater understanding of her own place in the world. Intrigued by the snail’s molluscan anatomy, cryptic defenses, clear decision-making,
hydraulic locomotion, and courtship activities, Bailey becomes an astute and amused observer, offering a candid and engaging look into the curious life of this underappreciated small animal.
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a remarkable journey of survival and resilience, showing us how a small part of the natural world can illuminate our own human existence while providing an appreciation of what it means to be fully alive.
About The House Finch Book Club
The first book club gathering will help us learn more about overall interest in this activity and what attendees want from the time. Here are some general thoughts about our approach:
Gatherings will be facilitated by Kara (owner of House Finch) and will focus on the topic of the book.
We have been to book clubs that did not have a facilitator tasked with a plan for the gathering. The groups became cliquey and did not include everyone, especially new attendees who didn’t know anyone. We’ll have some time for socializing and shopping, and we’ll also have a framework that includes everyone.
The selected books will be a mix of fiction and non-fiction, and all selections will be nature-focused (sometimes birds will be the focus, but not always). We will select the first few books, but once the book club is established, the books will be chosen by attendees/our book club mailing list.
Book club gatherings will be held about every other month, usually on Thursday evenings.
RSVP for each event is preferred, as this will help us plan for the group.
If you plan to purchase a new book for the book club, we ask that you purchase it from House Finch. Library books, used books, and audiobooks are all acceptable, too!
Each book club gathering will be capped at 20 attendees. If there is a strong recurring demand, we will organize additional dates for each book selection to accommodate larger attendance, and we might update the gatherings to monthly.
The book club will meet at House Finch Suburban Nature Store at 740 Haddon Ave in Collingswood, NJ.
Attendees will receive 15% shopping discount the night of each book club event, if they choose to shop (not required).