As social and public events begin to emerge more and more in Airdrie now that COVID-19 health and safety restrictions are lifted, locals are invited to join the Ladies Out Loud (LOL) reading café, with the book club's next event taking place Aug. 18.
According to Karen MacDonald, the owner and organizer of LOL, the reading café has been going on since 2016. She said LOL members and non-members can now gather at the group’s new location, which is located in the Diamond room of Airdrie’s Best Western hotel, to read and discuss whatever the current book is, while enjoying an assortment of coffee, tea, and snacks.
“It includes a lot of fun and great conversations,” MacDonald said. “Women can come together and have a great time.”
LOL is an Airdrie-based group for women that focuses on maintaining members’ social health through activities, workshops, events, and gatherings. The club’s activities, including the reading café, aim to encourage authenticity, growth, and fun.
MacDonald added while LOL members make up the core of the monthly book club, she wants to make the club's events open to the public to try and include more people.
“The public can come and join us if you like and read whatever book we are covering,” she said. “If you don’t fancy the book that month, that is OK. Skip that one and join us for the next one.”
This month’s book is titled Shadow and Bone, written by Leigh Bardugo. According to an LOL Facebook post, the fantasy novel is about the once-great nation of Ravka, which has been torn in two by the Shadow Fold, a swath of near impenetrable darkness crawling with monsters that feast on human flesh.
“Alina Starkov has never been good at anything, but when her regiment is attacked on the Fold and her best friend is brutally injured, Alina reveals a dormant power that saves his life – a power that could be the key to setting her war-ravaged country free,” the synopsis reads. “Wrenched from everything she knows, Alina is whisked away to the royal court to be trained as a member of the Grisha, the magical elite led by the mysterious Darkling.”
Now that LOL has their new space, MacDonald said she aims to host the reading cafés twice a day on event days, with a time during the day and during the evening, with different titles associated for each event.
Just like most organizations, MacDonald is happy LOL is once again able to host events that can bring the community together, now that pandemic-related restrictions are lifted, although she noted the reading café was able to continue online last year.
“I am not much of a Zoomer – I prefer the face-to-face,” she said. “There are challenges that come with that. You talk over each other, bits cut out and service can be tough.”
It was important to MacDonald to continue offering the reading café through the pandemic, as she said she understands how much movies, books, and television shows can be an escape for people. She said the books she chooses for the club typically showcase resilient characters and tell “human” stories.
On Aug. 18, the event will run from 2 to 4 p.m., and it is free to LOL members. Non-members can join for $10 cash at the door. For more information, visit ladiesoutloud.ca or the group’s Facebook page.
With files from Lauryn Heintz/Airdrie City View
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
