Welcome!
Welcome to our book club for people who love the cello. We feature books from different genres – fiction, non-fiction, biographies, memoirs, children’s, young adult, technical, etc. The common thread is the cello.
Book Discussion
Part of the fun of a book club is getting to discuss it with like-minded people. We are still working on the easiest way to do this. For now, we are setting up a page for each book, where members can carry on a discussion by adding comments.
You will find the discussion link for each book below after the previous book meeting has occurred. The first book’s discussion page is open now.
Schedule
As 2021 is our first year, we are featuring one book every other month. If our members like the club, we will consider adding more books in upcoming years.
Below are the books on our 2021 schedule.
As we have people spread all over the world, it’s impossible to make an ideal book club meeting time that works for everyone. Can’t make the meeting but still want to participate? Send us your questions. We will be recording the meetings so that you can watch them later.
We will send details about the meetings to those on the book club mailing list.
November 7 – The Enchanted Cello Case
Meet Hilary Wang (author) and Julian Wang (illustrator)
6:30 PM Berlin / 12:30 PM NY / 9:30 AM LA
The Enchanted Cello Case by Hilary Wang and illustrated by Julian Wang is a great book aimed at 6- to 11-year-olds that will be enjoyed by readers of all ages. It’s so good that we are hoping for a sequel.
Please purchase this book through Lulu, as all profits will then go to refugees. Thank you.
Read our review here.
Discussion page for The Enchanted Cello Case.
Sign up for our book club list (above) to receive the Zoom information.
Meetings Earlier This Year
January 2021 – Life, Death and Cellos by Isabel Rogers
The title says it all – Life, Death and Cellos. This is the best title for any cello fiction we’ve ever read. This book made us laugh out loud, and we are very happy that author, Isabel Rogers has agreed to talk with us online on 31 January 2021, at 8 PM GMT.
BONUS: We will be doing a random prize drawing for autographed copies of the three books in this series. Thank you, Isabel Rogers, for this wonderful prize giveaway. We will do the drawing during the meeting on 31 January.
Please contact us to be entered into the prize drawing. Please include the name you will allow us to publicize if you are a winner.
Link to the discussion page for Life, Death and Cellos.
March 2021 – Maureen O’Carroll: A Musical Memoir of an Irish Immigrant Childhood by Maureen O’Carroll and Leora O’Carroll
For March, which is both Women’s History Month and Irish-American Heritage Month in the USA, we chose a book that our curators love: Maureen O’Carroll: A Musical Memoir of an Irish Immigrant Childhood by a mother-daughter team, Maureen and Leora O’Carroll.
We are excited to announce that Leora O’Carroll has agreed to talk with our book club online on 28 March 2021 at 2 PM PDT.
In addition to discussing the book she wrote with her mother, Leora O’Carroll will answer questions about writing a memoir alone or with a family member.
She has also offered a copy of her book as a giveaway, open to those who attend the meeting. Be sure to attend the meeting for a chance to win.
We will be recording the meeting, but we will not post it in its entirety. We may post excerpts later by permission. This will give members the freedom to discuss their memoir projects and ask questions.
Read our review here.
Link to the discussion page for Maureen O’Carroll: A Musical Memoir of an Irish Immigrant Childhood.
May 2021 – House of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons by Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason
As May is the month of Mother’s Day in the USA, we chose House of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons. We are thrilled to have the author and amazing mother (and so much more!), Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, join us for an online book club meeting on 23 May 2021 at 7 PM London / 2 PM New York / 11 AM Los Angeles.
House of Music is a moving and inspirational account of determination, music and love. It is a story about race, immigration and education. It is the story of a mother and her family. And it is the story of her children, seven phenomenally talented musicians.
For the first time, Kadie Kanneh-Mason opens up about what it takes to raise a musical family in a Britain divided by class and race.
Link to the discussion page for House of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons.
July 2021 – The Cellist’s Notebook by Kittie Lambton
Join us in reading about how 10-year-old Emily Peters discovers a cello, a cellist’s notebook – and their stories – as she visits her grandmother for summer vacation. The Cellist’s Notebook is a quick but uplifting read.
We are so pleased that author Kittie Lambton has agreed to join us for our online book club meeting on 18 July 2021 at 5 PM BST.
In conjunction with our book club meeting, we are running a contest to composer the memorable musical fragment portrayed in this book! Click here for details.
Link to the discussion page for The Cellist’s Notebook.
September – Mellow Cello: A Collection of Short Stories for Cellists by Gill Tennant
This month we have a wonderful collection of short stories by cellist and writer, Gill Tennant – Mellow Cello: A Collection of Short Stories for Cellists. We are very happy that she will be speaking with the book club via Zoom on 26 September 2021 at 7 PM London / 2 PM New York / 11 AM Los Angeles.
Click here to read our review.
Link to the discussion page for Mellow Cello: A Collection of Short Stories for Cellists.
Free to Join
Right now our book club is free to join, but we welcome donations.
Please note that some links on this page are affiliate links that help support The Cello Museum and its Cello Book Club. For more details, please see the footer below.
Sign up for the Cello Book Club
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