Join a book club that is reading The Fair Botanists: Could one rare plant hold the key to a thousand riches?!

Wildflower Farm Book Club

Wildflower Farm, is a small roughly 5 acre homestead farm in Berlin MA, the Worcester/metro west area. We are a crew rather devoted to our club and showing up for it. We have been reading together now for loosely 2 and a half years. This club was birthed shortly after the Covid vaccine, when a bunch of isolated women got vaccinated and decided to start a book club. It was a beautiful sunny day in June. To be precise, it was the fifth of June. 4 women came together, chose books, and read together. Just like that, on the back patio, sipping lemonade and eating snacks, a sisterhood was born. Many things have changed with time, some have left new ones have joined.... Some have stuck around.... One thing has never changed. At our foundation, we are all about Covid safety, books, and each other. We meet in person monthly so if you are looking for an online meeting, this isn't it. We check everyone's vaccine card when they come to their first meeting. No UTD on vaccination, no admittance. When Covid is spiking in the area, we ask all members attending to take a covid test within 24 hours of attendance. By utilizing these tools and keeping our meetings to under 12 people, we don't require masking as due diligence is done. We often meet outside as well when weather permits. Yes, on the back patio or soon in the greenhouse. Once a month we meet to discuss our shared reading experience. Irregularly we meet to do things together, canning, candle making, the occasional movie based on our monthly read or similar in nature... We have discussed doing King Richard's Fair, and the odd museum visit or other various activities. We also meet bi yearly to select new books. Every 6 months anyone who has attended at least 3 of our book discussions is welcome at this meeting. Everyone gets a vote. All votes are equal. Together we then hash out the next 6 months worth of books, and create an order. We visit club culture discuss changes we want to make things we want to try etc... This is a small cozy club, which means there is a lot of room for club culture creation and suggestions. The goal, is to have a club that is magical for all of us. We are a group of women from many different walks of life all bringing our own experiences to our reads and book discussions. We welcome all women, of all colors, sexual preferences, etc... Every woman in this group is fierce and strong. Everyone's opinion is right. Everyone is entitled to their feelings and opinions. Books are subjective works of art. There is no right and wrong. Polite disagreement is totally fine. We are not above a good debate.This book club, is all about women supporting women, we let the world out there go. We build up the other members of this book loving sorority, even when we disagree. We share a bond based on respect for our differences and similarities as well as our disagreements. a desire to understand where each of us is coming from, in an effort to better understand what we are reading. This club was created as a place women can fully be who they are. At our gatherings, we never worry about how to dumb ourselves down to appease men, or what the neighbors will think, or anything else equally confining and restrictive. It is ok not to smile, no you won't be prettier if you do. Even if you would be, who cares? No one here will command you to smile. You get to control and choose the expression on your own face. Here you have no duty to dress a certain way, makeup is entirely up to you. We don't judge. We would rather share company and bond over books. We are the women who love libraries, books, adventures and experiences that can only be found between 2 covers or on a tablet. This group is for those committed to meeting regularly to discuss our shared monthly reading experience. Our reading adventures can be rather eclectic. We tend to do some mysteries, women's fiction, standard fiction, gothic, fantasy, classics, non fiction, etc, and more. While we have a slight focus on feminism, we believe the best form of feminism is the one in which women are free to engage as they choose with what they choose. Where women get to choose and pursue their own interests. We are not always in the mood for feminist lit. Often enough we enjoy other things also.We are the spirited, swashbuckling, devotees of Seshat, following our inner moonlight as we traverse this vast universe in search of the first star to the right before traveling on towards morning. In a space boat, that runs on fairy dust, and is made of a book. Pioneering our way through each new literary adventure. Crossing the unnumbered seas of the imagination. Weathering the storms as we wander together, anywhere a book can take us."May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out."- Galadriel / Tolkien, is the quote at the foundation of this farm and this book club. Both will act as a light for it's members when all other lights go out.Our rules:No Karens allowed (as in easily offended often racist and or homophobic, whiners complaining about profanity, weed use, and a little alcohol. Women who seek and put in unbelievable amounts of effort searching for reasons to be offended.) This is a book club you will be happier as part of a religious group or a creepy temperance society.Don't be an asshole, don't try to be offensive. Curse if you want to, be who you are. But don't curse at people. Think about how you want your ideas discussed and discuss the ideas of others the thoughts and feelings of others in that capacity. Racism and homophobia both, fall under being a Karen and being an asshole. Interesting how that works, isn't it? Make an effort to be courteous, kind, and understanding. No one accomplishes this rule to perfection all the time. The rule is do your human best always.Try to read the book, failure is ok. We all fail sometimes and someone who hasn't read the book can offer an outsider's perspective which can be an interesting thing sometimes.MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF BEING FULLY VACCINATED AND OF BEING UP TO DATE ON ALL COVID BOOSTERS to attend our in person meetings. This is NOT optional nor is it negotiable. We ask that everyone tests before indoor meetings, in addition to being UTD on boosters when Covid is spiking in the region. Masks are optional. This is important. Without proof of UTD on covid boosters, we will decline to allow you to enter our meeting. We hold all members new and old to this standard.This is a group that is dedicated to our shared reading experiences, to ourselves, to each other, to attending our meetings, and to the growth that comes from discussing a good book. We are not interested in members who show up on the very rare tuesday night or who put us on the back burner because everything else is more important to them. If that is how you feel that is totally fine, but this isn't the club for you. This club is for those dedicated to making a concerted effort to attend meetings. No one is perfect, life happens, but this club is for those who truly wish to be part of something, a sisterhood of book devotees. Our club material such as recipes, book questions, etc, are not posted for randos. They are there for people who actually attend and wish to participate. If you park your name in our members list you may find it eventually removed due to lack of participation. So if you are not certain you wish to participate, might I suggest, you park your name in some other parking lot? Thanx.Other things to know about this group:We think Conspiracy theories are dumb, science rocks. Loving dogs is mandatory, loving cats is optional. Our most loved members is a great dane. So new members need to be comfortable with large dogs that bark and will run at you in greeting. She can sound scary, don't be fooled, there is a reason she is our most loved club member. Expect her to stick her nose in your face. Touch her nose with yours and say "beep," in a high pitch voice and she will love you forever. Pikku, also helps in the event of a tie vote at bi yearly book selection meetings. In the event of a tie she votes the same way that I do. (how is that for democracy? Even the dog gets a vote.... And I am not convinced she is even literate....)Our other pages/ internet presence:https://meetup.com/wildflower-farm-book (where we often collect new members)https://bookclubz.com/wildflower-farm-book-club/meetings (for official business)https://facebook.com/groups/1256510171474705 (for unofficial in between chatting comparing notes recommending other reads, etc...)https://wildflower-farm.com/our-book-club (where the club memory keeper keeps a seanchi, of old memories in the form of a book club blog.)https://facebook.com/Wildflowerfarmbookclub (our more official facebook page is connected to the group.)

The Fair Botanists: Could one rare plant hold the key to a thousand riches?

Description
'Compelling, fascinating . . . A cracking good read' - Val McDermid
An evocative, enjoyable portrait of 1820s Edinburgh' - Sunday Times
'Lush, seductive' - Daily Mail
'Completely enchanting' - Scotsman
'A beautiful tale of scandal and intrigue' - Susan Stokes-Chapman, author of Pandora

***

Could one rare plant hold the key to a thousand riches?

It's the summer of 1822 and Edinburgh is abuzz with rumours of King George IV's impending visit. In botanical circles, however, a different kind of excitement has gripped the city. In the newly-installed Botanic Garden, the Agave Americana plant looks set to flower - an event that only occurs once every few decades.

When newly widowed Elizabeth arrives in Edinburgh to live with her late husband's aunt Clementina, she's determined to put her unhappy past in London behind her. As she settles into her new home, she becomes fascinated by the beautiful Botanic Garden which borders the grand house and offers her services as an artist to record the rare plant's impending bloom. In this pursuit, she meets Belle Brodie, a vivacious young woman with a passion for botany and the lucrative, dark art of perfume creation.

Belle is determined to keep both her real identity and the reason for her interest the Garden secret from her new friend. But as Elizabeth and Belle are about to discover, secrets don't last long in this Enlightenment city . . .

And when they are revealed, they can carry the greatest of consequences . . .

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'Dazzling, original, full of wonderful characters' Katie Fforde
'An absolute treat for fans of historical fiction and rich storytelling' Red Magzine
'Lively and generous-hearted, with an array of utterly engaging characters, this enchanting novel reads like a warm tonic for the soul' Mary Paulson-Ellis
'As rare and lush as the Agave flower itself, The Fair Botanists is a richly realised, transportive delight' Rachel Rhys
'Beautiful . . . Every sentence is a gift. If you love The Doll Factory or The Binding, you'll love this' Miranda Dickinson
'Delightfully original, sensuous historical fiction, led by a charge of female characters as captivating and complex as the brightest of botanical flowers' Cari Thomas
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370 pages

Average rating: 7.56

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