Like many of you, I find December a bit too much sometimes. But now the pace is finally starting to slow, and I’ll have time to do a few things I always look forward to, like bake cookies and watch Home Alone with my brother and sister. On Christmas Eve, my husband Ben and I take part in a music-filled candlelit midnight Mass at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Oakland. We always cap off the evening with a very late-night cold supper of smoked fish and Champagne.
And, in these precious last few days of the year, there will be time to READ. I can’t wait. If you also like to end the year with a reading spree, we’ve got you covered. Some of our leaders have shared recommendations for books they’ve loved. We hope you enjoy these picks. Let us know what you’re reading and about the books you’ve loved this year.
Quebec City tour leader Suzanne Bodner
I have two picks for recent top reads. The first is Donna Morrissey’s Pluck: A Memoir of a Newfoundland Childhood and the Raucous, Terrible, Amazing Journey to Becoming a Novelist. Her deeply personal story is sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hilarious and always inspiring. This indomitable woman from the Rock definitely has pluck! (Penguin Random House Canada, 2021)
I also loved Ann-Marie MacDonald’s Fayne. The best way to engage with this Cape Breton author’s epic masterpiece is by listening to her audiobook. AMD, also a talented Canadian actress, brilliantly takes on the diverse voices of a huge cast of fascinating characters from all walks of society in 19th-century Scotland, England and the USA – never skipping a beat. As an audiobook, Fayne is riveting! (Penguin Random House Canada, 2022)
Quebec expert Suzanne is leading our June 2025 Quebec City tour, where we’ll be reading Louise Penny’s Bury Your Dead and modern poetry.
Toronto Pursuits leader Rick Phillips
My favourite read of 2024 is The Stradivari Formula, a novel by (William) Grit Laskin. He’s a Canadian guitar maker, author, musician, record producer, administrator, Order of Canada, etc.
The novel is a thriller about the secret formula Stradivarius had for his violins. Our heroes travel to London, Paris, Cremona, Sardinia, Phoenix and Ottawa, MI6 gets involved, even Russian hackers, etc.
From the jacket: “For 3 centuries musical instrument makers and players have tried to reverse-engineer Stradivari violins. What was it that made them so exceptional, even among the other superb craftsmen of his era? Books and scientific papers have been written. But to this day there have only been theories. Until now.”
It’s well-written page-turner interesting to all, especially those with an interest in music and instruments. (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2024)
Music educator and former CBC host Rick will be leading a Toronto Pursuits 2025 seminar on the idea of themes and variations in music. More details soon! Learn more at Sound Advice.
Paris tour leader Lisa Pasold
I would recommend Diane Seuss’ latest collection, Modern Poetry. These are long, thoughtful considerations of the how and why of life & art. I have really savoured these honest meditations, and it is a perfect book for your winter reading shelf. (Gray Wolf Press, 2024)
Lisa is leading guided walks on our May 2025 tour Art and Resistance in WWII Paris and Champagne. She’s a novelist and poet; learn more at lisapasold.com.
Paris tour leader Samuél Lopez-Barrantes
A book that has particularly stuck with me since I read it last year is Cormac McCarthy’s The Passenger and its companion piece / prequel, Stella Maris. It feels like McCarthy managed, at the end of his life, to elucidate exactly what he feels about the infinite nature of the cosmos, and existentialism, and mortality, and the mystery of beauty and the beauty of mystery … all of this spun into one of the most profoundly moving and entertaining works of literary fiction I’ve ever read. (Penguin Random House/Knopf/Vintage 2022 and Penguin Random House/Vintage, 2023)
Samuél is leading guided walks on our May 2025 tour Art and Resistance in WWII Paris and Champagne. He’s a novelist and musician; learn more at samuellopezbarrantes.com.
Paris tour host Bryn Turnbull
I’ve got a lot of recs for you! First up is You Are Here by David Nicholls. It’s a tender, funny and poignant love story between two people who become reluctant companions on a multiday hike through the England’s Lake District. (HarperCollins, 2024)
Next is Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby van Pelt — a sweet story of grief, love and hope told through the eyes of Tova, a 60-year-old night cleaner
at an aquarium, and Marcellus, the elderly giant Pacific octopus with whom she develops an unlikely friendship. (HarperCollins/Ecco, 2022)
There’s also Knife by Salman Rushdie. Sentimental, heartbreaking, visceral and mischievous, Rushdie’s meditation on art and life in the aftermath of the attempt on his life is a must-read. (Penguin Random House, 2024)
And Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma by Claire Dederer. It’s a thoughtful and thought-provoking series of essays which ask whether it’s ever possible to separate the art from the artist. (Penguin Random House/Vintage, 2024)
Finally, The Briar Club by Kate Quinn. A snapshot of McCarthy-era Washington told from the perspectives of a mismatched cast of characters who live in the same boarding house. (HarperCollins/William Morrow, 2024)
Bryn is hosting our May 2025 tour Art and Resistance in WWII Paris and Champagne. She’s a novelist; learn more at brynturnbull.com
Classical Pursuits director Melanie Blake
While wandering the streets of Paris in 2015, L. John Harris finds an abandoned, unfinished, and strangely compelling painting.
Portrait in Red: A Paris Obsession chronicles his quest to learn the identities of the subject and the artist. It’s also a joyous exploration of art in the twentieth century and beyond. Through moments of heureux hasard (happy coincidences) and extensive research, John met many artists, writers, gallerists and art historians who shared in the journey.
Enjoy this beautiful book as a gift for yourself or someone else. Through January 1, get 20% off with the code CLASSICAL20 when you buy the book directly from the publisher.
Online seminar leaders Denise Ahlquist and JJ Patton
Denise and JJ consistently bring to the Classical Pursuits community books that fly under the radar but are well worth your time. Their latest recommendation is The Manuscript Found in Saragossa, an 18th-century Polish work that is full of “extravagant adventure, philosophical speculation, unrequited love, and supernatural visitation.”
Learn more in their video that introduces you to the adventure that awaits. Practical details can be found on the seminar page for The Manuscript Found in Saragossa.
We hope you enjoy these recommendations! See you in 2025.
