Our First Book Club Pick!

Hello Rule Breakers!

The time has come.

After tabulating your votes, the first book we will read for The Rule Breakers Book Club is…

City of Girls

By Elizabeth Gilbert

The synopsis, per the blurb on the cover:

In 1940, nineteen-year-old Vivian Morris has just been kicked out of Vassar College, owing to her lackluster freshman-year performance. Her affluent parents send her to Manhattan to live with her Aunt Peg, who owns a flamboyant, crumbling midtown theater called the Lily Playhouse. There Vivian is introduced to an entire cosmos of unconventional and charismatic characters, from the fun-chasing showgirls to a sexy male actor, a grand-dame actress, a lady-killer writer, and no-nonsense stage manager. But when Vivian makes a personal mistake that results in professional scandal, it turns her new world upside down in ways that it will take her years to fully understand. Ultimately, though, it leads her to a new understanding of the kind of life she craves - and the kind of freedom it takes to pursue it. It will also lead to the love of her life, a love that stands out from all the rest.

Now eighty-nine years old and telling her story at last, Vivian recalls how the events of those years altered the course of her life - and the gusto and autonomy with which she approached it. "At some point in a woman's life, she just gets tired of being ashamed all the time," she muses. "After that, she is free to become whoever she truly is." Written with a powerful wisdom about human desire and connection, City of Girls is a love story like no other.

How Does the Book Club Work?

In The Rule Breakers Book Club, you choose your own adventure. There are FOUR levels of membership:

LEVEL ONE - Read the book. That’s all.
LEVEL TWO - Read the book. Head over to the Costume Parade Facebook page on Book Club Day, and chat with other readers. I’ll bring a few fun questions for all of us to ponder, and I hope you will, too.
LEVEL THREE - Are you in the Seattle area? Want to make some new rule breaking friends and meet IN REAL LIFE?! I’d love to plan a book club meeting (preferably somewhere with cocktails!). Drop me a note below, or send an email to costumeparade@gmail.com, if you’re interested!
LEVEL FOUR - The Fashion Challenge! For each book we read, I’ll create an outfit inspired by the book. That look will be featured here, in a blog post, on Book Club Day! I’d love it if you joined me!
The parameters of this challenge are simple. As much or as little of your look can be inspired by the book. It’s all up to you. And, please share! I’d love to see what you create! On Instagram, use the hashtag #TheRuleBreakersBookClub or post your look on the Costume Parade Facebook page. (Looking for ideas? To peruse my past Inspired By posts, click here.)

So, When’s Our First Meeting?

Our first (online) meeting will be:

FRIDAY, JULY 19TH.

Need a reminder? Sign up for The Rule Breakers Review, the Costume Parade weekly newsletter. I’ll send out a gentle reading nudge on Sunday, July 14th.