The University of Toronto is pleased to invite you to join our Alumni Virtual Book Club. Join fellow alumni for lively discussion about books related to lifelong learning, social issues, psychology and more. 

Our next title is The Bird Hotel by Joyce Maynard.

After a childhood filled with heartbreak, Irene, a talented artist, finds herself in a small Central American village where she checks into a beautiful but decaying lakefront hotel called La Llorona at the base of a volcano. 
 
The Bird Hotel tells the story of this young American who, after suffering tragedy, restores and runs La Llorona. Along the way we meet a rich assortment of characters who live in the village or come to stay at the hotel. With a mystery at its center and filled with warmth, drama, romance, humor, pop culture, and a little magical realism, The Bird Hotel has all the hallmarks of a Joyce Maynard novel that have made her a leading voice of her generation.

From March 7 - April 25, 2025, purchase the book from the U of T Bookstore, in store or online, and receive 20% off. Use Code: 20BIRDHOTEL25 at checkout.

About Joyce Maynard

A native of New Hampshire, Joyce Maynard began publishing her stories in magazines when she was thirteen years old.  She first came to national attention with the publication of her New York Times cover story, “An Eighteen Year Old Looks Back on Life”, in 1972, when she was a freshman at Yale. Since then, she has been a reporter and columnist for The New York Times, a syndicated newspaper columnist whose “Domestic Affairs” column appeared in over fifty papers nationwide, a regular contributor to NPR and national magazines including Vogue, The New York Times Magazine, and many more. She is a longtime performer with The Moth. 

Joyce Maynard is the author of eighteen books, including the New York Times bestselling novel, Labor Day and To Die For (both adapted for film), Under the Influence and the memoirs, At Home in the World and The Best of Us.

Her latest novel, Count the Ways —the story of a marriage and a divorce, and the children who survived it— was published by William Morrow in July, 2021, and The Bird Hotel (Arcade Publishing) was published May 2, 2023.

She has just completed the sequel to Count the Ways, How the Light Gets In, scheduled for publication June 25, 2024.

Maynard is a fellow of the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo. She is the founder of Write by the Lake, a week-long workshop on the art and craft of memoir, held every year since 2001 at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.

How it Works

The U of T Alumni Virtual Book Club will connect through a private forum, powered by PBC Guru, where participants can discuss the current book and network with each other. Joining is free; you just have to get a copy of the book to enjoy. Please note that if you signed up for one of our previous sessions, then you're already registered - just sign into the U of T online portal.

To get started and access the book club, you will need to create an account via our book club portal:

• Click on the "Registration" button on the side bar to your right
• You'll be taken directly to the sign-up page
• Fill out the mandatory fields and then join
• You'll be sent a confirmation email and a link to join the group

Computer Literacy

You will need to have knowledge of the following skills to participate in this book club:

• Ability to use online communication tools, such as email (create, send, receive, reply, print, send/receive attachments), discussion boards (read, search, post, reply, follow threads), chats, and messengers.

• Understanding of basic computer hardware and software; ability to perform computer operations, such as:

  • Using software applications, such as email programs
  • Knowledge of copying and pasting, spell-checking
  • Internet skills (connecting, accessing, using browsers) and ability to perform online research using search engines

Disclaimer: The U of T Alumni Virtual Book Club is hosted on a third-party platform, PBC Guru. By signing up for the book club, participants will be subject to PBC Guru’s terms of service and privacy policy. The University of Toronto is not responsible for the collection, use, or security of personal data provided to PBC Guru. We encourage participants to review PBC Guru’s privacy policy before registering here: https://www.pbc.guru/about/legal/privacy. PBC Guru shares relevant registration information back to U of T Alumni Relations to track alumni engagement and activity effectively.