For Book Clubs
For Book Clubs
I am always delighted to have my book selected by book clubs. Please contact me through the Contact page if you require further information or are interested in having me attend your book club in person, if you are in Victoria, or via Zoom of you are elsewhere.
Upcoming Readings & Discussions
Date TBA Book Launch – Victoria, BC
4 Sept 2026 Reading and Discussion, Benailse Retreat Centre, Winlaw, BC; 7 pm
8 Sept. 2026 Reading and Discussion, Griffiths Centre Writing Group, Black Diamond, AB; 1 pm
9 Sept. 2026 Reading and Discussion, Lake Bonavista Village, Calgary, AB; 2 pm
14 Sept 2026 Reading and Discussion, Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization; 11 am-12:30 pm
20 Oct. 2026 Reading and Discussion, PEAVI Book Club, Victoria, BC; 7 pm
10 Nov. 2026 Presentation, Silver Threads, Hammond Road, Victoria, BC; 1-3 pm
Reviews
If you have read my new memoir, Drinking from the Iceberg, I would be grateful if you would take a moment to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads. In a crowded literary world, reviews are vital and even a sentence or two can make a big difference.
Book Club Discussion Guide
Reader‑Response Questions
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Early-life resonance – Which part of the author’s early life resonates most with you, and why?
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Core meaning – What is this personal memoir really about for you? What emotional or thematic thread feels central?
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Personal reflection – Which moment made you reflect on your own life choices or paths taken or not taken?
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Turning points – Was there a moment that shifted your understanding of the story or narrator? Lorna moves from rural life to a scientific career, working in field ecology. Does she change? Does your view of her change?
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Self-understanding arc – How does the author’s sense of herself evolve over the thirty years she describes?
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Pivotal relationships – Which relationships feel most formative? How do frequent moves shape them?
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Themes – Which themes stand out (belonging, resilience, ambition, loss, reinvention, perseverance), and how are they expressed?
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Nature’s role – How does nature influence the author’s childhood, identity, and career? Of her nature stories, is there one that strikes a chord with you? What do you make of her response to the poem on p. 145?
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Remote places – Lorna lives in several during her career in zoology and boreal ecology: Iceberg Alley in Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland; Northwest Territories; and Peace River Country. Does her work in these locations change your impression of them, or of her?
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Truth and omission — Where do you sense candor, and where might the author be holding something back? Consider how you would handle this in your own memoir.
Literary Lens Questions
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Psychological lens – What inner patterns or conflicts shape the author’s early life? How does being the eldest daughter influence her identity? What shapes her perseverance?
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Historical / cultural lens – How do 1940s–50s rural Canadian norms shape Lorna’s worldview, constraints, and opportunities?
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Feminist lens – What does the memoir reveal about women’s agency, expectations, and labour in her world? How did she navigate a male‑dominated field? Discuss her emergence as a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) pioneer.
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Class and economic lens – How do economic realities – work, scarcity, mobility, education – shape Lorna’s choices and relationships?
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Narrative / arc lens – How does the book’s structure (The Early Years, Zoologist in Training, Marriage, Camel Island) shape your sense of turning points and the narrator’s distance from her younger selves?
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Style and voice lens – How does the author’s voice – observational, restrained, or quietly lyrical – shape your experience of her story? Does she shift tone or perspective as she moves through different stages of her life?
By Caroline Mufford