Loyal Blues Book Club with Evviva

  • Evviva Weintraub Lajoie, Vice Provost for University Libraries.

    Evviva Weintraub Lajoie, Vice Provost for University Libraries

    Evviva Weinraub Lajoie, Vice Provost for University Libraries hosts our virtual book club exclusively for Loyal Blues.

    You’ll have the opportunity to connect with alumni and friends, all while having an expert educator guide you through several books annually.

    Our Spring Book

    I am looking forward to exploring Louise Blanchard Bethune: Every Woman Her Own Architect by Kelly Hayes McAlonie this spring. This inspiring biography, winner of the 2023 Arline Custer Memorial Award, delves into the life and legacy of Louise Blanchard Bethune, the first professional female architect in the United States. 

    We are thrilled to have the author, Kelly Hayes McAlonie, Director of Campus Planning here at UB, share her insights and experiences in writing this remarkable book.

    I hope you can join us for this unique opportunity to engage with the author and gain a deeper understanding of Bethune's groundbreaking contributions to architecture and the City of Buffalo. Bethune's most notable work in Buffalo, the Hotel Lafayette, remains a landmark in the city today.

    How it works

    photo of author Kelly Hayes McAlonie along side an artist's rendering of Louise Blanchard Bethune.

    There is no cost to participate. Simply purchase a copy of the book and sign up below to receive emails.

    This title is available through GooglePlay, Amazon Kindle, and Red Shelf, as well as through SUNY Press. If you need help finding a copy, just let us know.

    Sign up for the Loyal Blues Book Club now

    Spring Reading Cycle

    Once you've signed up, you will receive weekly emails to guide you through the reading period, which will run from April 8 until May 6. You can also join our Facebook Forum to discuss the book and post questions.

    Virtual Events

    Virtual Events:

    Tuesday, April 22, 2025 | 5:30-6:30 p.m.

    We are pleased to be joined by the book's author, Kelly Hayes McAlonie, FAIA, LEED AP and UB Director of Campus Planning for a talk about Bethune and her process of researching and writing this book.

    Tuesday, May 6, 2025 | 5:30-6:30 p.m. We also hope you can join us to discuss the book at our virtual chat with Evviva.

    Zoom links will be shared here and by email prior to the events.  

    Discussion Questions & Resources

    Previous Loyal Blues Book Club Reads:

    • Binti Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor
    • City of Light by Lauren Belfer
    • Dubliners by James Joyce
    • Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
    • Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie
    • Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
    • Kindred by Octavia Butler
    • Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
    • North By Shakespeare by Michael Blanding
    • One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
    • Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
    • Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
    • The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
    • The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead
    • The Overstory by Richard Powers
    • The Personal Librarian by Heather Terrell and Victoria Christopher Murray
    • The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
    • Weapons of Math Destruction by Cathy O’Neil

Suggest a Book

Have a book that you think might be interesting for the book club to read? Drop us a note and we'll add it to our list of recommendations.