College of Liberal Arts Alumni Book Club

Join the online CLA Alumni Book Club to connect with fellow Gophers! In this online community, alumni can connect with each other and enjoy books related to lifelong learning, professional development, social issues, and more. There is no cost to participate—just get a copy of the book to enjoy!

Join the virtual alumni book club

Didn't You Used to be Queenie B? By Terri-Lynne DeFino

Purchase the book

Previous titles

Custodians of Wonder by Eliot Stein
How to Read a Book by Monica Wood
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
A Pair of Wings by Carole Hopson
Birding to Change the World by Trish O'Kane
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

Unlock the power of your words!

In April, the CLA Alumni Book Club hosted a special event, Unlocking the Power of Words: A Poetry Primer. Presented by Associate Professor Brian Goldberg (English), this webinar was intended to inspire and empower participants to explore the enchanting world of verse.

Watch video recording

Upcoming Book Discussion

Didn't You Used to Be Queenie B?

The CLA Alumni Online Book Club selection is Didn't You Used to Be Queenie B? by Terri-Lynne DeFino. Readers can join in the book discussion July 31 through October 2, 2026.

From HarperCollins Publishers: Regina Benuzzi is Queenie B—a culinary goddess with Michelin Star restaurants, a bestselling cookbook empire, and multimillion-dollar TV deals. It doesn’t hurt that she’s gorgeous and curvaceous, with cascading black hair and signature red lips.

She had it all. Until she didn’t.

After an epic fall from grace, Queenie B vanishes from the public eye, giving up everything: her husband, her son, and the fame that she’d fought to achieve. Her shows are in rerun, her restaurants still popular, but her disappearance remains a mystery to her legions of fans.

Local line cook Gale Carmichael also knows a thing or two about disaster. Newly sober and struggling, Gale’s future dreams don’t hold space for culinary stardom; only earning enough to get by. Broke at the end of the week, he finds himself at a local soup kitchen in one of the roughest parts of New Haven, Connecticut. But Gale quickly realizes that the food coming out of the kitchen is not your standard free meal—it is delicious and prepared with gourmet flair.

Gale doesn’t recognize Regina, the soup kitchen’s cranky proprietor, whose famous black mane is now streaked with gray. It’s been more than ten years since Queenie B vanished into her careful new existence. But she sees Gale’s talent and recognizes a brokenness in him that she knows all too well. The culinary genius in hiding takes him under her wing.

Teaching Gale, Regina’s passion to create is reignited, and they both glimpse a shot at the redemption that had always seemed out of reach. When Gale is chosen to compete on the hit cooking show, Cut!, it’s a turning point for them both.

It’s Gale’s time to shine. And that means Queenie B might just have to come out of hiding…

Connect with fellow CLA alumni & friends

Joining the book club will introduce you to CLA alumni and friends across industries, generations, and geographies, while accommodating your engagement when and where you are most comfortable.

Be a part of a lifelong learning community

Improve your mind, gain wisdom, keep up with a constantly changing world and nurture a thirst for knowledge through the discussion, reflection, and sharing of perspectives with like-minded people in a safe platform.

Reading is good for you

Research has proven that when we read we become mentally stronger. From improving on focus and concentration, to developing stronger analytical thinking skills, to reducing stress, to reducing the chances of developing Alzheimer's later in life, the health benefits derived from reading are innumerable.

What to Expect Once You Join

Sign-up page

The sign-up page will include a description of how the book club works, answers to frequently asked questions, and information about the first book. The sign-up page will still be open for new participants throughout the year.

Content emails

This book club will be managed by PBC Guru. For each book, PBC Guru sends out emails with content that prompts discussions in the online forum. An email may include a link to a review, article, podcast, Ted Talk, or video. Other specialty emails provide a way to announce the vote for the next book, communicate with discussion leaders, and send out periodic surveys.

Online forum

The online forum is where book club members can introduce themselves, discuss the book and learn from other participants. Participants log in with the username and password that they created during the sign-up process. This is not a Zoom-style video call but rather a discussion forum where members can hold conversations in the form of posted messages.

FAQs

How are the books selected?

How often will books be read, what is the time commitment and what are the expectations?

Books will be read every two months. Each book will take an average of six hours to read, so if you have 30 minutes a week to read you’ll do just fine. If members of this virtual community are particularly busy with work, family, or other obligations and can't read or finish a book, that’s okay. If you can only read part of a book and contribute a little to the online discussion then that's okay too. The goal of this program is simply to connect CLA alumni through relevant, interesting topics.

Will there be any in-person meetings of the book clubs?

Is there any cost to participate? How do I get the books?

How do book discussions work?

Discussions will occur through an online forum. Our book club has a dedicated moderator who manages the forum and poses questions to the group, shares relevant articles, and facilitates conversation about topics in the book. Members are encouraged to post and share as well. This format allows for ongoing conversation and makes it easy for alumni to connect with each other. This will not occur in a Zoom-style or other video setting.

What is PBC Guru and how is it connected to the book club?

I still have questions!

Alumni can join the book club at any time and do not have to participate in every reading session. If you have questions please contact Megan Mehl in the CLA Alumni Relations Office at [email protected] We look forward to reading with you!