Actually Reading the Book Club

We started our book club almost a year ago, and it’s something I like talking about a lot to both friends and strangers. Though we did have two people jump in mid year, inviting someone to join the club in the middle of Brothers Karamazov is a huge ask.

Next year the line up is going to be a little less intimidating and maybe some people might want to jump in.

Frankenstein (Mary Shelly) -March or April 2025 to May or June 2025

Written and published in 1818 and again in 1831, with various edits, we’ll probably read this novel in three sections, it’s already sectioned into three parts. The Doctor’s experience, The Monster’s experience and then their tale unfolds.  It’s a more romantic narrative when compared to Brothers Karamazov, and I am fascinated to be a part of discussions around its various themes of Family, Nature, Hubris, Innocence Lost…

No Country for Old Men (Cormac McCarthy) – June 2025 or July 2025

A much more contemporary author being written in 2005, this will be a fascinating bridge from Mary Shelly’s tale of woe to John Steinbeck’s epic novel on humanity and free will vs fate. With the film being so popular and the novel so easily read we will probably tackle this book in one meeting.

 

East of Eden (John Steinbeck) July or August 2025 to January or February 2026

Written in 1952 and considered to be Steinbeck’s “Magnum Opus”, we will take some time going through this book, at 600 pages I’d like to take 6 or 7 months to leisurely walk through the text. Much like No Country for Old Men it is an American Novel exploring themes of morality and the human condition in a familiar American, even a west coast American perspective. It exudes a familiar vibe to our own Southern Oregon historical experience.

The Three Theban Plays (Sophocles) February or March 2026  to April or May 2026

Taking a step way back in history to 440BC in Athens, Greece. We will be exploring the three plays of the life of Oedipus. They may feel strangely familiar as they have been referenced throughout time in literature, art and film. Each play is relatively short, surprisingly approachable, relatable and we will take them one at a time. 

Little Women (Louisa May Alcott) May or June 2026 to December or January 2027

We are long overdue for a female protagonist. Written in 1868, we’ll follow the lives of the March Family, the unorthodox approach to life in Civil War Era America. We will probably approach this book similarly to East of Eden, taking 6 months to give the book the time it deserves. 

Selected Short Stories from Flannery O’Connor  January or February 2027 to March or April 2027

Flannery O’Conner born in 1925 and dying in 1964, had a short life passing at the age of 39, she will be our first southern gothic author. Flannery was an insider/outsider being a catholic in the protestant south and university educated while her disabilities tied her to the rural existence of her mother. I am really excited to discuss her unique style and perspective, the absence of hand holding or overt moral narrative…or maybe it’s a rich moral narrative?  The closer we get I’ll post which short stories we will be discussing.