Because I'm just now (on January 11) posting the poll about which books we should read next, I thought I had better just decide on the February book and let us vote on the next two. Sorry about that!
Out of the various books nominated by members earlier this month, "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad has the virtue of being the shortest. That makes it the ideal choice for our next meeting, which is in just over three weeks!
Please vote for our book for next month (and possibly the month after, if we have a strong second-place finisher):
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/79QPHJY
And now, more info on "Heart of Darkness":
Joseph Conrad's 1899 novella "Heart of Darkness" tells the story of a sailor named Charles Marlow who pilots a steamboat up the Congo River into Belgian-controlled territory where he meets Kurtz, a ruthless ivory trader ruling over the local people as a demigod. As the title implies, what Marlow finds is not exactly sweetness and light.
As the Goodreads website puts it, "A reflection on corruptive European colonialism and a journey into the nightmare psyche of one of the corrupted, Heart of Darkness is considered one of the most influential works ever written."