What we’re about
Not a book club! A group for readers who want to meet up and talk about what they’re reading. No prescribed reading list, no need to have finished the book. Just a chance to talk about whatever it is you’re reading at the moment.
What’s on your bedside table right now? What perennial favorite are you re-reading? What everyone’s-raving-about title are you considering picking up next?
Bring the book with you if you can (giving big Show and Tell vibes), rave about what’s great, bemoan the weaknesses, share a passage or two if you’re extra generous—and enjoy the company of other readers reading other books.
Upcoming events (3)
See all- Bonus Film Adaptation: The Beast / The Beast in the JungleThe Chelsea Theater, Chapel Hill, NC
Hey! Let’s go see The Beast on Sunday afternoon!
First off: SHOWTIMES FOR THIS MOVIE HAVE NOT BEEN ANNOUNCED / ARE TBD. I’m totally inventing the showtime here, winging it boldly, living on my wits and a strong hunch, BUT I wanted to post the event ASAP to give folks time to read the novella or listen to the audiobook in advance if desired.
Official synopsis shamelessly stolen from the internet: The year is 2044: artificial intelligence controls all facets of a stoic society as humans routinely “erase” their feelings. Hoping to eliminate pain caused by their past-life romances, Gabrielle (Léa Seydoux) continually falls in love with different incarnations of Louis (George MacKay). Set first in Belle Époque-era Paris, Louis is a British man who woos her away from a cold husband, then in early 21st Century Los Angeles, he is a disturbed American bent on delivering violent “retribution.” Will the process allow Gabrielle to fully connect with Louis in the present, or are the two doomed to repeat their previous fates? Visually audacious director Bertrand Bonello (Saint Laurent, Nocturama) fashions his most accomplished film to date: a sci-fi epic, inspired by Henry James' turn-of-the-century novella, suffused with mounting dread and a haunting sense of mystery. Punctuated by a career-defining, three-role performance by Seydoux, The Beast poignantly conveys humanity’s struggle against dissociative identity and emotionless existence.
There is a trailer up here: https://www.thechelseatheater.org/movie/the-beast
For those indulgent nerds who like to read, free full-text versions of the novella are available here: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1093
For those busy nerds who like to listen, a free audiobook is available here: LibriVox.org
Who knows, the show might at 4:30. That woukd be swell, right? TBD - TBD - TBD
If so, I’d propose meeting a bit early, maybe around 4:00? And open to dinner or drinks afterward if anyone is up for that!
