Kyoto Book Club

Hi everyone!
For our July book club, we will be reading and discussing
"The Long Walk by Stephen King ".

Synopsis
The Long Walk by Stephen King (written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman) is a psychological dystopian novel set in a future America where 100 teenage boys are forced to participate in a grueling walking contest. The rules are simple but deadly: if a walker slows down below four miles per hour three times, he is “ticketed” — permanently removed from the walk. The last person remaining earns a mysterious grand prize. Through this relentless march, the story explores themes of endurance, individuality, and the psychological cost of survival.

About the Author
Stephen King (born 1947) is an American author known for his prolific career in horror, suspense, and dark fantasy. His storytelling often blends the supernatural with deep psychological insight. Publishing The Long Walk in 1979 under the name Richard Bachman, King showed his skill in creating tension without relying on traditional horror — focusing instead on the human condition under extreme pressure.

Key Prizes
While The Long Walk itself did not receive major literary awards, Stephen King has earned numerous honors over his career, including the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters (2003) and the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award (2011). The novel remains a cult classic, praised for its psychological depth and suspenseful minimalism.

Book Details
Length: approximately 401pages
Price: Kindle ¥1155 (about USD $7.32 )

Join Us!
Our online book club will take place on
Sunday, August 16th, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Japan time)
You can join even if you don’t have a Jitsi account by clicking the URL provided on the right.
Please do not click “Join in app”—simply select “Join in browser.”

What We’ll Do
You don’t need to finish the book to participate—though reading it will certainly enrich the discussion! Bring a cup of coffee or tea and share your favorite passages, thoughts, and questions. We’ll use a discussion guide based on the novel to help structure our conversation.

Important to Know
✓ For smooth communication and security, please keep your camera on during the session. If your camera is off or your face is not visible, you may be removed from the call. Thank you for your understanding.
✓ There is no entrance fee or membership fee.
✓ Participants come from diverse backgrounds—please be respectful of different perspectives.

We would love for you to join us!
We look forward to discussing this novel together and spending a wonderful time with everyone.

Hi everyone!

We will be reading and discussing The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin.

Synopsis
The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin is a science fiction novel that begins during China’s Cultural Revolution. After losing faith in humanity, scientist Ye Wenjie secretly sends a signal into space and makes contact with an alien civilization called the Trisolarans.
Decades later, scientist Wang Miao investigates a series of mysterious scientist deaths and becomes involved in a virtual reality game called Three Body, which reveals the harsh and unstable world of the aliens. As he uncovers hidden secrets, humanity learns that the Trisolarans are planning to come to Earth.
The novel combines science, philosophy, politics, and first-contact suspense, asking what humanity would do when faced with an advanced extraterrestrial civilization.

Key Prizes
Liu Cixin’s The Three-Body Problem became the first novel by an Asian author to win the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 2015.

Book Details
Approximately 448 pages.
On amazon kindle it’s $11.99.

Join Us!
Our online book club will take place on
Sunday, September 20th, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Japan time)
You can join even if you don’t have a Jitsi account by clicking the URL provided on the right.
Please do not click “Join in app”—simply select “Join in browser.”

What We’ll Do
You don’t need to finish the book to participate—though reading it will certainly enrich the discussion! Bring a cup of coffee or tea and share your favorite passages, thoughts, and questions. We’ll use a discussion guide based on the novel to help structure our conversation.

Important to Know
✓ For smooth communication and security, please keep your camera on during the session. If your camera is off or your face is not visible, you may be removed from the call. Thank you for your understanding.
✓ There is no entrance fee or membership fee.
✓ Participants come from diverse backgrounds—please be respectful of different perspectives.

We would love for you to join us!
We look forward to discussing this novel together and spending a wonderful time with everyone.

Hi everyone!
For our October book club, we will be discussing "Frankenstein: The 1818 Text" by Mary Shelley (Penguin Classics, Charlotte Gordon intro). However any version works fine!

Synopsis
A ship trapped in Arctic ice rescues Victor Frankenstein, who reveals his tragic tale: a brilliant young scientist defies nature to create life from dead flesh. His sapient creature—intelligent yet hideous—seeks love but faces universal rejection, unleashing vengeance that destroys everything Victor holds dear. Framed by explorer Robert Walton's letters, this gothic masterpiece probes creator's responsibility, isolation, and the perils of unchecked ambition.

About the Author
Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein at 18 during the 1816 "Year Without a Summer" at Lord Byron's Villa Diodati. Inspired by a ghost-story challenge amid galvanism debates with Byron, Percy Shelley (her lover), and Polidori, she birthed science fiction. Orphaned young (mother Mary Wollstonecraft died post-birth), she eloped with poet Percy at 16, endured four infant deaths, and outlived him. Revised in 1831 amid personal grief, her debut endures as a feminist, ethical landmark.

Book Details
Length: approximately 331pages
Price: Kindle ¥172 (about USD $1.08 )

Join Us!
Our online book club will take place on
Sunday, October 18th, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Japan time)
You can join even if you don’t have a Jitsi account by clicking the URL provided on the right.
Please do not click “Join in app”—simply select “Join in browser.”

What We’ll Do
You don’t need to finish the book to participate—though reading it will certainly enrich the discussion! Bring a cup of coffee or tea and share your favorite passages, thoughts, and questions. We’ll use a discussion guide based on the novel to help structure our conversation.

Important to Know
✓ For smooth communication and security, please keep your camera on during the session. If your camera is off or your face is not visible, you may be removed from the call. Thank you for your understanding.
✓ There is no entrance fee or membership fee.
✓ Participants come from diverse backgrounds—please be respectful of different perspectives.

We would love for you to join us!
We look forward to discussing this novel together and spending a wonderful time with everyone.

Hi everyone!
For our November book club, we will be discussing "Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell ".

Synopsis
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell is a historical novel that imagines the life of William Shakespeare's family around 1596, focusing on his wife Agnes (based on Anne Hathaway) and their son Hamnet. The story alternates between the day 11-year-old Hamnet desperately seeks help as his twin sister Judith falls ill with the plague and earlier years of their marriage, births, and struggles in Stratford-upon-Avon. Hamnet ultimately sacrifices himself for Judith, profoundly impacting Agnes's grief and her husband's creative life in London, which leads to the writing of Hamlet.

About the Author
Maggie O'Farrell is an Irish-British author known for her lyrical historical fiction and memoirs, with a fascination for overlooked women's stories. Born in Northern Ireland and raised in Wales and Scotland, she has published novels like The Hand That First Held Mine and The Marriage Portrait, plus the memoir I Am, I Am, I Am. She was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2021.

The film adaptation
The film adaptation of Hamnet is directed by Chloé Zhao and will be released nationwide in Japan on Friday, April 10, 2026.
In the US, it had a limited release in LA and NY on November 26, 2025, followed by a wide release on December 5, and was nominated for 6 categories at the 83rd Golden Globe Awards (including Best Motion Picture and Best Director).
Starring Jessie Buckley as Agnes and Paul Mescal as William Shakespeare, with producers Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes.

Key Prizes
Hamnet won the 2020 Women's Prize for Fiction and the 2020 National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. It was also shortlisted for other major honors, cementing its status as a modern classic.

Book Details
Length: approximately 321pages
Price: Kindle ¥1162 (about USD $7.32 )

Join Us!
Our online book club will take place on
Sunday, November 8th, 2026
10:00 AM – 12:00 PM (Japan time)
You can join even if you don’t have a Jitsi account by clicking the URL provided on the right.
Please do not click “Join in app”—simply select “Join in browser.”

What We’ll Do
You don’t need to finish the book to participate—though reading it will certainly enrich the discussion! Bring a cup of coffee or tea and share your favorite passages, thoughts, and questions. We’ll use a discussion guide based on the novel to help structure our conversation.

Important to Know
✓ For smooth communication and security, please keep your camera on during the session. If your camera is off or your face is not visible, you may be removed from the call. Thank you for your understanding.
✓ There is no entrance fee or membership fee.
✓ Participants come from diverse backgrounds—please be respectful of different perspectives.

We would love for you to join us!
We look forward to discussing this novel together and spending a wonderful time with everyone.