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What we’re about
We have been in existence as a book club in Houston for over forty years. Our focus is "significant fiction": either classics you might have read in a literature class, or modern major prize winners. We read novels, and occasionally include plays or epic narrative poetry. We are affiliated with Houston Great Books http://www.houstongreatbooks.net and recommend their website for other book clubs of interest.
We meet on the first Thursday evening of each month. You may attend any or all meetings at your choice, regardless of whether you have read the month's book selection. (We ask that only those who have read the book participate actively in the discussions.) We select our books twice a year, six months at a time. If you like what we do and wish to take a part in selecting future books, you are welcome to join our selection team.
Our meetings occur simultaneously on-line (on Zoom) and in-person, in the Rice Village area of Houston, Texas. Our in-person venue is small and we give priority to regularly-attending members. In-person participants are invited to adjourn to a nearby restaurant following the meeting for socializing.
Our approach centers on the work itself and follows a process of "shared enquiry":
-- The discussion leader provides direction and guidance by asking question. The participants in the group look to the leader for questions, not answers.
-- None of us are experts or authorities. We welcome viewpoints from all participants. We engage in active search for the meaning of a work ... articulate and support ideas with evidence from the text, and consider different plausible meanings.
-- We listen carefully, and disagree respectfully ... pursue the implications of others’ thoughts ... support their different interpretations with evidence from the text.
-- We stay focussed on the work that we all share. Avoid digressing into other works or into our personal life experience or philosophy.
-- We avoid relating the work to politics or current events. We enjoy diverse views on literature but do not welcome political statements or arguments.
-- At the end of each session there is time for offering general comments, telling the group how you like / don't like the book, etc.
Upcoming events (4+)
See all- White Noise by Don Delillo - **Online**Link visible for attendees
White Noise by Don Delillo - Led by Jerome
The National Book Award-winning classic from the author of Underworld and Libra.
White Noise tells the story of Jack Gladney, his fourth wife, Babette, and four ultramodern offspring as they navigate the rocky passages of family life to the background babble of brand-name consumerism. When an industrial accident unleashes an "airborne toxic event," a lethal black chemical cloud floats over their lives. The menacing cloud is a more urgent and visible version of the "white noise" engulfing the Gladneys—radio transmissions, sirens, microwaves, ultrasonic appliances, and TV murmurings—pulsing with life, yet suggesting something ominous.
Buy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3JcHLmY
You may attend either online on Zoom or in-person
To attend on Zoom: RSVP now to this announcement.==============================================
We will hold this meeting online using ZOOM.For security we match Zoom registrations against our Meetup.com group. To ensure that we recognize you, please
- RSVP on Meetup and register on Zoom at least one day in advance. (You may do so now.)
- Ensure that your Zoom name easily corresponds to your Meetup name.
- Join the meeting on Zoom 15 minutes prior to the start.
The Zoom online links are personal. Please do not share or post anywhere. You may invite others by referring them to this Meetup.com meeting announcement.
- White Noise by Don Delillo - **In Person**Meeting for Aug. 1, Houston, TX
White Noise by Don Delillo - Led by Jerome
The National Book Award-winning classic from the author of Underworld and Libra.White Noise tells the story of Jack Gladney, his fourth wife, Babette, and four ultramodern offspring as they navigate the rocky passages of family life to the background babble of brand-name consumerism. When an industrial accident unleashes an "airborne toxic event," a lethal black chemical cloud floats over their lives. The menacing cloud is a more urgent and visible version of the "white noise" engulfing the Gladneys—radio transmissions, sirens, microwaves, ultrasonic appliances, and TV murmurings—pulsing with life, yet suggesting something ominous.
Buy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3JcHLmY
You may attend either online on Zoom or in person.
To attend in person: RSVP now to this announcement.==============================================
Instructions for In-Person Attendance- The number of in-person spots is limited, and members who regularly attend our events have priority.
- If there are no spots left, please join the waitlist, and we will confirm your reservation in a following message.
- After your spot is confirmed, directions to the meeting room will be provided through email and Meetup.com messages.
- If your in-person spot is not confirmed, you are welcome to register for the online session.
Don't Be a No-Show! If your plans change, please do cancel your in-person RSVP or Wait List request. Allow someone else to take your place.
After-Meeting Socializing
After the meeting ends, you are invited to join us at a near-by restaurant for refreshments and socializing. - One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn - **Online**Link visible for attendees
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzhenitsyn - Led by Annie
The first published novel from the controversial Nobel Prize winning Russian author of The Gulag Archipelago.
In the madness of World War II, a dutiful Russian soldier is wrongfully convicted of treason and sentenced to ten years in a Siberian labor camp. So begins this masterpiece of modern Russian fiction, a harrowing account of a man who has conceded to all things evil with dignity and strength.
First published in 1962, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is considered one of the most significant works ever to emerge from Soviet Russia. Illuminating a dark chapter in Russian history, it is at once a graphic picture of work camp life and a moving tribute to man’s will to prevail over relentless dehumanization.
Buy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3TZXwmu
You may attend either online on Zoom or in-person
To attend on Zoom: RSVP now to this announcement.
In-Person registration will be posted later.==============================================
We will hold this meeting online using ZOOM. You can join by computer, tablet, smartphone, or listen in with ordinary telephone.You may PRE-REGISTER NOW with this three step process:
- RSVP to the meeting. When you do, an "Online Event" link will appear
- Click on the link and fill in the Zoom registration form with your name and email address.
- You will receive an email from Zoom containing a link to join the online meeting. Save the email with the link for use at the scheduled time. (If you mislay the email, just repeat step 2).
For security we match Zoom registrations against our Meetup.com group. You will be held in the Zoom Waiting Room until we can verify your membership. To avoid delay, please
- RSVP on Meetup and register on Zoom at least one day in advance. (You may do so now.)
- Ensure that your Zoom name easily corresponds to your Meetup name.
- Join the meeting on Zoom 15 minutes prior to the start.
The online links are personal. Please do not share or post anywhere. You may invite others by referring them to this Meetup.com meeting announcement.
- Dracula by Bram Stoker - **Online**Link visible for attendees
Dracula by Bram Stoker - Led by Travis
Dracula is an 1897 Gothic horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. Famous for introducing the character of the vampire Count Dracula, the novel tells the story of Dracula's attempt to move from Transylvania to England so he may find new blood and spread undead curse, and the battle between Dracula and a small group of men and women led by Professor Abraham Van Helsing.
Dracula has been assigned to many literary genres including vampire literature, horror fiction, the gothic novel and invasion literature. The novel touches on themes such as the role of women in Victorian culture, sexual conventions, immigration, colonialism, and post-colonialism.
Although Stoker did not invent the vampire, he defined its modern form, and the novel has spawned numerous theatrical, film and television interpretations.
Buy on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3xvwewC
You may attend either online on Zoom or in-person
To attend on Zoom: RSVP now to this announcement.
In-Person registration will be posted later.==============================================
We will hold this meeting online using ZOOM. You can join by computer, tablet, smartphone, or listen in with ordinary telephone.You may PRE-REGISTER NOW with this three step process:
- RSVP to the meeting. When you do, an "Online Event" link will appear
- Click on the link and fill in the Zoom registration form with your name and email address.
- You will receive an email from Zoom containing a link to join the online meeting. Save the email with the link for use at the scheduled time. (If you mislay the email, just repeat step 2).
For security we match Zoom registrations against our Meetup.com group. You will be held in the Zoom Waiting Room until we can verify your membership. To avoid delay, please
- RSVP on Meetup and register on Zoom at least one day in advance. (You may do so now.)
- Ensure that your Zoom name easily corresponds to your Meetup name.
- Join the meeting on Zoom 15 minutes prior to the start.
The online links are personal. Please do not share or post anywhere. You may invite others by referring them to this Meetup.com meeting announcement.