About us
This group reads lengthy books (350+ pages) that might otherwise not be feasible for monthly groups. Consequently, we will only meet once per quarter and the meetings will be approximately three hours in length. We're affiliated with Houston Great Books and follow "Shared Inquiry" discussion guidelines.
A list of the books we've read and discussed since we started in 2004 is found at https://bit.ly/MonumentalGBHistory .
Upcoming events
4
Discussion of Jane Austen's Emma
2510 Willowick Rd, Houston, TX, USKatie will lead a discussion of Jane Austen's Emma.
Beautiful, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse is perfectly content with her life and sees no need for love yet delights in interfering in the romantic lives of others. When she ignores the warnings of her good friend Mr. Knightley and attempts to arrange a match for Harriet Smith, her carefully laid plans soon unravel and have unexpected consequences. With its witty exploration of relationships and its imperfect but charming heroine, Emma is often seen as Jane Austen's most flawless work..
The meeting will take place at the Looscan Neighborhood Library.
A list of the books we've read and discussed since we started in 2004 is found at https://bit.ly/MonumentalGBHistory .
7 attendees
Discussion of Dan Simmons's Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion
2510 Willowick Rd, Houston, TX, USAllan will lead a discussion of Dan Simmons's Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion.
Hyperion won the Hugo award and was followed by The Fall of Hyperion. Hyperion is a takeoff of the Canterbury Tales where seven people with a connection to the planet Hyperion are sent to see what is happening to the Time Tombs that are opening up from the future. The Fall of Hyperion concludes with the battle of the Hegemony against the Ousters. There are also three different AIs that form the TechnoCore--each with different ideas on what to do with mankind.
The recommended edition for the Hyperion books is the "Hyperion Omnibus," which includes the two novels in one large-format pb. However, the two books are also available separately in both mass market and trade paperback formats.
The meeting will take place at the Looscan Neighborhood Library.
A list of the books we've read and discussed since we started in 2004 is found at https://bit.ly/MonumentalGBHistory .
3 attendees
Discussion of Richard Powers's Playground
2510 Willowick Rd, Houston, TX, USMaria will lead a discussion of Richard Powers's Playground.
The 2024 novel explores themes of technology, environmentalism, colonialism and intertwining relationships with global issues and AI development.
The meeting will take place at the Looscan Neighborhood Library.
A list of the books we've read and discussed since we started in 2004 is found at https://bit.ly/MonumentalGBHistory .
1 attendee
Discussion of Robert Musil's The Man Without Qualities
2510 Willowick Rd, Houston, TX, USBill will lead a discussion of Robert Musil's The Man Without Qualities.
What constitutes the identity of an individual, a society, or a nation? Set in Vienna (“Kakania”) on the eve of World War I, this monumental, unfinished (bug or feature?) novel of ideas tells the story of Ulrich, ex-soldier and scientist, seducer and skeptic, who takes a sabbatical from life, surrendering all his qualities but finding himself drafted into the grandiose plans for the 70th jubilee of the Emperor Franz Josef, in an empire that is ending without anyone realizing it.
The meeting will take place at the Looscan Neighborhood Library.
A list of the books we've read and discussed since we started in 2004 is found at https://bit.ly/MonumentalGBHistory .
3 attendees
Past events
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