What we’re about
Hello! If you're into reading and chatting about a variety of books in a laid-back, friendly environment, then this club is for you. We meet once a month, usually on the last Tuesday of the month, and we read everything from classics to new novels to memoirs. All are welcome, just click "join" to have updates and information sent right to your inbox.
There are no strict attendance or reading policies, just please keep your RSVPs updated so I can have an accurate headcount. It's fine to cancel or confirm last minute, but two consecutive no-shows will get you removed from the group. There is a $4 meeting fee collected upon arrival to pay for the Meetup website fees and occasional room rental fees. Happy reading!
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Story of Your Life, by Ted ChiangOlympic Tower public atrium, New York, NY
Note: My apologies for repeat announcement– the previous announcement featured an incorrect date.
For May 21st, we'll be reading the fascinating science-fiction story Story of Your Life, by Ted Chiang. The story has been translated into numerous languages and was made into a film. From Time Magazine's profile of the author:
"Ted Chiang is perhaps the world’s most celebrated living science-fiction author. His short, carefully hewn stories explore how our inner worlds and our societies would react to unexpected rifts in the fabric of science. How would it feel to receive a hormone injection that drastically improved your cognitive function? What if learning an alien language changed the way you perceived time? And if humanity were to create artificial life, what obligations would we owe it?"
As always, only one rule: you can print the story out or simply discuss it from memory, but let's keep the meetup screen-free please!
- The Swimmer, by John CheeverOlympic Tower public atrium, New York, NY
For May 28th, we'll be reading The Swimmer, by John Cheever, a classic of midcentury American fiction. As a bonus, we can also read a short and interesting essay by the author, aptly titled "Why I Write Short Stories."
Here's Michael Chabon's description of his experience reading The Swimmer:
"I read 'The Swimmer' for the first time on my bed in the Maryland suburbs, one winter afternoon when I was sixteen or seventeen. I'd been skimming through a battered paperback anthology my grandfather had passed along to me -- "100 Stories Ruined by English Teachers," I think it was called -- starting one after another worn-out old chestnut, quickly moving on, when I reached the famous, classic, puzzling first paragraph that begins, "It was one of those midsummer Sundays when everyone sits around saying, 'I drank too much last night.'" I knew nothing of such midsummer Sundays, in fact; but I read on, and soon found myself lost in the weird, lovely dreamland of John Cheever's greatest story."
As always, the only rule is that you can print the story (and essay) out or simply discuss them from memory, but let's keep the meetup screen-free please!
