Friendship is rarely simple. It can be sustaining or destructive, fleeting or lifelong, steadfast or dynamic. Friends can be reflections of ourselves, our biggest confidants, or maybe even our greatest rivals.

OVERVIEW

This year, we’ll explore friendship in its many forms through novels that examine loyalty, jealousy, love, ambition, grief, dependence, and betrayal. Rather than treating friendship as a fixed ideal, we will use this theme to ask how friendships (or the lack thereof) shape us. We will span genres and styles to discuss what friendship asks of us, what it gives us, and, ultimately, what it means to have a friend.

MEETING AND READING SCHEDULE

The group meets in the Bound on the third Wednesday of each month from 5:30-7pm. In April, the meeting will be held on the third Tuesday due to Passover.

Weds, September 16
Sula by Toni Morrison

Weds, October 21
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Weds, November 18
Thirst Trap by Gráinne O’Hare

Weds, December 16
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Weds, January 20
The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Weds, February 17
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Weds, March 17
About Ed by Robert Glück

Tues, April 20 *note the group meets on Tuesday instead of Wednesday this month*
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith

Weds, May 19
The Door by Magda Szabó

GROUP FACILITATORS

Meredith Gabor has a BA in Secondary Education and French, completed a side-quest in Musical Theater, and now, in the spirit of liberal arts education, works as the Director of Marketing for a hi-fi audio company. For the better part of recent history, she’s belonged to one too many book clubs, including one she has enthusiastically facilitated since Covid. Meredith enjoys traveling, a good devil’s advocate, and novels in which the plot is actually plotting.

Katherine (Kathy) Sherman is a slow runner and fast reader with a BA in Computer Science. When she’s not making fun spreadsheets to track her hobbies, she’s wrangling her two kids or joining/founding another book club she probably doesn’t have time for. She loves books with beautiful prose and plots that keep her guessing.

Registration will open to members in two windows: Wednesday, July 15 at 8am and Saturday, July 18 at noon. Half the available spots will be released during the first window and the remaining half during the second. Participation is reserved for Athenæum members, so please consider becoming a member if you’d like to join a group! Members may participate in one group each year. If you have any questions, email readinggroups@provath.org.

The Athenæum is deeply grateful to our wonderful volunteer leaders. Please note library reading groups are not classes or courses, but rather a way for individuals to discuss readings together, guided by both expert and amateur enthusiasts. Participants should expect discussion-based, not lecture-style meetings.

BROWSE

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Friendship is rarely simple. It can be sustaining or destructive, fleeting or lifelong, steadfast or dynamic. Friends can be reflections of ourselves, our biggest confidants, or maybe even our greatest rivals.