Time to vote for the book we’ll read in June, discuss starting July 1. This list comes to us through @Ruth_Hollandsworth. Thanks, Ruth! Here are the descriptions, followed by a poll:
The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W.E. Bowman - 192 pp
A group of bumbling mountaineers set out to climb Rum Doodle, a fictional mountain, and encounter a series of hilarious mishaps and challenges along the way.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante - 336 pp
My Brilliant Friend is a literary novel by Elena Ferrante (first in the Neapolitan Novels series) exploring a complex, lifelong friendship between two girls—Elena and Lila—growing up in an impoverished, volatile neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Italy, starting in the 1950s. It captures their intellectual bond, intense rivalry, and efforts to escape poverty.
The Spare Room by Helen Garner - 195 pp
The Spare Room by Helen Garner is a 2008 novel about a woman named Helen who hosts her terminally ill friend, Nicola, for three weeks while she undergoes alternative cancer treatment. It explores the limits of friendship, caregiving, and the emotional burden of watching someone die, focusing on the frustration of caring for a friend in denial.
The Little Virtues by Natalia Ginzburg - 184 pp
The Little Virtues is a collection of 11 autobiographical essays by Italian author Natalia Ginzburg, written between 1944 and 1960. It offers profound reflections on life, parenting, and politics, focusing on cultivating “great virtues” (love, truth, courage) over “little virtues” (caution, thrift) while navigating personal loss, motherhood, and postwar Europe with a wry, precise, and survivor’s perspective
A Genius in the Family by Hiram Percy Maxim - 164 pp
A Genius in the Family (also known as Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim Through a Small Son’s Eyes) is a memoir by Hiram Percy Maxim about growing up with his eccentric, brilliant father, Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim. It captures 19th-century family life through funny anecdotes, highlighting his father’s obsessive inventing, practical jokes, and demanding personality.
Please vote for all of the books you’d be willing to read.
- The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W.E. Bowman - 192 pp
- My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante - 336 pp
- The Spare Room by Helen Garner - 195 pp
- The Little Virtues by Natalia Ginzburg - 184 pp
- A Genius in the Family by Hiram Percy Maxim - 164 pp