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As booksellers, we often overhear customers lamenting that they've always meant to read “that other Jane Austen novel,” or Graham Greene, or Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but just never found the time. We've tried to remedy that with our Classics I Forgot to Read Book Club by providing motivation and a welcoming space to share your thoughts.

In choosing our ‘classics’ over the past few years, we've tried to select titles that had some visibility among readers, but were not necessarily included in the standard high school English class. We've also sampled a range of genres, from mystery (The Long Goodbye) to comedy (Cold Comfort Farm) to stream-of-consciousness (To the Lighthouse). So, whether our picks are already gathering dust on your bookshelves or this is your first encounter with the literary canon, we encourage you to join us on the last Wednesday evening of every month for conversation about the classics.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

April 2007--The Sheltering Sky




by Paul Bowles

A husband and wife who are friends at best, a traveling companion whom neither of them much likes, the staggering landscape of the Sahara, the indifference of its inhabitants--hardly a promising combination. From the start, one guesses that things won't go well for Port and Kit, two Americans whose search for meaning pulls them apart as much as it unites them. North Africa, beautiful and squalid by turns, provides the perfect crucible for their personal alchemy, and their insipid friend Tunner is the catalyst for a startling cascade of misfortunes. While the reader may often be thankful that he or she isn't sharing the adventure, nonetheless this is a fascinating read: a beautifully told tragedy, and an unsettling exploration of loneliness and obsession.

--Tom
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