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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.

Monday, January 14, 2008

January 2008--The Pursuit of Love

by Nancy Mitford

This fondly satirical (and more or less autobiographical) view of aristocratic country life in England between the wars follows the misadventures of the Radlett family--a deranged, tyrannical, but highly amusing father; a vaguely concerned mother; and eight brilliant, spirited, fractious children. The early chapters are pure fun. But as Linda, the most glamorous of the Radlett girls, endures the trials of upper-class courtship and marriage (and divorce, and remarriage...), the tone darkens and the humor takes on a wicked edge. For Linda as for so many, the coming of the Second World War is a brutal upheaval, and the book's final twists and turns raise thought-provoking questions about love, loss, and family.

--Tom
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