What makes a book a “classic”? The writer Italo Calvino defined them this way: "A classic is a book which has never exhausted all it has to say to its readers." In that spirit, the Classics Book Club reads and discusses novels that have become beloved over the years, whether they're well-known staples or under-the-radar gems. We’ll read one classic or modern classic book and engage in a lively discussion about the text. If you’re looking for an excuse to read a few classic books you’ve never gotten around to, or eager to reread a book with a fresh perspective, join us in person at the Library or online from home!

For the month of June, we will be reading James Baldwin's iconic novel Giovanni's Room. Set in the postwar Paris that Baldwin knew so well as an expatriate American, the novel sparked controversy when it was first published in 1956 and in the years since has been hailed as a masterpiece. Giovanni's Room follows David, an American living in Europe, as he grapples with the intense fear he feels as he comes to terms with his sexuality and the complexity of his relationships with men, particularly the attractive, charismatic Giovanni. Writing about the book in The New Yorker in 2016, the novelist Colm Tóibín said of Giovanni's Room: "It is especially open to a heightened tone, the tone of self-awareness and self-knowledge being forced on to the page as though after a struggle, the tone of things being said for the very first time."

Contact the library so we can reserve you a copy. Refreshments will be served. Click here to register.

Online programs hosted by the library will be provided via Zoom. Visit their website here to find the appropriate download instructions and download link for your device. Registration for all programs is required. Participants who register for any program will receive an email with the link to join.

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