Book Club
A different book is discussed the first Wednesday of the month. Everyone is welcome to attend and join the discussion from 6:30-8 p.m. Please order books from the Cathedral Bookstore. Sessions will be in-person, with Zoom options available. Contact Lucy Chambers at [email protected] to learn how to participate.
Beginning in May, 2024, the Cathedral Book Club will begin meeting in Jeffers Conference Room.
Wednesday, May 1, 2024, 6:30 p.m.
The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington
by Jennet Conant.
"Prior to the U.S. entering WWII, a small coterie of British spies in Washington, D.C., was formed. They called themselves the Baker Street Irregulars after the band of street urchins who were the eyes and ears of Sherlock Holmes in some Arthur Conan Doyle stories. This group constituted the very beginning of what would become M16, the British version of the CIA, and they helped support the fledgling American intelligence service, known at the time as the OSS. Among them were writers Roald Dahl, Ian Fleming, and the flamboyant Canadian industrialist turned professional saboteur William Stephenson, known by the code name "Intrepid", upon whom Fleming would later base his fictional M16 agent James Bond. Richly detailed and carefully researched, Conant's narrative uses never-before-seen wartime letters, diaries and interviews to create a fascinating, lively account of deceit, double dealing and moral ambiguity - all in the name of victory." It's an intriguing book with lots of known figures popping up in surprising ways. Copies are available in the bookstore and will receive the usual book club paperback discount of 10%.
Please consider books you might want to bring to the attention of the group for June and September.
The Cathedral Book Club will not meet in July and August, but there will be a Cathedral Reads program to keep you reading!
Previous Book Blub Books
Wednesday, February 7, 2024, 6:30 p.m.
Symbol or Substance: A Dialogue on the Eucharist with C. S. Lewis, Billy Graham and J. R. R. Tolkien by Peter Kreeft
An engaging fictional conversation which gives credible voices to C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Billy Graham as they discuss one of the most contentious questions in the history of Christianity: Is Jesus symbolically or substantially present in the Eucharist? These men represent three important Western theological traditions: evangelical Protestantism, the Church of England and Roman Catholicism. The author faithfully presents the views of each of these influential Christians. “Rarely have I learned so much while being so entertained. Perhaps this book's greatest achievements lie in Kreeft's tender analysis of what unites the different churches, his gift of charitable listening, and his singular ability to illuminate." — Sally Read, Author, Night's Bright Darkness: A Modern Conversion Story
Wednesday, March 6, 2024, 6:30 p.m.
The Friend, by Sigrid Nunez
A moving story of love, friendship, grief, healing, and the magical bond between a woman and her dog.
When a woman unexpectedly loses her lifelong best friend and mentor, she finds herself burdened with his Great Dane. Her own battle against grief is intensified by the mute suffering of the dog, traumatized by the inexplicable disappearance of its master, and by the threat of eviction from her apartment. The woman refuses to be separated from the dog except for brief periods of time. Isolated from the rest of the world, increasingly obsessed with the dog's care, determined to read its mind and fathom its heart, she comes close to unraveling. But while troubles abound, rich and surprising rewards lie in store for both of them. The Friend is both a meditation on loss and a celebration of human-canine devotion.
Wednesday, April 3, 2024, 6:30 p.m.
Hissing Cousins: The Lifelong Rivalry of Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Roosevelt
Longworth
by Marc Peyser
When Theodore Roosevelt became president in 1901, his beautiful and flamboyant daughter
was transformed into “Princess Alice,” arguably the century’s first global celebrity. Thirty-two
years later, Alice’s first cousin Eleanor became First Lady. The two women spent their
childhoods together and were far more alike than most historians acknowledge. But their politics
and personalities couldn’t have been more distinct.
Democratic icon Eleanor was committed to social justice and hated the limelight;
Republican Alice was an opponent of big government who gained notoriety for her cutting
remarks. The cousins liked to play up their rivalry—writing opposing syndicated newspaper
columns and making competing nationwide speaking tours. This double biography provides a
sweeping look at the twentieth century in America.