Book Club

Cathedral Book Club

The Cathedral Book Club meets once a month to discuss a title previously chosen by the group. The titles are fiction and non-fiction. We meet from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month except January, July and August. Meeting location is the Jeffers Conference Room.

Our first book of the season is Amor Towles’ Table for Two, and copies are available in the Cathedral Bookstore at a 20% discount. Future titles will be chosen at the September gathering and will be announced at that time. All readers are invited to join us to share conversation about good books!

While we encourage live participation, if you would like to join on Zoom, please sign up to receive the news and you will receive information about getting the link before each meeting.

If you would like to be included in the Book Club news, please email Lucy Chambers at [email protected].

Wednesday, September 4, 2024, 6:30 p.m.
Table for Two
by Amor Towles

Previous Book Club 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.