What we’re about
Love reading but pressed for time? Join our "Great Novels Under 200 Pages" reading group!
In our club, different members choose books they are most passionate about and share their enthusiasm by leading discussions on those books. Because of this, we have been reading books of many kinds, such as the great Chinese novel To Live, The Vegetarian, about a Vietnamese woman who desires to be a tree, and Romeo and Juliet.
We meet on Tuesdays once a month from 7 to 8:30 P.M. in a quiet spot in the back of a Barnes & Noble store in New Hope Commons, Durham.
Dive into some great lit with us, one page at a time.
Upcoming events (2)
See all- Meditations by Marcus AureliusBarnes & Noble, Durham, NC
Marcus Aurelius—the Roman emperor who wielded immense power (sometimes ruthlessly) yet tempered it with profound introspection—left behind a timeless legacy in Meditations. This collection of personal reflections reveals the Stoic philosophy that steadied his rule and inner life, offering wisdom as vital today as in ancient times.
Join Us at Barnes & Noble
We'll meet in a quiet corner of the New Hope Commons Barnes & Noble in Durham to unpack Aurelius' teachings on resilience, humility, and focus—tools to navigate the modern chaos. Each passage is concise yet deeply layered.
Dorothy C. will moderate our discussion.
The most popular and highly recommended translation of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations is by Gregory Hays. Other strong contenders include Robin Waterfield's "Annotated Edition" and Martin Hammond's translation. Hays's translation is praised for its clarity, accessibility, and contemporary feel. Waterfield's version is lauded for capturing the conciseness of the original text and providing helpful annotations, while Hammond's translation is noted for its eloquence and detailed notes.
- To Live (活着)Barnes & Noble, Durham, NC
Join us on September 9 as we discuss To Live (活着), which follows one Chinese family's tragic journey during Mao's rule, from the Chinese Civil War through the Great Leap Forward and past the Cultural Revolution.
After being banned for its critical portrayal of the Chinese Communist Party, the 1993 novel has since gained international acclaim; many critics have praised it as a cornerstone of modern Chinese literature.
The 1994 movie, also titled To Live, has garnered much international praise as well. But, its director, Zhang Yimou, was at first banned from making movies in mainland China for five years.
To learn more about the novel, please visit this link on Wikipedia. (Most of us are apt to use a 2003 translation by Michael Berry.)
For a review of the movie, see https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-12-14-ca-8647-story.html. You can stream the film for free at https://archive.org/details/to-live-1994.
Abby K. will moderate our session.
It's a great novel; hope you can join us.
