In this book group, we'll be exploring André Aciman's 2007 novel Call Me By Your Name, as well as Luca Guadagnino's 2017 film adaptation. This queer coming of age novel tells the story of Elio, a talented and precocious teenager on the cusp of adulthood, and his formative relationship with Oliver one summer in Italy. Aciman sets this transgressive relationship among the relics and ruins of the ancient world; with history close at hand, Elio must also negotiate living in the present. Fall in love for the first time again as we traverse a world that is equal parts beauty and pain, and meditate on the painful gulfs between the world of the interior and that of the social.
Sand between the toes, shingle underfoot––boardwalks & rocky coasts, rough seas & tide pools. The sea draws us––to swim in it, sail on it, fish from it. We go to the sea to relax, refresh, & dream. We long to live near it. It’s no surprise, then, that the sea has long been a muse for poets, and in this book group we’ll read & discuss 10 poems by 10 poets who turned to the sea, the shore, & the tides for insight & inspiration, read them as history & for their mystery––or simply went for a stroll, along that jagged line dividing earth and water, to gather shells or their thoughts, to find pleasure or solace or secrets or kindred spirits. (Poems will be provided to participants of the group.)
Kevin Varrone is an avid walker and the author of the recent chapbooks How to Count to Ten and Redemption Center, as well as three full-length collections, most recently, Box Score: An Autobiography. He was a 2013 Pew Fellow in the Arts and teaches writing at Temple University.
I first read Ink Blood Sister Scribe in June 2023 for my monthly book club with my mother. When I first read the book, it reminded me of my sister, Sophia (yes, the one who works at the Writers House!), which, among many other reasons, is why I felt it was the perfect fantasy book for this discussion group.
In this approximately 400 page story, author Emma Törzs explores the meaning and importance of born and chosen family in a world where magical books with intrinsic powers push and pull people apart. Törzs weaves an intricate narrative that explores the responsibilities that come with such power and the lengths to which people will go to protect or exploit it. As we discuss this book, we’ll consider how Törzs builds her world of magic (especially in the context of the larger fantasy genre), and reflect on the themes of secrecy, legacy, and morality.
Fantasy books — especially this one — are not just silly, whimsical tales. They are complex observations, the best of the human imagination, and often striking commentaries on good and evil. I'm looking forward to leading the Writers House's first fantasy book discussion group and hope you all enjoy being part of this inaugural discussion.
Rachel DuRose (she/her) is an editorial production coordinator at the Harvard Business Review. Previously, Rachel covered public health and climate change for Vox, and career and leadership for Business Insider. In the summer of 2024, Rachel launched a fantasy book club for the greater Boston area, the Boston Fantasy Book Circle, which now has nearly 80 members.