Book Club (May '23): Welcome readers!
Quiet Days in Clichy by Henry Miller
I’ve always wanted to have a book club, or anything (anything) that could connect me to other similarly-minded folk. It’s been a struggle to say the least, mainly due to my lack of availability but also because nobody seems to be as unemployed as I am at 11 in the morning. So let’s get to the next best thing, which is an online-all-time-zones-friendly BOOK club. My favourite part about this experience is that I will be the one choosing books and because I’m physically sick of everything that’s going around posing as language these days, I will bring you into my world and introduce a new raw, earthy feeling into the pits of your stomachs. That’ll give me a kick, but I don’t know how happy everyone will be about it.
Now, I honestly don’t want to go in too heavy, not even when we’re into the depths of it, because I understand the fragility of life as we currently know it and truly appreciate one’s attention span these days. That said, let us begin with some anticipated FAQs.
Do we have to read the entire book?
No, not if you don’t want to. But yes, preferably. That’s why I’m choosing slightly short books, with a content that a lot of mainstream readers will be able to follow and enjoy without straining their minds too much. However, the mind will be swayed and delighted and put under pressure from time to time. That’s a fair warning.
Well, if we don’t read the whole book, do we just read the first parts or what?
Also, no. The internet (hopefully) will provide some of the quotes and excerpts that you will need to understand and appreciate whatever book we will be reading. That’s truly all I ask of you. Something about mismatched paragraphs that make sense without the entire book fills the chest with so much feeling, you must take my word for it.
Where can I find the book if I am broke/ can’t access a bookshop or library?
Library Genesis often has most of the e-books we need for free.
How long do we have to finish a book?
All of the month that we’re currently in. Honestly, it might not be at the start of each month but I beg of you to shake yourself from such constraints (you don’t even have to read the entire book in this club, after all) and enjoy the experience, whatever it may bring to you. This is a complete pressure-free safe zone. This is your St. John’s Wort in flashy bright screens and dizzy pixels. This is your tiny window out of reality - a 5 minute window, a 1 hour window, you will decide.
What happens after?
Send me all your thoughts and I will create a post using them as book reviews. It’ll be our own little and intimate (slightly out-of-touch and neurotic) Goodreads. Drawings and poems always welcome. Remember to be as honest and brutal as you wish. After all, all the writers are dead and can’t be offended even if they wanted to. RIP.
This month’s book is: Quiet Days in Clichy by Henry Miller
You can find all the love you need here, here, here and here.
Happy reading readers.
xo