Books, Please! – September

“There are all these books I haven't read yet, even if I am simultaneously reading at least twenty…”

Each month, The Edward Gorey House Book Club meets — at the House and in an online setting — to discuss some of Gorey’s favorite authors and his literary influences.

Attendance is limited to 20 bookish sorts per group for optimal quarreling. Included with your ticket is an exclusive Books, Please! bookmark and EGH bookplate. Meetings consist of one hour of merry (and guided) discussion. All we ask is that you read enough of the book to have fun – or fake it well enough that we can’t tell the difference.

The Last Wednesday of each month.
Online: 4:15-5:15 • In-Person: 5:30-6:30

In-Person Tickets →

Online Tickets →

The Brewster Book Store is generously offering a 10% discount on each month’s book to Club members. You may take advantage of this at their lovely store in Brewster (with the presentation of your Club ticket) or online.

Upcoming Recommendations de la Bibliotheque Gorey:

The 13 Clocks, James Thurber | July 29

The 13 Clocks is a fairy tale filled with the intricate wordplay and sly humor that one might expect of James Thurber, one of the most well-regarded contributors to The New Yorker during the early 20th century. The 13 Clocks is designed to teach its young readers all the fundamentals: that bats zicker, that the Todal will blanch the ruddiest hair, and that calling someone a musty sofa is very rude. Although Thurber was both a writer and a cartoonist, the beautiful illustrations for this book were done by his friend Marc Simont, as Thurber had lost his sight by that point in his life. He had not, however, as evinced by this work, lost his vision.

Snarleyyow, or, The Dog Fiend, Capt. Frederick Marryat | August 26

“What a delightful morning for a keel-hauling!”

Haul anchor and set sail aboard the cutter Yungfrau, manned by the greedy and wicked Lieutenant Cornelius Vanslyperken, his woebegone crew, and his horrible dog. Learn exciting nautical words like ‘taffrail,’ ‘galliot,’ and ‘davit’ while dodging our cat o’ nine tails.

The Pillow Book, Sei Shōnagon | September 30

The Pillow Book is the oldest book we will be reading this year by quite a wide margin. Written between 990 and 1002 in the Heian-era imperial palace of Kyoto, it is somewhere between a diary and a collection of musings, lists of things, and poetry. It is a beautiful and unusually intimate glimpse into the inner world of a woman who lived more than a thousand years ago.