Cait's Book Club Selections

Cait Murphy-Hurrell, The Renaissance Academic, has put together a book club called the Humanist Readers. The goal of which is to get individuals selecting works that align with certain scholarly or humanist themes each month. I really love the themes that Cait created, more than that, I'm downright obsessed with the community she is creating of deep, critical thinking humans. I also appreciate that she encourages everyone to read their own selection. I think this way we will each be introduced to books that we aren't familiar with and be able to better understand how the monthly themes show up in other books/novels.

My goal in making these selections was to buy as few books as possible. I really wanted to make sure that I was reading my own shelves and getting man of the books that I've long wanted to read but can never find the time completed. So there are only two books that I do not currently own on my shelves.

January: The New Beginning- Humanist/Reflection

Chose a novel that focuses on a character’s major life-altering decision, a dramatic moral pivot, or the start of a new intellectual pursuit.

For the first book of the year, I'm going to be reading Thief of Night by Holly Black. This is the sequel to Book of Night, which I re-read in December. At the close of book one, Charlie makes a life-altering decision to be tied to the shadow of the man she loves. But she quickly realizes that he does not remember her or their time together. Charlie has made a life-altering decision, will be spending her time in a very morally gray area and will likely be trying to learn shadow magic. This fits Cait's prompt so fully, that I cannot wait to get started.

February: The Unreliable Narrator - Academic/Critical Theory

Chose a book where the narrative perspective is questionable, forcing you to perform their own critical analysis and fact-checking.

I will be reading Trust by Hernan Diaz. This novel is structured as four different texts (a novel, a memoir, an autobiography and a journal) to investigate the life of a prominent 1920s couple. Through these four pieces, you have to determine how they acquired their extravagant life and at what cost?

March: The Contemporary Classic - Renaissance/Timeless

A recently published novel that you believe is so well-crafted it will be read 50 years from now—a book of “enduring value.”

I will be reading Babel by R.F. Kuang. This novel explores a young man's complicated experiences working in an academic setting that supports empire expansion and his personal identity as an immigrant that has been "saved" by the very colonialism that he is being recruited to fight against. This is all through the lens of translation as a both a magic system and a tool for conquering.

April: The Scriptorium Secret - Dark Academia/Mystery

A book set in a school, university, library, or archive, where knowledge, books, or a historical document is central to the plot.

I'll be reading Eternal Ruin, the second in the Immortal Dark Trilogy by Tigest Girma. This dark academia series is set at a university for vampires and the humans sworn to give themselves over to prevent the vampires from feeding on other humans. This series brings in beautiful elements of african tales of vampires to build a truly immersive world.

May: The Moral Philosopher - Humanist/Ethics

A literary work that primarily explores an ethical dilemma or a deep question of morality and justice, without providing easy answers.

I will (finally) be reading The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin, the final book in the Broken Earth Trilogy. This series made me fall in love with Jemisin's writing, but it is very heavy reading. I have held off on finishing the series for a few years, but I finally feel ready to dig back in and find out how the world ends. This non-linear series explores the end of a dystopian society and how a mother and daughter can either save or end the world.

June: The Traveller’s Notebook - Renaissance/Exploration

A book that is transportive, focusing on the human experience in a distinct, rich cultural setting (whether historical or modern).

For June, I will be reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. This classic follows an Andalusian shepherd as he travels from Spain to Egypt in search of treasure and finds himself along the way.

July: The Author’s Canon - Academic/Deep Dive

A book by an author you’ve previously read, but one of their lesser-known works or a novel that highlights a different aspect of their style.

I really struggled with this prompt but then I decided to turn it slightly on its head. Instead of an author's cannon, I want to look at a re-telling of a well known story. So I'm going to read James by Percival Everett. This is the reimagining of The Tales of Huckleberry Finn told through the view of Jim, the enslaved man that joins Huck on his adventure. So while this isn't quite what Cait recommended, I think it is an interesting approach for this prompt.

August: The Scholar’s Inquiry-Non-Fiction on Language, History, or Art

A non-fiction read that relates to language, literature, history, or the process of learning itself.

For August, I plan to dig into The Revolt of The Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium by Martin Gurri. This book examines how modern technology has mobilized the people of the world. It takes a historical look at how we receive and deem information credible and how that affects the hierarchies of authority.

September: The Scholastic Ghost - Dark Academia/Gothic

A novel that has a heavy atmosphere, explores themes of history haunting the present, or is explicitly Gothic/historical literary fiction.

This book has been on my shelf for a concerningly long time: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson. This is the story of a Kentucky Pack Horse Librarian in Appalachia who is also one of the last true blue-skinned people of Appalachia. The librarian has to overcome deep seated prejudices in the mountains of Kentucky and I cannot wait to read this story.

October: The Allegorical Read - Academic/Interpretation

A novel that works on a surface level but clearly contains a deeper, symbolic meaning or allegory to be decoded.

For October, I will be joining Cait in reading The Parable of the Sower, first in the Earthseed Duology by Octavia Butler. This is a foundational speculative/science fiction text that deals with economic inequality, climate disaster and societal collapse.

November: The Renaissance of a City - Humanist/Setting

A novel where the city or environment is a major character, documenting its rise, decline, or rebirth (e.g., London, Rome, Paris, Dublin).

I am so excited to finally dig into N.K. Jemisin's The City We Became, book one of the Great Cities series. Not only is New York City the environment of the book, but each of the boroughs is a main character in this fantasy novel about the culture, identity, magic and myths of NYC.

December: The Enduring Theme - Literary/Synthesis

A book that ties into an ancient or mythological theme (e.g., fate, love, hubris) but in a modern or innovative way.

I will be picking up Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin to wrap up my humanist reading for the year. This book was everywhere a few years ago and I just never found the time to dig into it. It explores what it means to love and be loved as well as the nature of identity and the human experience. It feels like the perfect way to end the year.