Your 2025 Book Club Reading List (column for Iron County Today)
By Samuel Wells, CCAC Board Member
The Cedar City Arts Council (CCAC) would like to invite all Iron County book-lovers to join us in reading six books this coming year. If you haven’t already written out your reading goals, you might want to consult our list (below) and join in some of our discussions. We understand that bibliophiles often have big plans over the holidays. We make long lists and maybe join too many reading groups. I am currently part of three (maybe I should say four, if you count the books that Kathy and I read together from our library at home). But I have come to really value our CCAC discussions and want to make sure that you all are aware of when we meet and what we are reading.
Let me also put in a plug for reading groups in general. They have a long history, and they serve a handful of important human needs. The earliest examples were likely just meetings to discuss religious texts and sermons. Sometimes these were discouraged by controlling clergymen. But whenever they occurred (or were allowed) they were an important part of free societies. They are certainly an important part of our American story. When Alexis de Tocqueville visited America from France in the 19th Century, he was surprised by how well-informed our citizens were on political issues. He attended several of our town meetings and listened to the discussions about current events and the stories that circulated freely in books and newspapers. Women also gathered in their own separate groups to prepare products and services for needy members of their communities. But they also talked about books. It has been claimed that the first American reading group was started by Anne Hutchinson aboard the ship Griffin on her way to the New World. In our humble reading group, we try to steer free of hot political topics and focus on books that have some sort of literary appeal.
For our first meeting in January, we will be discussing The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski. It is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in a setting of mid-20th Century Wisconsin with engaging characters and interesting dog stories. We meet on the first Wednesday (usually) of every odd-numbered month at Main Street Books (in Cedar City) starting at 7:00 PM. Our January meeting will be on Wednesday, the 8th. We are a welcoming and accommodating group and would love to have you join us. The titles for the coming year are as follows:
January 8, 2025 - The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski (fiction)
March 5, 2025 - The Land of Little Rain, by Mary Austin (non-fiction)
May 7, 2025 - The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, by Alexander McCall Smith (fiction)
July 9, 2025 - Alfie and Me, by Carl Safina (non-fiction)
September 3, 2025 - The Court Martial of George Armstrong Custer, by Douglas Jones (fiction)
November 5, 2025 - Profiles in Courage, by John F. Kennedy (non-fiction)
(this event date is arbitrary so it doesn't disappear)
You may also like the following events from Cedar City Arts Council:
Also check out other
Arts events in Cedar City,
Literary Art events in Cedar City,
Meetups in Cedar City.
