Keeping up on the trendiest titles is a fun way to read, but rounding out your literary diet with the so-called Great Works of Fiction can also be a rewarding pursuit — albeit an intimidating one. After all, there’s no shortage of great books in the world, so where’s a bibliophile to begin?
Thankfully, the New York Review of Books will send you a new edition of an old favorite, from Balzac to Babitz, each month for a year for a $150 fee. The club gathers at spots around the city to discuss the reading and to allow bookworms to mingle with their fellow bookworms.
In September, the NYRB Book Club will meet at Books are Magic in Carroll Gardens to discuss “Picture” by Brooklyn-raised writer Lillian Ross, a 1952 work of long-form journalism by one of the genre’s creators. “Picture” follows director John Huston as he struggles to translate “The Red Badge of Courage” by Stephen Crane into a film and has his creative vision steamrolled by shortsighted studio heads in the process.
The book club will host its “Picture” meetup at Books are Magic on Sept. 23rd at 7 p.m.