Join a virtual book club
Join a book club from home. The Classics Made Modern book group meets on Zoom and connects together in a Facebook group! If you haven't ever read a classic that wasn't assigned – we're going to make this fun. If you love reading but are looking for something a bit different – try one of these titles! Here are the basics:
We meet on Wednesday afternoons from 2-3 pm in a Zoom video chat to discuss the book "face-to-face!"- All of the books are available digitally from home -- as ebooks or audiobooks through Hoopla.
- Follow along in the library's Facebook group for this discussion as we share quotes, memes, historical context, modern takes, factoids about the author's personal life, strong opinions about the movie versions, and trivia!
- Background information on each title and author is shared in advance via email.
- For help with Hoopla, Zoom, or any questions, email classicsmodern@tscpl.org.
Upcoming Book Discussions
Read the ebook or listen to the audiobook, then join the discussion on Zoom.
On Liberty by John Stuart Mill
Wed, Jan 8 | 2-3 pm
First published in 1859, John Stuart Mill's On Liberty is an exhaustive exploration of social and civic liberty, its limits, and its consequences. Mill's work is a classic of political liberalism that contains a rational justification of the freedom of the individual in opposition to the claims of the state. Mill asks and answers provocative questions relating to the boundaries of social authority and individual sovereignty. Interestingly for modern discussion, after meeting and subsequently marrying his wife Harriet, Mill changed many of his beliefs on moral life and women's rights. Mill states that On Liberty "was more directly and literally our joint production than anything else which bears my name."
Read the ebook or listen to the abridged audiobook on Hoopla or check availability on physical items from the library. On Liberty is available as an ebook through Project Gutenberg also.
Read 150 pages or listen to the 5 hour audiobook.
Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Wed, Feb 5 | 2-3pm
The novel follows six astronauts as they orbit the Earth for one day of their nine-month space mission. Orbital won the 2024 Booker Prize.
Read the ebook on Hoopla or check availability on physical items from the library.
Read 200 pages.
Red Harvest by Dashiell Hammett
Wed, Mar 5 | 2-3pm
When the last honest citizen of Poisonville was murdered, the Continental Op stayed on to punish the guilty-even if that meant taking on an entire town. Red Harvest is more than a superb crime novel: it is a classic exploration of corruption and violence in the American grain.
This title enters the public domain in 2025 and ebook versions will be freely available. Listen to the audiobook on Hoopla.
Read 220 pages or listen to 6.5 hours on audiobook.
YOU are invited to this book group
We've got options to make this work for everyone! If you aren't sure about this whole reading classics idea – check it out to see if any of these books or stories interest you!
