Share your love of books that stay top-of-mind. Meet new friends. Enjoy great discussions where new thoughts and ideas are shared.
Sharing favorite books is a great way to make new friends, but with many book clubs it can be difficult to become a part of the group. Join us for “Books with Friends” in a monthly exploration of favorite books to share among an inclusive group of Chesapeake Forum friends.
As we start our 4th year, “Books with Friends” is proving an easy way to jump in and be a part of a discussion about interesting and compelling reads.
Books discussed so far have included Horse: a Novel, American Dirt, The Paris Architect, March: a Novel, American Ramble, A Gentleman from Moscow, All the Light We Cannot See, Be Mine, Mad Honey, Remarkably Bright Creatures, Lessons in Chemistry, The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, The Wager, Lucy by the Sea, Trust, This Tender Land, The Sequel, The Secret War of Julia Child, Table for Two, White Noise, Klara and the Sun…
Anyone with a love of books and a desire to participate in discussions about the themes raised is welcome at any time, whether for one book, or all.
We start 2026 with the following offerings:
- January book: The Most Secret Memory of Men by Mohamed Mboufar Sarr, 2023. Diégane Latyr Faye, a young Senegalese writer, discovers a legendary book published in 1938 titled The Maze of Inhumanity. No one knows what happened to the author, T.C. Elimane, once referred to as the “Black Rimbaud.” After he was accused of plagiarism, his reputation was destroyed by the critics and he subsequently disappeared without a trace. Curiosity turns to obsession, and Faye embarks on a quest to uncover the fate of the mysterious T.C. Elimane. His search weaves past and present, countries and continents, following the author’s labyrinthine trail from Senegal to Argentina and France and confronting the great tragedies of history. Alongside his investigation, Faye becomes part of a group of young African writers in Paris. They talk, drink, make love, and philosophize about the role of exile in artistic creation. He becomes particularly close to two women: the seductive Siga, keeper of secrets, and the fleeting photojournalist Aïda. But throughout, a question persists: will he get to the truth at the center of the maze?
- February book: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir, 2021. A lone astronaut, Ryland Grace, is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission—and if he fails, humanity and Earth itself will perish. Except that right now, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it. All he knows is that he’s been asleep for a very, very long time. And he’s just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company. His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, Ryland realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Hurtling through space on this tiny ship, it’s up to him to puzzle out an impossible scientific mystery—and conquer an extinction-level threat to our species. And with the clock ticking down and the nearest human being light-years away, he’s got to do it all alone. Or does he?
- March book: Buckeye by Patrick Ryan, 2025. In Bonhomie, Ohio, a stolen moment of passion, sparked in the exuberant aftermath of the Allied victory in Europe, binds Cal Jenkins, a man wounded not in war but by his inability to serve in it, to Margaret Salt, a woman trying to obscure her past. Cal’s wife, Becky, has a spiritual gift: She is a seer who can conjure the dead, helping families connect with those they’ve lost. Margaret’s husband, Felix, is serving on a Navy cargo ship, out of harm’s way—until a telegram suggests that the unthinkable might have happened. Later, as the country reconstructs in the postwar boom, a secret grows in Bonhomie—but nothing stays buried forever in a small town. Against the backdrop of some of the most transformative decades in modern America, the consequences of that long-ago encounter ripple through the next generation of both families, compelling them to reexamine who they thought they were and what the future might hold.
Be sure to register for “Books with Friends” each semester so you get updates and reminders of the books we are reading, with discussion dates and links.
What to Expect:
Participants are asked at the beginning of the year to recommend books that have been especially memorable and discussion-worthy. Course leader Lynn Randle moderates each session of “Books with Friends” in an in-depth and lively exploration of the insights developed in each book. Reading the book in advance of each session is strongly recommended so we can enjoy the most meaningful discussion.
Background material and discussion questions are sent out prior to each session. You will meet readers from all over the Delmarva Peninsula and as far away as Williamsburg.
Remember: We meet on Zoom the afternoon of the 4th Thursday of every month!
Feedback from earlier sessions:
“Love it. Lynn does a great job in leading the discussions. Makes great points. Enjoy the people in the book club. It’s making me read more – especially books I might not have tried!”
“I felt that the moderator, Lynn Randle, did extensive research on the books that spurred more discussion. Very enjoyable.”
“Thank you for the engaging conversation!”
3 Sessions | Thursdays | Jan 22, Feb 26, Mar 26 | 1 – 2:30pm | Zoom | $30 (actual cost) / $10 (subsidized price)
