Monthly Drop-in book club -- January 29, 2026
Join our book club!
Each month we read a book by an international author. Our hour-long Zoom chats are lively, thought-provoking, and reminiscent of our college days. You are welcome to join at any time!
Our next meeting is on Thursday, January 29th at 7:00pm
Our January book is:
In the Country of Others, by Leila Slimani
Quick Book Synopsis:
After World War II, Mathilde leaves France for Morocco to be with her husband, whom she met while he was fighting for the French army. A spirited young woman, she now finds herself a farmer’s wife, her vitality sapped by the isolation, the harsh climate, and the mistrust she inspires as a foreigner. But she refuses to be subjugated or confined to her role as mother of a growing family. As tensions mount between the Moroccans and the French colonists, Mathilde’s fierce desire for autonomy parallels her adopted country’s fight for independence in this lush and transporting novel about race, resilience, and women’s empowerment.
In the Country of Others is part of a trilogy. The other two books in the trilogy are Watch Us Dance and J'Emporterai le Feu (I'll Bring the Fire). The third book was just published in French and has not been translated into English yet. If you enjoy the book, you're invited to read the second and even third book in the trilogy since we'll have some more time until our next meeting.
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**If you have any trouble with the Zoom log in, please email lkaci@post.harvard.edu so that someone can address the issue right away.**
Harvard Club of Southern Connecticut is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Monthly Book Club
Time: Jan 29, 2026 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Every month on the Last Thu, 35 occurrence(s)
Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
Monthly: https://harvardalumni.zoom.us/meeting/tJYocuisqDspE9RUNr2joqEnqOGNUgfVe-hN/ics?icsToken=DPf0MZHxrqTSXjqpmwAALAAAANqZuzVSApVF_bNkwE9weFASzfcUFfX8Z3bKcyzmzbOJEY-JHRJ5ZZclubJdCk-4EmLNayiiSSlW0F6gMTAwMDAwMQ&meetingMasterEventId=gMig3fP1QFeCe9ywZFmiLg
Join Zoom Meeting
https://harvardalumni.zoom.us/j/92551460390?pwd=xvazWU0WcEjwnFA3K5Ha2nWkXKXr0v.1
Meeting ID: 925 5146 0390
Passcode: 187228
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Here is a list of books the club has read so far:
Madonna in a Fur Coat, by Sabahattin Ali (Turkish writer)
A Wild Sheep Chase, by Haruki Murakami (Japanese writer)
Foreigner, by Nachid Rachlin (Iranian writer)
The Concert, by Ismail Kadare (Albanian writer)
This is Happiness, by Niall Williams (Irish writer)
Sweetness, by Torgny Lindgren (Swedish writer)
Spill, Simmer, Falter, Wither, by Sara Baume (Irish writer)
Wickett’s Remedy, by Myla Goldberg (American writer)
Immortality, by Milan Kundera (Czech writer)
An Artist of the Floating World, by Kazuo Ishiguro (Japanese-British writer)
Cambridge, by Caryl Phillips (St. Kitts & Nevis/British writer)
Here Comes, There Goes, You Know Who, by William Saroyan (Armenian-American writer)
Cannery Row, by John Steinbeck (American writer)
The Life of God (As Told by Himself), by Franco Ferrucci (Italian-American writer)
A Good Man is Hard to Find, by Flannery O’Connor (American writer)
Free, by Lea Ypi (Albanian writer)
A Short Tale of Shame, by Angel Igov (Bulgarian writer)
Nada, by Carmen Laforet (Spanish writer)
Double Negative, by Ivan Vladislavic (South African writer)
Blind Faith, by Sagarika Ghose (Indian writer)
A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry (Indian writer)
So Long a Letter, by Mariama Ba (Senegalese writer)
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, by Dai Sijie (Chinese writer)
Raising Sparks, by Ariel Kahn (Israeli-American writer)
Giants in the Earth, by O. E. Rølvaag (Norwegian writer)
Kairos, by Jenny Erpenbeck (German writer)
Vi, by Kim Thúy (Vietnamese-Canadian writer)
On the Edge of Reason, by Miroslav Krleža (Croatian writer)
The Bad Girl, by Mario Vargas Llosa (Peruvian writer)