For March’s meeting, we’re reading Kraken by China Miéville. At the British Museum of Natural History, a giant squid specimen has inexplicably disappeared. Might a cult be involved? As Miéville himself describes, the novel is “a dark comedy about a squid-worshipping cult and the end of the world. It takes the idea of the squid cult very seriously. Part of the appeal of the fantastic is taking ridiculous ideas very seriously and pretending they’re not absurd.”

Join us for discussion of our current book as well as helping decide our next selection.

This is what you missed at our last bookclub meeting:

For February’s meeting we read How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu. We were split on this very meta work of (science) fiction following a time-travel machine repairman who revisits his childhood. Some enjoyed the father-son dynamic and characterization, others found it too self-indulgent, with “pity party” becoming the most-repeated phrase. Most found elements they liked, but not all were sure it hung together as a novel well.

When: Monday, March 12, 2011 – 6:30pm-8:00pm

Where: Filter, 1373-75 N Milwaukee Ave Chicago, IL

Cost: Free