A Project
Why This One.
A book a month from Mark's top shelf
One book a month — making space for reading, and for talking about it face to face.
No reading schedule, no pages-a-day. Just one book worth your time, a note on why this one, and an open thread for when you want to talk it over. In person first; the conversation here is the companion.
Coming soon
Giovanni's Room
by James Baldwin
Everyone knows Baldwin. Far fewer have read this one — and that's exactly why I chose it to open the shelf. It's short, it's unguarded, and it asks what it costs to look away from the person you actually are. This isn't an assignment; it's an invitation. Read it slowly, and let's talk about it.
To start
Come in with nothing to prove. Notice what you already expect from a Baldwin novel, then set it down.
Along the way
Watch the rooms — who feels at home, who is only passing through, and what each person is trying not to say.
When you finish
Bring one moment that stayed with you. Not the theme, not the lesson — the moment. That is where the conversation starts.
The Conversation
Read it first. Then, when you're ready, tell us why it landed for you.