Women’s Book Club (In Person)

This peer-led Book Club welcomes lesbian, bisexual, queer, transgender, and questioning women of all ages to join readers in a friendly, thought-provoking discussion related to the month’s book selection.

All book selections emphasize works written by and about women and vary in genre, ranging from non-fiction to poetry to historical literature to romance to science fiction to graphic novels.

• When: 2nd Wednesday, 5-6:30 pm
• Where: The Center Library, 3909 Centre St. San Diego, CA 92103
• Contact: For more information on the group, please contact women@thecentersd.org.
• Phone: ‪(619) 692-2077 x134

September Book Selection
The Art of Dining By Tina Howe: A play! This play premiered in 1979 off Broadway, winning two Obies. Cal and Ellen have just opened The Golden Carousel restaurant. Ellen cooks gourmet meals while Cal serves several picky and opinionated eaters on a rainy night in November. The cooking and the eating is done on stage. Howe went to write more acclaimed plays such as Painting Churches and Coastal Disturbances.

October Book Selection
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. or an abridged version or graphic version OR Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson
It is Halloween so get spooked by reading one or both of these haunting tales. Winterson’s novel switches between 1816 where Mary Shelley is writing Frankenstein in Switzerland and modern-day Britain and the story of Ry Shelley, a transgender doctor and Victor Stein a transhumanist,who become involved in the world of AI and cryonics. Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein when she was 18 and the book was published when she was 20. Shelley was vacationing with her two lovers, the writers Byron and Shelley, her stepsister and another fellow, the weather turned bad, the cable tv was out, so they had a competition to see who could write the scariest story. The monster was born. If you have only seen the movies, read the book.

November Book Selection
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin. A funny book! Nominated for a Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Fiction. The novel follows Greta, a 45-year-old woman who moves to Hudson, NY. She finds work with a local sex therapist named Om. Greta then befriends a client of the therapist whom she calls “Big Swiss” because she is tall and Swiss. The friendship then grows to an affair. Humor, lesbians, sex, dogs, what more can one need in a book, a therapist named Om? There is that too!

December Book Selection
Terraformers by Annalee Newitz. A Science Fiction exploration of the future. Destry’s life is dedicated to caring for the planet. The future comes under threat when Destry discovers a city full of people that shouldn’t exist, hidden in a volcano. As she uncovers more information about their past, Destry questions the mission she has devoted her life to and must make a choice. A book that takes place over many years and generations, it takes on such topics as environmentalism, gentrification and personhood. Not only does this book have a character named Destry, but there is also a cat named Moose who is a journalist, anti-gravity train people, and spider bioengineers!