the Devillusions Book Club
Currently Reading
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Franklin traces his own rise from runaway apprentice to founding father — part memoir, part self-improvement manual. Candid, witty, and surprisingly modern in how it thinks about ambition, reputation, and the art of becoming who you want to be.
Progress — 20%
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Recommended Reading
Books from the shelf, spread across the table for your consideration.
The oldest surviving great work of literature. A king's grief-stricken quest for immortality after the death of his best friend.
GilgameshSammy's top pick. A destitute student murders a pawnbroker to test whether great men are above morality, then unravels under the weight of his own philosophy.
In a collectivist dystopia where "I" has been erased, one man rediscovers individuality and the power of the self.
AnthemDavid's top pick. An uncompromising architect refuses to bend his vision for the world, no matter the cost. Rand's ode to creative integrity.
David's top pick. A big-nosed, silver-tongued swordsman secretly writes love letters for another man to win the woman he adores.
A comfort-loving hobbit is swept into a quest with dwarves and a wizard to reclaim a mountain from a dragon.
The HobbitA young bride moves to a stifling prairie town and wages a one-woman war against its smugness and conformity.
Main StreetSammy's top pick. A middle-class businessman drifts through hollow routines and hollow friendships in 1920s America. A savage satire of conformity.
Mole, Ratty, Badger, and the irrepressible Toad have adventures along the English riverbank. Pure charm.
The Wind in the WillowsA journalist drops everything to spend a year living by the words and wanderings of D.H. Lawrence, retracing his footsteps across the world.
A Year with LawrenceFour brothers collide over faith, doubt, lust, and murder in the shadow of their larger-than-life father. Dostoevsky's final masterpiece.
The Brothers KaramazovA young man stays beautiful on the outside while a hidden portrait reflects the ugliness growing within him. Wilde at his most wicked.
The Picture of Dorian GrayA seemingly foolish English aristocrat leads a secret double life rescuing French nobles from the guillotine during the Reign of Terror.
The Scarlet Pimpernel