Book Club | CLA
top of page
CLA Book Club

The CLA Book Club, free and open to the public, gives San Joseans the chance to discuss books by the authors they've seen and heard from on-stage as part of the Reading Series.

​

Recent CLA Book Club picks have included fiction and non-fiction collections by Hanif Abdurraqib, Joy Williams, and Anthony Doerr.

40562524_2261021427259888_78742286291383
Last Read:
​
Cloud Cuckoo Land 
by Anthony Doerr
​

IOn the New York Times bestseller list for over 20 weeks

* A New York Times Notable Book

* A National Book Award Finalist

* Named a Best Book of the Year by Fresh Air, Time, Entertainment Weekly, Associated Press, and many more

“If you’re looking for a superb novel, look no further.” —The Washington Post

From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of All the Light We Cannot See, comes the instant New York Times bestseller that is a “wildly inventive, a humane and uplifting book for adults that’s infused with the magic of childhood reading experiences” (The New York Times Book Review).

Among the most celebrated and beloved novels of recent times, Cloud Cuckoo Land is a triumph of imagination and compassion, a soaring story about children on the cusp of adulthood in worlds in peril, who find resilience, hope, and a book.

In the 15th century, an orphan named Anna lives inside the formidable walls of Constantinople. She learns to read, and in this ancient city, famous for its libraries, she finds what might be the last copy of a centuries-old book, the story of Aethon, who longs to be turned into a bird so that he can fly to a utopian paradise in the sky. Outside the walls is Omeir, a village boy, conscripted with his beloved oxen into the army that will lay siege to the city. His path and Anna’s will cross.

In the present day, in a library in Idaho, octogenarian Zeno rehearses children in a play adaptation of Aethon’s story, preserved against all odds through centuries. Tucked among the library shelves is a bomb, planted by a troubled, idealistic teenager, Seymour. This is another siege.

And in a not-so-distant future, on the interstellar ship Argos, Konstance is alone in a vault, copying on scraps of sacking the story of Aethon, told to her by her father.

Anna, Omeir, Seymour, Zeno, and Konstance are dreamers and outsiders whose lives are gloriously intertwined. Doerr’s dazzling imagination transports us to worlds so dramatic and immersive that we forget, for a time, our own.

​

Zoom at 4:00-5:00 PM PST
https://sjsu.zoom.us/j/89700275398?pw...
Meeting ID: 897 0027 5398
Passcode: 657367

 

We hope to see you at Book Club!

​

To keep up with our reading timeline follow us on our social media platforms: Instagram  Facebook  Twitter.

1982168439.01._SCLZZZZZZZ_SX500_.jpg
Previous reads:
40562524_2261021427259888_78742286291383
  • goodreads-512
Thank you for your interest in the literary arts. Consider donating to the CLA to support creative voices:
THE CENTER FOR LITERARY ARTS OF SAN JOSÉ

SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER

Thanks for signing up!

FIND US!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • goodreads-512
  • Vimeo
  • SoundCloud

CHECK OUT...

CONTACT:

Center for Literary Arts

1 Washington Square

San José, CA 95192

© 2022 The Center for the Literary Arts of San José.

bottom of page