Vol. VI · Issue 05 · May MMXXVI Members 342 · 3 Bookings open No assigned reading guilt.

Read Dangerously.

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The Nature of Fragile Things
Now Reading

The Nature of Fragile Things

by Susan Meissner · 367 pp

April 18, 1906: A massive earthquake rocks San Francisco just before daybreak, igniting a devouring inferno. Lives are lost, lives are shattered, but some rise from the ashes forever changed.

Sophie Whalen is a young Irish immigrant so desperate to get out of a New York tenement that she answers a mail-order bride ad and agrees to marry a man she knows nothing about. San Francisco widower Martin Hocking proves to be as aloof as he is mesmerizingly handsome. Sophie quickly develops deep affection for Kat, Martin’s silent five-year-old daughter, but Martin’s odd behavior leaves her with the uneasy feeling that something about her newfound situation isn’t right.

Then one early-spring evening, a stranger at the door sets in motion a transforming chain of events. Sophie discovers hidden ties to two other women. The first, pretty and pregnant, is standing on her doorstep. The second is hundreds of miles away in the American Southwest, grieving the loss of everything she once loved.

The fates of these three women intertwine on the eve of the devastating earthquake, thrusting them onto a perilous journey that will test their resiliency and resolve and, ultimately, their belief that love can overcome fear.

The 2026 Shelf 8 of 12 revealed  ·  Coming up: Fourth Wing
Coming up: Fourth Wing
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Nashville, TN

Bitches, Boots & Books

A long weekend of southern charm, literary indulgence, rhinestone rebellion, and unforgettable Novel Bitches memories. We’re heading to Nashville, TN for 4 days / 3 nights in a beautiful private gated home on 8 wooded acres just outside the city, giving us the perfect mix of cozy retreat vibes and Nashville fun.

When
Oct 8 – 11
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Nashville, TN
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