Erie Reader Book Club: June 2025

Little, Brown

The selection for the June meet-up of the Erie Reader Book Club is Calypso by David Sedaris. Sedaris' hilarious writing often makes light of heavy subjects, and in this arena, Calypso is his opus. Join the group for this discussion without any obligation to attend other meetings in the future.

SUNDAY, JUN. 29

The Erie Reader Book Club will be reading and discussing Calypso by David Sedaris in correspondence with the Erie Reader's Pride issue. The book club is free to attend and anyone is welcome to join in at any time.

For those familiar with Sedaris, it should come as no surprise that this collection of semi-autobiographical essays takes heavy themes – such as aging, familial relationships, and death – and reframes them, making humorous the things we often find the most difficult to discuss, let alone laugh about.

When Sedaris buys a beach house out on the Carolina coast, he envisions an idyllic escape from reality, with days full of playing games, lounging on the beach, and enjoying time with his loved ones. Instead, he comes to the realization that you can never really take a vacation from yourself.

From approaching the age his mother was when she died of cancer to dealing with his nonagenarian father's failing mind and his sister's recent death, Sedaris ultimately takes in stride the events with which many struggle. A keen observer of the world around him, Sedaris looks upon these things and does with them what he knows best – transforming them into stories that stick with the reader long after turning the page.

1 p.m. // Werner Books and Coffee, 2608 Liberty St. // Free to join, cost of book not included // For more info: wernerbooks.com