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Ventura Women's Book Club

The Ventura Women’s Book Club started in 2009. We meet on the 4th Saturday of each month from 11 AM to 12:30 PM at the residence of one of our members. 

We are currently at capacity and not inviting new members.

Books That Bind

Building Bonds through books and conversation.  Our club reads a wide range of authors and

genres.  Books that Bind is the official Book Club of the Interchurch Center located in the

Morningside/ Harlem area of New York City, NY.


The club was established in 2011 to build bonds and friendship through a shared love of books

among the various tenants of the building and neighbored.  Due to the Pandemic the Club is currently meeting on Zoom until further notice. New members are always welcome.

The Imaginarium

Welcome to the Imaginarium, where we can imagine new worlds together! Fall into fantastic, alternative, and possible worlds in an inclusive, feminist, and diverse booklist, including fantasy, academic theory, humor, fairy tales, adventure, and mystery.

Berkeley Reads Between The Wines

Book fanatics getting together to read fiction, non fiction, true crime and best sellers.

BOOK OF THE MONTH

James: A Novel

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view - From the "literary icon" (Oprah Daily) and Pulitzer Prize Finalist whose novel Erasure is the basis for Cord Jefferson's critically acclaimed film American Fiction

BUY THE BOOK

Average rating: 8.42

2,130 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

Regab
Apr 19, 2025
7/10 stars
A beautifully written and woven Picaresque story detailing the experiences and multiple ills of slavery, with its constant fears, from a black perspective. It is very well researched and gives us a good sense of the atmosphere of the Missisippi and life around it. So much happens, however, that there is little room for emotional depth, contrast, or character development, making this, to my mind, more a tale than a fully immersing account.
CarolM
Apr 18, 2025
5/10 stars
A disturbing read portraying the cruelty and hopelessness of slavery. I can’t say I enjoyed this book. I am not a fan of reading works written in dialect and some of the story was so shallow as to be unbelievable. Descriptive passages of the Mississippi River and surrounding countryside allowed visualisation of the vastness of that landscape but other things in the book seemed to be brushed lightly over. I sometimes felt that some parts of the story felt like less care had been taken in the writing than others. The praise the book has received seems somehow unearned. It was suggested by some members of our book club that it may be better to listen to the audio book. This would help with the language used by the slaves but would not help the somewhat shallow, storyline.
Glojean
Apr 14, 2025
10/10 stars
James was a very good read. I will most likely listen to the audio version just to catch the vibes of the expressions of the characters. I recommend this to all who love historical fiction.
SherylStandifer
Apr 11, 2025
7/10 stars
I never read anything by Mark Twain. But I may go read Huck Finn - even though I’ve been told I really don’t need to, as James can truly be a standalone. I enjoyed the story from Jim’s perspective, and think the author did a fine job of capturing the black experience in our shameful American agricultural (and cultural) past. The twist on the Jim and Huck dynamic, with Jim revealed to be Huck’s father, was a big surprise. I think about slavery, and just shake my head about this. My own family owned slaves - not proud of this at all, but found this was a common theme researching my Revolutionary War patriots in Virginia and North Carolina. But it is what it was.
Cyndall
Apr 06, 2025
6/10 stars
While an interesting read, I didn't think it lived up to the hype? Perhaps because I only have a passing knowledge of Huckleberry Finn, or because I am not American, so missed many of the cultural refrences

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