Each semester the Honors College sponsors a series of informal reading groups, now called Webster Book Clubs. The groups meet for an hour and typically read and discuss about 50 pages per week. Books are provided free of charge to all participants and moderators. The books cover a wide range of topics and most have been recommended by Honors students. To participate, students commit to reading the book and attend the weekly discussion meetings. The goal of the program can be summarized as "maximum information and enjoyment, with zero stress." All OU students are welcome to participate.
Looking for a reason to read something great—and people to talk about it with? Webster Book Clubs bring together curious readers from across the OU community for thoughtful conversation, good company, and the simple pleasure of slowing down with a book.
Open to all members of the OU community—students, faculty, and staff—Webster Book Clubs meet weekly during the semester to discuss a shared reading in a relaxed, welcoming setting. Whether you love deep literary analysis, lively debate, or just hearing how others experienced the same pages, there’s a place for you at the table.
| Book | Author | Meeting Time | Location | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| One | Graham Priest | Wed 3:30 PM | Cate 1, Room 214 | A philosophical novel exploring identity, logic, and paradox through the story of a man who may or may not be singular. Challenges how we understand selfhood and reality. |
| The Goldfinch | Donna Tartt | Mon 3:30 PM | Cate 1, Room 217 | A sweeping coming-of-age novel following a boy whose life is shaped by tragedy, art, and obsession after surviving a museum bombing. |
| Waste Tide | Chen Qiufan | Tue 4:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 214 | A near-future science fiction novel examining environmental collapse, global capitalism, and technology through an e-waste dumping ground in China. |
| Gomorrah: Italy’s Other Mafia | Roberto Saviano | Tue 4:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 217 | A nonfiction exposé of the Neapolitan Camorra, revealing how organized crime infiltrates everyday life, business, and politics. |
| Wired for Love | Stephanie Cacioppo | Thu 5:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 214 | A neuroscientist blends memoir and science to explore love, grief, and human connection through the lens of brain research. |
| Jane Eyre | Charlotte Brontë | Wed 11:00 AM | Cate 1, Room 217 | A classic Gothic novel following an orphaned governess who asserts independence, morality, and passion in a rigid Victorian world. |
| East of Eden | John Steinbeck | Thu 4:30 PM | Cate 1, Room 217 | An epic retelling of the Cain and Abel story set in California, examining free will, family legacy, and moral choice. |
| The Name of the Wind & The Wise Man’s Fear | Patrick Rothfuss | Tue 2:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 214 | The first two books of the Kingkiller Chronicle, chronicling the rise of Kvothe — a gifted musician, magician, and myth in the making. |
| Moneyball | Michael Lewis | Thu 5:00 PM | HC Conference Room | An exploration of how data analytics revolutionized baseball, challenging tradition and redefining how success is measured. |
| The Picture of Dorian Gray | Oscar Wilde | Fri 4:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 214 | A decadent Gothic novel about vanity, morality, and corruption, centered on a man whose portrait ages instead of him. |
| American Pastoral | Philip Roth | Tue 3:00 PM | HC Conference Room | A dissection of the American Dream undone by political violence, generational conflict, and personal tragedy. |
| Snuff | Chuck Palahniuk | Thu 3:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 217 | A darkly comic and provocative novel satirizing fame, pornography, and voyeurism during a single notorious event. |
| Babel | R.F. Kuang | Thu 2:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 214 | An alternate-history fantasy set at Oxford, examining colonialism, translation, language, and power through magical linguistics. |
| Paradise | Toni Morrison | Wed 4:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 217 | A haunting novel about an all-Black town and the violence that arises from rigid ideas of purity, history, and belonging. |
| The Idiot | Elif Batuman | Mon 3:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 214 | A witty, semi-autobiographical novel about language, love, and intellectual life during a young woman’s Harvard years. |
| The Trial | Franz Kafka | Mon 6:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 214 | A surreal and unsettling novel about a man arrested for an unnamed crime, symbolizing bureaucratic absurdity and existential dread. |
| Vineland | Thomas Pynchon | Mon 5:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 217 | A postmodern satire blending politics, pop culture, and paranoia in Reagan-era America. |
| Endurance | Alfred Lansing | Wed 4:00 PM | Honors Library | A gripping nonfiction account of Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition and an extraordinary survival story. |
| Black Moses | Caleb Gayle | Mon 5:00 PM | HC Conference Room | A biography of Robert “Black Moses” Hicks, exploring race, faith, power, and civil rights in rural America. |
| Mountains Beyond Mountains | Tracy Kidder | Wed 4:30 PM | MH Lounge | The story of Dr. Paul Farmer and his mission to bring healthcare to the world’s poorest communities. |
| Horseman, Pass By | Larry McMurtry | Wed 5:30 PM | Cate 1, Room 214 | A coming-of-age novel set in West Texas, exploring masculinity, generational change, and the decline of ranching culture. |
| Dance Dance Dance | Haruki Murakami | Tue 5:00 PM | Honors Library | A surreal, melancholic mystery following a drifting narrator through Japan’s consumer culture and hidden realities. |
| Mistborn: The Final Empire | Brandon Sanderson | Tue 3:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 217 | An epic fantasy about rebellion, magic systems, and overthrowing a seemingly immortal tyrant. |
| A Game of Thrones | George R.R. Martin | Fri 11:00 AM | Cate 1, Room 214 | The first installment of A Song of Ice and Fire, weaving political intrigue, war, and family rivalry in a brutal fantasy world. |
| Carmilla | Sheridan Le Fanu | Mon 2:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 217 | A foundational vampire novella predating Dracula, rich with Gothic atmosphere and psychological tension. |
| The Politics of Language | David Beaver & Jason Stanley | Wed 7:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 214 | A philosophical examination of how language shapes political power, propaganda, and public discourse. |
| Daisy Jones & The Six | Taylor Jenkins Reid | Mon 2:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 214 | An oral-history style novel about a fictional 1970s rock band, fame, creativity, and self-destruction. |
| You | Caroline Kepnes | Mon 6:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 217 | A chilling psychological thriller narrated by a charming but dangerous stalker obsessed with love and control. |
| Dungeon Crawler Carl | Matt Dinniman | Mon 3:00 PM | HC Conference Room | A fast-paced LitRPG adventure where Earth becomes a deadly game show ruled by alien overlords. |
| The Secret History | Donna Tartt | Tue 11:00 AM | Cate 1, Room 214 | A dark academic novel about friendship, obsession, and murder among elite classics students. |
| The Vegetarian | Han Kang | Tue 5:00 PM | Cate 1, Room 217 | A haunting novel about bodily autonomy, control, and resistance told through interconnected perspectives. |
| Lonesome Dove | Larry McMurtry | TBD | TBD | An epic Western following retired Texas Rangers on a cattle drive, exploring friendship, love, and the fading frontier. |
