During the onslaught of the academic year, many students forgo newly released books for required reading or problem sets, making summer the perfect time to catch up on leisure reading. In a menial attempt to recapture the spirit of the literary salons during the 17th and 18th century, Bwog is introducing a book club for the summer. Though the internet pales in comparison with actual conversation, we are hoping to create an open space to foster thought and discussion.

All Bwog readers are welcome to participate. There will be a post in advance announcing the next selection. Generally, the works will be either contemporary fiction or nonfiction. The actual Book Club will take form as a dialogue between our two reviewers, Lucy Tang and Pierce Stanley, and the comments thread will allow readers to contribute to with questions or criticism or even a book suggestion. Because the book club is still in its nascence, nothing is concrete, and the more feedback, the better.

We have chosen The Mayor's Tongue to inaugurate this summer. The Mayor's Tongue is the debut from Nathaniel Rich, an editor at The Paris Review. There's been a lot of hubbub surrounding The Mayor's Tongue, because Rich hails from a literary lineage--his father is Frank Rich, the New York Times columnist, and brother Simon Rich is a well-established humor writer--and The Mayor's Tongue will determine if the legacy lives on. The book offers two narratives, related but never intertwined. The first sees Eugene Brentani, a young man obsessed with renowned author Constance Eakins, running off to Italy for the daughter of Eakins' biographer. The second narrative features Mr. Schmitz, a much older man, who loses his wife and struggles to maintain normalcy with his best friend Rutherford.

Take some time this weekend to open up The Mayor's Tongue and join us in a few days for our discussion. It's a fast read, we promise.