Bradley’s Bonus Book Club

First Wednesdays | 6:30 p.m.
October 7, November 4, December 2 & February 3
No meeting in January

Join the Cathedral Book Club for lively conversation, thoughtful reading, and fellowship. The group gathers on the first Wednesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. to discuss books spanning faith, history, biography, and literature.

New readers are always welcome. Books selected for the Book Club are available through the Cathedral Bookstore, and Book Club participants receive 20% off Book Club titles.

October 7

When God Seems Distant: Surprising Ways God Deepens Our Faith and Draws Us Near
by Kyle Strobel and John Coe
Discussion led by Canon Bradley Varnell

What do we do when God seems distant? Kyle Strobel and John Coe invite readers to reconsider seasons of spiritual dryness—not simply as obstacles to overcome, but as times through which God may deepen our faith.

The book explores how Christians can move beyond willpower and habit modification toward genuine spiritual formation, learning to live faithfully even through spiritually fallow seasons. Join Canon Bradley Varnell for a conversation about absence, growth, and discovering God’s presence in unexpected ways.

November 4

More Than Nine Lessons and Carols: A Life of Eric Milner-White, 1884–1963
by Allen Warren

Explore the fascinating life of Eric Milner-White, the Anglican priest best remembered for establishing the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols at King’s College, Cambridge, following World War I.

Allen Warren’s biography reveals a complex churchman whose pursuit of the “beauty of holiness” encompassed prayer, music, art, architecture, and stained glass. His story also opens a window into a transformative era for the Church of England and British society.

December 2

Evensong
by Gail Godwin

Set in the Smoky Mountains at the turn of the millennium, Evensong follows a married pair of Episcopal priests navigating ministry, marriage, and a community confronting difficult divisions.

As an evangelical leader, an itinerant monk, and a troubled young man enter their lives, Gail Godwin explores faith and doubt, disappointment and hope, and the small sacred joys found in ordinary life. It is a rich novel about the complexities of belief, relationships, and vocation.

January

No Book Club meeting

February 3

North Woods
by Daniel Mason

Daniel Mason’s acclaimed North Woods tells the story of a single house in the woods of New England through the lives of the people who inhabit it across centuries.

Moving across generations, genres, and changing landscapes, the novel explores the connections between people and place, nature and history, love and loss. Both inventive and deeply human, North Woods asks what remains of us after we are gone—and how our lives become part of stories much larger than ourselves.

Join the Book Club

The Cathedral Book Club meets the first Wednesday of each month at 6:30 p.m., except January, July, and August. Whether you’re a longtime member or simply interested in one of the upcoming selections, you’re welcome to join the conversation.

Contact Lucy Chambers to join the Book Club:
lchamers@christchurchcathedral.org

Book Club perk: Purchase your selections from the Cathedral Bookstore and receive 20% off Book Club titles.