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Calling All Lovers Of Literature! A New Ditmas Park Book Club Kicks Off At The Cortelyou Library July 15

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We have great news for Ditmas Park bibliophiles!

Neighbor Chris Farrell is forming a new book club focused on recent fiction, which will kick off Wednesday, July 15 at the Cortelyou Library (1305 Cortelyou Road, by Argyle Road). The club, which is named Fiction of the 21st Century, will be held from 6:15-7:30pm on the third Wednesday of every month.

Anyone interested in reading, enjoying and discussing some of the great novels written since the turn of the new century are welcome to join. The group’s first book will be “The Orphan Master’s Son,” a novel by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author Adam Johnson that follows the journey of a young man, Jun Do, through the prison camps and dictatorship of North Korea.

Following July’s discussion, here’s the schedule for the upcoming books and meetings (all gatherings will take place from 6:15-7:30pm):

As the club proceeds, members will choose the books for discussion.

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Before the book club meets for the first time, we wanted to catch up with Chris to find out more about him and the group:

What inspired you to start this book club?

I moved to Ditmas Park in December from Sunset Park. I am very happy with my new neighborhood, but the Brooklyn Public Library branch in Sunset Park had a book group, and I was sad to leave that behind. I’m delighted to learn that the staff at the Cortelyou Library is very supportive of my efforts to start something here. Allison Bean at the library has been especially helpful.

What are you hoping the book club will be like?

My brother, who is a librarian in Mississippi, suggested to me that book clubs work better if there is a theme, but one that is broad enough to encompass a lot of material. I started looking at all the great novels that have been published since 2001 and decided that could provide a focus for the group. I’m hoping we’ll cover lots of diverse fiction by letting the group pick the books for discussion as we go along, and I would like to have a commitment to having women authors for 50 percent of the selections.

Where are your favorite places to read in Ditmas Park?

I’ve spent a couple of sunny afternoons reading in the gardens at Bar Chord and at Sycamore. A cold beer, a good book, and the fragrance of blossoming trees is a combination that’s hard to beat.

Are you involved in the literary world for your profession? If not, what do you do for work?

In my professional life, I’m a bookkeeper working as the Chief Financial Office at an acupuncture clinic in Manhattan, with a commute just long enough to knock out a chapter or so of whatever I’m reading at the time on my e-reader each day.

Who’s your favorite 21st century author?

It would be hard for me to choose a favorite 21st century author. Jonathan Lethem, whose novel “Fortress of Solitude” is on the short-list for the group, would definitely be a contender, but I think if I had to choose just one it would be Michael Chabon.

For more information, or to sign up to receive an email reminder of scheduled meetings, you can email Chris at fictioncentury21@gmail.com.