It’s always an exciting day . . . when Bonny and Carole and I announce our upcoming Read With Us selection.
This summer, we’ve even got a little twist for you. This summer, we invite you to join us in reading . . . and watching . . .
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez.
So. The Friend is not a new book. It was published in 2018, and won the National Book Award that same year. The thing that drew our attention to this selection, though, is the movie based on the book that was released just this spring. We thought it might be a fun twist for our summer reading to invite you to . . .
Read the book!
Watch the movie!
Compare and contrast!
My former – and still much beloved to me – book group back in Grand Rapids used to do a book/movie combo selection every January. We chose a book that had also been made into a movie. We read the book on our own, and then watched the movie together. It was a lot of fun, and the comparing-contrasting part made for interesting discussion dynamics. (Plus there was always wine and popcorn.)
While we can’t watch the movie together as a Read With Us group, we do invite you to read – and watch – with us on your own, before coming together to compare and contrast on discussion day.
Bonny and Carole and I will be talking more about the book and the movie, and we’ll be providing additional background information for you in blog posts over the next several weeks. Then . . . mark your calendars for our blog book discussions/Zoom discussion on Tuesday, September 16, 2025 (7:00 pm Eastern time).
I’m in the midst of updating the Read With Us resource page with more information about the book and the movie, including all the details you’ll need to join our discussion. You’ll soon be able to find story summaries, character listings, author information, and links to reviews and interviews. Stay tuned.
C’mon along!
Pour yourself a cool beverage, make a batch of popcorn . . . and Read/Watch With Us this summer!
It is indeed hard to find a book-and-movie combo these days when in-the-theater movies are so rare. But you picked a good one, Kym! I saw the movie and would see it again! Bill Murray, Naomi Watts, and the Friend are so totally charming plus Autumn in New York and Naomi’s chic-ly off-hand wardrobe are a feast for the eyes. We have a chaotic summer coming up but I will try to fit the book in. Now if only they would do the same treatment for Tom Lake! Come ON, Hollywood!
I read The Friend previously but I don’t remember much about it at all so I will be rereading it again. I will also have to queue up the movie!
I’m looking forward to this. And…nothing wrong with a little wine and popcorn!
I’m looking forward to reading this one. I think I’ll wait until a little bit later in the summer so I can hopefully remember more details. I’m glad that we chose a book where there don’t seem to be any wait times at the library. I’ll also look forward to the movie after I’ve read the book.
I like this twist — and if it’s a success, perhaps we can do it again! Looking forward to reading and discussing, as always.
I loved reading The Friend and look forward to re-reading it and watching the movie!