The Classics Book Group of SMAAUW was started in 2002 by Gay Carpenter, one of the founding members of the Smith Mountain branch of AAUW.  The members wanted a book club that would explore “the Classics” – titles that were on the lists of Great Books of the Western World and the Penguin Classics Series. They would meet at each other’s homes to choose which books to read and then volunteer to research and lead a discussion of a particular title.

Gay Carpenter was an intrepid leader and literary guide from 2002 to 2013.  In 2014, a newly joined SMAAUW member, Maria Meleis, was asked if she would take the reins from Gay and carry on with the Classics Book Group.  To the retired librarian and former French and English literature major, it seemed like a match made in heaven.  Maria has been our wonderfully wise and innovative study group leader since taking those reins more than a decade ago!

This group meets to discuss classic literature selected by the group members.  Titles for the coming year are voted on in December with members volunteering to lead discussions or host the meeting. Meetings are held at 1:30 pm on the 3^rd Wednesday in even numbered months (February, April, June, August, October, December) throughout the year.

We have quite a unique theme for 2026 entitled  “Famous People Who Never Lived.”

Our reading list includes the following titles:

• • • • • • Casino Royale by Ian Fleming  
          • The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes
          • Stony the Road: Reconstruction, White Supremacy and the Rise of Jim Crow by Henry Louis Gates Jr.
          • Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
          • The Once and Future King by T. H. White

Any SMAAUW member interested in joining the group is welcome.

For questions, please contact Maria Meleis at mariam.sml17@gmail.com.

 

If you would like to peruse the reading list for previous years, please click here.