February 2026

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Fiction

Published in 1961

Catch-22 is a blistering satire of war, bureaucracy and the maddening logic that governs both. Set during World War II, the novel follows Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Forces bombardier whose greatest ambition is to survive long enough to stop flying combat missions. But survival itself becomes impossible in a system ruled by the infamous “catch-22”: a soldier can be grounded for insanity, yet the very desire to avoid dangerous missions proves one’s sanity – and therefore fitness to fly. As missions multiply and regulations twist into absurd knots, Yossarian finds himself trapped in a nightmare where reason is treason and self-preservation is treated as moral failure.

By turns hilarious, furious and deeply unsettling, Catch-22 exposes the cruelty hidden beneath official language and patriotic rhetoric. Heller’s fragmented, looping narrative mirrors the chaos it depicts, building a world where death is arbitrary, authority is incompetent and human life is endlessly expendable. What begins as farce gradually reveals a profound moral reckoning, as Yossarian struggles to assert his humanity in a system determined to erase it. Endlessly quotable and devastatingly relevant, Catch-22 is not just a war novel – it is a timeless indictment of any institution that values rules over people.

This meeting for discussion of Book #218 is currently scheduled for February 7 at 5 PM.

March 2026

The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez

Fantasy

Published in 2022

This meeting for discussion of Book #219 is currently scheduled for March 7 at 5 PM.

Here’s a two-paragraph blurb for The Spear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez:

The Spear Cuts Through Water weaves an unforgettable tapestry of myth, memory and rebellion, anchored in a frame as lyrical as the story it contains. Against the tyranny of the Moon Throne and its monstrous rulers, a dying Moon goddess enlists two unlikely companions, Jun and Keema, to flee her captivity and embark on a perilous pilgrimage that may end centuries of oppression. As they traverse a broken land, they confront not only external enemies but their own inner wounds, forging an unbreakable bond in a world saturated with violence, longing and hope.

At its heart, this novel is both sweeping fantasy and an intimate exploration of identity, legacy and the stories we tell to make sense of who we are. Simon Jimenez’s prose is rich and poetic, shifting effortlessly between perspectives and timeframes, inviting you into the sacred space between dream and history. The journey of Keema and Jun is not simply a quest to end despotism but a meditation on belonging, love and the power of narrative to stitch together generations across time.