JB Reading Group on Zoom
GLOUCESTERBOOK
3rd Tuesday of each month, 4:00-5:00 pm Eastern
All are welcome!
Gloucesterbook is the first of Jonathan Bayliss's Gloucester novels. It begins in 1960 with Rafe Opsimath, a West Coast businessman, visiting "Dogtown" (a fictional city that closely resembles Gloucester, Massachusetts) for the first time. Rafe hires a young analyst, Caleb Karcist, for a statistical job. Through Rafe and Caleb, we are introduced to the unique features of "Cape Gloucester" - its people (some of whom are loosely based on Bayliss's friends and colleagues), history, economics, politics, neighborhoods, and institutions. We also learn much about Caleb's love life, his work, and his "Viking Shepherd" dog, Ibi-Roi.
We are reading about 30 pages a month, covering the 607 pages between January 2026 and May 2027.
You are welcome to join our friendly reading group whenever time permits. There are no tests! Come even if you haven't done the reading. Once you register, you'll receive a reminder ahead of each session with the Zoom link.
- January 20, 2026: Proem and part 1, ch. 1, "Rafe Opsimath's Disquisition Log"
- February 17, 2026: part 1, ch. 2, "The Van" and ch. 3, "Rafe's Log (2)"
- March 17, 2026: part 1, ch. 4, "Poet's Corner"
- April 21, 2026: part 1, ch. 5, "Rafe's Log (3)"
- May 19, 2026: part 1, ch. 6, "Rocky Bay"
- June 16, 2026: part 1, ch. 7, "Rafe's Log (4)"
- July 21, 2026: part 2, ch. 1, "Lore of the Saints"; ch. 2, "Caleb Karcist's Current Curriculum Vitae"; ch. 3, "Acorn Pasture"
- August 18, 2026: part 2, ch. 4, "Beltane Hill"; ch. 5, "The Rectory"
- September 15, 2026: part 2, ch. 6, "Poet's Corner"; ch. 7, "Avalon Reefer"
- October 20, 2026: part 2, ch. 8, "Rima Vocalis"; ch. 9, "The Resistance"
- November 17, 2026: part 2, ch. 10, "Quinquagesima: Offertory"
- December 15, 2026: part 2, ch. 11, "Ember Wednesday: Consecration"
- January 19, 2027: part 2, ch. 12, "Lady Day: Communion"
- February 16, 2027: part 2, ch. 13, "Lent"; ch. 14, "Moonfeather"
- March 16, 2027: part 2, ch. 15, "Magic Mountain"; ch. 16, "Matter a Priori"
- April 20, 2027: part 2, ch. 17, "Lustration"
- May 18, 2027: part 2, ch. 18, "Lore of the Angels"