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Book club · Starts November 2026

The Author’s Table

Read the book. Then come and argue about it.

One book a month, picked from what members suggest, and an hour online with other members to talk it over. Free for AIC members — you just buy the book.

  • Starts November 2026
  • One book a month
  • The author joins us
  • Online
  • Free for members

Join AIC to take a seat

Already a member? You’re in, and you’ll hear what the first book is before anyone else.

An AIC evening in a living room strung with Israeli flags: people on sofas and folding chairs listen to a speaker, with stacks of books on the side tables.A speaker in a blue blazer talks with a seated audience in a converted barn at an AIC evening.A full living room at an AIC evening, guests on sofas and chairs turned toward the speaker.
AIC evenings, in person. The book club meets online, so you can join from anywhere.
Guests of every age fill the pews of a synagogue sanctuary for an AIC evening, men in kippot beside women, with a row of chumashim on the shelf in front of them.

From AIC

Why a book club

We’re starting a book club because a good book is an easy way into a hard conversation. You read it in your own time. Then you spend an hour talking it over with other AIC members.

Expect a memoir one month, an argument the next, and an Israeli novel in translation somewhere in there. Come on your own or come as a couple. Students are welcome, and so are their grandparents. If there’s one you think AIC members should be reading, tell us. That’s how the list gets made.

How it works

A month in the book club

  1. Step 1: Members suggest books

    Anyone in AIC can put a title forward. A sentence on why is plenty.

  2. Step 2: AIC picks one a month

    We read every suggestion.

  3. Step 3: You read it

    We announce each book well ahead of the session, so there is time to get a copy. Paperback, ebook, the library — however you like to read.

  4. Step 4: We meet on Teams, with the author

    A host keeps the hour moving and the author takes your questions. Stay on afterwards to schmooze.

On the night

A conversation with the author, and time to schmooze.

  • The schmooze

    Stay on after the hour to talk with other members. That part is never recorded.

  • The conversation

    The author joins us. Bring your questions, your arguments, and the page you underlined.

  • Talk, or just listen

    It’s a Teams meeting. Unmute and turn your camera on if you want to, or keep both off. Each member gets their own personal link by email.

What we are reading

The first two books

The opening night is free and open to everyone. After that the club is members only.

We announce each book well ahead of its session, so there is time to find a copy. You buy the book; the hour is ours.

Not a member yet? Join AIC

Buy through our Bookshop.org links and AIC gets a share of the sale. It costs you nothing extra.

For members

What members get

  • A book a month worth arguing about

    We read what members send in and choose one. Something you’ll finish, and then want to talk about.

  • A real conversation

    Speak up and turn your camera on if you like, or just listen. It’s a Teams meeting, so everyone can talk.

  • Your questions run the hour

    Bring the page you underlined, or the part that made you angry. We start there.

  • Members only

    The club is for AIC members, so you’ll see some of the same faces month to month.

  • The author joins us

    Every book we pick is one whose author comes to the session to talk it over with members.

  • Free with your membership

    Included at every level of AIC membership. You just buy the book.

Also free for membersIsrael Up CloseTwo live talks a month with people who know Israel firsthand, and your questions go first.About Israel Up Close

Know an author we should hear from at Israel Up Close?Suggest a speaker

Questions

What does it cost?

Nothing on top of your membership. The book club is free at every level of AIC membership, and you buy your own copy of the book.

Is it online or in person?

Online, on Microsoft Teams, so you can join from wherever you are.

Will the author be there?

Yes. Every book we pick is one whose author joins the session, so you can ask them about it yourself.

How do I join?

Each member gets their own personal link by email before each session. On a computer, open it in Chrome or Microsoft Edge. You don’t need an account. On a phone or tablet you need the free Teams app, because Teams doesn’t run in a phone’s web browser.

Will people see and hear me?

Only if you want them to. It’s a Teams meeting, so you can unmute and turn your camera on to join the conversation, or keep both off and listen.

What’s the schmooze?

Time before or after the conversation to talk with other members, without an agenda. It’s never recorded.

How do I get the book?

However you like to read it: a bookshop, the library, an ebook. We announce each book well ahead of the session, so there is time to get a copy.

Do I have to finish it?

No. Read what you can and come anyway. Half a book still gives you plenty to say.

Who picks the books?

AIC does, from what members suggest. We read every suggestion.

When does it start?

Tuesday, November 17, with Shai Davidai. After that it meets once a month.

Can non-members come?

To the first one, yes. The opening night, Tuesday, November 17, is free and open to everyone, members or not. After that the book club is for AIC members, and membership starts at $9 a month.

Register for November 17