Hi everyone, Samarth here!

1) We had a great first book meet on Sunday. 11 of us spent ~3 hours discussing The Fall by Albert Camus, which is exactly the kind of literary evening I'd hoped Friction would be.

2) A quick note on the write-up as a filter: we're keeping it. Everyone in that room had sent me a short email on The Fall before the meet, and it made the discussion so interesting. This is the best sign of intent and engagement, so the write-up stays as the entry to each meet. (More on why I added it is here.)

3) I am sharing the next three books we will read.

July — The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin

August — Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre

September — The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

Just announcing the names for now, so you have enough heads-up to pick and read. I will write more about why I chose these in future emails.

4) We will meet next on July 11 (Saturday) to discuss The Dispossessed. 3-5pm. Deadline to send write-ups is July 5. Email me at [email protected]. Location will be in Bandra/Juhu/Andheri. I will share exact details with attendees.

What to include in the email? Same as last time:

Did you actually like the book or not? Why? Was there any section that hit you the hardest? What are you thinking about after?

Please don't use AI for this. The point is simply that you've read the book and spent some time putting your thoughts down before you walk in.

5) I will announce dates for August and September later.

That’s all for today. Happy reading.

— Samarth Bansal