Exploring the best of the almost-best! 

2026’s Half Moon Rondout Cafe book club celebrates books that were shortlisted for prestigious literary prizes. While they didn’t take home the top honor, these titles more than earn their spot on your reading list with their exceptional writing and unforgettable stories. 

We meet 1st Saturdays at 2pm at Half Moon Rondout Cafe – 83 Broadway. 

March’s book is North Sun: Or, The Voyage of the Whaleship Esther by Ethan Rutherford 

Setting out from New Bedford in 1878, the crew of the Esther is confident the sea will be theirs: in addition to cruising the Pacific for whale, they intend to hunt the teeming northern grounds before the ice closes. But as they sail to their final destination in the Chukchi Sea, where their captain Arnold Lovejoy has an urgent directive of his own to attend to, their encounters with the natural world become more brutal, harrowing, ghostly, and strange.

With one foot firmly planted in the traditional sea-voyage narrative, and another in a blazing mythos of its own, this debut novel looks unsparingly at the cost of environmental exploitation and predation, and in doing so feverishly sings not only of the past, but to the present and future as well. 

No registration required. 

Plus enjoy doughnuts 🍩 and coffee ☕.

See all selections here.