The University Friends Circle Book Club usually meets on the first Thursday of the month at 3:30 p.m., at the UC Merced on Main building at the corner of Main Street and M, in downtown Merced. The April 2026 meeting will be on Thursday, April 2nd.
Book Club leaders Martha (french412@yahoo.com) and Barbara invite all UFC members to join them for robust discussion each month. Book Club members rotate responsibility for book selection during the academic year. All UFC members are welcome at any time!
The March book selection to be discussed April 2nd is Theo of Golden by Allen Levi.
This 2023 novel is about a mysterious, elderly man who arrives in a Southern town, anonymously buying 92 local pencil portraits to return them to their subjects. He fosters community, connection, and redemption through intentional acts of kindness. (Google AI)
Titles read so far this academic year:
- February 2026: Apples Never Fall by Lian Moriarty
- January 2026: The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
- December 2025: Between Sisters by Kristin Hannah
- November 2025: Shadow Ticket by Thomas Pynchon
- October 2025: My Friends by Fredrik Backman
- September 2025: The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
