CLICK HERE FOR AN AUDIOBOOK COPY 

Join us for an in-person Book Club Discussion & Themed Tasting Experience on Saturday, January 10th from 4-6 pm at Tesserae Studios in Edgebrook!

This adventure is inspired by Aperitif Cocktails: Sweet Sips for New Beginnings & features My Friends by Fredrik Backman (PRE-READING IS RECOMMENDED FOR THIS EVENT)…

Local Book Lovers will gather to discuss the featured book at Tesserae Studios in Edgebrook (5346 W Devon Ave), where they can also get a taste of some beautiful local artwork and themed sips inspired by the characters, plots and settings of the story (BYOB is welcomed at this space as well) while mingling! A *MINI BOOK FAIR POP-UP* with curated books and reading pairings will be set up for shopping after the event, so guests can stock up on their favorite bookish goodies to take home with them too.

NOTE: With each Book Club sign up, you can choose to receive a physical copy of the featured book(s) to read before we meet in-person (CLICK THE CHECKBOX(ES) TO ADD A COPY OF THE BOOK(S) TO YOUR ORDER), decide to download an audiobook from the link below before the event, OR opt to grab your book(s) from the library / share your book(s) with a friend.

BOOK SYNOPSIS

#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later...

Most people don’t even notice them - three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.

Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.

Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Grown-Ups

OUR BOOKS ARE LISTED BY AGE GROUP to indicate that the content is engaging and appropriate for those selected ages. PLEASE NOTE: They may not be the appropriate reading level for every individual at those ages or may extend beyond the brackets.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Publish Date: June 03, 2025

Pages: 352

Dimensions: 9.6 X 6.5 X 1.2 inches | 1.1 pounds

Language: English

Type: Hardcover

Condition: NEW

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TASTINGS CALENDAR

JANUARY 10 (4-6 PM) MY FRIENDS @ TESSERAE STUDIOS IN EDGEBROOK

JANUARY 17 (3-5 PM) BUCKEYE @ PATINA WINE BAR IN PARK RIDGE

JANUARY 24 (4-6 PM) THE NAMES @ TBD LOCATION

(CLICK THE LINKS ABOVE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH EVENT)