O CALEDONIA | Fiction Book Club in Coconut Grove!

Books & Books in Coconut Grove is proud to present a new Fiction Book Club hosted by our very own bookseller extraordinaire, Katherine Wakefield. The Fiction Book Club will meet on the last Tuesday of every month. and the October 2025 pick is Elspeth Barker's O Caledonia (Scribner, $16)

This event will take place at Books & Books in Coconut Grove. RSVP is free, but please only register if you intend to join us as space is limited. This is an authorless event, and please come prepared to discuss the novel.

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2025 BOOKER PRIZE

INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER

Janet lies murdered beneath the castle stairs, attired in her mother’s black lace wedding dress, lamented only by her pet jackdaw…

​Author Elspeth Barker masterfully evokes the harsh climate of Scotland in this atmospheric gothic tale that has been compared to the works of the Brontës, Edgar Allan Poe, and Edward Gorey. Immersed in a world of isolation and loneliness, Barker’s ill-fated young heroine Janet turns to literature, nature, and her Aunt Lila, who offers brief flashes of respite in an otherwise foreboding life. People, birds, and beasts move through the background in a tale that is as rich and atmospheric as it is witty and mordant. The family’s motto—Moriens sed Invictus (Dying but Unconquered)—is a well-suited epitaph for wild and courageous Janet, whose fierce determination to remain steadfastly herself makes her one of the most unforgettable protagonists in contemporary literature.

​Katherine Wakefield is a native Miamian and lifelong book lover. She was a part-time bookseller while in college studying music, and after a fifteen-year sojourn in Germany teaching English and voice, she returned to Miami and to putting books into the hands of eager readers. She marked her tenth year of employment at Books and Books this past December, having worn many hats including, but not limited to, OG staff at the Arsht and Coconut Grove locations, merchandiser, event host, offsite bookseller, storybook reader, and general bookslinger. And, up next, book club leader. She finds the most rewarding aspect of working at Books and Books is being in the company of such excellent, interesting people who contribute immeasurably to the vibrancy and well-being of literary Miami.

Host or Publisher Books & Books