The Robin's Nest: Vote!

Three books. One vote. Many opinions.

Robin’s Nest members get to choose the book we’ll discuss at our very first gathering on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time via Zoom.

Take a look at the contenders, then cast your vote below.

Voting closes Thursday, August 27, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
We’ll reveal the winning book on Friday, August 28, giving everyone plenty of time to find a copy and start reading.

Flesh by David Szalay

István’s life begins in a quiet Hungarian apartment complex, but a formative relationship sets him on an unexpected journey through military service, immigration, physical labor, wealth, and London high society.

Told in spare, striking prose, Flesh explores masculinity, class, desire, power, and the enormous parts of a life that remain unspoken. Winner of the 2025 Booker Prize, it promises the kind of conversation where everyone may read the same book—and come away with a completely different interpretation.

Choose this if you enjoy: minimalist writing, complicated characters, moral ambiguity, and books you’ll still be thinking about days later.

Go Gentle by Maria Semple

Adora Hazzard believes she has life figured out. A divorced Stoic philosopher living on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, she has built a satisfying life around her daughter, her friends, and one guiding principle: desire only what you already have.

Then she meets an intriguing stranger, and her carefully curated world is swept into romance, black-market art, international intrigue, and a past that refuses to remain buried.

Smart, funny, tender, and delightfully unpredictable, Go Gentle is a story about midlife reinvention—and what happens when the heart ignores the plans made by the head.

Choose this if you enjoy: witty heroines, romance, mystery, big ideas, and a little well-dressed chaos.

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali

In politically turbulent 1953 Tehran, idealistic teenager Roya finds refuge in a neighborhood stationery shop filled with books, pens, and jewel-colored inks. There she meets Bahman, a young activist who shares her love of poetry—and becomes her first great love.

When the couple is abruptly separated, their lives move across decades and continents. Years later, fate offers Roya the chance to discover what happened and why.

Rich with Persian culture, history, food, family, and longing, The Stationery Shop is a sweeping story about love, loss, memory, and the questions that can follow us for a lifetime.

Choose this if you enjoy: historical fiction, enduring love stories, family secrets, and books that may require tissues.

Cast Your Vote

Enter the same email address you used to join Robin’s Nest, then select one book below.

One vote per member, please. If you submit more than once, your most recent selection will count. Campaigning among friends is allowed; stuffing the ballot box is not.