Wofford College, like many other schools, assigns a book to its incoming freshmen each summer for them to read before they arrive on campus in the fall. The goal is for them to share a common intellectual experience and to see right away that the emphasis of a liberal arts education is learning though reading, thinking, and discussing. This article provides a detailed description of The Novel Experience, which Wofford incorporated into freshman Humanities 101 class. The class is very writing-intensive, is taught by professors from all the humanities, and covers a wide range of topics. It is designed to convince students that reading is worth their time as it introduces students to close relationships they will form with some of their professors. It also lets students connect with one another, and teaches them that intellectual curiosity, reflection, and expression are valued.