Libraries are natural places for book clubs. We have two that are held here within our building, and we get books for several more clubs that hold their meetings in living rooms. The act of reading a book and discussing it is such an enjoyable thing. If you think it’s similar to those high school English class discussions, think again. (Plus, a lot of clubs have snacks involved, so it’s even better.)
But book clubs can come with some down sides, too. Some are quite strict about everyone reading the book before coming to the meetings. And others have a dedicated “chair” who will control the meeting, right down to discussion questions, rather than letting the discourse flow naturally. This can be a bit of a turn-off for some, and often, they’ll look elsewhere for another club.
What about starting your own club? How many people does it have to have? As it turns out, there are no real rules on this. Usually an active book club thrives from having a nice round number of people (10-15), as not everyone can make it each time. It’s also nice to have a wide variety of ages involved, but that will depend on the members themselves.
This is where Amy Cserni and Sara Haddow’s book club is really interesting. The pair met almost thirty-five years ago in high school, and started the unusual routine of reading books out loud to each other. They continued to do this for many years, getting together to read everything from classics to popular fiction. But when Cserni moved across the province, the book club for two was not to be dissolved. Instead of getting together to read out loud, the pair began reading to each other over the phone. Isn’t that a great idea? You can hear a fabulous documentary called “Telephone Books” by Alisa Siegel, by clicking on this link.
Now nothing can stop you from starting up your own book club!
Tales From An Open Book 