Book Clubs, by Stacy

 We’ve passed out nearly all of our copies of “Fahrenheit 451” and book discussions have started.  If you are reading the “One Book, One Community” book, then I urge you to get to know people in your discussion group and talk about extending this one meeting to a monthly book club.  Being involved in a book club has a ton of benefits.

I am involved with two book clubs and they are very different.  One club is widely varied with both men and women who are both younger and significantly older than I am.  We have been book clubbing for nearly eight years and have made it through 92 books.  We still have 9 of our twelve original members.  We’ve been through illnesses, job changes and declining eyesight over the years, but one thing has not changed, and that is the amazing pearls of wisdom I leave with each month.   If not for this club, I just would not have the deeper layers of understanding that I get by discussing books with this particular group of people.

My other club is much newer, but just as important to me.  We’ve been together for a couple of years and the all-female members are fairly similar to me in terms of background and age.  What amazes me though is that despite our relative similarities, everyone thinks so differently.  I always come away with several different viewpoints on the book as well as a good understanding of how events in the book compare with our contemporary lives.

If you are a reader, I encourage you to get a club together.  If you are not a reader, then I encourage you to do the same because joining a book club is one of the easiest and most fun ways to become a habitual reader.  There are many ways the library can help support your club.

The library has 185 book club kits that check out to clubs for two months at a time.  Each kit contains ten copies of the same book and the books range from classics like “The Sound and the Fury” and perennial book club fodder like “Snow Falling on Cedars” to recent book club hits like “A Fault in our Stars” and “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed.  In addition, for almost every kit, our website has links to discussion questions and a recipe that fits the book.  You can find the list at http://library.stillwater.org/list_of_book_club_kits.php.

The library also has room for your meetings.  If you prefer not to meet in each others' homes, then call to reserve Room 138.  It is free and perfectly sized for a discussion, with comfortable chairs and a large table.

 

If you have questions about forming a book club or want to register to borrow our kits, email us at askalibrarian@stillwater.org or call 405.372.3633 x 8106.  Happy book clubbing!