Eva Antonel
Even though the concept of a book club
is often attributed to Oprah Winfrey, I can say
that I've been part of a book club for the last
several decades. Me and a half-dozen or so
unsuspecting members.
Reading and sharing the joy of a good
read is as natural a pairing as wine and
chocolate. One is great, but nothing is better
than the ability to enjoy the two together.
Friends, co-workers and family were often
informed about the latest book I loved and
why they should consider taking the next few
minutes to run to their nearest library or
bookstore. Yes, I meant to say minutes,
because if the enthusiasm in my voice hadn't
convinced them why that should be a priority,
then the timeline should have done the trick.
At the same time, I did my best to poke
around for their recent faves and make a
mental note to add it to my mental "books to
read next" pile. If shoes or electronic gadgets
are the things that make your heart beat
faster, you understand how us bibliophiles
feel about a well-put-together 100,000 or so
words.
Deciding to make it official, eight years
ago I invited a handful of kindred spirits to
meet at my place after reading a book I'd
recently finished and couldn't wait to share.
They arrived toting their copies under their
arms, some even in costume. We talked about
the characters, the times and situations they
lived in, their reactions to those situations
and why that mattered to us. It didn't matter
to all of us in the same way. To some it didn't
matter at all, while one or two of us were so
affected that we saw ourselves in an entirely
In light of the recent Charlie Hebdo
massacre, the importance and privilege of
being able to read a vast array of literature,
regardless of its political or religious
inclination, has underlined the fact that many
of us still can't and countless others want to
make sure we don't. Millions of lives have
been lost because some have dared to express
a view contrary to that of a ruling authority.
Yes, some points of view are offensive and
even dangerous, but the alternative is more
dangerous yet.
Want to start your own book club?
several friends and/or family
members that you know enjoy reading
(3-5).
u Since you're the first one to call a meeting,
you'll be the one to choose the first book
you should all read prior to getting
together.
u Choose a meeting place.
u Jot down a few points that you'd like to
discuss in case there's a lull in conversation
(there are many book club discussion
questions available on the Internet.
Goodreads or the publisher's website are
good places to start).
u Offer light refreshments like coffee or tea
and finger foods. The less you fuss, the
lighter the atmosphere.
u At the end of the first meeting, discuss
where you'd like to meet, how often and
how you'll go about choosing subsequent
books.
u Invite
Visit the Essex County
Library website to join
an Essex County Library
Adult Book Club
different light.
We have now been meeting for almost
nine years. A few members left, one has died,
several of us have changed jobs, survived
illnesses, become grandparents or seen our
spouses or parents leave. We've read books we
loved, books we've hated and books that have
offended, but most of all, have been prodded
to consider reads that we wouldn't have
picked up otherwise. We've agreed, disagreed,
laughed and cried but our world has become
larger and our point of view broader because
someone has written, someone has published
and we felt free to read and discuss how we
felt about it.
Do you belong to a book club??
Tell us about it on Facebook, or tweet us @TheHubWE #artmatters
February 2015 - The HUB 9