September 28th, 2008 Book Clubs

Do you love to read? Have you ever read a really great book and then wanted to share it with someone? Have you dver read just one paragraph or sentence out of a book and thought it was just too good to keep to yourself? If you answered yes to any of these questions then perhaps a book club is the perfect thing for you, and there is one out there just waiting for you. It’s that simple.

The Thunder Bay Public Library has on its website several ways for you to get involved in reading and book clubs. On the main page www.tbpl.ca, under the WHAT’S ON tab, you will see a number of exciting opportunities for you to partake in what the library has to offer. Listed on the left amongst COMPUTER CLASSES and SPECIAL EVENTS is the BOOK CLUBS Tab. If this comes as a big surprise for you, then you are in for a treat. A myriad of exciting opportunities is about to unfold before your very eyes.

First up is the CASUAL CLERISY CLUB, a book club open to all, that meets on the second Tuesday of every month at noon, in the Auditorium at the Waverley Resource Library. You are welcome to unwrap your lunch and take part in their amazing fall lineup:

October 14: Focus on an Artist
November 18: Peace or War Books
December 9: Water for Elephants (Meet at the 55-Plus Centre for a Christmas Luncheon)

Along the same lines is the NOVEL LUNCH BUNCH. Add the third Monday of each month at 1 p.m. into the Mary J.L. Black Library, stir and repeat. This line-up rivals the first in both scope and interest level:

October 20: Kinship: Family Stories
November 17: Love Stories

If you already have your own book club but are just trying to keep it fresh, then you could network with other book clubs and explore what’s out there. The Library has created a database of local book clubs and would like to hear from you and yours. In this way you could be added to the database, and become part of a directory that will keep you informed of future author visits and new library services that may be of interest to you.

Perhaps your book club has everything in terms of people and ideas, but you need some new and exciting book titles. Try www.bookbrowse.com, www.readinggroupguides.com, or www.bookclubs.ca. With numerous books at the TBPL covering a variety of topics concerning the subject of book clubs, you will undoubtedly find what you need. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Starting a Reading Group by Patrick Sauer is available as an electronic resource through NetLibrary.

The Kids' Book Club Book: Reading Ideas, Recipes, Activities, and Smart Tips for Organizing Terrific Kids' Book Clubs by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, explores different ideas for kids who would like to start their own book club. And The Book Club Companion: A Comprehensive Guide to the Reading Group Experience written by by Diana Loevy would be another ideal choice.





Once your book club has decided on a book, date, time and place, there’s always the problem of finding a book for each member. The library has solved that problem with the BOOK CLUBS IN A BAG. Each bag contains ten paperback copies of one title, discussion questions, author information, and reviews for use by book clubs. There are more than 50 titles including Atonement by Ian McEwan, and Beautiful Losers by Leonard Cohen all the way through the alphabet to The Way the Crow Flies by Ann-Marie MacDonald and Welcome to the World Baby Girl by Fannie Flagg. You can place a hold on any of these titles with your library card.

Need a place for your book club to gather? Look no further. TBPL has meeting rooms to offer book clubs (or any groups for that matter). Check under the SERVICES / MEETING ROOMS page on our Web site for details. The Community Room at Brodie is comfortable and the atmosphere pleasant for small groups.

For those who love to read but whose time is limited and would prefer to kick back and enjoy their book club in the comfort of their home, there’s the ONLINE BOOK CLUB. You can sign up for this on the TBPL website. It allows you to sample your books before you commit to obtaining them. Each day, Monday through Friday, subscribers are emailed a five minute portion of a book. By the end of the week, subscribers have read two to three chapters from the book and if they like it, they can borrow it from the library, or fill out a request if the library does not have it. New books are featured weekly. There are eleven book clubs to choose from, and include something for every age and taste; fiction, non-fiction and even audio books for you to listen to on your computer or MP3 player. There is even a Pre Pub Club that lets you read books not yet published.

There’s more! For those on Facebook, there’s the visual bookshelf with millions of books. You can see what your friends are reading, and create your own lists. Say you’re about to embark on your next book which seems daunting at 900 pages, you can read reviews by those who have already finished it. You can also write your own reviews and recommend titles. The possibilities with TBPL are endless, so join in. There really are places to go, people to see and books to read!

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.
Joseph Addison

Caron Naysmith, Supply Staff