I think if you are a reader, one of your favourite things then becomes sharing that love of reading. In my experience some of this is forced on others around you as you cannot help but extoll the virtues of a favourite read, or rant about one that disappointed for whatever (even petty) reason. It's fun to gush about a five star read, or lament a disappointment to readers around you that you *know* just understand.
Here at the library I host a book club...or two...or three. And so, I have deemed myself an amateur expert (I am aware of the oxymoron) and would like to share my love of book clubs whether that be convincing you to join one of the many here at Red Deer Public Library -- or starting one of your very own!
Because I would be *completely* remiss if I did not first give you the rundown of the book clubs here at the library (who are ALWAYS accepting new members), let's start there. (Don't worry I will give tips, tricks, and my secrets for starting your own, but first indulge me.)
Any Book Book Club
Let's start with one of mine. Though really it belongs to the group that has been cultivating community for years. This particular club meets the second Thursday of every month (except in the summer because -- vacay), and it is exactly as described. Have you read ANY book? Come tell us all about it at the club. I like to think I foster a fun, chatty, recommendation filled Thursday evening for us every month. We know which books aren't "Sara Books" (IYKYK), who's reading dinosaur erotica, who's looking for the next well written WWII drama, and who hate reads a series because they just cannot help themselves -- and it is the absolute most fun to be had.
Any Book Book Club: Teen Edition
Have a teen in your life OR are you yourself a teen and reading this blog post?! This is literally the same book club you see above, but with only one adult (the host) which is sometimes Simon (aka the man who knows everything about animé, Pokémon, and horror), or me (because of course me).
Books & Bannock Book Club
This book club is a unique partnership between the library and the amazing folks at the Red Deer Native Friendship society. Hosted the third Tuesday of every month, the group dives into books written by Indigenous and Two Spirit authors. Though this book club is fairly new on our scene, it already has an amazing group of engaged readers, and has featured opportunities to actually hear from the authors themselves!
Hi, me again! Yes, I love romance. This is an online hosted book club with some of my favourite romance readers around. Whether joining from Sylvan Lake, Red Deer, Winnipeg, or as far away as Kentucky, there's nothing but laughter, cringe, jokes, and fun to be had discussing both old and new Romance titles. Because we cannot get enough, this book club meets the whole year through.
Last Chapter Book Club
I know what you're thinking..."Claire, how will you give a book club about death and dying a cheeky little blurb?" I'm glad you asked. and the answer is I probably won't. One of my favourite coworkers in all the library land (and we know they are all my favourites), hosts this club that features both fiction and non-fiction selections that deal with death and dying. It is the universal human experience, and we want to talk about it. Mostly, we want to talk about it with you...the second Tuesday of every month returning in September.
Past Pages Book Club
Are you looking for an afternoon book club? At the library? With access to excellent parking? Say, "Hello!" to Dawe's Past Pages. This book club started as a primarily historical fiction book club, but is expanding its original mission as its membership grows -- and YOU could be a part of it! EXCITING -- right?! Join library staff the first Tuesday September through June to chat about the latest picks.
On the Same Page Book Club
This is the library's longest running book club. (We are talking in decades not years.) Meeting the third Wednesday of each month, titles for this special book club are chosen at their year end meeting in June. Club members get to pitch their picks, and host their titles should they be chosen. Thoughtful discussion is always on this book club's menu and members have access to Kobo devices to read the year's picks. New members can join all year, and our lovely host Val would love to welcome you!
A coworker and I had an idea, a *brilliant* idea. What if we read or REREAD books with longtime fans and those just discovering certain classics for the first time? (See what I said about brilliant??) Presently, this book club meets the last Monday of each month should you be down for a read OR a rereading of Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache series, and the last Wednesday of every second month should Jane Austen's classics be more your speed.
And here we are at my final hosting position. (I know, I know.) This club to completely online and can be accessed at your leisure! We have monthly reads with chapter breakdowns, channels for bookish memes, spoilers, Little Free Libraries, book hauls, and MORE. Honestly, such a fun book community that requires no special meetup time. Just hop on the server, and someone is there to greet you!
If you've made it this far, trust me when I say I love you. Anyways, did you know that the library makes starting your very own book club easy? We have book club kits that come with ten copies of the same title and questions as a jumping off point for your club's discussion! I find having some questions at the ready an excellent way to feel a little less stressed as the host. One of the things I am always telling members of my book clubs, is that if a book is not for you -- come to the meeting and tell us why. Didn't get to it because life got in the way? Come to the meeting and decide if that discussion makes you want to skip or prioritize it on your TBR. HATED it? Come to the meeting. The rules of book club is not you have to love every selection or you're not welcome. The dream is to obviously choose selections that resonate with more people than not -- but as a person making those selections a lot of the time let me tell you it is not always easy. Do snacks help book clubs? Of course. Snacks help everything.
Here are a top three of our book club kit picks (in my non-objective opinion):
Want to read about an EXTREMELY unlikeable protagonist in a thriller about a stolen manuscript? This is the one for you. I couldn't put this twisty satire down.
I don't read a lot of courtroom dramas -- I seem to gravitate to them more on film, but I read this in an afternoon. Highly recommend.
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Young Adult Book Club Kit)
Though this one is classified as Young Adult, I do think all readers would enjoy this true crime podcast inspired book with twists, turns, and sequels should you feel so inclined!
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