FREELANCE CONTRIBUTOR
If you re looking for a new activity this winter, consider joining a book club. Both rural and urban regions now have this type of club, and if your district doesn t, perhaps you could start one. A few notices or advertising will probably bring out several like-minded people who would love to discuss what friends and neighbours have been reading.
There are a variety of different kinds of book clubs. Most meet about once a month, and most select a particular book which all members read and then discuss. Some read only fiction, while other groups concentrate on non-fiction. Some groups meet in members homes; others meet in the local library. A majority of club members are women, although I ve heard of a couple which have male members only, and some which have both men and women. In some groups, members bers take turns providing a snack and beverage. In one group,foodis the main attraction; the book discussion dis- is only secondary!
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The book club I belong to, an eclectic group, meets one evening a month in the library, from September to May. We don t meet over summer because some members are holidaying, while those who farm, frequently find summer months too busy for reading. We discuss a variety of books, most often fiction, although we usually select one or two nonfiction selections, too. We bring food twice a year: before Christmas (a lighthearted look at poetry where members share favourite poems), and with the special windup meeting in May.
For May, we choose a book with some definite theme or setting. For instance, last May the book we discussed wasThe Helpby Kathryn Stockett, a book set in Mississippi during the 1960s, and our members brought southern food. The previous May our meeting was held in a member s home with a secluded, rural setting; we discussedGrass, Sky, Song: Promise and Peril in the World of Grassland Birdsby Saskatchewan author, Trevor Herriot. One other year at our windup meeting, we discussedUnder the Tuscan Sunwith members bringing Italian food and wine! Our choice for next May isBaking Cakes in Kigaliby Gaile Parkin.
Guess what we re planning for lunch!
For us, the September meeting is another special one because that s when we select the year s books. Members come with suggestions and explain why those would be good choices. Then, by general consensus, we select a book for each month, choosing ones that will create discussion, not just those that are a good read. (We have a second list of books that were recommended but not chosen, perhaps because their discussion value might be less.) Some other clubs choose differently, with a different person acting as host each time and selecting the book.
Sometimes our book discussions become quite vocal. This September our discussion book wasThe Gargoyleby Manitoba author, Andrew Davidson, and members varied widely in their opinions. Several loved the book, while others positively hated it. It made for a lively meeting! October s choice,Room,also brought forth divided opinions.
In our club some members buy their own copy of the selected book, while others prefer to borrow one. Our club includes our librarians, who make arrangements to borrow books through the inter-library loan system. If we select a recent book, however, there may not be enough available through loan, and then members share or buy a copy. Some members download E-books to read that way.
We have about 15 members, and usually 10 or so attend each meeting, which is a suitable number for discussions. More than 15 becomes too many to allow everyone to voice opinions, and splitting into two groups might be necessary.
If book clubs interest you, you could ask your local librarian for assistance. She/he might be able to direct you to a club, or assist in forming one. On a quick website search, I found only two Manitoba clubs listed in Brandon and Erickson though some, such as ours in MacGregor and the one hosted by the Portage la Prairie Library, weren t listed. I m sure there are more out there, too.
This website lists books other groups have selected, and possible discussion questions: http://www.canadi anbookclubs.com/mb.html.
Donna Gamache writes from MacGregor, Manitoba
