By Mike McGraw
Reading a book is a quintessentially solitary experience. Add a book club to the mix and it becomes a way to connect with others.
Not only can a book club prompt us to pick up a title we may not have considered trying, but once we read it, we’re encouraged to share our perspective. The tradeoff? We get to hear what others think about the book, oftentimes from perspectives that may be very different from our own.
Most local libraries and bookstores host book clubs or can tell you where to find one or how to start one. Staff members are terrific sources for advice for getting the most out of a book club. The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated lockdown may have thrown a curveball at these professionals but they’ve nimbly adjusted to the times and constraints posed by social distancing. And, with few exceptions, so have book club members.
No Contact, No Worries
Jessica Breslin, branch manager for the Cuyahoga County Public Library, says Zoom and other video conferencing options for book clubs as necessitated by social distancing considerations, “takes geography out of the equation. You can include friends and family that may have relocated, snowbirds or others that normally would miss out.”
Grace Harper of Mac’s Backs-Books on Coventry in Cleveland Heights, which hosts several book clubs, agrees.
“People seem to be responding pretty well to meeting remotely. It’s a great way to stay connected, and everyone is relaxed and safe in their own homes.”
Emily Forsee, who runs one of Mac’s book groups, says Zoom is not a 100% replacement for in-person interaction.
“It was an adjustment — the talking at the same time and making sure members with varying levels of technical skills were able to access the platform — were challenges at the beginning, but after a minimal amount of settling-in time, we have pretty seamlessly adapted to the new format without too much fuss.”
While allowing that some members who had attended in-person drifted away from the Zoom group, others who had moved out of state were able to continue to attend because of the Zoom format.
As far as the tendency of people in a Zoom group to miss cues and talk over each other, Foresee says that, as a moderator, she can look for faces of people who are wanting to speak, and “for larger groups, there are tools such as the “raise the hand” feature that can allow for a more formalized moderator/speaker format.”
Book clubs are a good way to meet people (virtually or in-person), explore topics you might not be familiar with and engage in lively discussions with people who like to read as much as you do. Whether you start with a safe, social distancing experience or go entirely online with video conferencing, a book club may be just the cure for the not-enough-fun-things-to-do blues.
Tell Us About Yours
We want to hear about your book club. What are you reading? How long have you been meeting? How do you choose books? Who leads the discussion? Email us at [email protected] and we’ll spotlight your book club in an upcoming issue of the Northeast Ohio Boomer and Beyond.
So, You Want to Start a Book Club?
You’ve looked around but can’t find a book club that’s convenient or seems like a good fit. Sounds like it’s time to start your own. Jessica Breslin, branch manager for the Cuyahoga County Public Library, offers these tips to get your book club off the ground:
- AUDIENCE: Who will be your target audience? Neighbors, church friends, relatives? Do you want people of different ages and backgrounds?
- MEETING LOCATION: Is there an interesting or central place to meet? Should we meet in a public place or in members’ homes?
- MEETING TIME: When will be a good day/time to maximize attendance? How often will you meet?
- GETTING COPIES: How will you secure and distribute copies of the book selections? Will this be a borrow-only book club or one that expects members to buy the latest titles? How will you decide which books to read? Some clubs choose books for the entire year; others choose at the prior meeting.
- PUBLICITY: Word of mouth really helps in terms of members; invite people as you strike up conversations with friends and neighbors.
Hot Books, Hot Topics
Bibliophiles are always on the hunt for their next fix. Check out our Book Shelf selections on the previous page. Here are a few more that Northeast Ohio book clubs have read or have on tap for fall, according to Grace Harper of Mac’s Books-Books on Coventry.
- “Lost Children Archive” by Valeria Luiselli
- “Severance” by Ling Ma
- “Her Body and Other Parties” by Carmen Maria Machado
- “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison
- “There There” by Tommy Orange
Online-Only Book Clubs
If a local book club isn’t appealing or you want a limited-commitment experience, consider an online-only book club. Here a few favorites:
Oprah’s Book Club
Oprah.com
Goodreads Choice Awards Book Club
Goodreads.com
Reese’s Book Club – Hello Sunshine
Hello-sunshine.com
#ReadwithJenna
today.com/read-with-jenna
Mike McGraw is a book lover whose writing has appeared in PRIZM, Freshwater Cleveland, Wish Cleveland, and the Cleveland Street Chronicle. He lives in Cleveland Heights.
