The Book Club Exploded

Buffed, blended, and hooked up to other media, today’s book club looks nothing like yesterday’s modest tea party

By Barbara Hoffert -- Library Journal, 7/15/2006

One leader, 12 readers, and a few well-thumbed copies of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. That’s all a book club once required. No more. The runaway popularity of book clubs has brought with it a whole new set of possibilities. Thematic discussion? A fiction/nonfiction mix? Videoconferencing? Multimedia exploration? With these and other approaches, librarians nationwide are successfully restructuring chitchat about beloved classics or recent best sellers to deliver a richer and more vibrant experience for everyone.

One topic, lots of books

Take the monthly book club at East Palestine Memorial PL, OH. Says Director Lisa Rohrbaugh, who selects the material and then leads the discussion, “Sometimes we all read the same book, sometimes the same genre, sometimes the same subject.” Writers whose works have been considered as a whole include Ivan Klima, Naghib Mafhouz, and Jorge Luis Borges. Broader reading has encompassed foreign travel literature, Eastern European fiction and nonfiction, and author or musician biographies. And a few imaginative forays have taken in books about the sun as well as essays by Montaigne and Emerson. For these thematic discussions, participants aren’t necessarily reading the same titles, but by reading related material they each bring valuable information and a unique perspective to the proceedings.

Folks at Upper Merion Township Lib., King of Prussia, PA, also enjoy thematic discussions but approach them differently, with two yearly five-book series led by two popular and dedicated English professors from nearby West Chester University. Everyone reads the same five books, one every other week, with topics like “The Cultural Fabric of America” (e.g., David Guterson’s Snow Falling on Cedars, Richard Rodriguez’s Hunger of Memory, and poetry by Gwendolyn Brooks, Langston Hughes, and Rita Dove), “Family: The Battle with the Past” (e.g., Paul Monette’s Becoming a Man, Julia Alvarez’s How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, and Eugene O’Neill’s Long Day’s Journey into Night), and “The Family and Working America” (e.g., Willa Cather’s The Professor’s House, Tillie Olsen’s Yonnodio, and Russell Baker’s Growing Up).

Chesterfield Cty. PL, VA, is experimenting with having a book club follow a theme over several months, too, though like East Palestine Memorial it will encourage participants to read different titles. The first theme planned is World War II, and other themes will likely include the Civil War, African American literature, and the immigrant experience, supported by a We the People Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. New Canaan PL, CT, offers yet another approach, including among its four groups an “Eighteenth Century Club,” which considers only works written in or about the 1700s. (The mystery book club, another subject-specific type, is especially popular nationwide.) In addition, discussion at New Canaan’s “Reader’s Choice” club has veered toward topics like “Biographies To Winter By” and “Family Relationships.” A different member chooses the book for each meeting, and even when a title isn’t theme-based, topical thinking is contagious. “There is always some kind of tie-in with a previous book,” notes assistant director Cynde Bloom Lahey.

The advantages stack up

Once you start counting them, the advantages of a thematic approach to book discussion really add up. Instead of rushing to secure 22 copies of a single title through purchase or interlibrary loan, librarians can pull different titles already on the shelves, saving effort and money while exploiting the riches of the collection. Thematic discussions aren’t as likely to grind to a halt after a few observations of the “I liked it” or “It bored me” variety, instead flowing from book to book and meeting to meeting.

Working by theme enriches the conversation by allowing readers to cross genres and approach the discussion from different perspectives, thus getting a better sense of an author, idea, or culture. It can also shake up reader complacency, attracting new people who might be intimidated by or uninterested in book clubs generally but who find a topic appealing. “Everyone who is part of planning our new project is really excited,” observes Chesterfield’s Neal Wyatt, “because it breaks up the deadlock groups have right now and invites other people in.”

Those coming in are not just new people but a new demographic, notes Donna Bettencourt, Mesa County PL, CO. “Teen groups seem to like theme-based book discussions, reading different fiction and nonfiction titles and discussing all the books. Reading one book with a series of questions just doesn’t appeal.” A topical mix of fiction and nonfiction may attract more male readers, too, who have tended to shy away from the fiction-dominated book groups of the past. “It’s assumed that a book for discussion has to be an Oprah book,” observes Brian DeLuca, Hartford County PLs, CT, “which won’t draw in men at all.”

Mixing up the media

If a book club can conjure up more engaged and engaging discussion by linking several titles, often mixing fiction and nonfiction, poetry and plays, it’s just as illuminating to mix books with other media. After reading one of the Bard’s plays, the book club at Kingstowne Community Library, Fairfax County PL, VA, bounded into Washington, DC, to see a live performance at the Shakespeare Theatre. East Palestine Memorial’s book club often spices its discussions with talk of movies and not just remakes of a book. Intriguing pairs that have allowed participants to explore ideas in multiple contexts include Truman Capote’s The Thanksgiving Guest and the movie The Piano Lesson and John Gardner’s Sunlight Dialogues and the film House of Sand and Fog.

Kansas City PL, MO, also encourages exploration, supporting other reading forums tied to special library exhibits or citywide events in addition to hosting its popular book clubs at ten locations. Book clubs make homier links, too. Members often combine discussion with a meal, especially one that reflects scenes from the book or the author’s culture. (Butterbeer, anyone? Or perhaps a delicious mole sauce to accompany Laura Esquivel’s Like Water for Chocolate?)

Chesterfield’s Wyatt would go in another direction, combining reading with knitting. “It’s huge where I am,” she says of the craft, “as I’m sure it is everywhere. We’ve had one success, when people came and just knitted and talked. I want to ramp that up to chick lit and knitting because the same audience checks out both. We’re trying to work with yarn stores in the area.”

The power of authors

If attending an author lecture is a pleasure, having the author participate in a book discussion seems like a dream. It’s not as hard to arrange as one may think. “Authors love libraries,” exclaims New Canaan’s Lahey. “They tell us with every visit.” Author visits can be arranged through a publisher’s publicity department, and though one can ask for any author, catching someone who’s young and hungry or just out the door with a new title probably works best. (A dedicated library marketer will be especially helpful in arranging a visit; for a list, see www.authorsatyourlibrary.org). These days, however, many authors are visiting book clubs without setting foot in the library.

A good book, an avid group of readers, and an author on a speakerphone: that’s the perfect formula for an exciting book discussion, as Lahey discovered in 2004 when Khaled Hosseini (The Kite Runner) was invited to speak at the library. “It was at the peak of his popularity, and we had over 200 people attend,” she recalls. “The sound was great, he was articulate, and the Q&A went well.”

Smaller groups are doubtless better for real one-on-one discussions, but librarians working with groups of any size can check out publisher web sites to see what authors might be available for phone chats. Many Random House imprints will even pay for the call. Librarians can join Random’s reader’s group advisory list to receive galleys, backup materials, and a monthly e-newsletter by emailing library@randomhouse.com. HarperCollins, whose “Invite the Author” lottery initially targeted consumers, has recently extended it to libraries and bookstores and will even lend out a speakerphone.

A person on the screen

Librarians who like the idea of phone chats might go one step further and consider videoconferencing. That’s what Kathleen Degyansky did at Queens Borough PL, NY. Saddled with donated videoconferencing equipment never used for remote meetings as intended, the library’s director challenged staff to come up with a few good ideas. Degyansky landed the job of coordinating the videoconferencing initiative and immediately thought of author visits. In short order, books clubs in Queens were hooking up with Gary Soto (Baseball in April and Other Stories) in California, Chris Bohjalian (Midwives) in Vermont, and Mark Spragg (An Unfinished Life) in Red Lodge, MT, who was chatting with a Michigan group at the same time. Queens Borough has also hosted authors, beaming Michael Cunningham (The Hours) to a library in California.

In videoconferencing, the author can both see and hear book club members, and members can both see and hear him or her. “Sort of like the Jetsons and Rosie,” explains Degyansky. For that reason, she considers videoconferencing superior to webcasting, in which the only opportunity for exchange with the speaker comes in the form of emailed queries. Authors aren’t likely to have their own videoconferencing equipment, of course, but many local institutions will; Spragg spoke from a telemedicine clinic ten minutes from his home. “If Red Lodge, MT, has videoconferencing equipment, every town has videoconferencing equipment somewhere,” asserts Degyansky, who points to community colleges, hospitals, and business centers as likely sites. In fact, since videoconferencing equipment doesn’t come cheap, librarians interested in trying it might first ask to use a nearby college’s equipment, hook up with Spragg at the Red Lodge clinic, and see how they like it.

It’s about content

Degyansky’s advice for videoconferencers could apply to anyone doing a phone chat as well: “Some wonk can figure out the technology; stay centered on the content, which is what everybody really cares about.” In fact, the technology is not unduly challenging. A bigger challenge for Degyansky is making sure that she lands an author willing to take a chance at something new, so she heeds publisher recommendations carefully. Publicists know their authors and can identify the mavericks. They can also tell anyone trying to arrange a visit, whether high or low tech, which authors will jump into conversation and which are cold fish who’d rather stay home in their garrets (or mansions). Observes Sarah Pucillo, Random’s library marketing coordinator, “You want authors who want to promote their books, which not all authors will agree to do.”

Technology promises to transform the book club experience, and many librarians are intrigued if cautious. “I’ll support anything that connects authors and readers—if a library has the personnel to do it,” says Kathleen Sullivan, Phoenix PL. Concurs Kansas City’s Bob Lunn, “I would be interested in experimenting with any of these approaches. The problem for me comes with trying to juggle everything that needs doing, plus the nagging fear of technology failure.” Time will tell how popular phone chats and videoconferencing will become, though they will probably flourish with a generational changing of the guard. Even now, online book clubs have had mixed results—except among teenagers, who, as many librarians happily report, are actively engaging in library-sponsored book blogs.

A real community

With book clubs bursting out all over, some thanks are due Oprah Winfrey. “Oprah got many more people comfortable talking about books,” says Michele McGraw, Southdale Library, Hennepin County PL, MN. But she goes on to cite another, deeper reason for book club euphoria: “People are looking for a chance to connect, and the library’s book club is a real community.”

Indeed, many librarians consider book clubs an important part of their mission, bringing back lapsed users, hauling in new ones, providing enhanced service to regulars, and promoting the value of reading to the community at large. “Book discussion groups support the idea that libraries harbor communities of readers,” observes Kansas City’s Lunn. “If someone visiting the library goes away with that impression, who knows where it might end?”

Club in a kit

Some libraries are so committed to book clubs that they offer members special collections or kits. Hennepin County’s 150 kits, which are generally checked out by a single member for the entire group, include ten copies of the book, plus discussion questions and background information on the author. Several years ago, New Canaan opted to purchase multiple copies of any title a book club wanted, realizing that other clubs would likely line up for the book as well. Now, with local clubs numbering several hundred, these book club collections have created a spurt in circulation.

Seattle PL’s ten-year program is even more ambitious. Catering to more than 400 book groups, which must register with the library, the book group collection offers multiple copies (generally numbering 24) of more than 400 titles. Users don’t even need to check out the particular passel of books, which are typically packed up by librarians for the clubs; the packages almost always come back intact. “We look for books that are good for discussion and with broad enough appeal for a variety of groups,” explains Christine Hagashi. “We make a lot of friends with this collection.” Librarians interested in checking out the list—clearly a great source for book club suggestions—should go to www.spl.org/pdfs/RecommendedBooksforDiscussion.pdf for a 30-page extravaganza.

Bonuses abound

Like Hennepin County PL, many libraries with book club kits offer bonus materials because, as Chesterfield’s Wyatt says, “Readers love to know more about the author.” Wyatt’s wish list for good bonus materials includes questions (though not ponderous ones like “How is the color red used?”), plus an author interview, a list of readalikes, and a list of readabouts—“that’s my version of nonfiction readalikes so that all those good nonfiction titles will support a book,” she explains. Many publishers currently have online reading guides, and Crown is launching a program called “Ask Another Author,” online interviews of a book’s author by a colleague, which should offer special insight into the writing process.

Exploiting the newest technology, HarperCollins has just begun creating podcasts that can be downloaded to an iPod from the HarperPerennial.com web site and heard later. The original programming on these podcasts includes author interviews and even musical scores, suggesting what music was wafting in the background as the author wrote the book. “If a librarian is thinking of suggesting a book, the podcast can give a little more background,” explains HarperPerennial marketing director Amy Baker. “For reading groups themselves, it supplies more fuel to fire the discussion.”

A good book

What finally drives a good book group discussion is the right book, and librarians have plenty of opinions on that subject. Most agree that publishers overemphasize literary fiction in the reading guide sweepstakes, ignoring reader hunger for simply a good story. “Just because it’s literary doesn’t mean it’s discussable, and just because it’s popular and heavily plotted doesn’t mean it’s not,” asserts Wyatt. The discussable book lets sparks fly instead of inspiring consensus and leaves readers wrestling with complexity and nuance. “In a good book group book, not everything is wrapped up and answered for you,” explains Seattle’s Hagashi.

Hagashi also praises books that feature characters “dealing with life issues we can identify with, who make decisions that sometimes make sense and sometimes don’t.” Her comment obviously applies to fiction, the favorite of most book clubs. At New Canaan, Lahey finds that nonfiction does have its advantages: “Readers who have not finished the book can still share in the discussion, and fiction is much more personal to discuss.” Still, many librarians agree with Upper Merion County director Karl Helicher that selling nonfiction to the book club crowd can be a chore. “Perhaps, in scary times, people gravitate toward fiction,” he says. “There is not a lot of good nonfiction, other than memoir, that can be read as quickly as fiction.”

Picking nonfiction

The scattered resistance to nonfiction is unfortunate, since a good true-to-life account adds depth to any book club roster, and some librarians are desperate to find such works. In general, briefer, more focused titles seem to work best, and narrative nonfiction—nonfiction that reads like fiction, in today’s lingo—has the broadest appeal. Juicy biography or history with a real story always elicits conversation, though at Queens Borough PL, Degyansky has had good luck with really nitty-gritty how-to books; one successful discussion featured several works on skin care.

Good resources include the web site of libraries like Seattle PL and New Canaan PL, which offer extensive book club recommendations, and anyone interested in a thematic approach should know that Wyatt’s World on www.libraryjournal.com often features nonfiction. In fact, following the trend of mixing genres for thematic discussion is an effective way to introduce nonfiction to book club skeptics.

Buffed, blended, and hooked up to other media or to videoconferencing equipment, the current book club looks nothing like yesterday’s modest tea party. As book clubs keep booming, more and more libraries will become happy hosts. The book club is not just a way to satisfy a few hard-reading patrons. It helps polish the library’s image and build bridges to the entire community. Whoever said talk is cheap? In today’s library, with groups large or small, book club talk is priceless.