Do you like to read? Join the club!

One of my favorite things about being a librarian is being a part of our adult book club here at the Main branch!  We started out a couple of years ago, and have grown to include over 20 members.  We have read books from many different genres, but it seems that we have the best discussions whenever we've just read a book about the past.

Last night, we met and had a chat about the book Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford. It tells the story of Henry, the son of Chinese immigrants who struggles to find a sense of belonging in Seattle during WWII.  He feels isolated at home, as his parents don't allow him to speak Chinese in an effort to make him more "American."  He feels like a misfit at his all-white school until he meets Keiko, a spirited Japanese girl.  The narrative is split between Henry's past and present in an extremely engaging way.

 I can't put my finger on what exactly attracts me to historical fiction.  Maybe it is just the "slice of life" aspect is so appealing.  I always find it touching and refreshing to find that even though a character may be in a completely different country, century, or culture I always seem to find something that rings true to my life here in the modern world. I like how playwright Alan Bennett sums it up, “The best moments in reading are when you come across something - a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things - which you had thought special and particular to you. And now, here it is, set down by someone else, a person you have never met, someone even who is long dead. And it is as if a hand has come out, and taken yours.”

If you would like to join a book club, we have plenty to chose from! We have adult book clubs that meet at our Monrovia, Morgantown (and Main as mentioned above) branches.  Teens in grades 6-12 can join the group,  We Must Ask You to Read that meets at our Main branch.  The cool thing about this group is that there is no set reading list or monthly book assigned.  The group picks a genre or theme and then reads whatever book they like!  For tweens, ages 9-12, there is inbeTWEEN the Lines and for kids ages 5-8, there is The Page Turners.  These lively groups meet monthly at our Main branch to talk about an assigned book (that they get to keep!) along with crafts and other fun activities.

Interested??  All you need to do is visit our event calendar for more details and to see if registration is required! 

Happy reading,

Jennifer