Photo by Emily Featherston.
The Read & Feed book group has been meeting for three years to discuss a wide variety of books.
Some people use reading as an escape, but the re-emerging trend of book clubs has some using reading to bring people together
Over the years at the Library in the Forest, Adult Services librarian Terri Leslie said they have seen an ebb and flow in the number of book clubs actively gathering either at the library or elsewhere, usually dropping off in the summer months when things get busy.
But even during the lower periods, she said book clubs have remained a staple in the community, and she thinks it’s partially because of the social nature of the activity.
“Many attendees state that they just have to get out of the house or the rut that they’re in,” Leslie said. “They are looking for a personal connection and personal interaction.”
The library offers three book clubs for adults, Page Turners in the Treehouse, Read & Feed and Miss Olivia’s Evening Reads.
But there are other book clubs not officially connected to the library that also keep people connected while exploring the world of words.
Nefertari Brown is a member of Red Dirt Readers, a book group started about 2009 as a group of co-workers who wanted to form a book club.
Each month, a member of the Red Dirt Readers chooses a book and hosts the group, either at her home or at a local restaurant.
“We really are talking about the book,” Brown said with a laugh. “I think that the socialization of it is part of it as well.”
Brown said her group is quite varied, with women ranging in age from 25 to 45, and everyone from newlyweds and new moms to mothers with teenage children. And while the group originally started as a group of co-workers, others have joined along the way.
In addition to participating in a club herself, Brown said she was inspired to start a mother-daughter book club with her daughter and friends. At those meetings, they try to include an activity for the girls to get them engaged with the subject matter, but she said she thinks the first year has been very successful.
Both Brown and Leslie said book groups are a great way to socialize, but also a way to expand horizons when it comes to literature.
“People are often surprised when they visit a book group … especially if it’s one focusing on a book that someone in the group hates,” she said, but added that in her experience the discussions are always honest and open. “We inevitably have a fantastic discussion about it. Sometimes it’s liberating to discuss themes, values or types of people that you don’t like.”
At its February gathering, the Read & Feed group discussed “Hillbilly Elegy” by J.D. Vance, a critically acclaimed memoir about Vance’s upbringing in the Appalachians and the issues facing the white working class in rural areas.
While the book has been touted in political discourse since its publication in 2016, Leslie started the discussion by reminding everyone to remain courteous.
While there were hard conversations, members said that they appreciated the chance to read something that was truly challenging.
“Our discussions are always honest,” Leslie said.
She encouraged anyone interested to seek out one of the library’s book clubs, or others that have organized in the area.
Information about library book clubs can be found at vestavialibrary.org/adults.
