Sometimes a book affects us so strongly that we can't wait to talk about it with another reader who feels the same way. Then there are the books we come to appreciate whose spines we'd never have cracked without the encouragement of others.
Readers throughout the province share their love of books and ideas in books clubs of all descriptions. Open Book: Ontario will profile these dynamic groups to get a sense of how they work, what they're reading and why they love being a part of the literary community in their city or town.
For the past several years a group of colleagues living in the Niagara region have come together to informally discuss books of all styles and genres. Though their group is small, the conversation must be good — since they meet faithfully without even the promise of snacks!
Open Book:
Tell us about how and when your book club got started.
Niagara Book Group:
Five or so years ago two colleagues were talking and decided to put out an email about starting up a book group to see who would respond. About seven people showed up at the first meeting and we hashed out what we thought we wanted to do — including keeping it casual with no food, also no commitments and not much planning in advance.
OB:
How has your book club evolved over the years?
NBG:
Some people have dropped out and a few new members have joined, but we’ve become very comfortable together. We all feel we can express our personal opinions and feelings without risk — there is no pressure to agree and there are no egos. We now have five core members so it really is quite small.
OB:
Describe an average meeting for us.
NBG:
The meetings usually consist of four or five of us sitting around a living room — we drink tea, coffee, wine, Scotch, and sometimes we break our initial guideline and have nibblies, but the food is not what's important.
We start off socializing for ten minutes or so and then discuss the book, but there are no prepared questions and no leader. It’s very unstructured — we go wherever the conversation leads. Our discussions usually last for an hour and a half — longer if we’re on a roll.
OB:
How do you decide which books to read?
NBG:
People just suggest titles, sometimes from reviews they’ve read, a title someone has mentioned to them or something we’ve heard about on CBC. We don’t plan very far in advance, sometimes just into the next month, sometimes two or three months ahead.
OB:
What do you enjoy the most about belonging to your book club?
NBG:
That we are a small group and have gotten to know each other very well so that we're all comfortable. We laugh a lot but can also be quite serious, and we always take the book seriously. We feed off each other’s ideas — and because there's no great expectations for snacks, there’s no pressure to provide a new food or something better than last time!
OB:
What would you say is one of your book club's unique characteristics?
NBG:
Our small size and the lack of structure — though perhaps one of the most remarkable things in terms of book clubs is that our group is made up of both men and women, which tends to lead to different perspectives.
OB:
What are some books you've read recently that have stood out for you?
NBG:
The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson, The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood and Graham Greene's The Quiet American jump to mind. Sometimes we have poetry nights where people bring a couple of favourite poems. We always get diversity and a lot of discussion on these nights — they are some of the best.
OB:
What advice do you have for someone hoping to start up a book club?
NBG:
Just do it…Keep it simple and don’t be discouraged if your group is small. (Size is no indication of quality or usefulness!)
_________________________________
Would you like to see your book club profiled on Open Book: Ontario? Send your suggestions to Erin at erin@openbookontario.com.
