Week Nine - Book Club Experience

Books on Tap

 I attended Books on Tap at The General Cafe. My library holds this event once a month and chooses an off-site location to promote a local business, have food and drink available without needing to provide it ourselves, and simply for the atmosphere. Having a discussion in a place other than the library also makes it more open to the community and is more inviting, especially if someone stumbles upon it while they're just stopping by for a drink. Overall, I had a good experience and might consider attending again! There were ten adults in attendance, which actually seemed like almost too large of a group. We may have benefited from splitting into two smaller groups. 

A huge benefit of this loose structure was that there was a possibility for any book to be brought in for discussion. If someone is excited about a book, they'll sell its best points. Goldstein states that book clubs are, "organized loosely by their shared need for information about the books they are reading and for suggestions on what to read next." I saw quite a few participants writing down titles to read. 

• Who is asking the questions, is there a leader or do people take turns?
• Rather than asking questions initially, participants are invited in turn to share what they're reading. Everyone brings a book, or two, or seven- no one book is read by all. After a participant describes a book they're reading, anyone else is invited to ask questions, though the leader of the program tended to step in during any lulls in conversation. 

• If there is a leader, does the leader answer the questions as well or let the attendees respond first?
• The leader was more of a person to move things forward at the right time.

• What type of questions are asked? Any involving just yes or no answers?
• Questions asked were about opinions and what the reader thought about certain things, or what they agreed or disagreed with. For instance, when someone mentioned reading "A Wrinkle in Time," they commented how they didn't actually enjoy it as much as they expected to. Another participant asked why that was. After the explanation was given, other attendees shared their comments as well. This book club was more of a discussion than an exchange of questions. 

• Do all attendees actively participate?
• Every attendee shared at least one book, and for the most part, people wanted to be part of the discussion. There were a couple of people on the quieter end of things who spent more time discussing their own book than commenting on others, but no one was completely passive. 

• Do any attendees swoop in and steal all the spotlight?
• One person had read quite a few books in the past month, so the leader did gracefully cut him off to move on to someone else. 

• What is the atmosphere of the discussion, where is it taking place at?
• The General is a cafe on the opposite side of the river from the major downtown section of South Bend, so it has a cozy, modern vibe. We are allowed to have the book discussion in the main room rather than an adjacent room that is usually used for events. Food and drinks are readily available, so it has a relaxed air about it- you can discuss a book while you kick back with a glass of wine or beer if you like. There is also coffee and a variety of coffee-based drinks, or an entire meal, which some people opted for. The atmosphere was welcoming and gave off a vibe of being flexible to whoever came for that month's discussion.

• Are snacks or drinks provided?
• The library does not provide any, but participants are welcome to purchase their own. 

• What types of books does this book club normally discuss?
• There was a huge variety! The majority were adult fiction of various genres, but there was one person who brought some children's fiction along as well. A few readers, more than I expected, brought graphic novels along. There is no theme or required reading, everyone can bring whatever they happen to be reading that month.  

Goldstein, Bill. “Reads Well with Others.” PublishersWeekly.com, 23 May 2005, www.publishersweekly.com/pw/print/20050523/21559-reads-well-with-others.html.