My Very First Book Club Experience

Book Club: Thursday Afternoon Book Discussion Group

Location: Brownsburg Public Library

Date: 3/1/2018, 1:00 

Book Discussed: Call the Midwife by Jennifer Worth

This is embarrassing to admit as an MLS student – but, until a few weeks ago, I’d never been to a Book Club. For two years, I’ve worked in a library where 4 different books clubs meet each month, so I have no excuse. This assignment gave me the opportunity to attend a book club – and here’s what happened…

As I was walking in, carrying homemade chocolate chip cookies still warm from the oven (since I was invading their book club, it was the least I could do), a little white-haired lady nearly ran me down in the parking lot. I stopped, let her pass, and went on my way.

The Thursday Afternoon Book Discussion Group meets in the Brownsburg Public Library’s Board Room, which is a medium-sized room with a square table that comfortably seats 10. My colleague, Stacy, runs this Book Club and she greeted me when I came in, introduced me and told the group that I would be observing. They all smiled and nodded in greeting – especially after I whipped out the cookies. Everyone seemed to know one another and the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. There were bottles of water on the table and Reese’s Peanut Butter hearts, in addition to my cookies.

I took a seat at the end of the table and was getting settled in when in walked the white-haired lady who almost ran me over! I was glad I didn’t give her the “what for” out in the parking lot, because….AWKWARD. She sat down beside me. She was actually very nice and funny. There were a total of 6 Book Club members, not including Stacy or myself. The group consisted of Gisa, Ed, Wendy, Dinah, Nancy, and Sharon. I knew this because Stacy had made name table tents for everyone.  I estimate that the ages ranged from late 40s to late 60s.

Stacy opened up the Book Club by asking everyone’s thoughts on the book. Each person had the opportunity to speak. Ed spoke to how the Nuns in the book reminded him of when he was a young boy in Catholic school and that the dock scenes reminded him of when he worked the docks in London – how dreary it was (Ed was a talker, but Stacy did a good job of wrangling him in.) More than one person commented on Conchita, the lady who had 25 children. Conchita came up a few times again later, usually with a shaking of the head, a bewildered look, and the phrase, “Twenty five children!”

Stacy told the group that the character, Chummy, was actually a fictional character. She asked the group what they thought of that, considering the book was classified as non-fiction. No one really had an opinion on that. Everyone seemed okay with it. (Everyone except me, that is. I didn’t say anything because I wasn’t completely through the book yet, but Chummy was one of my favorite characters so far and I was bummed she wasn’t real. I felt cheated. Not James Frey cheated, but still…)

Stacy then asked the group if they each had a favorite Nun from the book. Most seemed to like the character Sister Julienne because she was “wise, kind, and calm.” The group discussed how they found it interesting that Nuns were just regular people and some shared personal stories, such as going to a football game at a Catholic college and seeing the Nuns on the sidelines cheering on the team.

Stacy asked the group what they thought of the men in the group. One person commented that the character, Fred, was better in the book (vs. the TV version of “Call the Midwife.”) There then ensued a discussion about the book versus TV show, and also that there are three books in the series. One member was ecstatic with this news because she really enjoyed the book and was happy there were two more to read.

As the Book Club was drawing to an end, Stacy asked each person to rate the book on a scale from 1-5. Four people gave it 3.5, and two gave it 4 – which seemed strange since everyone seemed to have really enjoyed the book. Tough crowd!

The book for the next meeting was handed out (“The Book of Speculation” – which I have already read and would NOT read again, but I may go just to get Ed’s take on it.)  I don’t know whether this was for my benefit or not, but here are some of the comments that Book Club members offered (without prompting) as they were wrapping up:

“How neat a book club is that you get a different understanding of a book from what everyone else says.”

“Allows you to see other perspectives”

“It’s a wonderful experience.”

“Discussion amplifies what was in the book.”

“I may resist a book until I’ve read it book club.”

“There are so many books we’ve read in book club that I would never have picked up on my own.”

I thanked everyone for letting me crash their party, and they thanked me for the cookies. I stuck around and helped Stacy clean up (free chocolate!) and learned that this group switches back and forth between fiction and non-fiction, and that Stacy usually passes around a sheet with suggestions for future books, but since she already had the next three books planned, she did not do it this time. The group does offer input on what to read, but no one is especially picky. Stacy often uses books for which discussion questions already exist. All in all, attending the Thursday Afternoon Book Discussion Group was an enjoyable experience!

I have been asked a few times if I would be interested in leading a book discussion group at the library, and I have declined because I honestly didn’t know where to start in putting one together; however, after reviewing all the various resources for “Starting a Book Club” on

http://www.ilovelibraries.org/booklovers/bookclub, I would not rule out leading a book club at some point in the future!

Photo credit: https://media.bookbub.com/blog/2016/11/15/funny-images-about-book-club/