starting a bookclub

by erin thursby
Those with a thirst for discussing books can start a flame war on Amazon.com, but if you’re a bit more civilized and you like interacting with humanity directly, it’s time to join a book club.
While you can start a book club in the conventional way (a la posting notices on the corkboard at your local market) you can also use an excellent local resource: Jacksonville’s Public Library System.
They’ve got a bunch of clubs at local branches that are already established, but you can also look into starting your own. Go to the web address http://jpl.coj.net/lib/bookbunches.html for resources on how to do a book club and more. The library has a list of titles they have multiple copies of, that way everyone in the club can borrow the book without having to buy it. You can also check out a tote that includes materials on the various books, including info on how to start discussions, reviews, important questions and more.
Different branches have different types of book clubs, from Children’s and Teen clubs, to the Bad Girlz Book Club, which focuses on racy adult novels at the Webb-Wesconnett Branch. Some clubs are devoted to a particular genre such as Sci-Fi, Supernatural Fiction or African-American authors.
You can check their list of book clubs at http://jpl.coj.net/progs/jpl/bookclubs.html or, better yet, give your local branch a call to see if they have a club developing. If not, you can ask about starting one!