Join the club, the Beaufort County Library book club, that is
A story seems better if you have someone to share it with. What could be better than sharing a story with a group of friends who have read the same book? If you want to start a book club, think of your intentions for the club. What people will make up the book club? Do you want a diverse group or are you hoping for a group who have a lot in common? What type of books will you club read?
Our library system has many varied types of book clubs available. You may want to participate in one or several of these. You will gain ideas for your own book club. For example, we have a Novel Mornings Book Club and Evening Book Clubs with a mix of popular fiction with some older favorites. There is also a History Book Club and a Classic Book Club. How about a Poison Pen Mystery Book Club or a 30 Going on 13 Book Club? You can easily find a group to join if you don't want to start your own. Take a look at our website www.beaufortcountylibrary.org for our schedules, or drop by your local branch.
If you are looking for a good choice of reading materials, check out our recommended reading lists at the bottom of our Book Club Corner on our website. On that same page, there are links to the New York Times Best-sellers, Book Group Buzz and a Booklist Blog. Goodreads is a free website for book lovers. It is like wandering through everyone's bookshelves, their reviews and their ratings. You can also post your reviews and catalog what you have read or are planning to read in the future. You could even join a discussion group and contact an author.
Lit Lovers, another library book club, is about what we read, how we read and how we think about our literature. We also have a place to see what other clubs are reading, book reviews and free reading guides, how to discuss a book, and tools and tips to help you "get your read on." There is also a recipe guide so you can cook up a dish to match your read. For example: How about a complete dinner menu from Ireland, with appetizers, a main meal, sides and desserts? You could enjoy your meal while discussing "Circle of Friends," by Maeve Binchy or a book written by the Irish author Marian Keyes. Sounds like fun. You could prepare something from a Cajun and Creole menu while discussing James Lee Burke's "Creole Bell" or "The Glass Rainbow."
Our libraries are here to provide you with lots of choices of what to read. As you know, we can borrow from other libraries in our S.C. Consortium if you need multiple books. We even have books on how to start a book club for you to check out.
Remember -- there is a book club out there for all interests and ages.
Mary Jo Berkes is the branch manager at the Hilton Head Island library.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2014 at 4:00 PM with the headline "Join the club, the Beaufort County Library book club, that is."