This week, we have a cavalcade of stars as my colleague Emily St. Martin writes about the proliferation of celebrity book clubs and the books they choose. It’s a terrific piece, and I learned about some of these clubs for the first time.
And in one case, Emily answered a question I’d had on my mind since 2018 (I mean, I haven’t been thinking about it the whole time). But that year, I was in the Daunt bookstore on Marylebone High Street in London and nearly bumped into Florence + the Machine singer Florence Welch, who appeared to be there for some book-related reason. I have since learned 1) (from Emily’s piece) that Welch has her own book club; and 2) (from my own googling) Welch’s cousin worked at that Daunt location at the time. (But really, considering how lovely that shop is, you don’t need a reason to go if you get the chance.)
So enjoy the gift link below and find out if stars are just like us when it comes to reading:How celebrity book clubs are using their platform to inspire a love of reading
Now with a sense of how celebs do it, I was curious to learn how local clubs operate. I reached out to Bria Celeste, who founded and runs Pasadena Book Club, which has more than 700 members on its Facebook page and averages about 15-20 members per meeting.
Celeste invited me to an event last year, and I was impressed by the conversation and camaraderie of the group. They dug into the material, had a spirited discussion, and Celeste moderated with a light touch.
So I asked her this week what makes a book club successful, and she messaged me back about it.
“Things that make a successful book club are: participants and diverse reading choices,” says Celeste. “I like to mix up the genre and themes of the books chosen to keep conversations different and interesting. Some books are more dense and can have ‘deeper’ conversations about, and some are more light and fun and people can still connect and discuss those, too.
“I think getting people to book club ultimately makes it successful, though! Once you have the people, you can really talk about anything, book-related or not. Respectfully engaging and respecting one another, too. Some books can have heavy topics, and of course, people have differing views/opinions & experiences, so it helps to be able to moderate the conversation a little, too.”
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And what are the challenges to gathering people together in real life to talk?
“Book club challenges that I’ve run into lately have been finding places to meet that are either free or low cost and can host a lot of people. Book club numbers vary each month, and it’s also all about talking, so finding spaces that can accommodate many (or a few, because you never know who’ll show) while also keeping it affordable for everyone can be tricky.
“The perfect meeting spot has to check a lot of boxes like chairs, a large space, quiet enough to hear people speak, but light music as ambiance is always nice and can add to the vibe of a meet – and not too expensive (in this economy?!),” she says. “Meeting indoors and outdoors both contain their own pros and cons. I also like to switch meet spots up every so often, too, just for a little fun/based on availability. It’s definitely harder in the Fall/Winter months because it’s darker earlier, so many outdoor locations are not options.”
As someone who receives her messages about events, it’s evident that much of the group’s success has to do with her enthusiasm and hustle.
“At first, it was challenging just to get people to come, but not so much two years in. Our first six meets or so, it was like 2-5 people though,” she says.
“I think our best meet was for ‘The Wedding People’ last summer, which is women’s fiction. I think the conversation was lively and had the most people, and we paired it with a wine exchange, since wine was heavily featured in the story. It was really nice!”
Sound good to you? You can find out more about the Pasadena Book Club on the group’s Facebook page.
I don’t know if this is surprising or not, but I can’t recall ever attending an in-person* book club meeting before Celeste’s, but I definitely got the appeal. I think many people want a place to talk about books with fellow readers.
* However, I did attend A Very Special Book Club virtual meeting, some of you might remember, when I was the only journalist in attendance the night the Venice-Wake Book Group – after 28 years of meetings and readings – finally finished reading James Joyce’s “Finnegans Wake.” I even was encouraged to take part in the reading (trust me, I tried to get out of it) and really enjoyed it. The story went viral, with people sharing stories about it from as far away as China. (I’m assuming that’s not the typical book club experience.)
There are all kinds of reading groups; someone recently told me about the joys (and stresses) of being in separate nonfiction and fiction groups. For those of you who are in book clubs, I’d be interested in hearing about your experiences.
Recommended picture books
Oliver Jeffers, “I’m Very Busy: A (Nearly Forgotten) Birthday Book” (Philomel)
Longtime readers know I’m a fan of Jeffers’ art and writing, and I especially enjoy how much sly, deadpan humor he can wring out of any premise (see: “Stuck”). In this one, out Oct. 7, it seems no one has time for Bridget on her birthday.
Stephen King & Maurice Sendak, “Hansel & Gretel” (Harper)
A picture book for children by Stephen King sounds like the set-up for a dark joke. (See Joe Hill’s recent essay, “So You Think Stephen King Has Scared You? Try Being His Son.”) Using Sendak’s illustrations from a 1997 opera, King retells the fairy tale and doesn’t skimp on the scares.
Robin Wall Kimmerer, illustrations by Naoko Stoop, “Bud Finds Her Gift” (Allida)
The author of “Braiding Sweetgrass” teams with the talented illustrator for a tale of a young girl (who lives above a bookstore!) who notices a lot. And with her grandmother, young Bud learns to pay attention to the natural world, too. There’s also a post-story message from the author and information for further reading.
And if you’re looking for a local picture book event, here’s one:
Underdog Bookstore in Monrovia is hosting a Storytime & Craft event for author and library professional Sofia Aguilar and her debut book, “Queer Latine Heroes: 25 Changemakers from Latin America and the U.S. from History and Today.”
When: 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28
Where: Underdog Bookstore, 312 South Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia
Info: www.underdogbookstore.org/events/storytime-craft-queer-latine-heroes
The week’s bestsellers
The top-selling books at your local independent bookstores. READ MORE