What are the top priorities of any book club?
Sure, books are lovely. So is a glass or two of wine. But for Vesna Dan and the Book Club Girls Sparta book club in Sparta, NJ, the book club experience transcends spirited talk about the monthly selection.
“What I love is the friendships that blossom,” says Dan, a stay-at-home mother of three soon-to-be college graduate daughters who has led the book club for six years. “We really have made connections outside of book club that have led to great friendships. Everyone is very open to meeting new people, and it’s a joy to watch women reaching out to one another and developing friendships they would not have otherwise had.”
That kind of personal bonding dynamic is commonplace in book clubs, even if the primary goal, at least at the outset, is to discuss books. “I was looking for a way to have a few friends over and discuss books, starting with five or six people sitting around my kitchen table,” says Dan. “We became friends and developed connections that are long-lasting, and it is just so nice to be in a group of women who would do anything to help you.”
The club, which has been part of BookTrib’s Book Club Network almost since the very beginning, has 23 members, with ages ranging from mid-30s to early 70s — a disparity sure to generate great conversations and a variety of opinions. Many of the members met through Girl Scouts as either staff or volunteers. Some are retired teachers. The group typically meets at Dan’s home, but the person designated with leading the monthly discussion picks the venue, which has ranged from a winery to a local restaurant to a diner.
“I hoped it would last a few months, but our group has been together six years and counting. It is rich in so many ways to be the founder of a book club, but really it’s a friendship circle.”
Sometimes, members break off into smaller groups and go into New York City for dinner and a book signing or to attend local bookstore author events together. They have made friends with a local author, Maryanne McFadden, who lives a few towns over and attended one of their meetings.
The club, like most, reads a book a month. Provided Netflix doesn’t get the better of her, Dan says she typically reads about 100 books a year. So for 100 books a year times “X” number of years, what does Dan say, when pressed, is the one book that has changed her life? The answer: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. “Once I got into those epic stories, I was hooked and transformed in ways I never thought, as I read about two people who throughout time and space managed to love one another so much they always found each other. I’d sit on my vacation and read until all hours.”
And which book would she say has created the most spirited discussions among the Sparta women?
“This is a tough one, because many times the book is interpreted so differently by each reader. One that comes to mind is Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton, which was so outside our typical genre that many did not know what to make of the plot line and characters. However, most enjoyed the escapist read and were glad to be introduced to a new genre and author.
“That is one thing that everyone agrees on — getting exposed to new genres, books and authors that we wouldn’t have picked up ourselves.”
Naturally, Dan is pro-book club and pro-books, so for anyone thinking about starting a club, she is most enthusiastic and encouraging. “Just do it. Don’t be afraid to gather up a handful of your favorite people, sit around a table with wine, coffee, snacks whatever, and books that you have recently read and loved.“
“It just may be the best thing you ever did. It was for me.”
Interested in being considered for BookTrib’s Book Club Network? Learn more HERE.
