Hooked on Books

October is National Reading Club month, designated to promote the value of books and reading. To help celebrate the joy of reading, we reached out to our friends at the North Cobb Regional Library for information on joining, or starting, a book club.

Book clubs are a good way to meet your neighbors, expand your knowledge about the world, and enjoy some of your favorite literature in a social setting.

Starting a Book Club?

• Decide on a genre. You may want to read a specific author, subject or historical time period. Successful book clubs sometimes will change genres seasonally, to add variety to book selections.
• Establish a consistent date, time and location for your group.
• Include group members in the book selection process, and make sure all members have an opportunity to express their opinions of the book in a respectful and positive environment.
• Select books with diverse characters, intriguing plotlines and/or controversial topics, which will lead to more in-depth discussions.

If you’re looking to join an existing reading group, but don’t know where to start, the Cobb County Library System sponsors numerous local book clubs that are open to new members. Due to the pandemic, most groups are meeting virtually. Information is available on the calendar of events at www.cobbcat.org.

African American Authors Book Club
Group meets the second Monday of each month. The club reads and discusses books by African American authors and/or significant books about the life and culture of African Americans and the Black diaspora. The discussions are led by several librarians and various club members.

Fourth Monday Book Group
Group meets on the fourth Monday of each month (holidays permitting), 6:30-7:30 p.m. This group reads fiction and nonfiction books. Participants receive a discussion guide for each book, typically from Lit Lovers or ReadingGroupGuides.com. The group is very informal,
and anyone is welcome to sit in.

Cover to Cover
This North Cobb Regional Library group has met monthly on the fourth Tuesday afternoon and evening for several years, to engage in a lively book discussion. The group reads and discusses a variety of works, including fiction and nonfiction classics, a variety of genres, and a mix of cultures and time periods. Newcomers are welcome.

North Cobb Irregulars
Group meets monthly on the second Tuesday of each month. Admirers of the Great Detective and lovers of classic detective fiction are welcome, as the group discusses the canon of Sherlock Holmes, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Led by Helen Cauley, writer and president emerita of the Sherlock Holmes Society of Georgia, the meetings are informative and fun.

East Cobb Library Men’s Book Club
This group was created in an effort to get men to visit the library and get involved in a book club. After speaking with various men in the library, librarian Andrew Tuttle discovered that the biggest obstacle for them joining book clubs was the type of books read and discussed. Many men felt as though these titles were “beach reads,” historical fiction, or, as one patron described, “those sappy books.”

While called the Men’s Book Club, women are welcome. Many women inquire about the different genres, explaining that they enjoy fantasy, military thrillers and even horror novels — all of which often are genres explored in this book club. The group will resume when the library returns to in-person programming.

Teen Book Club
This group at the North Cobb Regional Library is a collaboration between the library system and the city of Acworth, and meets biweekly. Teens, ages 13-18, enjoy snacks provided by the city while they discuss the current book selection. The teens also enjoy crafts related to their chosen novels. This group is on hiatus until in-person programming resumes.