Lincoln's Open Book Club hosts first meeting

Eleven people attended the new “Open Book Club” last Thursday evening at the Lincoln Library.

Men and women of various ages gathered to decide on upcoming books to read for further discussion. Kate Radford, Lincoln Library’s new librarian, and Klara Varga got their heads together about a month ago and thought an open book club available to all members of the community would be a good idea. Both were very pleased with the turnout for the first get-together. “It was nice to see so many different people from the community come together, discuss title options, and get the first few months off to a start,” said Radford.

Each person who attended was asked to bring book recommendations and came prepared with a book title (or more) to present to the group as a possible title to read. Books of several genres and subjects were talked about, including some fiction, poetry, and non-fiction works.

After all the titles had been presented and discussed, the group voted on books for the next six months. Starting the lineup is “One Man’s Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey” by Richard Proenneke & Sam Keith. The group will discuss the book at their next gathering Thursday, Nov. 7.

In December, the book is Ivan Doig’s “This House of Sky,” January’s title is “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly: A Memoir of Life in Death” by Jean Dominique Bauby and in February, the group will read “Girl Waits with Gun” by Amy Stewart. The book for March is “There, There” by Tommy Orange, and April rounds out the first six months with “The Flight Girls” by Noelle Salizar.

The book club is open to anyone who would like to participate. Varga encourages people to get involved if they want to. “There’s no commitment. Come when you can and read the titles that interest you.” Radford said. “There’s no set rules and no one will be ‘shamed.’ If you begin reading one of the books and don’t care for it, you don’t have to finish it. At the get-togethers, your discussion input may just be ‘I couldn’t stand it and didn’t finish it,’ and that’s okay too.”

The Open Book Club meets monthly on the first Thursday of each month from 7-9 p.m. at the Lincoln Library. If you would like more information, you can contact the Lincoln Library at 406-362-4300.