Me posing with copies of Cold-Hearted Rake by Lisa Kleypas, the April 2019 pick for Between the Covers, to promote the group.
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Friends
My book club with my friends doesn't have an official name, but I started participating in the group as I began my MLIS. A new friend invited me after learning about my interest in reading; while I knew I would be busy with this new program, I had been looking for years for a book club and did not want to pass up this opportunity to meet new friends to talk about books. My involvement varied during different seasons of the MLIS program, but this reading and relationship outlet was a great complement to my school experience. I created a spreadsheet of our selections since the group's start in 2016.
Creative Truths: A History Book Discussion at Herman and Kate Kaiser Library
Fellow HKK Librarian Mark Cotner and I have a shared interest in historical nonfiction. We noticed this genre was a gap in book discussion groups offered at TCCL and decided to create our own group focusing on history books. This program started as a three month trial run in the fall of 2018, starting with Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, The Wright Brothers by David McCullough, and Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard. Our launch book was also the One Book, One Tulsa pick for the Tulsa City-County Library for 2018. This selection was intentional on my part to maximize interest and attendance. This first session of the group received a lot of publicity: it was featured on the back cover of the TCCL August event guide, a One Book, One Tulsa poster, and in the Tulsa World. We had an incredible turnout at this first event with nearly 25 attendees. The success of this first event and subsequent sessions (with more typical attendance of 7-12 people) secured this group as a permanent programming fixture at HKK for Mark and me to co-lead. Currently we have selections chosen through August 2019. Between the Covers: A Romance Novel Discussion at Central Library
In the summer of 2018, Central Library's Digital Literacy Lab Associate Katlin Seagraves launched a new book discussion group reading romance novels. I had not planned to be a part of three book clubs at the same time, but participating and supporting this group has been such a delight. I have attended each meeting and enjoyed the conversation and camaraderie in this group. In summer 2019, I will be guest-leading one session while the leader is presenting at ALA. |