Book Discussion Groups SPOTLIGHT 13
Group therapy The library is the place for lively discussions with book-lovers By AMY HIESTAND
Connections Staff Writer hose who know the next best thing to reading a good book is talking about it with someone have plenty of chances to do so at Princeton Public Library. Discussion groups meet regularly at the library to share personal reactions and thoughts on books in a variety of genres. The groups include Contemporary Fiction; Mystery Book Group; Circulo de Lectura, a Spanish language group; and Talking Politics. An outreach group also meets at the Elm Court senior housing community. Most meet monthly from September through June and new members are always welcome. Anyone worried about reports of a decline in the number of readers would have been heartened to see the crowd gathered in June to discuss Ian McEwan’s “Amsterdam.” Held in the library’s second floor Conference Room, it was the Contemporary Fiction group’s last meeting before the summer break – and every chair was taken. Librarian Kristin Friberg, who more than one member credits with the group’s popularity, distributed a list of questions to the 18 women and three men in attendance. One man read a favorite passage from the book, and in no time the discussion took on a life of its own. Remarks about the relationship between two characters led to a discussion of how men and women approach friendship differently. Questions about morality, the differences between generations and whether to step in if a friend is doing something wrong were raised. The subject of the right to privacy even came up. That the discussion took so many turns was no surprise to Friberg who has been the Contemporary Fiction group’s leader for almost five years. “They’re fantastic,” she said of the participants. “They’re all really interested in discussing the book. I keep it on track as much as I can, but it’s fun sitting back in my chair and watching it all unfold.” Watching the discussion unfold in the Mystery Book Group for the 10 years it’s been in existence is librarian and group leader Gayle Stratton. The group reads a wide variety of mysteries including historical, international and contemporary selections. “Some are serious, some are light,” said Stratton adding that titles span the entire range of the mystery genre. “We’re a fairly small group,” Stratton said of the gathering that takes place at 7:30 p.m. on the first Monday of the month in the Quiet Room. “We talk about plot strengths and weaknesses, obviously. But it’s also a very collaborative group so there’s lots of sharing and recommendations of different books and authors.” When Circulo de Lectura meets in the library’s Princeton Room, selections written in Spanish are discussed. “The main idea is to explore new Latin American authors,” said librarian Lucia Acosta
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who has been leading the group for five years. “We read contemporary fiction, and I try to have a range of authors from Spain and Latin America.” Readers for whom Spanish is their first language make up most of the group’s 15-member base. But there are also attendees who are fluent in Spanish and want to remain so even though they don’t speak it all the time. Circulo de Lectura meets eight times a year on the second Wednesday of the month. The library’s Quiet Room may seem an unlikely spot for a diverse political discussion, but that’s where Talking Politics meets six Wednesday evenings during the year. Led by author, sociologist and Mercer County Community College professor Joan Goldstein, the group reads recently published non-fiction books that focus on current social, political and economic concerns mostly in the United States. Talking Politics attracts a diverse group of men and women of different ages, nationalities, backgrounds and viewpoints. Goldstein calls the discussions “highly interactive and lively” and stresses that everyone is welcome for one or all sessions. Librarian Linda Adams leads the discussions that take place at Elm Court nearly every month. The informal group reads both fiction and non-fiction and sometimes views the film based on a book they have read. Book group selections can be found on display tables on the first floor of the library. The library’s Youth Services Department hosts three age-specific book discussion groups that meet monthly on Sunday afternoon: Children and Stories (ages 5-7) Heads and Tales (ages 7-9), Word For Word (ages 10-12). See the Calendar for details of upcoming book groups.