NYM Library has three book clubs

By Tucker Henderson

Reporter

Reading in New York Mills has always been a priority. Whether it’s been through the many newspapers printed in town, Bible studies, or through the public library that’s been providing readers with material over the past 90 years, there has always been an importance placed on literacy.

The three local book clubs associated with the library are no exception and are perhaps even a perfect example of the love for reading that small-town NY Mills has.

“We have been running three book clubs, filled to capacity, without much fanfare for many years,” said Library Director, Julie Adams. “A couple of our clubs have recently had people move away, but our groups usually recruit their own new members, so they always stay full.

“All three clubs read a mixture of fiction and non-fiction,” continued Adams. “They give us suggestions and we give them suggestions. We own a few ‘book club kits’ which are several copies of the same title and we can get some book club kits from other libraries. Sometimes we need to order titles individually through our Inter-Library Loan system. It just depends on what they want to read. We also provide discussion questions for the clubs to use, but they usually do not have any trouble finding things to talk about.”

Adams, herself, belongs to the Poker Night book club, but also aids the others in successfully attaining the proper reading materials for each group.

Monday Book Club

The longest running book club through the library is the Monday Book Club, which has been meeting monthly since November of 2001. Ruth Koehler joined the club around 12 years ago and currently facilitates the operation of the book club. She loves to write and says that reading good authors helps one to become a better writer.

“Currently, we’re reading Wild Swan and it’s about the history of China,” said Koehler. “It’s a very challenging book and we’ve really learned a lot about the history, which I didn’t know before. We give Julie suggestions on book that we know are well read by lots of people. We do like Minnesota authors.

“I love to read and I think we all find out more when we discuss a book because usually there are questions that come with it afterwards and by hearing other peoples’ views, that’s what I learn a lot from,” Koehler continued. “I facilitate it and if it’s a challenging book I have to try and decide how we’re going to approach it, because not everyone is going to like every book. I try to read the whole book—occasionally someone will say they couldn’t get further than two chapters—but I think if I keep reading, it often gets better in the middle of the book and that way, I can get something out of it to help with the discussion.”

Obtaining the books and book kits for the club can be a lot of work, but it’s something that the library handles for the group. Koehler said that particular part of the book club is a blessing and that it’s not always the case in many other clubs.

“Some book clubs you have to buy the book,” said Koehler. “She gets them in kits, so the nice thing is that we don’t have to buy the book. She’ll get a group of about eight books and all the questions that come with them and we’re all set to go, it’s wonderful.”

Koehler finds that the book club is often a very social time each month and the group members have grown close over the years.

“I think you get a camaraderie with people,” said Kohler. “If someone moves away, we try to invite other members so that we really get to know each other. It becomes a real social time. If we all like the book, it’s even more exciting and that happens quite often with us.”

Poker Night

Another book club that has been operating for the past 12 years is the Poker Night group facilitated by Julie Adams. The club began in February of 2011 and its members have also grown quite close over the past decade.

“I’m always excited about the people—I love the people in my book club—It is getting together with friends,” said Amy Wallgren, a founding member of Poker Night. “A lot of us get together even outside of book club. It just gives you the opportunity to talk with somebody who you know wants to talk about the same kind of things. It’s a built-in, scheduled time to get together with friends and discuss interesting topics.”

One of Wallgren’s majors in college was English, so she enjoys being able to put that knowledge to use and continue to explore the depths of English literature with like-minded individuals.

“I’m very into literature and reading,” said Wallgren. “Sharing those thoughts that you have about books—sometimes it’s the books, sometimes you have something going on in your life you want to hash over with people, sometimes it’s an event.”

Poker Night gets together once a month and sometimes their meetings are extra special as is the case this month as they hold a potluck. A white elephant gift exchange is also held for Christmas and it’s something members look forward to all year.

“Julie is really good at getting things that relate to the books we’ve read,” said Wallgren. “She gives things that relate to book club, so that’s a fun way to bring it all around.”

Wallgren says that one of the important aspects of book club is that it is specifically based around literature and reading, something that you can’t always share on the street with a stranger.

“If you’re talking about books, most people you’re not just going to walk up to on the street and start a conversation about the book you’re reading,” said Wallgren. “If you know someone else has put in the time to read the book and is on the same wavelength, you can have a fruitful conversation.”

Between the Covers

The newest book club started in January of 2012 and goes by the name, Between the Covers. It is facilitated by Denise Peltier and hosts a meeting for its members almost every month.

“We like to be relaxed about our schedule, so we take off July and September, just knowing life is kind of busy during those months,” said Sarah Carlson, book club member. “I joined when I moved back to Mills. I still had a lot of family and friends here when I moved back from Minneapolis, but building points of community were really important for me, especially because I knew I would be working alone on a daily basis.”

Carlson works as an interior designer during the day, so she highly values her social time outside of work during the week.

“I’ve always loved to read and book club just seemed like a natural fit,” she said. “I don’t remember which friend it was that had initially invited me and it seemed like a perfect fit. It’s honestly one of the things I tell people all the time that it’s one of the big components that makes my life enjoyable in Mills. It’s been really rewarding.”

The book club also gets much of its reading material through the library and sometimes works in conjunction with the other book club kits that are available there.

“We tend to be a little more unorganized as a group and Julie is always very willing to put up with us, so we’re thankful for that,” said Carlson. “She does a great job.”

Carlson said that there are two main takeaways from Between the Covers that stay fresh in her mind each month.

“The relationships are first and foremost my favorite,” she said. “The relationships that have been built over the years. I really look forward to the time I get to spend with all of these ladies and I don’t know that we would have naturally formed relationships. We cover a pretty broad range of ages, professions, and lots of things that maybe wouldn’t have brought us together otherwise.

“Then the ability to read books that I would probably have never picked up on my own,” continued Carlson. “Getting the influence of the friends I’ve made—their influence of reading. It’s a time that I honor every month for myself and being able to see all of these women that I’ve built these strong friendships with. Sometimes we discuss the book. Oftentimes, it’s not the only topic we talk about, so it’s fun to see them. Having it on the calendar is awesome, it’s always a highlight of my month.”