There might be countless book clubs out there, but few that exclusively feature authors local to New West and around.
Groove Cat bookstore recently announced the launch of a monthly event series where book enthusiasts can huddle and wax on about their favourite reads.
Unlike the popular Reese’s or Oprah’s book clubs that scour titles from around the world for their book-of-the-month pick, Groove Cat plans to keep its booklight focused on authors who are from or around town.
“The exciting thing about the GCB (Groove Cat Books) Club is you will get to meet and discuss the book with the authors and you can even get a signed copy!” as mentioned on the store’s website.
The first book club meeting, on Thursday, Sept. 14, will feature New West author Winona Kent’s Disturbing the Peace — the first book in a four-part mystery series about the exploits of a “rock and roll” detective, said John Hughes, who co-owns the bookstore with Catherine Hughes.
Attendees will get a chance to meet Kent over coffee and refreshments, and chat with other like-minded people in a space filled with antique books and used records.
Supporting local authors
For John, who is an author himself, the club is a way to support local writers.
“It's tough to make a go as a writer. If you've got support from your local shop and local readers, then that's a win-win.”
But the challenge of running a book club out of a second-hand bookstore is to find multiple copies of a particular book for the members, he added.
“So much of what we get in is random. Are we going to be able to find five copies of a certain title? Maybe we would, maybe we wouldn't.”
As a solution to this, the book club requires its members to pre-order the featured book of the month to ensure a spot at the meetup.
“That way, the club seems to be very much a happy marriage of being able to support the local author, have the availability of the books and just have that connection between the readers and the writers,” he said.
While the book club will start off with locally written books, its next chapter will depend on what the members want to read.
The club has a limited capacity of 12 members. While all the spots have already filled up, those who wish to be part of it can join the waiting list by sending their name and phone number to [email protected]. The first meetup will be at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 14, at Groove Cat Books, 775 Sixth Street.
