Book club broadens discussion

FOR the past two months, volunteers with Buninyong and Mount Helen Lions Club’s second-hand bookshop have been hosting a different kind of book club get-together.

Meeting monthly on Tuesdays since September, the group focuses its gatherings around discussing genre or set topics instead of individual works.

The book club’s founder, Martine Foerg, established the group with Lions’ approval, and said it’s about offering something different from the average book club.

“From our first meeting, we discussed what we didn’t want from your normal book club and that was all reading the same book,” she said.

“I suggested we do genres and it’s really about building that camaraderie where people can talk about what they want to talk about.

“We previously had travel as our theme, and we ended up talking about our own travels and where we’ve been, things like two-seater planes with windows falling off.

“It gets us all together, talking about the books and to each other and building that camaraderie.”

The club’s get-togethers have averaged about a dozen people, with the initial topic of discussion centred around seminal childhood works.

Ms Foerg said she hopes club members’ recommendations for specific books will adorn the second-hand bookshop’s shelves.

“It’s forever tying things back to the bookshop,” she said.

“I’ve got the option to hold it here as well to open up the shop where people can wander through and browse.

“I’m hoping people in the club will remember an author they might like, come in here and find other copies from them, and take them home, so it’s more money for the shop.”

Fellow book shop volunteer Kath Head attended the most recent meeting, which focused on true Australian crime.

Not normally one for the chosen genre, she said it was a refreshing concept to be explore a book outside her normal fare.

“I’ve been to book clubs before where everyone reads the one book and it’s a bit frustrating when very few people actually read it,” she said.

“To me this is much healthier because it’s a whole genre and it’s a broad topic. I don’t normally read murder mystery but you can pick out things you enjoy. Each has a different perspective.”

Many of the featured books are sourced between members’ private collections and the bookshop itself, the proceeds from which are used to support community endeavours.

The book club’s get-togethers currently take place at Community House from 12.30pm. The next meet-up is this Tuesday. To express interest, text Ms Foerg on 0418 503 844.