Architecture Adrenaline
Promoting Freedom for Creative Architecture
Although reading can be an individual pursuit, many choose to make it social by joining book clubs in public libraries, community centers or independent bookstores.
Marie joined forces with Pim Halka, exhibits and creative programs library assistant at Evanston Public Library, to launch T-MAC Book Group: an inclusive book club designed for individuals identified as assigned female at birth (AFB), trans, nonbinary, or gender nonconforming adults.
One Book One Chicago is a citywide program that brings residents together to discuss a single title. Typically, this involves book discussions and lectures related to it as well as visiting authors or hosting cultural programming.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver was selected this year as our reading selection. This novel follows one family's year-long experience eating only food grown on their Southern Appalachian farm and explores topics of culture, cooking, sustainability and urban farming.
This book arrives during a time of increased banning activity within schools. Titles that reference sexuality or religion or portray American history negatively have been removed by schools as they move to remove titles that violate policies of their establishments. Furthermore, fascist groups have marched in major American cities while antisemitic incidents continue to rise across the nation.
No matter your taste in books, joining a book club offers many advantages. Not only can it open doors for learning new things, but also it allows for discussion and debate that allows expression of all emotions - sadness, anger, fear, joy etc - within a safe environment that otherwise wouldn't exist.
This online book club focuses on women-themed books. Quarterly meetings via Zoom allow members to join from any location; their recent selections have included N.K. Jemisin's The City We Became and Roxanne Gay's Difficult Women as recent selections. Find more details of upcoming meetings on their events page as well as on Twitter or Instagram!
Book clubs provide an ideal way to discover different genres and perspectives you might otherwise miss, while simultaneously meeting like-minded individuals and making new connections.
To ensure the success of your book club, it's vital that you select an optimal meeting time and location that can accommodate most members. A calendaring platform like Doodle may help your group determine their preferences before choosing an ideal day/time/location each month. Also make sure that there is a designated discussion leader at every meeting - this person will ensure everyone gets to speak and keep discussions on track; in addition they may act as facilitators when discussions veer off topic.
Aspiring authors can gain invaluable experience communicating their ideas effectively in an unjudgmental environment by joining book clubs. Book club discussions also encourage creative thinking rather than merely talking about family drama, work projects and the weather.
Book clubs provide an opportunity for networking, both physically and virtually. Discussing content with fellow members helps individuals feel more at ease in professional conversations - be they group meetings or boardroom presentations. Discussing literature can also open people up to express a range of emotions including laughter, sadness, anger joy and exhilaration, creating bonds amongst members and cementing long-standing friendships.
Joining a book club can be an excellent way to foster friendships while expanding your horizons and strengthening critical thinking abilities.
The Mostly Harmless Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Club is an online book club dedicated to science fiction literature. Curated by a professional librarian, this club caters specifically to sci-fi fans' interests.
Science fiction and fantasy fans should check out Rhapsody Book Club as it offers monthly selections of large print books with discounts and promotions as well as extra features such as digital content and exclusive online content - plus it is open to adults of any age!
