Committing Random Acts of Reading



Yes we really use a bowl.



Where do reading groups come from?  At Gadsden State’s McClellan campus it began because we were talking about books in the hallways, at lunch, or in the mail room.  We might have been shushed a time or two during a tornado drill.  Everyone had a different book, and we were all talking about our different books at once. 

Our basic rule is that anyone can come whether or not you’ve finished the book.  You can choose any format you feel comfortable with from paper copy to e-book to audio book.  But which book to choose?  Everyone interested can submit a title (or 2) before the last meeting of the semester.  The trusty librarian makes sure the books are in print, and we pull the titles out of a bowl.  Just like that, you have a reading list.

McClellan Bookworms meet on the last Friday workday of the month.  At the end of the semester, we draw the titles for the next semester, and we begin reading.  We’ve discussed women’s rights in The Dressmaker and the Holocaust in Suite Française and Sarah’s Key.  We’ve sought truth in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and justice in The Help.  We are still attempting to decide what happened to Joseph Edelstein’s feet in The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake.  But whatever the book, there’s food, good discussion, and book lovers. 

The next gathering of the ‘worms is Friday, March 23 at 10:00 am on the McClellan Campus.  For more information contact your local Gadsden State Library.  MJH