This month, in BookBrowse's book club forum, we're talking about West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge which was ranked the #6 most popular book club book of 2022 by our subscribers.

Also, we're following up on our discussion of Brad Meltzer and Josh Mensch's The Nazi Conspiracy with a discussion of their earlier co-authored book, The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington, which is proving to be equally fascinating.

We also have a new article exploring the things that book clubs get up to together when they're not discussing books, which draws on the responses to our annual book club survey in which we asked people about their book clubs' "extracurricular" activities.

Lastly, if you're a librarian involved with book clubs, you may wish to check out my recent webinar about book clubs in libraries, hosted by Niche Academy.

Very best,

Davina Morgan-Witts

An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America.

"I really enjoyed the book and appreciate the work the author did in researching this story. The characters were very well developed and I could feel for each one of them and what they were dealing with during the Depression era. The author covered so many themes; from poverty, racism, animal cruelty,circus vs, zoos, and coming of age and death. And did it very well. I would and have recommended this book.." —reene

"Woody’s learning to appreciate the little blessings in life touched me deep in my soul—what an incredible lesson he taught me. I didn’t want their story to end. And then I realized that this is the gift and beauty of stories. We don’t have to let them end as long as we continue to share them with others." —acstrine

"I really loved the story. For me, knowing that such an event actually happened, even if not exactly as Rutledge had portrayed it added depth and emotional impact to the whole book. And with Woody’s philosophizing at the end the book was one of the most emotionally satisfying books I’ve read in a long time. I’ve recommended it to our book club and to every reader I know." —Galatea

Taking place during the most critical period of our nation's birth, The First Conspiracy tells a remarkable and previously untold piece of American history that not only reveals George Washington's character, but also illuminates the origins of America's counterintelligence movement that led to the modern day CIA.

"I enjoyed the book. It brought to the forefront the true difficulties that Washington and our forefathers faced to gain independence." —Peg A

"I found it interesting and well-written. It was fascinating to read such a detailed account of those few, though significant, months in 1776." —rosemaryc

"I loved the book. It was well written and based upon excellent research. I’d heard of the conspiracy but knew little about it." —vivianh

"I especially enjoyed how the chapters were dated. I was drawn in by understanding the timeline and couldn't wait to get to July 4, 1776. Well done, interesting, and allows people to see the courage, brilliance, and sacrifice our forefathers made." —helenp

What activities does your book club enjoy, aside from reading and discussing books? While many groups stick to these basics, some who have the time and inclination take things a little further, whether that means extending their love for books to food, games and travel, or simply taking pleasure in being together in different settings. In our annual book club survey, we asked people about what their clubs like to do. Answers covered a variety of pastimes both inside and outside of regular book club meetings, book-related and otherwise.

Looking for ideas or inspiration to enhance your own group's time together? Just curious about what other book clubs do? Check out our summary of the results...

A couple of weeks ago, I presented a webinar for public librarians hosted by Niche Academy during which I shared actionable insights from BookBrowse's book club research.

You can view the webinar and all related resources at Niche Academy.

Topics include:

The presentation also covers:

The program is relevant to librarians, whether they are running book groups or providing readers' advisory to those in groups; and a certificate of completion is available.

Discussions are open to all, so please join us! If you would like to receive a message when a particular discussion opens, you can sign up for a one-time notification. You can also find inspiration for your book club among our more than 200 past discussions.

Usually published once a month, Book Club News is one of BookBrowse's four free newsletters. We also publish BookBrowse Highlights every Thursday, Publishing This Week every Sunday; and Librarian News monthly.