Feb 01, 2022
A short month calls for short book club selections. It’s hard enough to find the time already… am I right? Here are some incredible books to choose for book club in a month that makes it hard to fit it all in.
In eBook try The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave by Frederick Douglass. This enduring book about a man born into slavery but who overcame to become a great orator and abolitionist is the perfect pick for Black History Month. This autobiography details Douglass’ experiences as a slave and is considered the most famous such work. At about 100 pages and in in our Always Available collection of eBooks, most people will be able to find time to read this remarkable book club pick.
If you’re not most people maybe an aAudio is a better choice for you. That way you can listen and workout or listen and walk the dog, do the dishes or shovel the driveway etc, etc… This month in eAudio the selection is An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good, stories by Helene Tursten. This dark, irreverent and hilariously funny book is about Maud, an irascible 88-year-old criminal in full possession of her faculties who hides behind the fake persona of an addled elderly woman. At only three hours long it’s probably shorter than your “to do” list! We’ve purchased 100 simultaneous use copies of this title so you and your book club will be able to all check it out at the same time.
Our February French selection is Kuessipan, a short and powerful novel written by popular Innu author Naomi Fontaine. We follow the way of life of a community from northern Quebec and their joys and struggles. This book was made into a movie in 2020 and the DVD is available to borrow from the library.
In French eAudio try a novel from Kim Thúy. Thúy has conquered the hearts of her readers for over a decade and her latest novel Em delighted her fans once again. The theme centres around love to combat the horrors of the world. This audiobook is read by the author.
Suggestions and Resources for a successful online Book Club
In order to have your Book Club take place online you can try creating Facebook groups, or using various social media channels to discuss books. Or you could try meeting live via online video conferencing tools. The following tools are free:
- Google Hangouts provides free video/chat/voice conferencing and does not have a time limit
- Jitsi is a free open source video conferencing tool
- In French, there is a platform built by Les libraires that allows book clubs to meet online! You can request to create your own club, or there are groups that are already running that you can join.
- All book clubs, including the current book club picks and comments, are visible to anyone accessing the site Le Regroupement des éditeurs franco-canadiens is offering a monthly book club called D’un océan à l’autre – here is more information (in French only), and the books available at OPL!
Finding eBooks and eAudiobooks for your Book Club
- Always Available eAudio from OverDrive – many great Book Club reads in this list
- Books with 100 simultaneous checkouts -- this new format offered by publishers to libraries lets your whole book club borrow a book at once!
- Always Available ebook Classics from Duke Publishing
- OPL streaming eBook and eAudio collections
- Some French publishers OPL purchases from through Cantook Station offer many loans of the same title at once. You can search the Cantook platform for these publishers and make your choice. Participating publishers include Gallimard, Actes Sud, Rivages, POL, Flammarion, and Payot
- Radio-Canada offers free “Always Available” French eAudio - stream from the ICI Première website or download the Radio-Canada OHdio app.
- D'un océan à l'autre | club de lecture 2021
Contact OPLs InfoService 613-580-2940 if you need help accessing these titles and resources
Hosting and Discussions
If you would like discussion questions for your book, here is a list of 40 Great Book Club Discussion Questions from Book Riot. They work for any book.
Here are some great tips about how to host an online book club from Bustle Magazine: 10 Tips For Hosting A Digital Book Club