Readers Recommend: A Literary Show-and-Tell That Masquerades as a Book Club

Unlike a traditional book club with everyone reading the same book, you can think of this as a literary show-and-tell.

Come ready to recommend a book you've recently read that's on-theme with the month's topic.

October means STRANGE STORIES. Not sure what that means? Here are some ideas:

• Magical realism! Think ordinary life with extraordinary twists, the surreal, liminal spaces, and blurred realities.
• Fears & phobias! Think books that tackle what scares us (literally or metaphorically).
• Strange & spooky! Think ghosts, witches, gothic, horror, or thrillers.
• Witchy reads! Think the occult.
• Dark academia! Think campus settings, moody atmospheres, and intellectual intrigue.
• Villains! Think morally gray protagonists, antiheroes, and great antagonists.

A few rules:

1. No self-promotion. The book cannot be written by you, nor by a friend or family member.
2. Recent reads only. Bring something you've read (or re-read) in the last month. Keep it fresh in your mind.
3. Respect the time. Keep shares brief so everyone gets a turn. If you're sharing, plan to speak for about three minutes on what the book is, why you loved it, and who else might enjoy it.
4. EMAIL AHEAD! Let us know what book you'll be promoting at least a week in advance so we can stock copies. Please email [email protected].
5. Keep it conversational. After each recommendation, others can ask questions or chime in, but keep it friendly and supportive.
6. Any genre goes! Fiction, nonfiction, poetry, graphic novels - it's all fair game.

The goal is discovery. Everyone will leave with a list of new titles to explore!

Interested in attending, but don't want to share? Not a problem! Everyone is welcome.

Host or Publisher Bookstore1Sarasota