The Power of Book Clubs By Laurie Grassi |

You read, alone. Caught up in a magical world created word by word by an author, peopled by characters so compelling, you carry on, head down, until, blinking, you reach the words “The End.”

What then, though? All those thoughts stirred up by a great book, all the associations formed by what’s happened between the pages combining with your own life experiences, spinning about in your brain until you haven’t a clue what to do with them.

That’s where a book club comes in. The ideal place to share your ideas, and hear other people’s ideas, a good club will reveal aspects of a book you might never have uncovered on your own. Read a book like The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway — a story about a man who plays music in memory of those lost to war and the connections his act forges — and you’ll open yourself to powerful new connections yourself.

As books editor at Chatelaine magazine, I witness firsthand the joy and passion that Canadians have for books of all genres. That joy shouldn’t be kept in isolation. It should be shared. So whether you join a book club with old friends, participate online or belong to one of the Toronto Public Library’s 109 book clubs, may you continue to share the joy of reading – together.

Chatelaine Books Editor Laurie Grassi hosts the Big Book Club event with Steven Galloway on Monday, April 28, 7 pm, at the Toronto Reference Library.

Branch Book Club Discussions

Discuss The Cellist of Sarajevo with other readers at one of these branch-hosted book club discussions. Open to everyone, whether you’re in a book club or not. Please check with the branch before you head out in case the time and date have changed.

April 1

Runnymede, 6:30 pm

Sanderson, 7 pm

April 2

Albion, 7 pm

Downsview, 9:30 am

Eglinton Square, 1:30 pm

Jane/Dundas, 7 pm

April 3

Beaches, 7 pm

North York Central (French), 7 pm

Victoria Village, 2 pm & 7 pm