Here are some more “Always Available” reads to get your book club members all on the same page! These titles can be taken out or streamed anytime by many readers at once — perfect for book club!  

This August, in honour of the Booker Longlist recently coming out, why not try listening to the Illuminations by Andrew O’Hagen, a compelling novel by a two-time Booker finalist and internationally acclaimed author. His fifth work of fiction is a powerful, nuanced and deeply affecting novel about love and memory, about modern war and the complications of fact.  Ann, a now elderly artistic pioneer in the field of documentary photography, connects with her grandson Luke who is returning from a disastrous mission in Afghanistan.

Or maybe celebrate Pride by participating in the 2020 Capital Pride Virtual Pride FestivalAND listening to Upright Women Wanted where award-winning author Sarah Gailey reinvents the pulp Western with an explicitly antifascist, near-future story of queer identity.  A book about “Gunslinger librarians of the apocalypse on a mission to spread public health, decency, and the revolution."— Charles Stross

If you prefer an eBook to an eAudio we have the Romance Cloudfor one more month.  If you like it, let us know by reading these books! Tell your friends too! Here you can choose from a wide variety of authors and sub-genres (time travel, historical inspirational etc…).  Or go the “Classic” route this month with a pick from Duke Classics — perhaps The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, a shockingly entertaining precursor to the modern domestic thriller, with deliciously creepy villains, gothic imagery and lots of plot twists. 

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 

Finding eBooks and eAudiobooks for your Book Club 

• Always Available eAudio from OverDrive – many great Book Club reads in this list  
• Always Available ebook Classics from Duke Publishing 
• OPL streaming eBook and eAudio collections 

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 

Enjoy your Book Club – online or off!