'Finding their people:' Mount Holly shop builds community through book clubs
Every Thursday at 7 p.m., a different group of book enthusiasts meets at Cleary's Bookstore.
The store has four different book clubs: fantasy, mystery, romance and historical fiction, and each of the clubs meets once a month, said shop owner Alison Sheridan.
"I see in my store the wants for community and friendships amongst readers. And I will say we have groups of people who have become friends. There are texts, threads, you know, like, people are really finding their people are book clubs," Sheridan said.
The books
Sheridan chooses a selection of two books for each club each month. Participants can choose one or both to read, and they come to the club meetings ready to discuss them.
"I feel like I'm very hands off with the book clubs. I pick the books, but I'm not leading the conversation. The readers themselves are driving most of the conversation," Sheridan said.
The authors
Sheridan also has been holding author events in conjunction with the clubs.
The fantasy book club hosted author Christy Healy, the author of Unbound, a Beauty and the Beast retelling.
The historical fiction book club had a ticketed, multi-author event that was co-hosted at a Mount Holly art gallery.
"Next up, we have Mary Kay Andrews, who is a very big women's fiction author," Sheridan said. "She publishes a beach read every summer and a Christmas book every fall."
Andrews' newest book, Summers at the Saint, publishes May 7, and Cleary's Bookstore will host an event for Andrews May 8.
"There are 100 tickets available, and we've sold 65 so far. So I expect that to sell out soon," Sheridan said.
Is it free?
People who want to participate in the book clubs are not required to purchase the books at Cleary's Bookstore, although Sheridan has copies of the books on hand if people are seeking them.
"We have a bunch of audiobook listeners who attend, because some people prefer audiobooks as their format. They drive a lot. They like to listen to it while they're working, or, you know, doing other things," Sheridan said. "So, we try to be as inclusive as possible to a variety of readers' needs and preferences and make sure that people can still attend book club without having to purchase the book from us."
The clubs will not be meeting in May, but meetings will resume in June.
This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Mount Holly shop builds community through book clubs
