Branch Out of your Book Club at WORD
OK, we admit. We are not actually members of a book club. It is definitely on our list of resolutions this year – meeting up every month or two with a small group of friends, discussing a book we all had on the night table to begin with, over wine, cheese and conversation that will pleasantly devolve into other topics after 15 minutes. Sounds lovely, but we are also intrigued by the public book clubs at WORD, the beloved independent bookstore on 123 Newark. Ready to stretch your literary limits? Check the WORD book clubs below. All are free, open to the public, and require no signup, just show up! Note: All book club books are 10% off at WORD.
The Garbage Water Thursdays Book Group – second Thursday of each month, 7pm;
“Do you, as we do, revel in subverting the paradigm, past or present? Do your tastes tend towards the satirical, the thrilling, the horrifying, or the downright disgusting? Do you often question your place in life, the universe, and everything? Garbage Water Thursdays is here to celebrate the brilliance in the marginalized, the weird, and the transgressive.”
Words YA (Young Adult) Book Club – third Saturday of each month, 6:30 pm;
“Come hang out and talk about all sorts of YA novels with WORD YA specialist Yadira! Young adult books are for anyone who is or has ever been a teenager, and “YA Oughta…” is open to all ages.”
The Sangha Book Club – fourth Thursday of each month, 6:00pm-7:00pm;
“A Sangha is a community of friends practicing the dharma together in order to bring about and to maintain awareness. In a nutshell, that’s what this book group aims to do: to form a sangha where we help each other along the path of enlightenment, awareness, mindfulness, Nirvana, or however you may call it. Each month we’ll discuss a book on Buddhism, meditation, and/or mindfulness. The goal is to cast a wide net across these ancient practices, approaching the path at different angles, and learning how to incorporate them into our daily lives.”
WORD joins the American Booksellers Association and Well-Read Black Girl (WRBG) with their own WRBG Club, held the last Sunday of the month at 3pm;
“Well-Read Black Girl is an online community and in-real-life book club hosted nationwide. In 2019, the American Booksellers Association partnered with Well-Read Black Girl to bring book club meetings to independent bookstores with the goal of amplifying Black women writers.
Well-Read Black Girl is an affinity space for Black women readers & writers. Our monthly book club selections focus on empowering the narratives of Black women, we encourage readers who identify as genderqueer, non-binary, or others who feel inspired by what we’re doing to join us and be a part of our community.”
https://www.wellreadblackgirl.com/
Finally, for all you fans of the scary and and/or supernatural… Octavia’s Brood Book Club – the last Monday of every month at 7 pm; “Octavia’s Brood is a Speculative Fiction/ Horror book group that is meant to bring you both chills and a spectral experience. With books that are both strange and addicting, this book group is meant to give you the best of both worlds.”
For more info on each book club:
https://www.wordbookstores.com/jerseycitybookgroups
For the calendar of meetings and other events at WORD:
https://www.wordbookstores.com/event
Happy reading!