Book clubs are a wonderful opportunity for social interaction, a guided literary experience, discovery of new cultures, deep dives into history or topics of special interest, and more. There are a vast number and wide variety of book clubs here in the Golden Isles.
The Marshes of Glynn Library System hosts a handful of book clubs. Hattie’s Book Club is a community of readers who welcome all ideas and insights that meets at 6:15 p.m. in the Brunswick-Glynn County Library the third Tuesday of each month. The Golden Isles Non-Fiction Book Club meets at the Brunswick Library the last Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. Originally designed to cater to our seasonal visitors but open to all, the Snowbirds Book Club meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 10:00 a.m. in the Brunswick Library. The Men’s Book Discussion Group (or Snowbirds Book Club Husbands *wink wink*) meets at the Brunswick Library the last Monday of the month at 10:00 a.m. At the St. Simons Island Library, the Cookbook Club meets at noon the first Monday of each month. Please contact Programming Coordinator Diana Graham at 912.279.3738 with any questions about the MOG book clubs.
If you are a member of the Literary Guild of St. Simons Island and are interested in joining or forming a book club, contact Erika O’Brien at erika.patoni @gmail.com. She can connect you with other Guild members of similar reading tastes and availability. Their book clubs usually consist of 6-8 members and meet monthly. After the initial introduction, the clubs run on their own.
Righton Books established its own book clubs due to customer requests for clubs with more focus on the books and some professional help in book selection. While this may change, they currently host the following groups inside Jittery Joe’s: The Booker Book Club meets the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. They read books that have appeared on the Booker Prize long list, some of which are a little offbeat, but usually inspire lively conversation. A spinoff of the Booker Club, the Erudite Book Club reads books that are considered more challenging, because of their unusual structure or language. Their meetings are on Monday at 6:00 p.m. every other month. The Paperback Book Club meets the first Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m., reading books that were hardcover bestsellers and are newly available as paperbacks. The Baking Book Club meets solely for events (watch the Righton calendar) like the Holiday Cookie Swap and the Bake Sale for Children’s Literacy. Most members are excited to try baking from the great recommended cookbooks, classic and new, but bakers are welcome to use their own recipes. For questions about the clubs or their current reading selections, or to request Righton to host your book club or help with reading selections, call 912.771.0808.
The list above is a good starting point, but it is in no way comprehensive. Ask the librarians and bookstores about others they may know about, explore options like the playreader’s group at Golden Isles Arts & Humanities, or offerings at the College of Coastal Georgia. If you’re a member of the Island Newcomer’s Club, they have multiple book clubs as well.
