We love books and we love people who love books. For those of you who love books and enjoy discussing them the Library has a program called "Book Club in a Bag." The bag contains everything your book group needs to enjoy reading and discussing your next book. Each red and black canvas bag contains 10 copies of a title, a biographical sketch of the author, critical reveiws of the book, discussion questions and a book sign-up sheet to help the leader keep track of the books. Titles are being continually added to the Book in a Bag program. Book Club in a Bag is great for book clubs, but also less formal groups or just groups of friends who all want to enjoy reading the same book.
How It Works
Any cardholder of the VDL may borrow a Bag. Requests and reservations for a Bag may be made by phone to 269-649-1648, by e-mail, or when visiting the library. The Bags can be reserved up to a year in advance.The kit will be checked out on the card of the person checking out the Bag and that patron is completely financially responsible for the bag and all its contents.
Please give us 24 hours notice to before picking up your bag so we can save you some time when you arrive by checking it all out to you in advance. The loan period is 2 months, and the kit may not be renewed. Fines are accumulated for each of the 10 books if late. The complete kit must be returned intact. No books should be returned individually.No more than two kits may be borrowed at one time by a single patron. Check the contents before returning the kit to be sure it includes the folder and all 10 books. The replacement of an entire kit is $150. The replacement cost of individual books or the folder depend on the cost of the item.
Title Availability
Book Club bags have been assembled for the following titles. Suggestions for future titles are always welcome.
- Phenomenal Women by Maya Angelou
- Manhunt by James Swanson
- Thrift Store Saints by Jane Knuth
- Butterfly Garden by Chip St. Clair
- Stones into Schools by Greg Morteson
- Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
- American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell
- Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore
- Julia's Chocolates by Cathy Lamb
- Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
- Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls
- All Over but the Shoutin' by Rick Bragg
- Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates
- Measure of a Man by Sidney Poitier
- Infidel by Ayann Hirsi Ali
- Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale
- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
- Life of Pi by Yann Martel
- Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
- Still Alice by Lisa Genova
- The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
- Stitches by David Small
- The Help by Kathryn Stockett
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Consider donating the books your group has read in the past to the Library to put together into a Bag for other groups.