By Mary Severson

Participating in a book club is a fun and stimulating way to share ideas about books, to find out about good new books, and to meet new people — all year round, but especially in winter, when cozying up with a book and a cup of hot tea or cocoa is especially appealing. Are you in a book club? Do you wish you were? If your answer to either of these questions is "yes," Hennepin County Library's Web site — www.hclib.org — has many resources for you!

Click on the BookSpace tab and you'll find links to author information, book reviews, discussion questions, local and online clubs and even tips for starting your own group. Check other sections of BookSpace to find bestseller lists, new titles and instructions on how to download audio books as well as information on books and book clubs for children and teens.

You can reserve one of the library's Book Club Kits via BookSpace, too. Book Club Kits are sets of eight to 10 copies of books that are sure to generate engaging discussion. Reserving a kit is an easy way to get enough copies for everyone in your book club. The kits even include some possible discussion questions. The kits are adult fiction, nonfiction and some large print and teen titles. Just consult BookSpace for available titles, reserve your kit and pick it up before your discussion.    

If you aren’t currently in a book club, Hennepin County Library - Eden Prairie's home page on the HCL Web site is a great source of information about some book clubs that are meeting in the community.   Besides the group that meets at noon on the third Wednesday of the month at the library, you'll find contact info for book clubs at the Eden Prairie Senior Center, Wooddale Church and Barnes & Noble, plus links to the Eden Prairie Book Club and Southwest Newcomers Book Club, which meet at Dunn Bros. Coffee shop in the historic Smith Douglas More House in Eden Prairie.  New members are welcomed.

Hennepin County Library sponsors book clubs for children, teens and adults at various times throughout the year. See our website for details, dates and registration information.

We hope you'll join in and become a part of the book club community in Eden Prairie!  

Popular book club titles

Animal, Vegetable, Mineral:  A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver

2010 "Eden Prairie Reads" title - Believing that most of us have better options available, Kingsolver and her family set out to prove for themselves that a local diet is not just better for the economy and environment but also better on the table.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

The story reveals a friendship of two young girls that lasts a lifetime — through famine and rebellion, their arranged marriages, loneliness, joys and tragedies of motherhood.

Small Steps:  The Year I Got Polio by Peg Kehret

Children’s fiction writer Peg Kehret describes her real-life struggle with polio as a seventh grader living in Austin, Minn., and the friends she made during her rehabilitation. Great for an all-ages read.