Group readings
Two book discussion groups at the Loveland Public Library:
•The ReadMore Book Discussion Group meets in the Erion Room of the Loveland Public Library, 300 N. Adams Ave., at 9 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. the first Tuesday of the month and at 9 a.m. the first Wednesday of the month.
•The Buzzwords Nonfiction Book Group meets at the Verboten Brewing & Barrel Project, 127 E. Fifth St., at 6:30 p.m. the second Thursday of the month.
Have you ever wondered what people are reading and if it’s just what’s most popular or on the best-seller list?
Popular could be the annual Loveland Loves to Read picks. Best-seller can be anything from James Patterson’s publications every other week to longtime author Kristin Hannah’s 2015 runaway best seller “The Nightingale.”
What if you want to talk about what you read? The Loveland Public Library sponsors two book discussion groups, but both don’t necessarily select the most well-read books. ReadMore and Buzzwords go with what library patrons want to read—and the lists can include anything from classics to little known books.
What patrons read in 2018
Amy Phillips, head of adult services at the Loveland library, can tell you what patrons read in 2018 according to Edelweiss+ by Above the Treeline, a service for public libraries and retailers. The service creates reports on subscribers’ materials collections, such as the items that are circulating, what is popular and if demand points to anything missing.
The 2018 list showed several of James Patterson’s titles, John Grisham’s “Camino Island” and “Rooster Bar,” both published in 2017, and the Loveland Loves to Read community reading program pick for 2018, “All the Light We Cannot See,” by Anthony Doerr, which had a circulation of 200.
Other popular titles included “The Midnight Line,” by Lee Child, published in 2017, and several books published in 2018 that include “The Disappeared,” by C.J. Box, “Educated,” by Tara Westover, “The Great Alone,” by Kristin Hannah, and “An American Marriage,” by Tayari Jones, an Oprah’s Book Club selection.
In the area of nonfiction, “Becoming,” by former first lady Michelle Obama, published in November 2018, didn’t make the top list. But it now has 580 patrons on the waitlist for the print edition, and the library can provide access to 103 copies through the library consortium with five other Northern Colorado libraries.
Books about President Donald Trump didn’t make the list either, such as “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” by Michael Wolff, and “Fear: Trump in the White House,” by Bob Woodward, which Phillips found to be surprising, adding that holds were placed but the books were not frequently checked out. She also found it a surprise that travel guides for Washington, D.C., and New York City were popular, she said.
“Other surprises? Not really,” Phillips said. “We always have circulated the best-sellers. That’s very much expected.”
As for children’s books, the “Harry Potter” and “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series were popular, and for the teens, the John Green books were among their top picks, Phillips said.
Library staff recommendations
Beyond the best-sellers, the library staff made many recommendations to patrons based on what they sought, sort of like matchmaking but between readers and books, said Diane Lapierre, library director.
“It’s also no strings attached. If you don’t like it, bring it back and we’ll try again,” Lapierre said.
Phillips often recommends Connie Willis as a good entrance to science fiction, John Connolly for both science fiction and murder mysteries, and Charles Todd for historical mysteries, she said.
“It’s really based on what the patron coming to us needs or wants,” Phillips said. “We use our catalog, we use our knowledge, and we bring it all together.”
The library circulated more than 688,600 books in 2018 and 685,300 books in 2017, showing a slight increase.
“Our circulation remains strong. Print books are still really popular, along with downloadables and audiovisual materials. Audio books always remain popular,” Lapierre said. “The idea that people are going to stop reading and stop checking out books is not happening.”
Some of the biggest reads last year coordinated with Loveland Loves to Read, Lapierre said.
“A lot of people are talking about (Doerr’s) books. ReadMore got into ‘Memory Wall,’ his collection of short stories,” Lapierre said. “That was the highlight of the year to have him come to Loveland.”
Lapierre, who considers herself to be a year behind what’s popular, found Gail Honeyman’s “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine,” published in 2017, to be her personal favorite from her reading in 2018.
“It was a great story about a young woman who was struggling socially and professionally, and it took a few kindhearted people in her world to help her break out of her shell and come into her own,” Lapierre said.
Lapierre also liked “A Gentleman in Moscow,” by Amor Towles, published in 2016, for how the characters were portrayed and the relationships they built, and “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” by Maria Semple, published in 2012.
“It’s just a funny story about an agoraphobic mother who goes missing and her daughter who tries to track her down,” Lapierre said.
Book discussion groups
The Loveland library encourages reading in other ways, including the discussion groups and by offering sets of books for book clubs to check out through Priscilla’s Bookshelf.
The ReadMore Adult Book Discussion began meeting in January 1999, gaining the official name in 2017. About 15 to 20 people come to each discussion, which lasts about two hours, and the discussions are in three sessions the first Tuesday and Wednesday of the month.
Janice Benedict of Loveland, a retired Loveland librarian of 15 years, founded the group when she saw that the library did not have one and got approval from the then-director Ted Schmidt. She serves as the discussion coordinator, providing information about each book and author and coming up with a list of questions.
Each year, Benedict takes reading suggestions from the group and conducts research to make sure the books are available and in paperback. The suggestions are mainly for fiction with a few nonfiction and classic titles, such as February’s pick of “Brave New World,” by Aldous Huxley.
“They can’t be current because they have to be in paperback,” Benedict said. “What is most popular and checked out at the library isn’t necessarily what we do.”
Benedict presents suggestions to the group for a vote, generally in the summer to pick out 12 books, plus the Loveland Loves to Read title. The library then purchases 10 copies of each of the books on the list.
The picks that were well received in 2018 included two by Penelope Lively, “How It All Began,” published in 2011, and “Moon Tiger,” published in 1987, and Ann Patchett’s “Bel Canto,” published in 2001.
“She does wonderful characters, and I think over time that’s what distinguishes the books the group really likes,” Benedict said. “Discussing a book makes people better readers. They are more engaged.”
Dan Carr of Berthoud joined the group three months ago.
“It is such a wonderful way to get to know the community, the community of readers,” Carr said. “And it’s large enough that you get a wide range of thought and opinion about the different books we read.”
Marina Babcock of Loveland came for the first time to the January discussion of “The Dry,” by Jane Harper, published in 2016. She normally doesn’t read mysteries but read it because it was that month’s pick, she said.
“It was part of my New Year’s goals, and it’ll encourage me to read different kinds of books,” Babcock said. “It’s great. It’s fun. It’s interesting. It’s a lovely way to meet different people and hear from different points of view.”
Adult Services’ Buzzwords
The adult services team at the library started Buzzwords in January 2017 to provide a nonfiction book discussion group and chose to meet outside the library at places like Verboten Brewing’s barrel room. The team selects the books based on suggestions from attendees, best-seller lists and popular items circulating in the library.
“We try to find a variety of topics. We want to find books we think have good substance and lead to a generally good discussion,” Phillips said.
About 12 people come to each discussion, held the second Thursday of the month for two hours and led by one of the seven adult services librarians on a rotating basis. The librarians research the book and author and bring in questions to start the discussions.
Two of the well-received books from 2018 included “Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End,” by Atul Gawande, published in 2014, and “Into the Wild,” by Jon Krakauer, published in 1996.
“They’re vitally important because it helps people connect with other people,” Phillips said about book discussion groups. “You get to explore ideas and issues. … I enjoy the fact I get to hear a lot of different viewpoints.”
Seth Cardinal, who joined the group in June soon after moving to Loveland, likes to expand his beliefs and ideas about various subjects, he said.
“I really enjoy the book discussion group because it’s a wide range of ages and opinions,” Cardinal said, adding that the books selected “are very diverse, and the subject matter is always changing.”
Charlie Jorgenson, also of Loveland, is new to the group since November.
“It is nice because you discuss issues that are current, and you really do get that benefit of people from a wide variety of backgrounds and viewpoints,” Jorgenson said, adding that he likes how book groups encourage reading in different subjects, genres and styles of writing. “Both fiction and nonfiction groups allow you to participate in lifelong learning.”
Shelley Widhalm is a freelance writer and editor and founder of Shell’s Ink Services, a writing and editing service based in Loveland. She has more than 15 years of experience in communications and holds a master’s degree in English from Colorado State University. She can be reached at shellsinkservices.com or shellsinkservices@gmail.com.
