Open Book Club
Posted by: Admin
Today I read a post on the Librarian in Black blog about Open Book Club, a podcasted show hosted by Christy Cashman and Debbie DiMasi and described as “a no holds barred conversation with amazing authors about their books.” Besides a monthly book discussion, they offer a mailing list, a discussion forum, and an option to register your club on their Book Clubs page (you can even send a photograph).
It’s hard to learn much about Open Book Club from the site. Apparently Cashman and DiMassi host a monthly Boston-based TV show, an offshoot of an annual fundraiser for PEN New England. The fundraiser brings readers and writers together to dine in Cashman’s home, which is also where the TV program is taped.
The March book is The Good Thief by Hannnah Tinti. Previous books include The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, The Given Day by Dennis Lehane, and The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta.
The Open Book Club site looks nice, though so far there’s not much going on–seven books, a handful of comments, and one registered book club. At Booklist Online, we have some experience with the challenges of getting an online book club off the ground. We tried it for awhile, and then gave up and created Book Group Buzz instead. Of course, we didn’t have the advantage of being taped talking to authors in our living rooms. Maybe Cashman and DiMassi will have more success.
