Jonathan Jackson
The Union-Recorder
MILLEDGEVILLE —
Readers in Milledgeville and the surrounding area are fortunate to have a book store in downtown Milledgeville to be able to purchase the latest Jodi Piccoult or Stephen King novel, but in addition to purchasing bestsellers and magazines, the community can now take part in a book club to discuss a wide variety of books and authors.
The Box Office Book Club, a partnership between the book store and The Union-Recorder, seeks to engage readers in the community and provide a platform for critical thought and discovery about themes and elements in the books selected by the club.
The group met for the second time this past Saturday at 3 p.m. at Box Office Books, located in the historic Campus Theatre. The group discussed the first selection, “The Host” by “Twilight” saga author Stephenie Meyer.
Organizers Erin Simmons and Janet Tasker met with members of the group for the discussion on the novel, which deals with free will, sacrifice and human
capacity.
Simmons said she hopes the group will grow to include as many diverse members as possible and will also be a tool to support the community.
“Each selection will be from a different genre,” Simmons said. “We hope to choose books that will have the broadest appeal so we can include as many people as possible.”
The group plans to meet monthly and at this past week’s meeting, selected the next book.
The Box Office Book Club will read Evelyn Sweet Hurd’s “His Name Was Donn: My Brother’s Letters from Vietnam.”
The non-fiction selection is a collection of letters penned by the author’s brother Donn Sweet to his mother as he fights in Vietnam. Hurd re-read the letters recently and recorded not only the letters, but her thoughts on them.
The book is available at Box Office Books, and its availability speaks to another goal of the group, to support the bookstore by purchasing books there.
The date for the next meeting of the Box Office Book Club has not been set but the date will be advertised by the club in advance of the meeting, where refreshments will be served.
For more information about the club or to join in the next book discussion, call Erin Simmons at (478) 457-6736 or Janet Tasker at (478) 445-7304.
