The Twin Cities are full of book nerds. For this very reason METRO decided to write up a little guide to the best book clubs for everyone from teetotalers to two-for-one lovers. Now you too can get your book on in a more social setting. Just remember to put on your clothing before leaving the house. This isn’t your bedroom and no one wants to see that.

Books and Bars

Five years ago Jeff Kamin started Books and Bars. Since then, the group has exploded to about 100 visitors per session, threatening to overflow their meeting place at Bryant-Lake Bowl’s theater. When they prepared a panel of experts for their reading of The Omnivore’s Dilemma, so many people showed up that Kamin wondered what the next logical step for a book club could be. (Apparently the only thing the community likes associating with reading more than drinking are vegetarians. Maybe the Twin Cities are healthier than we thought.) He considered a radio forum like MPR’s Talking Volumes, but is instead trying to incorporate Skype with Bryant-Lake’s screen, inviting authors to join in the discussion via laptop. Click here to see Seth Grahame-Smith of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies speak with the group.

Arriving in Minneapolis after starting LA West, an offshoot of Chicago’s improv group/career launcher Second City (Tina Fey, Mike Myers, Bill Murray), Kamin found Books and Bars a natural forum for his particular combination of skills in stand-up, communications journalism and general media obsession.

"Now what I have is at least one night a month where I get to do a little improv, keep it moving, keep it light. I can come with a few prepared bits about the book,” he explains. He also does plenty of research before a meeting, reading author interviews and preparing a list of questions. This helps keep the conversation centered on literary topics, rather than allowing segues to take over the conversation.

Thanks to Facebook and the ease of creating dynamic websites, the attendees have been able to form relationships beyond books and bars, catching other happy hours together and even organizing games of kickball. Before anonymity became relatively impossible, Kamin used to give nicknames to the more colorful members of the group. One particular character Kamin calls “The Hater” once dressed up as a butler in Wake Up Sir! and asked members if they believed his character was real. Like a scene in a film, he gave shots of cognac to the believers, causing a tipsy rabble of belief proclamation that could shame Tinkerbell’s clap revitalization in Peter Pan.

Among their members are musicians, Barnes & Noble booksellers and even a Roller Girl. As Kamin points out, “We’re a good place for new people in town to come and meet some one.”


Sponsored by: Magers & Quinn Booksellers
Meets: Second Tuesday every month
7 p.m.
Bryant-Lake Bowl
810 West Lake St., Mpls.
(August’s meeting is at the Soap Factory for the Common Room event, 518 2nd St. S.E., Mpls.)

MPR's Talking Volumes

While it’s not exactly a book club in so many words, MPR’s Talking Volumes series is one of the only events in the city that gathers between 700 and 1,000 people in the same room (okay, it’s a theater, and a fairly fancy one at that) to discuss the same book. Talking Volumes specializes in gathering A-list authors from all over the world to discuss some of the most widely-read books out there, with the added celeb quotient of a musician (often a hyped singer-songwriter) to play during breaks and MPR host Kerri Miller conducting the author interview.
   
“At first they had to explain to publishers what the heck it was,” says Miller of Talking Volumes’ early days, when winning over famous author appearances proved more difficult than it is today. Now the series has gained so much momentum that authors’ book tours are planned around stopping in St. Paul.
   
Miller has interviewed many figures in her day, some of her highlights being Sherman Alexie, Joan Didion and Gary Snyder. Occasionally, the authors that visit are hermit types, making Miller use her journalistic wits to keep the conversation flowing, and oftentimes the authors are opinionated to the point of rousing the crowd.
   
“Sherman Alexie was off the charts,” she remembers, “He’s kind of wild. He’s unpredictable and volatile and that’s what makes him so fabulous.”
   
After Miller’s interview, the forum is opened up to the audience, who can ask whatever questions come to their mind. Usually the questions are about more obscure elements of the book, but occasionally they take the speakers by surprise.
   
“With Michael Ondaatje, an audience member stood up and asked about the chemistry flowing between us,” Miller laughs, “It was an embarrassing moment. We laughed about it afterward at a bar.”
   
Miller says that the changing (see: crumpling) of the printed publishing industry has not negatively affected Talking Volumes. “At this point there are so few media venues where they do this kind of focus on books that we found that most publicists and authors are excited and grateful that there is this level of interest and books in the Twin Cities.”

Run by: Minnesota Public Radio, The Star Tribune, The Loft Literary Center
Meets: According to dates posted at The Fitzgerald Theater
10 Exchange St. E., St. Paul


Raking Through Books (Happy Hour Book Club)

While Raking Through Books is fully aware that literary types like to imbibe (we blame it on Hemingway), this group has a few differences from other trendy book clubs. For one, almost all the titles are by local authors. For two, they don’t just read the latest avant-garde novel on the bestseller list; they read everything from cookbooks to chick lit. And venomous deconstructions full of biting criticism? Sorry grad students – this probably isn’t the forum, mostly due to the fact that the authors themselves are often present and even leading the discussion.

This group is grounded in the local literary engine, featuring savvy characters who don’t mind letting the conversation digress into the hows and whats of getting published.

“I’m always amazed at how varied the authors’ advice is,” says Kristin Henning, Secrets of the City publisher and organizer of Raking Through Books, “Some have a big pattern; some visualize their writing ahead of time and some shun any kind of outline. People who are interested in reading are interested in how all of it comes together, especially with fiction.”

While aspiring writers are a constant factor in the audience, the crowd changes depending on the topic of the book. When a local chef came in with pet recipes, the crowd was naturally different from when notable public figures (including the campaign manager for Dean Barkley) came in to discuss their favorite books.

The bar is a serendipitous location for the meetings, and not just because visitors can gather for free. The authors feel more relaxed in that setting, explains Henning.

“They’re not in a library. It’s not hush hush and they can get a drink – Candace Bushnell had a vodka cranberry juice, if I remember correctly. They like the fact that they can play against the audience and take it wherever it goes.”


Sponsored by: Secretsofthecity.com (formerly The Rake), The Loft
Meets: Second Tuesday every month (Tomorrow)
5:30 – 7 p.m.
Kieran’s Irish Pub
330 Second Ave S., Mpls.

Niche Book Clubs

Dharma Readers: Meetings of this book club start with a ten-minute meditation session instead of a two-for-one drink special. Discussing Buddhism, Zen, mindfulness and Theravada, this group accepts all, even non-Buddhists and, in the book club circle. They even welcome those who don’t finish the book. Meeting sporadically but usually about three times a month, the group usually reads passages out loud and takes time out at the end for discussion.

Twin Cities Queer Books: Discussing sexuality never gets old, especially with all the juicy, philosophical and political literature that is written constantly. From Augusten Burroughs to Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, this 79-and-counting member group spans the spectrum.

Caffeine and a Book: This crew likes to get hopped up at 7 p.m., right when they meet up at their usual Caribou Coffee in Roseville. (Or maybe they’re just drinking Hot Apple Blasts and their group name’s a fraud …). Featuring a selection of books that has included Aravind Adiga’s White Tiger and Haruki Murakami’s Wind-up Bird Chronicles, this group has eclectic tastes and a love of adventurous writing. Check out their forum on meetup.com, which features a public wall and new member profiles.

If none of these book clubs sound fun, you're either a curmudgeon or you should go here.