book clubs

Reading is often a solitary activity, an intimate connection between reader and physically absent author. But books, of course, also create and shape communities and cultures, and part of the pleasure of reading is discussing what one’s read with others, whether they agree with your assessments or rapidly alter them. That’s why book clubs and bibliophile friends are such valuable assets to the devoted reader.

These days, seems that everyone’s talking about Roberto Bolaño, the Chilean author whose massive, posthumously published novel, 2666, was recently released in the U.S. (in hardcover and a delicious three-volume paperback set). If you’re a Bolaño fan, you might think about catching the train of this online reading group, which has only just left the station.

So far there are 109 members, all ravenous for fresh Bolaño and ensuing online conversation. Look at their schedule to see that they’ve chunked the book over a period of eighteen weeks, with a different moderator for each week.

As a fan of Bolaño, I pretty much think this is massively awesome by default. But it’s also a great demonstration of how people organize themselves as communal readers in digital space. (For another interesting project, see if:book and Apt’s Golden Notebook site, where “invited readers” provide insight and analysis in the margins of a digital text.) If you’re an author, always keep the power of reading communities on your mind and wield it wisely. Once a critical mass of enthusiastic readers has been built and connected to each other, the power of discussion, recommendation, and word-of-mouth is virtually unstoppable.