Book Club

Co-chairs:
George Bartman
Heidi Plott

About Us

The OTV Book Club meets once a month for lively discussions of selected books. Because we take our discussions seriously but also like to socialize, we spend the first half hour of each meeting simply enjoying a little wine, light hors d'oeuvres, and each other’s company. Discussion periods generally last from forty-five minutes to an hour depending on the energy of the exchange. If you like to read a variety of books, engage in lively discussions, and socialize with a great group of neighbors and friends, please join us. Newcomers are always welcome to visit or to join us on a regular basis. We only ask that you read the book we’re discussing and let the host know you’re coming. 

Current Reading List

Date	Book	Host	Facilitator
January 21	Firmin by Sam Savage	Kathy R.	Kathy R.
February 18	The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson	George B.	Chris C.
March 18	The Morville Hours:  The Story of a Garden by Katherine Swift	Heidi P.	Heidi P.
April 15	Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin	Phyllis S.	Phyllis S.
May 20	Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout	Janie S.	Janie S.
June 17	The Lost Symbol  by Dan Brown	Bob H.	Bob H.
July 15	Bright-Sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Underminded America by Barbara Ehrenreich	Heidi P.	Heid P.
September 16	The Help by Kathryn Stockertt	Janie S.	Janie S.
October 21	Children of God by Mary Doria Russell	Phyllis S.	Phyllis S.
November 18	The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis	Jennie B.	Jennie B.
December 16	Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen	George B.	George B.

 

Selecting Books for Discussion 

Once or twice a year members recommend books that match the criteria below.  Members then vote for future selections from each category with an occasional wildcard vote when recommendations are numerous.

• The book fits a category.* 
• The book has broad appeal. 
• The book has discussable, durable content that perhaps stretches our thinking. 
• The presenter has a reasonable familiarity with the book and is prepared to lead the discussion. (This includes presenting a series of thoughtful questions related to text topics such as character development, themes, plot, style, etc., as well as providing a brief summary about the author.)

*Categories include:

• Classics 
• Award Winners (i.e. Nobel, Pulitzer, Booker, etc.) 
• Non-fiction (including biography; could also include health, psychology, humor,    inspirational, etc.) 
• Contemporary Literature (well recommended) 
• Historical Fiction 
• Summer/Holiday (mysteries, for example)

Lending Library

In addition to reading and talking about books, the OTV Book Club has created a lending library in the Roundhouse for all OTV town home and condo residents. This project was led by Bob Hardiman and has been very successful. Residents are free to borrow any book on the shelves and return it to one of the baskets provided when finished. Members of the Book Club keep the shelves up-to-date and orderly. Residents are invited to donate books to the library but ask that children’s books, textbooks, and moldy oldies not be included.