IWAP Friday Book Club: Celebrating a 20 Year Literary Journey

By Laurie Barnes (US)

The Friday Book Club is one of the most popular and longest running IWAP interest groups – and this year we celebrated 20 years of reading books together with an online – via Zoom – reunion. With over 40 former and current book club members joining in from literally around the world, it was an amazing time of reflecting on our shared experience and the significance of and impact that reading books together has had on each of our lives.

It’s been an amazing, rich, and diverse literary journey enjoyed by 176 different members of IWAP!! During that time we have read and discussed 236 different books on a wide variety of themes including many works of fiction, biographies, and some non-fiction. Each year we have also proposed to read at least one Czech title in translation, which has also added greatly to the literary richness of the group.

Like IWAP itself, Book Club membership has been equally diverse including those from as many as 26 different countries as well as various experiences and backgrounds. It is this diversity which has often then led us to select and read books from a wide variety of national authors and subject matter — and has included many titles that we would not normally have chosen if left to our individual and personal preferences. And then there is the annual book selection process including the preview meeting, which affords equally lively times of interaction.

The discussions are often led by someone who originated or perhaps had lived, in the country in which the story takes place, which then provides additional fascinating cultural insights. In some cases members had a personal connection or knew the author — always amazing and interesting to hear. Many would agree that this has been one of the most enriching aspects of the Friday Book Club and what makes it unique and hard to replicate among book clubs.

Our discussions are often lively and engaging and as one former member shared that “during our meetings often half the group would rave enthusiastically about suspense and plot lines, character development, and poetic description while the other half would report that they had struggled through, finding the book sluggish, uninteresting, or poorly written. Were we reading the same book? The answer is yes. And that is part of the joy of belonging to a book club. We hear what attracts and what repels, what interests and what bores, we consider the content and the structure of the book, share diverse opinions; and in the process, we learn to understand and appreciate not only the variety of the individual book but also each individual as a person. “

We have met in a variety of settings around Prague including the early beginnings in the famous Slavia Café when we had six of us sitting around a small table — we eventually grew to an average of twelve to fifteen. When we reached upwards of 30 members, it was on to the days of sinking low into the chairs and couches in the back room of the Café Montmartre and other venues have included the PRK Building Art Gallery, Rudolfinum Café, and now Stoleti Restaurant — each venue has included its own unique ambiance and setting.

Times of discussion are often extended beyond the normal meeting time, as we gather at a restaurant for lunch afterwards and often the chosen cuisine will follow the setting of the book.

We have also enjoyed many different smaller gatherings to watch the movie version of a particular book. We have also organized and hosted various author visits including authors such as Ivan Klima, Helen Epstein, and Michael Žantovský — all of which have provided enriching and engaging opportunities for discussion and interaction.

As with other IWAP interest groups, friendships forged across a decade of reading and discussions remain strong. Former members of the Book Club keep in touch and the growing members of the alumnae group continue to receive the selection list each year as well as regular book and other literary updates. Continued connections are often made as former members also share current recommended reads.