Reading is Alive and Well
Celebrating 77 years of books, conversation, and community with The Eclectic Book Review Club
We hear it all the time: People don’t read anymore.
I’m not so sure.
Last week, I walked into the Field Club of Omaha to speak about Love Is All and found myself in a room filled with more than a hundred people who had gathered for one reason: books.
They were members of the Eclectic Book Review Club, and as I learned more about the group, I discovered that the afternoon was part of a much bigger story.
A Book Club with a Remarkable History
The club began in Omaha in 1949, when 28 women gathered at the Hill Hotel downtown. They paid $1 in annual dues and $1.35 for lunch. They listened to a review of Jesse Stuart’s The Thread That Runs So True and finished the afternoon with a game of bridge.
Apparently, Omaha women were hungry for books and conversation. Within a year, membership had grown to 70. By 1953, there were 150 members.
A Tradition That Stands Apart
The club also developed a tradition that sets it apart from many book clubs. Members don’t all read an assigned book before each meeting. Instead, they gather to hear authors and reviewers talk about books, opening the door to writers, subjects, and genres they might not otherwise encounter.
Seventy-Seven Years Later
Seventy-seven years later, they’re still gathering. And judging by the afternoon I spent with them, they’re doing a lot more than simply keeping a tradition alive.
From the moment I arrived, I was welcomed not just as an author, but as a fellow book lover. The room was filled with genuine enthusiasm—for books, for writers, for ideas, and for one another. The conversations were lively, the questions thoughtful, and the energy in the room was almost electric.
I had the privilege of being the speaker as the Eclectic Book Review Club began its 77th year. I talked about the stories and places behind Love Is All, read a few passages, and shared a glimpse of Singapore Shadows, coming in Spring 2027.
But what stayed with me afterward wasn’t simply that I’d had the opportunity to talk about my books. It was the spirit of that room.
Reading Is Alive and Well
Readers talking with one another. Readers asking questions. Readers buying books and recommending books. Readers who had made gathering around stories part of their lives.
The way we read may be changing. The books we choose may change. But our desire to gather around stories, talk about them, and share them with one another?
After 77 years, the Eclectic Book Review Club is pretty good evidence that it’s alive and well.
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