The Norelius Community Library has launched two new book clubs; the first two books have been chosen and the initial gatherings of club members will take place in the next month.

“The staff here was thinking about how we could expand our programing at the library and we came up with two new book clubs – one fiction and one true crime/true mystery book club,” said Programming Librarian Michelle Hoffman.

“Our new fiction book club is called the Library Book Club because it will center around books about books and libraries.”

Hoffman will lead the club.

The first book for the fiction club is “The Bookbinder” by Pip Williams.

“I’m reading it right now and I’m loving it. I actually bought my own copy because we hadn’t gotten in our book club books yet,” Hoffman said.

“I have been underlining and making notes in it and it’s really quite exciting.”

“The Bookbinder” is about a woman who works in a bookbindery in 1914, at the beginning of World War I.

“A young British woman working in a bookbindery gets a chance to pursue knowledge and love when World War I upends her life,” is the publisher’s description of the book.

“She volunteers to do reading and writing of letters for the soldiers that come in,” Hoffman said.

“I haven’t gotten to the part where the love comes in, but it is really interesting.”

As of Tuesday, the Norelius Community Library had 10 regular-print and two large-print copies of “The Bookbinder” available for checkout.

The Library Book Club discussions will take place every fourth Thursday; the first will be at 5:30 p.m. on January 25 in the conference meeting room at the library.

The Library Book Club is for ages 19 and up.

Each month, a new book following the theme of books about books and libraries will be presented.

“We’ve actually gotten them all picked out for the year so that we’ll be able to get enough books in for anyone who wants to join the book club and have a discussion about the book,” Hoffman said.

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The second book club, called Grim Readers, will tackle “Butcher Baker,” by Walter Gilmour, as its first book.

Summer Lamaak, library page, will lead the true crime/true mystery book club, which will meet every second Thursday in the Carnegie Room; the first meeting will be on February 8.

“Butcher Baker is the account of an Alaskan serial killer,” Hoffman said.

The publisher describes the book as “The horrific true story of serial kidnapper, rapist, and killer Robert Hansen's reign of terror.”

Hansen had more than 30 victims between 1971 and 1983.

Only six copies of the book remained at the library as of Tuesday.

“We had eight or 10 to start with, but some people have already started picking them up because we have a display up front advertising it,” Hoffman said.

The other books for Grim Readers have already been chosen.

“Our assistant director Olivia will make sure we have enough books on hand for anyone who wants to join up,” Hoffman said.

“The true crime/true mystery book club is going to be geared more towards teens and adults so we can get our teens to have some fun reading gory stuff. It’s called the Grim Readers, so I think they’ll have a lot of fun.”

Book club members don’t necessarily need a library card, she said.

“If you want to bring your own copy of a book, you may, but it would be great if you get a library card because then you don’t have to buy a book – another benefit of the library,” Hoffman said.

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