Like many of my Global Traveler colleagues and most travelers, I am an avid reader and lover of books. They offer a wonderful escape and respite from delays, extended layovers and long flights, but they are also welcome companions on a chilly night by the fire, a sunny day at the beach

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or a quiet interlude in a backyard hammock. And over time, I’ve realized that when in a crowd of people I don’t know well, travel stories and book recommendations are two topics which can be counted on to get conversation flowing.

I’ve been a member of several book clubs over the years, but, sadly, most have died a slow death when our members found it nearly impossible to find a time when everyone could meet (and, invariably, there were always last-minute cancellations due to one domestic crisis or another). Since my last group quietly dissolved about nine months ago, I’ve been missing that exchange of ideas and experiences prompted by an engaging read, so I was delighted when a new opportunity presented itself recently.

As I’ve noted in a past blog, I am a member of our local Jackson County Library Foundation board. The Foundation’s mission is to secure and steward resources that support and enhance our library district, encompassing 15 branches and a host of programs and services. One of our newer board members is also the manager of her family’s Hummingbird Estate winery, one of a host of well-regarded wineries here in the Rogue Valley of Southern Oregon. Meghann proposed a new way for the Foundation to broaden community awareness of its work while attracting potential donors to our cause. The idea was to ask local wineries to host a book club gathering where participants could enjoy their wines and light bites while discussing a good book.

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It took quite a lot of planning and preparation, but our first Well Re(a)d Book Club met a few weeks ago at Remotion Wine in historic Jacksonville, Oregon. We had put the word out through our newsletter and website and figured a manageable group of about 20 would be ideal, had 24 RSVPs and had at least 27 participants show up. Our hosts had set aside their outside shaded patio for our group, and everyone had time to purchase some wine or nonalcoholic beverages and even order a cheese plate before settling outside. The evening’s discussion would center on The Midnight Library by Matt Haig, in which a young woman, hovering between life and death, has the opportunity to experience several versions of her life. The suggested pairing for the novel: a flight of Remotion wines for a sampling of their offerings. In fact, the winery had promised the Foundation a donation of 10 percent of the cost of every flight of wine purchased during the month of August.

We split the large group into two to ease the flow of conversation, and the next hour saw a lively exchange of impressions of and reactions to the book and its characters. For the most part, we were strangers to each other, but that did not impede the talk one bit. Even after the discussion leaders had concluded with their final question, folks lingered to finish their refreshments and chat some more. All in all, we felt our first venture was a great success, and we were able to share with attendees the title of our next book (So Far Gone by Jess Walters), the date of the book club and the winery that will be hosting it. It looks like we’ve already got several folks signed up, and it seems we’ve found a winning combination to garner support for our libraries: good books and good wine!

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor