Overbooked: Club to meet on October 29

On the last Tuesday of each month, local readers are invited to the Three Forks Community Library to participate in the "Overbooked" Book Club.

On Tuesday, October 29, at 6 p.m., the club will meet to discuss "Firekeepers Daughter" by Angeline Boulley, with copies available at the library circulation desk.

According to Kelly Gesker, who oversees the book club and is also a member of the Library Board, "Overbooked" became a monthly activity in August 2021, with ten copies of "Where the Crawdad Sings" behind the library counter.

Gesker said the club's first meeting included herself, former librarian Fawn Venzor, Caroline Miller, and Ranee Berg. Since then, they have met on the last Tuesday of the month, when possible, given holidays and vacation plans.

Regarding the monthly turnout, Gesker shared that it has ranged between four and 20 people but is now a steady group of 10 attending monthly.

Gesker said she loves to hear from members, especially when they DON'T like the book.

"They let you know it. It is spectacular and wonderful. I tell them that we are not going to read the books that they are already reading, but we are going to push out into new authors and new genres to see if we find something new we like. These women do not hesitate to tell what they really think, and thank God for that," Gesker said.

Each month, Three Forks Librarian Jaimie Ewan and Gesker work with the book club "kit keepers" from the library in Bozeman. Gesker said sometimes the books are such downers that they throw in "lighter" books. Their most popular selection was "Remarkably Bright Creatures" by Shelby Van Pelt, a book Jaime (Ewan) stumbled upon and the library purchased.

Gesker also belongs to an online book club that has spurred some selections.

The book club was also able to get a backlisted book, "Finlay Donovan is Killing It," by Elie Cosimano. Members dressed in disguise and had a big Italian dinner at the meeting. Gesker said that after pictures of the members were posted on Facebook, the author wrote to them, saying her characters would have been proud.

"Book club runs an hour. Sometimes, we follow book club reading questions posted online, and sometimes, we just talk about what we like or didn't like. If I know that a book is not well received, I try to prep another discussion. Last month, it was 'How to make a priority TBR (To Be Read) list." Gesker said.

This month, in the spirit of Halloween and "Firekeepers Daughter," Gesker asks readers to dress as a beloved elder with the utmost respect, whether with a pin, sweater, or full regalia. She added that members should also bring a picture of their beloved elder to share.

"The book is set on a Native American Reservation and shows a great deal of respect and deference to the elder community, which is filled with quite a cast of characters," Gesker said.