Sioux City Public Library’s Open Book Club has something for everybody
By EARL HORLYK – Sioux City Journal, Iowa (TNS)
SIOUX CITY — Many people will start off the new year with a desire to change their diet.
The Sioux City Public Library’s Michael Maxwell wants everyone to eat the world.
That’s because the first book for the 2025 Open Book Club is a book of poetry entitled “Eat the World” by platinum-certified singer-songwriter Marina Diamandis.
“We’ve never had a poetry book in our Open Book Club,” Maxwell, a librarian specialist, explained. “It will be a great way to kick off the year.”
Beginning January 6 and continuing the first Monday of every month librarian specialist Maxwell and library staff will host the free-and-open-to-the-public book club from 10 to 11 a.m. at the Morningside Branch Library, 4005 Morningside Ave., and from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Aalfs Downtown Library, 529 Pierce St.
The library even hosts a virtual Open Book Club, via Zoom, from noon to 1 p.m., the first Wednesday of every month.
To get the ball rolling, Maxwell, as well as other Open Book Club members have selected a wide array of tomes for each month of the year.
“We deliberately mix things, alternating from fiction to nonfiction as well as everything in between,” he said.
For instance, the Feb. 3rd entry will be Cathleen Meredith’s “Fat Girls Dance,” a witty and irreverent novel that Maxwell likens to “a Judd Apatow movie in book form” and March 3rd focus will be on “Unmask Alice,” which is investigative journalist Rick Emerson’s examination of literary imposter Beatrice Sparks.
April 8’s book is dedicated to “Letters to a Young Poet” by Austrian poet Rainer Maria Riike.
“Personally, I never thought I’d enjoy poetry books but my mind has been changed,” Maxwell said. “I tend to be a very fast reader but poetry makes me slow down and become more contemplative.”
“One of the many joys of the Open Book Club is widening your horizons,” he added. “You may not always enjoy the book but the conversations afterwards are always fascinating. In large part, books are just the starting-off point to other discussions.”
On the other hand, Maxwell is certain that everyone will appreciate June 2’s book, which is “Cher: The Memoir,” by the iconic performer Cher.
“Outside of maybe Dolly Parton, I don’t think there is an entertainer more beloved than Cher,” he noted. “If you pick up the audiobook, it is narrated by Cher, herself, as well as by Stephanie J. Block, who was in ‘The Cher Show,” when it was performed at the Orpheum earlier this year.”
If these works aren’t eclectic enough for you, consider “Sharks Don’t Sink,” a novel about a marine biologist (July 7); “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” which is the first book by the legendary James Baldwin (Aug. 4); and “Midwestern Food,” which, believe or not, is a cookbook dedicated to Midwestern cuisine (Nov. 3).
“Well, it isn’t strictly a cookbook,” Maxwell admitted. “While the author does give out recipes, he also goes into the history of dishes many Midwesterners grew up on.”
Those are the types of books that help to stimulate conversations among Open Book Club members.
“We have members of all genders, age groups and walks of life,” Maxwell said. “What brings everybody together is a common topic.”
Which is becoming increasingly important.
“Everyone leads such isolated lives nowadays,” Maxwell said. “It is nice to have a conversation with somebody on Cher or sharks or on the food your family used to make when you were a kid.”
In many ways, the Open Book Club has become a community all on its own.
“You’d be surprised at how many friendships have been started among our club members,” Maxwell said. “I look forward to the first Monday of every month and I think so do our members.”
VIDEO: South Sioux City Library looks to preserve city’s history
Dan Nieman, assistant director/reference librarian at the South Sioux City Public Library, talks about how a grant will help the library to preserve historical documents in its collection.
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