MM_091516

mokenamessenger.com Life & Arts
the Mokena Messenger | September 15, 2016 | 27
Creating friendships through novels, exercise
Mokena library’s
Walking Book Club
attracts members
from all areas
Amanda Jarzynski, Editor
For three years the Mokena
Community Public
Library District’s Walking
Book Club has been a
unique way for people to
come together and enjoy a
good book.
Contrary to how it
sounds, the club members
do not walk while reading;
they simply gather to walk
together at The Oaks Recreation
and Fitness Center,
10847 La Porte Road,
before sitting down to talk
about the book they have
chosen to read for that
month.
“We read one book a
month,” said club coordinator
Nancy Baker. “We
got the idea from another
library, and we read books
that are recommended by
group members. We read
fiction, non-fiction, thrillers,
romance and even historical
fiction books.”
The club meets at the fitness
center every Wednesday
to discuss the book, and
participants have the option
of walking on the track before
or after the discussion.
“We’re lucky to have
[The Oaks] to use,” Baker
said. “We wish we could go
outside and walk, but it’s
too hard to coordinate with
everyone in the group.”
Baker said there are usually
15 people who join the
Walking Book Club. Most
of the women that regularly
take part are retirees, and
early morning sessions are
more convenient, especially
for those who travel out to
Mokena.
Several members who
attend The Walking Club
are from other parts of the
southwest suburbs, Baker
said.
Ellen O’Gallagher has
been traveling from her
home in Flossmoor to participate
in the library event
since it started, she said.
“I saw an advertisement
for it in [the paper],”
O’Gallagher said. “I decided
to go and have really enjoyed
it. It is a very unique
group, and I’ve made a lot
of friends.”
Because the club’s members
are not Mokena residents,
the library pays for
passes, so they can walk on
The Oaks’ track, Baker said.
Now, finding others to
join has never been an issue
for the club, and selecting
books to read is almost as
easy since the library offers
hundreds of selections in
any genre.
Baker said that the group
tries to pick books that are
not best-sellers because
there is less demand for
them. That way, the books
are easy for others to check
out.
“We work on selecting
a book two months in advance,”
Baker said. “And
we pick books that we can
check out for a long time.
Ones that the library has
a lot of in the system so
there’s enough for everyone.”
For O’Gallagher, what
keeps her returning extends
beyond the pages of the
books. She said she values
the friendships she has created
with the other ladies.
“I love the companionship
and the reading material,”
O’Gallagher said. “I
like that I can make suggestions
on what we read. I’m
going to come as long as I
can.”
The club meets every
Joyce Anders (left), of Mokena and Inez Milne, of Frankfort, walk and talk together Sept. 7, during the Walking Book Club’s
meeting at The Oaks Fitness and Recreation Center. Photos by Amanda Jarzynski/22nd Century Media
ABOVE: Members of the Walking Book Club join up to read
the latest selection.
RIGHT: Event organizer Nancy Baker (right) talks with Minal
Shah (left), of Mokena, and Denise Schwenn, of Orland
Park, during the event.
week, and on the months
that have five Wednesdays,
the club puts the books
away to share a breakfast
together.
New members are always
welcome to join the
Walking Book Club. For
more information, visit
www.mokenalibrary.org.