Community Book Club

Building empathy through reading fiction.

What We’re Doing

Studio 208 is proud to host a monthly community book club on the first Wednesday of the month.

Our intention is simple: walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, and build community in the process.

Why You Belong

We are building community through connection, and empathy through reading fiction. Without your voice, we’re missing an important perspective. We each view the world through different personal stories and experiences. When we commit to listening and sharing in community, we learn and grow together.

 

Meet in-person or online

We would love to see you in person! Our studio is located inside Second April Studios on the second floor. If you can’t make it to the second floor, please let us know you’ll be attending in advance and we’ll move the meeting to a first floor common area. If that doesn’t suit you, please join us virtually!

Join Virtually

Our Current Book

Here’s a quick look at this month’s book:

Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is eighty-one years old. She's lived on her idyllic street, Kenny Lane, for sixty years--longer than anyone else. Aside from being a curmudgeon who minds everyone else's business, few would suspect that Elsie has a past that she has worked exceedingly hard at concealing. Because when it comes to murder, no one ever suspects little girls or old ladies. And Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, once a little girl and now an old lady, has a strange history of people in her life coming to a foul end.

When a new little girl (talkative, curious, nosy) moves into the neighborhood and stops at nothing to befriend Elsie, her carefully-constructed life threatens to come crashing down as the secrets in Elsie's past start coming to light. Who was "Mad Mabel" fifty years ago? Who is Elsie Fitzpatrick today? And if the past has a habit of repeating itself, who has the most to lose?

Join us on Wednesday, October 7 at 7:00 p.m. to discuss!

Books we’ve read so far

  • Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

    Homegoing

    by Yaa Gyasi

  • The Only Good Indians

    The Only Good Indians

    by Stephen Graham Jones

  • A Burning

    A Burning

    by Megha Majumdar

  • Colored Television

    Colored Television

    by Danzy Senna

  • Freshwater

    Freshwater

    by Akwaeke Emezi

  • James

    James

    by Percival Everett

  • The Lion Women of Tehran

    The Lion Women of Tehran

    by Marjan Kamali

  • As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow

    As Long As the Lemon Trees Grow

    by Zoulfa Katouh

  • The Rainfall Market

    The Rainfall Market

    by You Yeong-Gwang

  • This Motherless Land

    This Motherless Land

    by Nikki May

  • freedom is a feast

    Freedom is a Feast

    by Alejandro Puyana

  • kin

    Kin

    by Tayari Jones

  • mad mabel by sally hepworth

    Mad Mabel

    by Sally Hepworth

Frequently Asked Questions

  • We meet the first Wednesday of every month. Studio doors open at 6:30pm and discussion starts at 7:00pm.

  • There is no registration required for book club. Please do contact us in advance if you need any accommodations to attend.

  • Join us at 324 Cleveland Ave. NW Canton, OH 44702 – we’re located on the second floor!

    Parking downtown is free after 4:00pm on weekdays and on weekends! Street parking is available on Cleveland Ave. directly in front of the studio.

  • Our studio is located on the second floor and, sadly, there is no elevator in our building. However, we’re happy to host book club in our building’s first floor common space. Just give us a head’s up!

    We will also have a virtual space available. To join the video meeting, click this link: https://meet.google.com/mbg-zxdj-kaf

  • Book club was created with the specific purpose of expanding our viewpoints and understanding of the world around us through fiction books. Studies suggest that reading fiction increases empathy and can heighten understanding of others.

    We choose mostly literary fiction, which leans heavily into character development.

  • I choose a short-list then we decided together at the end of book club.

  • There is no fee to join book club.

    If you’d like to contribute to our mission, please Venmo @JudeAnderson.

  • We would love to see you every month but we understand that life is busy. Feel free to choose your attendance based on your interest in the book, other commitments, etc. If you can’t make one, we hope to see you next month!