Reading groups & book clubs build community & connection
For us fiction lovers, the National Book Awards are our Oscars–a chance to discuss our favorite books of the year and catch up on ones we may have missed. Creating a space for readers to connect and dissect what they’re reading is a key part of our mission here at Old Town Books and over the years, we’ve tried a variety of formats to bring people together around books new and old. In addition to our six adult book clubs with dedicated followings, we’ve recently also introduced reading groups as a way to explore beloved classics.
Today, I’m sitting down with Nicole Tortoriello, long-time book club leader and champion of these reading groups, to chat about what makes these types of community-building events successful, why they’re important and what we have planned for 2026!
Ally: Nicole, thanks so much for being on the blog today with me to talk about all things book clubs, reading groups, and other fun projects you’re working on.
Can we start by giving readers the big picture view of your role at the bookstore?
Nicole: I’ve been with the store for over four years, so I’ve done a lot! At this point, I’m mostly running book clubs & reading groups. Long-time customers will know I used to do a lot of weekend floor shifts, but now I just fill in when needed. I run our Fiction book club, our Good Yarn book club, and pop-up clubs & reading groups. Behind the scenes, I also work with publishers on bringing authors to the store.
Ally: You have a lot of experience leading book clubs and reading groups, is that right? Can you share how you got into this sort of community building, in your own life and at Old Town Books?
Nicole: I’ve been building community through books & reading for over two decades, and have run over 20 different book clubs in that time. My first club was in high school, we ran a book club that ended up being half teachers & half students, and it showed me how books can bring people with all different kinds of life experience together. I got to hang out with other students with whom I had nothing else in common, and meet teachers who I never had in class. From there, I’ve run book clubs to meet people, book clubs to keep people in touch over long distances, book clubs to maintain an element of intellectual rigor after members graduated from school, and book clubs to help people escape and have fun. Anything you’re looking for, I can design a book club to accomplish!
Ally: What’s the process of choosing books for book clubs like? I’m curious about the behind-the-scenes planning it takes for you to set up a successful meeting.
Nicole: I spend most of my free time reading or listening to podcasts about books. So I start making note of books folks are talking about well ahead of their publication to figure out what might be worth our time. I comb through publishers’ catalogs and see what sparks an interest. I preview a few chapters, sometimes more, to make sure the tone of the book is right for the club, but typically won’t finish the book so that I can read it right before the club and have it fresh in my mind!
Our Good Yarn picks tend to be lighter–fast-paced, not too gory, and not a bummer– which means our Fiction picks tend to be heavier. I read diversely across genre and author background, so you’ll see that reflected in my picks. I also always make sure my picks are available on audio via Libro.fm for accessibility purposes, so sometimes Kim, our buyer, helps me out by confirming with publishers that an audio will be available when we’re picking a book months in advance. She ahs also helped me get special permission to sell certain books a day early when our club meets before the next month’s pick officially releases.
Ally: Speaking of success, what does that mean for you in terms of how a book club meeting goes? Does everyone have to like the book, or is it about the discussion, good or bad?
Nicole: A good book club for me is one where everyone attending is able to share what they thought about the book, and maybe the discussion unlocks a new aspect of the book or even about life. I tell my clubs almost every meeting that discussions are best when we have mixed opinions on the book. If everyone loves it, there’s less to talk about! At the end of our best meetings, folks who didn’t like the pick initially may appreciate it more, and folks who loved it might have more questions or complicated feelings.
Ally: Any tips for folks looking to start their own book clubs? Pitfalls to avoid?
Nicole: Three tips: (1) Pick a book that is under 300 pages & available on audio, (2) don’t make everyone finish the book, but as the host, be ready to fill people in on what happened after they put the book down, (3) don’t be wedded to keeping everyone on task and only focused on the book; the richest conversations are often in the tangents.
Beyond that, I love to invite folks from all different parts of my life to come together at my home book clubs, because folks bringing different life experiences makes the discussions the most vibrant. It’s also why our store clubs work so well, because they draw people from across our entire community.
Ally: Your reading groups at the bookstore have been wildly popular, selling out in just days. Why do you think that is? And can you share more about what drew you to leading one-off reading group meetings, how they differ from traditional club meetings?
Nicole: I pitched reading groups when I first started at the store in 2021, and it took us several years to figure out how to fit them in! A reading group is a bit more structured than a book club, but way more casual than a class. They’re modeled on law school reading groups, where students read a variety of texts and discuss how they relate to each other. So for the store, we pick titles that have a lot of deep themes and that are in conversation with each other.
I think they’re hitting because people are eager to think deeply about what they’re reading and to do the type of deep reading they may not have done since school, but in a more relaxed setting. We also have been picking classics that people either really love, really hate, or missed in school – Toni Morrison, Jane Austen, and the Brontes so far. So it’s an opportunity to round out your reading life.
Ally: We’re hatching something fun in 2026... I wonder if you can share your thoughts about the Zigbone Farm Readers Retreat we’re hosting in February, where we’re reading from the National Book Award Longlist?
Nicole: It’s going to be so much fun! We’re all going to read the winner of the National Book Award, and then everyone is going to pick an additional title (or more!) off the long list. We’ll be able to discuss the winner, whether we agree with the choice, and what makes these books stand out from the thousands of books published this year.
It’s also in a beautiful, cozy setting, with lots of wandering time through the grounds (with an audiobook, if you’re like me!) and snuggly reading time. It’s the perfect weekend for folks who want to set aside time for intentional reading and conversation with fellow readers. Learn more about the retreat and save your spot here.
A group chats during a previous ZigBone retreat. Photo courtesy of ZigBone Farm Retreat
Ally: What kind of reader are you? Do you have a favorite genre?
Nicole: My book club picks offer a good glimpse into my reading life, but there’s loads I read that doesn’t have a home (yet!) in one of our clubs. I love a celebrity reading their own memoir, I love middle-grade fantasy (and have been known to special order from the UK regularly and even Australia once, where I spent more on shipping than on the book itself), I dabble in translated books, and I try to read a book in Spanish every year. I read a lot of nonfiction on audio, and am thrilled Adela has joined our team because she is full of excellent nonfiction recs! Basically, I read a little bit of everything EXCEPT horror, because I’m a scaredy cat. My ideal reading set-up is audiobook in my ears and the print book in front of me so I’m fully immersed and can mark up my physical copy. My throughline is that I like books that make me think or offer a new perspective, which is not-conincidentally also what I love about reading in community!
Want to learn more about our book clubs? Check out our recent blog about them and join us at an upcoming book club!