Journalism freshman Emily Timm said she learns about herself and about life from reading books. With a new book club at the Downtown Phoenix campus Timm started, she’s giving others the chance to do the same.
“I have a lot of time down here,” said Timm, a student in Barrett, the Honors College. “I thought it would be a fun way to get people together and read.”
Starting Dec. 10, the book club will hold monthly discussions in the Starbucks lounge at Taylor Place. A different faculty member will moderate each discussion and will choose each book.
Marianne Barrett, an associate professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, chose the book “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin for the club’s November meeting. About seven people attended the meeting, Timm said.
Novels aren’t necessarily all the book club will read, Timm said. The current book, “Three Cups of Tea,” is about the Mortenson’s efforts to set up schools in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Timm said she tries to keep the club as pressure-free as possible. She goes to the library and tries to get as many copies of the selected book as she can, so book club participants can rent them from her.
Journalism freshman and honors student Dustin Volz attended the first meeting last month.
“I like the idea that Emily has of getting a faculty member to head the discussion every meeting,” Volz said. “It’s a great opportunity to get teachers and professors outside of my classrooms.”
Even though Volz enjoys reading about history, he said, the prospect of reading outside of school is refreshing.
“It gives me a chance of reading more novels, which I don’t normally read on my own,” he said.
Sustainability and journalism freshman Nicole Gilbert, an honors student who also attended the first meeting, said she enjoys discussing things she’s reading with other people.
“It really enriches your understanding of the meaning behind books,” Gilbert said.
Jill Johnson, senior program coordinator for the honors college, said students sometimes lose the enjoyment of reading when they only have their textbooks.
“It’s a nice little thing to do on the side,” she said. “It’s a way to gain a higher love of reading.”
Timm started the club after telling Johnson she liked reading for fun and no longer had the opportunity to do so, Johnson said.
Laura Peck will choose the club’s next book, Timm said. Peck is an associate dean for the honors college at the Downtown campus and associate professor at the School of Public Affairs.
Even though the book club is located at the Downtown campus, it is open to the public, Timm said.
“As long as they read the book than they will have something to talk about,” she said.
Reach the reporter at cogino@asu.edu.
