The Book or the Movie -- A New Club for Both

About a dozen people turned out for the debut screening/meeting of the Hamilton Book and Movie Club founded by Rob Stahl, general book manager of the Colgate Bookstore, in Hamilton, New York. The club is hosted by the Colgate Bookstore and the Hamilton Movie Theater, located across the street from the bookstore. Both businesses are owned by Colgate University.

The first film screening was The Accidental Tourist, based on the popular novel by Anne Tyler. Participants had selected the title at a plenary meeting held a few months earlier at the bookstore. They read the book in the interim, then attended the free screening on February 26, walked across the street to the bookstore, and discussed both works for several hours.

"People didn't want to leave, and the conversation kept going," Stahl told BTW. "People talked about the book, the characters, and the film direction. Some had focused on the screenwriting more than usual ... they listened to the dialogue much more closely."

Future selections will follow the same pattern. Members will receive a 10 percent discount on the chosen book, and the free screening will be held on a Sunday afternoon. Immediately following the screening, the group will discuss the movie and the book at the bookstore.

The idea for the combination movie and book club, Stahl said, came partly from his contention that most book clubs appeal primarily to women. After a chance viewing of the film The Big Sleep at a time when he was reading the Raymond Chandler novel, he saw the possibilities for attracting more men.

"If the books selected are Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre, most men won't join," Stahl said. "But a lot of men, who may not be big readers, might enjoy movies with some action and excitement. I saw it as a chance to do something really interesting and different."

Stahl is particularly pleased that equal numbers of men and women have attended the club meetings.

Although the first film received votes mainly from women, the second choice, Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, received most of the men's votes.

Stahl hopes to continue offering a variety of choices, some appealing mostly to women, some to men. Members will select their favorites from a list provided by Stahl, and the top vote getters will be presented. The club events are scheduled at six-week intervals, in part, Stahl explained, because "unlike traditional book clubs, not all of these people are as used to reading a lot of books. I don't want people to feel pressured." --Nomi Schwartz