Brown Bag Book Club

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Mariah Tolbert
  • 4th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. --  It's that time of day again and you don't know where to eat or what to do for lunch. There are many off-base options, but what about on base?

Every second and fourth Wednesday of the month starting at noon, the library holds a Brown Bag Book Club during lunch hour where people can bring in a lunch and save some money. Participants not only get an insight on a good book, but also meet others who share common interests.

"The club is a bimonthly book club, comprised of anyone who has access to the library," said Mari Hawley, 4th Force Support Squadron test administrator and member of the book club. "It doesn't involve just talking about the book, but it also seems to lead into a bigger discussion, like what the book brought out in us."

The book club started about four years ago, when Kim Huskins Webb, 4th FSS library director, realized people on base were feeling the impact of the rising gas prices.

"We thought that people didn't want to leave base everyday to have lunch, so we started the club at the library so people didn't have to drive as far," said Huskins Webb, a native of Goldsboro, N.C.

On top of providing free beverages and access to a good book, the club appears to have brought the members more.

"The biggest accomplishment is camaraderie," said Hawley, a native of Albuquerque, N.M. "The people who come to the book club are passionate about reading and it has given us a catalyst to do different things as a group, like participating in the Coleman race, starting the friends of the library group and planning movie dates for movies released about books we have read. It's not just about coming to talk about the books, we have also developed friendships."

With the permanent change of station season in full swing, the group members have begun to dwindle and the library is reaching out for participants who are ready to eat, read and meet new people.

"Come, eat lunch, get out of your office and talk about a good book, with no worries about spending money to drive off base and buy a lunch," Huskins Webb said.

On top of the Brown Bag Book Club, Kim Huskins Webb also assists in forming book clubs for Airmen or civilians who want to start their own.

For information about joining the Brown Bag Book Club or how to make a separate book club, call the library at 919-722-5825.