Imagine if you could arrange for nearly 600 people to read one book by an Australian writer, over the same few months, and then hold a celebratory gala dinner where those readers get to meet with that book's author.
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One Book One Wagga, now in its sixth year, has made this improbable feat into a yearly event.
And here at the library, we're proud of how Wagga's biggest and most inclusive book club has developed, as well as the calibre of author we've attracted.
The process of choosing an author and novel for One Book One Wagga each year begins with a group of library staff who know one thing for certain: we can't please everyone. But we work hard to offer variety, especially in the writing styles of a wide range of authors, while also making sure the books we choose are timely and well written. It's not easy to know what readers will want to discuss months ahead of our gala dinner, but we like to think we've done pretty well.
This year's novel is Chris Hammer's Scrublands, and it's our first selection in a genre that is probably the library's most popular: crime.
Scrublands takes place in Riversend, a fictional town in the Riverina, during a catastrophic drought, and follows a journalist in his attempt to uncover the truth behind a mass shooting. Readers have reported to us that they've stayed up past 2am in order to finish this book , and spouses have re-borrowed the book once their partners are done with it. Since its selection, Scrublands has already been shortlisted for the Australian Book Industry Awards and the NSW Premier's Literary Awards.
The One Book One Wagga Gala Dinner 2019 promises to be a fascinating evening, and will take place at the Rules Club Wagga on Friday, May 24, starting at 6.45pm.
Chris Hammer will be in conversation with the Riverina Regional Library's Amy Heap, who has expertly interviewed every One Book One Wagga author so far.
Come along and join the conversation, even if you haven't read the book!
Tickets are $60, or $55 for groups of ten or more, and available through the Civic Theatre at civictheatre.com.au, or phone 6926 9688.
