Changing Hands Bookstore's Phoenix location and the Arizona Republic are teaming up to form the First Draft Book Club, "a monthly gathering of friendly book lovers" facilitated by "reporter and bookworm extraordinaire" Barbara VanDenburgh. The first meeting is scheduled for June 24 at the First Draft Book Bar, where the title under discussion will be Tim Johnston's novel Descent.
"It makes for a stronger community," said co-owner Cindy Dach. "You have this group of people who have something in common, which is a book to talk about."
"A stronger community is what she hoped for when Changing Hands, based in Tempe, opened a second location in central Phoenix a little more than a year ago," VanDenburgh wrote. "It's more than a bookstore, it's a gathering space, with roomy meeting areas and a bar that serves craft beers, wine and coffee drinks. That convivial vibe, Dach hopes, will encourage new patrons to check out the club, even if they just want to have a pint and listen."
Descent "exists in that magical intersection of inspiration and craft," VanDenburgh added. "That's where we hope to find all our selections for the First Draft Book Club, books so good they'll catch like wildfire if enough people light a match. It's something that Dach calls 'the subway effect': When a new book shows up in somebody's lap on the subway, and the next day everyone's reading it. To Dach, that's not a privilege New York owns."
"By picking new books, we can be tastemakers," Dach said.